Not handsome, not pretty, stoic as hell: the Seiko 5 Bottle Cap I love anyway
A complete amateur presents
Before I start, a reminder: I am a complete amateur with zero credibility whatsoever. That said, tonight, a very special lovely little watch: the Seiko SRPC61K1, the Bottle Cap, from the Seiko 5 Sports range. My good friend paid 1,049 Polish zloty, about 212 pounds. Quite expensive. The caseback says May 2018, number 563. It came out in 2018 with very little fanfare, as Seiko do with the 5s. They don't advertise it, they just pop them out and there they are. Looks like a bottle cap, doesn't it? Funny that. Shut up.
Seven rows of text
The dial is lovely. A printed minute track, perfectly aligned this time, with beautifully applied hour markers ringed in steel. Rectangles at three, six and nine, the three shortened for the white-framed date window. White date wheel, black day wheel, Sunday in red, reminding you that work is imminent. No blue Saturday, so Saturday stays calm and relaxed. The Seiko 5 logo is applied in metal, not printed, which at this class is very nice. 'Sports' in red. Automatic, 24 jewels, 100 metres in white. And the production codes, hiding below the minute track, almost invisible without a loupe.
One of the things I love most: look how long that seconds hand is. Right into the minute track. Even the hour hand gets close. I love to see that. Beautiful. Well done.
This is not a dive watch
Hardlex, Seiko's not-sapphire, but at Seiko 5 money you can't complain, and it sits perfectly flush with the bezel. Very nicely done. The bezel's thinner than a Seiko diver's, because this is not a dive watch. Splash proof, swim proof. All of us diving saturation-style in a bell, don't smash about with this. Non-screw-down, unshrouded crown at four. A massive 45 mm, 47 lug to lug, and 13 mm tall, slim enough for a dress cuff. Short lugs. The bezel? As good as a Monster, not as good as a Sumo, better than my Turtle.
The bracelet. It's okay. The Kamikaze have tried to hide their transgressions, but the eagle-eyed bros will spot the folded links. Jingle jangles. Stamped clasp, four micro-adjustments, split pins. It's a Seiko 5. To be expected. Flip it over: an undecorated 4R36. An ugly little thing, but it spins like a top and doesn't miss a beat. What are you buying, a Patek? Lume? Seiko 5s don't get the next tier's lume. I'm not slagging him off. He's wonderful. That's just the difference.
Verdict
Bear with me, I'm quite hammered. He's not handsome. Not pretty. Not particularly well made, and quite expensive when an ISO 200-metre, screw-down SKX costs similar money. But there's something quite charming about this little fella. Beguiling. Stoic, even. He looks like he could endure great hardship and pain without giving himself away, and for that reason I do love him. Stay freaky, bros, and never give up.
