Seiko SNDA57P1

[tribe125]

I talked myself into this one. I've owned this watch before and recently mentioned it as an example of 'cheap but good'. In passing, I also mentioned that it had a military connection (a batch was ordered for British troops), and someone asked for more information. Not being able to remember the details, I had to look them up. Inadvertently, looking through stuff from years ago, I re-kindled my old enthusiasm. I also saw that it was now discontinued, and was disappearing from discount websites. That was it, then... Add to Basket.

I can't remember why I sold it, other than to make room for something else, but I had probably come to take it for granted. Most towns in England have a Seiko stockist, and they invariably had these in the window. Cheap, plentiful, mainstream... nothing special.

Except that it's a really useful watch, much more so to me than the Seiko chronographs with an alarm dial at '6'. The SNDA57P1 has the 7T92 movement, with a combined 12hr and minute totaliser at '6'. I like a 12hr counter.





Seiko describes it as 'military', which means styling cues like an inverted triangle at '12', a matte blasted case, and a nylon strap. It also manages to include a full set of numerals that aren't truncated and don't block any sub-dial markers. That's not easy to do while maintaining general clarity, which is very good. I even like the tucked-away date, relegated to '4' because it's the least significant function of a chronograph. When you stop taking it for granted, you realise that it's a considered and distinctive design.

It packs a lot in, the SNDA57P1, and does so in an appealingly slender case (43 x 11). It's big enough for easy reading of the sub-dials, slim enough to keep out of the way.

Whenever I've seen them in the wild, they've been on the wrists of people more likely to drive tractors and Land Rovers than saloons and sports cars. The National Trust gardener who looks after the property next to us has a green one. These owners, like me, will probably have little use for the 1/20th sub-dial, but I'm guessing that they went out looking for something affordable, useful and workmanlike, preferably with a trusted name on the dial. Scanning the shop window, the choice might have come down to this or a G-Shock - hands versus digits, metal versus plastic, slender versus chunky.

I seem to like utility Seikos and Grand Seikos, and not much in-between. The SNDA57P1 is a great utility watch.






Straps

It's not a watch that should be dressed up, so something simple and rugged seemed appropriate - a Sectime Riviera in functional black -

http://www.sectime.co.uk/genuine-lea...=321_1518_1522

However, after a few hours I decided the best fitting and most comfortable strap was... the two-piece nylon strap it came on.

The watch came from Yorkshire Watches who I've used several times before -

http://www.yorkshirewatches.co.uk/