cheapish daily use diver - advice

[skunk20]

Back in March I got my first 'proper' watch, a TAG Carrera, not to everyones taste but I like it, but now thanks largely to this forum I want to buy another watch. I only use the Carrera for evenings and special occasions so would like a cheaper watch I don’t mind using every day this is where I am up to so far in my search:

First off they are both Seikos due to how highly recommended they come one here, this one is a Seiko 5 one which I really like the styling of:
http://www.creationwatches.com/products/seiko-dive...
The only thing is I think it may be too big for me to wear daily, I have twig like 7 inch wrists and although it is the same size as the Carrera (which is fine on special occasions) I think it may be look too large on me for a day to day wearing.



The only 'small' size diver I can find they do is this which I do like but not quite as much as the 5:
http://www.creationwatches.com/products/seiko-dive...

So, as I won’t be able to try either on before buying I'd like to know if any of you might have any suggestions either with regards the size of watch v size of wrists, or any other automatic divers, around the same price with the looks of the 5 but the size of the other

Thanks for you help
Simon

[sneijder]

I'm skinny too. Buy a Seiko Monster from Creation. They wear smaller than they are.

/thread.

[craigb84]

I don't know what your impression of 'cheap' is but this is my daily. I love it. It's quite understated but actually gets many looks and comments. I also have super skinny wrists and it fits perfectly.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Heuer-Aquaracer-Calibre-Au...

I didn't pay anything close to that price though from a main dealer. I've actually dived with it on several occasions too. Very easy to see under water.

[foreright]

I have just under 7" wrists and I reckon that Seiko would be fine - I have an SKX007 (which looks to be pretty much the same size) in my rotation for daily wear and think it's fine size-wise.

[hilly10]

How about a Steinhart Diver £200 ish

[Jonboy]

I have skinny wrists too (6.5 inch), but, as said above, the Monster does wear smaller than it should do. I have also just got myself an Orient Mako, great watch for circa £100 and sits nicely on my wrist.

[checkmate91]

I have a seiko skx013 on a bracelet for wearing with a suit and a skx007 on a rubber strap for outdoor and water-based activities. The skx013 is great for daily wear IMHO and it is a 200m watch. Not too small as it has a 20mm lug width and 39mm case diameter.

The seiko 5 that you posted is a sports watch only. Looks nice, I have to say and if you prefer it as a daily driver then go for it. I also have a seiko 5 snk361 for day wear when I want something more discreet.

Edit: just looked at your seiko 5 link again, that's quite a big watch, nothing like the skx013. you might be more interested in this... http://www.creationwatches.com/products/search/res...

Edited by checkmate91 on Wednesday 21st September 22:20

[andy tims]

7" wrists aren't that small at all.

A Seiko SKX or similar should be perfectly OK size wise.

[Gizmo!]

sneijder said:

I'm skinny too. Buy a Seiko Monster from Creation. They wear smaller than they are.

/thread.

This.

/thread

[skunk20]

Thanks for the monster recommendations, from the pictures on creation watches, I am not to keen on the bezel, however I will try and find some on the wrist pictures to see if that shows it in a better light.

The Steinhart suggestion, lovely watches but where can you buy them from? Also the 200 pounds, was that for a new or second hand one? I always thought they were abit more than that.

At the moment I'm leaning towards the SKX013, the 007s are nice but they dont appear to do a small or mid sized one and again I think it may be a little bit big.

Simon.

[Gizmo!]

Look at the I Want A Monster thread on here

[CardShark]

skunk20 said:

Thanks for the monster recommendations, from the pictures on creation watches, I am not to keen on the bezel, however I will try and find some on the wrist pictures to see if that shows it in a better light.

The Steinhart suggestion, lovely watches but where can you buy them from? Also the 200 pounds, was that for a new or second hand one? I always thought they were abit more than that.

At the moment I'm leaning towards the SKX013, the 007s are nice but they dont appear to do a small or mid sized one and again I think it may be a little bit big.

Simon.

Steinharts are out of your budget new and used unfortunately , if you wanted to buy new then buying direct from Steinhart themselves is the only option. I've got a black/red bezelled Ocean 1 GMT and it's a great watch, if you can up your budget then I would deffinately recomend them.
As for the Seikos, well I have both a Monster and an SKX009 (exactly the same as an SKX007 apart from the face and bezel colours and both use the same movement found in the 013 that itself uses a slighlty smaller case than a 007/009 and different hands), here are a few photos comparing them -



The Monster, dispite it's name, is actually the same size as a 009. The bezel is wider and deeper on the Monster and the crystal is smaller in diameter and domed giving it a chunkier appearance than the thinner bezelled, bigger and flat crystalled 009. I'll also say at this point, before I forget, that the bracelet is of a much better quality than the bracelet that comes with the 009, though after-market bracelets are also available. The links are brushed and polished, the end links (the bits that attach the bracelet to the watch itself) are solid as opposed to hollow (which can result in the links 'chinking' against the watch) and the clasp has greater room for adjustment. The lume is also better on the Monster and, in fact, probably sets the marker for all watches, though the 009 isn't far behind.





You can see above that there really isn't much, if any, difference in size on my 7 1/4" wrist. The Monster looks like it's not quite as tall here than the 009 but that's more to do with where it's sitting on my wrist TBH. You can also see both here and in the photo below that the Monster is very square edged compared to the 009 which adds to it's chunky 'Monster' moniker, the 009 has a very smooth edged case by comparison and it also has a cambered bezel which would make it easier to wear under a shirt cuff for example as it would help prevent snagging.



