So, perhaps yesterday’s post was a bit unfair to throw out there, given it’s (presumed) luxury price tag. Some quick searching, though, brought me back to one of my favorite brands that features affordable mechanical movements – Seiko.
The particular model in question is the SNAB35, and while not as visually stunning as yesterday’s example, it offers you a lot for your money. Here’s a quick run down of the specs:
- Black ion-plated 42mm case (12mm thick) on a 23mm bracelet with deployant clasp
- Automatic movement
- Alarm, date, and chronograph complications
- 100 meter water resistance
- Hardlex crystal
Sure, it doesn’t have a tip-up feature, but I do like the fact that the alarm time is set on the sub-dial at 6 o’clock, rather than on a tiny hand on the main dial. This also seems to offer the ability to set the alarm time more precisely, as it looks to have both a hour and minute hand to use.
The other sub-dials cover the chronograph functions, as one would expect. They’ve also printed a tachymeter scale on the bezel for use with the chronograph, if you should be inclined in that direction.
All in all, this is another great entry from Seiko’s catalog. By now, their movements are time-tested, as is the scratch resistance of their Hardlex crystals (only time will tell how the plating holds up). So, how affordable is it? While it has (or had) an MSRP north of $400, you can actually find it closer to $200 over on Amazon. At that price, it’s practically a gimme if you’re in the market for a mechanical alarm.
