If you didn’t give the pictures a closer look, you might simply think that we’ve got another Seiko 5 Series diver with nothing much of interest to it – and that would be understandable. However, this one has something quite interesting on offer – that bezel isn’t just painted, it’s domed!
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From what I have been able to find on line, I’m not able to tell if that bezel covering is hardlex (like the main crystal is), or if it’s some other less-durable material. Either which way, you’re getting the look and feel made so popular by Blancpain, and that we saw more recently in our Ocean7 LM-5 posts.
While it looks “OK” to me on the stainless steel bracelet, I’ve seen some other shots online (just do a Google search for Seiko SNZH53) that have it on NATO (blue) or leather (brown) straps, and it just looks stunning. Sure, you’re not getting the lume on the bezel that Blancpain or Ocean7 offer – but this Seiko is very friendly towards your budget (starting in at under $150, depending on the model you choose).
Past that bezel, you’ve got a bevy of solid (as to be expected) specs on this Seiko:
- 42mm stainless steel case (14mm thick) with 22mm lugs
- Seiko 7s36B 23-Jewel Automatic movement with Day/Date
- Domed Hardlex crystal
- 100m water resistance
- 120 click uni-directional bezel
While I’ve not actually seen this one in person, Seiko does have a solid record when it comes to extremely affordable divers. With this particular model, you’re also gaining a much cheaper entry point to that famous Fifty Fathoms style (albeit, with trade offs in materials and movement). If you’re not a fan of the blue color combo shown here, there is a more retro-tastic black and gold option, as well as a black/white combo.
