Seiko 5 Straps and Questions

[MrPeters]

I'm looking to get an automatic watch - my only other at the moment is a Quartz and looking through the forums here it seems the vote is pretty unanimous.

I haven't got a lot to spend, but I want something that 'looks good' that I can wear daily to keep my other watch for 'best'. I've only seen the Seiko 5 with a metal bracelet or a fabric wristband and ideally I'd like it with a leather strap.

I gather the '5 needs a 20mm doodar? Is this the only measurement I'll need? Is there anywhere I could buy the watch from the UK and have them make the alterations before sending it to me?

Any other watches you'd recommend also?

Price-wise looking to max at about £125... could go to £150 absolute tops.

[Gizmo!]

Literally tomorrow I will be fitting my '5 with a nice chunky leather strap. Photos will ensue.

[sneijder]

Have a look at other Seikos, you're shooting above the 5 range with that budget.

Google Creation Watches as your starting point, also you can change a watch strap yourself if you have two hands.

[al1991]

Changing a watch strap is a doddle and you can get a nice leather strap for peanuts online.

[bikerPaul]

MrPeters said:

I gather the '5 needs a 20mm doodar?

I think the '5 is an 18mm strap but there's probably others who'd know for sure.

Paul

[Odie]

I just ordered a seiko 5 from ebay for £48 with a metal strap but i made sure it had the standard fitting so i could opt for a nato or leather strap (or a leather nato/zulu) if i decided too.

[MrPeters]

Odie said:

I just ordered a seiko 5 from ebay for £48 with a metal strap but i made sure it had the standard fitting so i could opt for a nato or leather strap (or a leather nato/zulu) if i decided too.

Have you gone for a new one?

I've been having a look through some older / vintage ones.

[Odie]

MrPeters said:

Odie said:

I just ordered a seiko 5 from ebay for £48 with a metal strap but i made sure it had the standard fitting so i could opt for a nato or leather strap (or a leather nato/zulu) if i decided too.

Have you gone for a new one?

I've been having a look through some older / vintage ones.

I was looking at older one (square faces etc) but ended up opting for a new one to start with see how I get on with an auto, im a long term quartz user.

[MrPeters]

Odie said:

MrPeters said:

Odie said:

I just ordered a seiko 5 from ebay for £48 with a metal strap but i made sure it had the standard fitting so i could opt for a nato or leather strap (or a leather nato/zulu) if i decided too.

Have you gone for a new one?

I've been having a look through some older / vintage ones.

I was looking at older one (square faces etc) but ended up opting for a new one to start with see how I get on with an auto, im a long term quartz user.

Something I find very 'appealing', shall we say, is the fact that a watch has some 'history' behind it - even if it's unknown. Hard to describe tbh lol.

I think I may look to get a new one, and an older one and go from there to be honest.

What prices were you looking for, used?

[Gizmo!]

I quite like the Quartic ones if I'm honest.

Strap fitted. Photos when I get home

[MrPeters]

Gizmo! said:

I quite like the Quartic ones if I'm honest.

Strap fitted. Photos when I get home

Yes please! Looking forward to seeing how it looks.

[Greendubber]

I fancy a 5 so have been looking at them too lately so looking forward to the pics.

For the cash I think they're spot on and nice looking too (I like plain!).

Thinking of going for a black one on a black nato

[MrPeters]

What is a 'nato'? Sorry for sounding thick!

[Greendubber]

MrPeters said:

What is a 'nato'? Sorry for sounding thick!

Im more than likely wrong but I think its the fabric straps that get referred to as Nato's.

Complete watch newb..always liked them but never given them any great thought. Was speaking to a relative of my other half whos a collector and I think its something I could get into. Not to the level he is (one of his daily wearers is a Breitling Bentley) but I want to get a couple, one basic daily and something special

I think I'll be doing a fair bit of overtime to pay for them though!

[MrPeters]

Ahh that's what I thought.

I'm in the same boat really. I have a 'nice' accurist watch that my gf bought me, but I want to get into manual and automatic watches too.

[Greendubber]

MrPeters said:

Ahh that's what I thought.

I'm in the same boat really. I have a 'nice' accurist watch that my gf bought me, but I want to get into manual and automatic watches too.

I've got a 'work watch' which gets abused and smashed about so I want something nice for out of work.

Got to be automatic and I like chunky watches. Thinking a 5 and a Monster is what I'll be going for

[magpie215]

Greendubber said:

MrPeters said:

What is a 'nato'? Sorry for sounding thick!

Im more than likely wrong but I think its the fabric straps that get referred to as Nato's.

Complete watch newb..always liked them but never given them any great thought. Was speaking to a relative of my other half whos a collector and I think its something I could get into. Not to the level he is (one of his daily wearers is a Breitling Bentley) but I want to get a couple, one basic daily and something special

I think I'll be doing a fair bit of overtime to pay for them though!

Nato is not just fabric it also threads through the back of the watch in such a way that should one of the spring bars fail you would not loose the watch as you would with a normal strap.

Also the strap width for a 5 is 18mm

[HellDiver]

I've two 5's, I use neither. Both gain 5-10 minutes a day, which is unacceptable. Some time I'll get them calibrated, or I'll keep on using my Casio WaveCeptor.

Incidentally, the Casio was £125, and I'm very happy with it. It's a WVQ-570E, and I replaced the rubber strap with a genuine Seiko nylon strap off Ebay.

http://www.casio.co.uk/products/Watches/Wave%20Cep...

[Gizmo!]

Here we are then...







Now, for the record, this is an SNKH65 which has 20mm lugs rather than the SNK803 which has 18mm according to that Creation link.

Strap is this one, in tan and it's lovely. Perhaps the purists won't approve, but I like it.

[MrPeters]

Might I bring your attention to this, chaps?

http://ebay.co.uk/Pages/ViewItem.aspx?aid=36033855...