Macy's has a couple solar-powered Seikos for half off

"Textured Soy Protein" (texturedsoyprotein)
03/11/2020 at 17:13 • Filed to: None

Because I’m still in the throes of looking at too many watches, even though I just !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , I noticed that Macy’s has a couple solar-powered Seiko Prospex models available for $225 instead of their usual $450 price. The !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! pictured above, and also the !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! below. Y’know, in case anyone’s in the market...

DISCUSSION (23)

ttyymmnn > Textured Soy Protein
03/11/2020 at 17:17

How practical is a solar watch? When I was looking for a watch before settling on an automatic SKX (which I didn’t realize was automatic until it arrived) , I read that you can’t charge a solar simply by wearing it. True? If so, how long does a charge last?

Textured Soy Protein > ttyymmnn
03/11/2020 at 17:21

I much prefer solar over automatic. The power reserve on solar watches is usually on the order of months rather than days with automatics. Not sure about Seiko, but both my Citizen and G-Shock solar watches have a power saving feature where they go into a kind of sleep mode when they’re in the dark. The Citizen is an analog, it stops moving the hands while keeping the time in memory, and the hands start moving again when it’s exposed to light or you press a button. The G-Shock is digital so it just turns the screen off and wakes up in response to the same stimuli.

SBA Thanks You For All The Fish > Textured Soy Protein
03/11/2020 at 17:22

I always feel “dirty” for liking these— since they knock-off the classic Rolex look— but they are great watches.

I was just looking at a Prospex Chrono the other day. I like the Aviation Vibe—

Kinja'd!!!

ttyymmnn > Textured Soy Protein
03/11/2020 at 17:24

I would not have bought an automatic watch had I been paying attention. That said, I really like it, and I can live with it running a minute fast each day. I just check the time each morning. No big deal.

Textured Soy Protein > SBA Thanks You For All The Fish
03/11/2020 at 17:25

The SNE499 is part of the “tuna” series (nicknamed because they sorta kinda not really look like cans of tuna) which has that diver style bezel but the case is a pretty unique design actually.

DucST3-Red-1Liter-Standing-By > ttyymmnn
03/11/2020 at 17:27

A full charge should be good for about 6 months. It should charge off about any light source. I think some of the seikos even have a stand-by mode if they don’t see light for a period of time to save battery

ttyymmnn > DucST3-Red-1Liter-Standing-By
03/11/2020 at 17:29

Intersting. Thanks!

Textured Soy Protein > ttyymmnn
03/11/2020 at 17:29

Many years ago I had a cheap Seiko automatic diver watch. It was my first “nice” watch, but I got sick of it not keeping good time and not having much power reserve. My solar watches are going on 7-8 years old and still work perfectly. Never changed their batteries.

415s30 W123TSXWaggoIIIIIIo ( •_•))°) > Textured Soy Protein
03/11/2020 at 17:34

I always look but I al ready have a watch I don’t wear!

ttyymmnn > Textured Soy Protein
03/11/2020 at 17:44

Well, this is my everyday watch, so I don’t expect it to run down.

Brighammer > Textured Soy Protein
03/11/2020 at 17:51

Oooh watches... I started to get into them last year before the wife helped reel me back in . I did end up with a couple cool pieces. Both of these powered by the Seiko NH35a movement. The Detroit Mint 6105 homage is actually my 2nd one. The first one got pretty beat up(I'm pretty abusive to watches while I work) and Dave replaced it. Great customer service IMHO.

Kinja'd!!!

Chariotoflove > Textured Soy Protein
03/11/2020 at 17:57

I like this, especially since I get disappointed by automatics mechanism lack of accuracy.

SBA Thanks You For All The Fish > ttyymmnn
03/11/2020 at 18:28

I’d never go back and I’m kind of a watch nut. I charge mine on a shelf near a window. Newer Citizens will more than keep up under indoor lighting a few minutes a day— very efficient.

Replacing batteries in my older Chase-Durers and Seikos just gets old after awhile.

None of them have the cachet of a classic Swiss Automatic, but I like the convenience and accuracy. One less thing to worry about.

SBA Thanks You For All The Fish > Textured Soy Protein
03/11/2020 at 18:29

I’m wearing a 20 year old Citizen EcoDrive. Works like the day my wife got it for me.

JMKarstetter > Textured Soy Protein
03/11/2020 at 19:30

I have an original Seiko H558-5009 “Arnie” that was my dads, looking at these watches made me aware of the fact that they re-released them with an update. Might have to get one of them. Need to get this H558 cleaned up and stuff first though.

Distraxi's idea of perfection is a Jagroen > ttyymmnn
03/11/2020 at 19:35

You can definitely charge them simply by wearing them . I’ve had a solar Citizen for about 5 years as my everyday watch, after I got bored of replacing watches every few years when the battery seal failed . It’s basically on my wrist 24/7 unless I’m in the shower or doing something messy. I’ve never made any attempt to charge it, and it’s ne ver missed a beat.

Which is more than you can say for my “good” watch, a mechanical/a utomatic Omega, which is a lovely piece of jewelry but about as useful as a sundial when it co mes to actually telling the time.

Textured Soy Protein > JMKarstetter
03/11/2020 at 21:09

Yes there is a current solar Arnie.

https://seikousa.com/products/snj025

DucST3-Red-1Liter-Standing-By > ttyymmnn
03/12/2020 at 10:34

If your SKX is running to fast, you can open it up and slow it down with a lever on the movement, just look up, how to regulate seiko and there should be tons of videos. I’ve heard of people getting to damn near chronometer specs (plus or minus 2 sec/day)

ttyymmnn > DucST3-Red-1Liter-Standing-By
03/12/2020 at 10:46

That’s nothing that I would do, but I know a very good watch shop in the area that would do it for me. How does that affect the waterproofness of the watch?

DucST3-Red-1Liter-Standing-By > ttyymmnn
03/12/2020 at 10:51

Ah, they would be able to do it in a heart beat. They will use a time grapher to see exactly how fast/slow it is running and will dial it in on the spot. As for the water proof- ness, you shouldn’t need to worry, especially if a pro does it. There is just one gasket that will need to be put back in its slot, piece of cake. Some shops can even pressure test a watch after opening it back up to double check its still water tight, but if a shop if doing it, I wouldn’t worry too much about it. They would probably charge ~$40

ttyymmnn > DucST3-Red-1Liter-Standing-By
03/12/2020 at 10:55

This shop charges $5 for a battery while you wait, so they might charge less than $40. Thanks for the tip. Looks like I’ll have some time on my hand (ba-doomp) in the next couple of weeks.

Remember the Merit from GTA SA? > Textured Soy Protein
03/12/2020 at 11:13

Gimmie!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

DucST3-Red-1Liter-Standing-By > ttyymmnn
03/12/2020 at 11:32

No kidding! There is also a chance it just got magnitized, super easy to de-mag yourself. But if that was the case, I would expect it to run 5+ minutes a day fast