You can see above that the square edged nature of the Monster case continues underneath, the 009 has a notably scalloped underside which ultimately makes the watch more comfortable on the wrist as it allows for greater wrist movement. Both feature the Seiko Tsunami on the case back which is a Seiko trademark if you like for their diver's watches and is a nice touch.

All in all my preference is for the Monster on the basis that I highly rate it's looks, the bracelet is a winner and the brushed and polished finish on the case and bracelet IMO gives it a higher quality look and feel to it. The 009 fights back with greater comfort and easier wearability, if there's such a word! The 013 is the same as the 007/009, just a slightly smaller case, either way none of these watches would look too big on a 7" wrist.

Hope that helps and that I haven't bored or added to your confusion And quite a few of us have used Creation, including myself, with no issues.

Edited by CardShark on Thursday 22 September 13:31

[LondonGlen]

spend the extra £100 and buy the Steinhart:

http://www.steinhartwatches.de/en/OCEAN-1-GREEN,15...

I did and it's been back to the box for my Bell & Ross Br92-03 ever since.

[costsmonkey]

I am very tempted to buy a Steinhart Ocean and am pleased to see that a couple of you guys have got one and seem to be happy with them. Do they keep good time?

Have looked at several secondhand ones on TZ UK (before they changed the rules) and they seem to sell very quickly for, unless I have misunderstood the figures, very close to the same price new.

If buying new, is it best to buy directly from Steinhart or from their UK dealer (the name of which currently escapes me) or, indeed, elsewhere?

[Sunglasses Ron]

CardShark said:

Steinharts are out of your budget new and used unfortunately , if you wanted to buy new then buying direct from Steinhart themselves is the only option. I've got a black/red bezelled Ocean 1 GMT and it's a great watch, if you can up your budget then I would deffinately recomend them.
As for the Seikos, well I have both a Monster and an SKX009 (exactly the same as an SKX007 apart from the face and bezel colours and both use the same movement found in the 013 that itself uses a slighlty smaller case than a 007/009 and different hands), here are a few photos comparing them -



The Monster, dispite it's name, is actually the same size as a 009. The bezel is wider and deeper on the Monster and the crystal is smaller in diameter and domed giving it a chunkier appearance than the thinner bezelled, bigger and flat crystalled 009. I'll also say at this point, before I forget, that the bracelet is of a much better quality than the bracelet that comes with the 009, though after-market bracelets are also available. The links are brushed and polished, the end links (the bits that attach the bracelet to the watch itself) are solid as opposed to hollow (which can result in the links 'chinking' against the watch) and the clasp has greater room for adjustment. The lume is also better on the Monster and, in fact, probably sets the marker for all watches, though the 009 isn't far behind.





You can see above that there really isn't much, if any, difference in size on my 7 1/4" wrist. The Monster looks like it's not quite as tall here than the 009 but that's more to do with where it's sitting on my wrist TBH. You can also see both here and in the photo below that the Monster is very square edged compared to the 009 which adds to it's chunky 'Monster' moniker, the 009 has a very smooth edged case by comparison and it also has a cambered bezel which would make it easier to wear under a shirt cuff for example as it would help prevent snagging.



You can see above that the square edged nature of the Monster case continues underneath, the 009 has a notably scalloped underside which ultimately makes the watch more comfortable on the wrist as it allows for greater wrist movement. Both feature the Seiko Tsunami on the case back which is a Seiko trademark if you like for their diver's watches and is a nice touch.

All in all my preference is for the Monster on the basis that I highly rate it's looks, the bracelet is a winner and the brushed and polished finish on the case and bracelet IMO gives it a higher quality look and feel to it. The 009 fights back with greater comfort and easier wearability, if there's such a word! The 013 is the same as the 007/009, just a slightly smaller case, either way none of these watches would look too big on a 7" wrist.

Hope that helps and that I haven't bored or added to your confusion And quite a few of us have used Creation, including myself, with no issues.

Edited by CardShark on Thursday 22 September 13:31

Apologies for quoting such a huge post but I'd just like to say what a great post this is. Very comprehensive and informative.

[CardShark]

costsmonkey said:

I am very tempted to buy a Steinhart Ocean and am pleased to see that a couple of you guys have got one and seem to be happy with them. Do they keep good time?

Have looked at several secondhand ones on TZ UK (before they changed the rules) and they seem to sell very quickly for, unless I have misunderstood the figures, very close to the same price new.

If buying new, is it best to buy directly from Steinhart or from their UK dealer (the name of which currently escapes me) or, indeed, elsewhere?

Mine keeps within a few seconds a day and you do hear quite often that they're well regulated straight out of the box. As for prices I bought mine pre-owned from TZ for not that much less than retail but then it was pretty much as good as new and sometimes Steinhart themselves are out of stock of particular models which can help keep prices a little higher than normal as the wait can be avoided.
I didn't realise that there was a UK dealer and a quick google didn't come up with anything either

[CardShark]

Sunglasses Ron said:

Apologies for quoting such a huge post but I'd just like to say what a great post this is. Very comprehensive and informative.

Cheers SR

It was either spend a bit of time writing up that or mow the lawn

[costsmonkey]

Thanks CardShark, that is very helpful.

I think Chronomaster now sell Steinhart. See link below;

http://www.chronomaster.co.uk/Steinhart%20divers.h...

The watches appear to be new but it is not clear whether they are an authorised or official dealer.

[andy_s]

Enjoyed that and learnt a bit too - cheers CS.

[skunk20]

CardShark... That was a truly briliiant, informative and helpful post, thank you for spending the time to write it up.
The only problem now is that the monsters hat is now firmly in the ring making my choice even harder with pros for both of them.

The steinharts do look good. It would mean stretching the budget a little, but thats nothing new really is it? choices choices.

Thanks for the help so far.

Simon