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Hacking automatics

Best automatic watches with hacking seconds

Hacking stops the seconds hand while you set the time, so you can set a watch to the second. It sounds minor until you own a watch that cannot do it.

By Sawyer V. · Published

The short answer

The Orient Kamasu is the best automatic with hacking seconds here: an in-house F6922 that hacks and hand-winds, behind sapphire, rated 200m, with a three-year warranty. The Orient AK00 adds domed sapphire and a day-date, and the Citizen Tsuyosa is the integrated-bracelet choice with five years of warranty.

Hacking is the feature that stops the seconds hand when you pull the crown out to set the time. Without it, the seconds hand keeps sweeping and you can only set the watch to within a minute. With it, you can stop the watch at zero and restart it on a time signal.

Not every maker states it, and we only list watches whose own product page does. Every pick below says it hacks; the skip row is an automatic whose maker says nothing about its movement at all.

On prices: we publish no figure we have not verified today, so every buy button reads "Check price on Amazon". Service prices quoted here are the manufacturers' own published figures.

How we picked

We have not worn these watches. What follows is what we checked instead, on documents you can open yourself — the same criteria, in the same order, on every roundup on this site. The full method is on the methodology page.

  1. 01Hacking stated

    Every pick's maker states hacking on its product page. We do not assume it from a similar caliber.

  2. 02Hand-winding

    Stated on every Orient here as well.

  3. 03Crystal

    Sapphire on five of the six picks.

  4. 04Warranty

    Orient three years (two on the Orient Star here), Citizen five; Laco states none.

Disclosure · Some links below are Amazon affiliate links. If you buy through one we earn a commission at no extra cost to you. It does not decide what goes on this page or in what order — here is exactly how that works.

Quick picks

Ranked on the Keep Score below — six published specifications, weighted identically on every page. The last row is the one we would not buy.

#WatchBest forKeep ScorePrice
1

Orient Kamasu RA-AA0004E39B

In-house F6922, hacks and hand-winds, sapphire, 200m.

The best hacking automatic here9.0/10
Check price
2

Orient AK00 Version 3 RA-AK0007S30B

F6B24, hacks and hand-winds, domed sapphire.

Hacking with domed sapphire and a day-date8.0/10
Check price
3

Orient Star Modern Skeleton RE-AV0005L00B

F6N44, hacks and hand-winds, 100m, power-reserve indicator.

The hacking skeleton7.8/10
Check price
4

Citizen Tsuyosa NJ0150-56E

Citizen 8210, hacking, sapphire, five years.

The hacking integrated bracelet7.7/10
Check price
5

Laco Augsburg 39

Laco 2S on a Miyota 82S0 base, hacking seconds, sapphire.

The hacking flieger6.8/10
Direct only
6

Orient Bambino Version 7 RA-AC0M03S30B

F6724, hacks and hand-winds, 38.4mm.

The hacking dress watch6.3/10
Check price
—

Timex Marlin Automatic 40mm TW2V44600

A mid-century automatic around a movement Timex does not name.

Skip this one

Not if hacking matters to you6.5/10
Check price

Keep Score is arithmetic, not opinion — six published specifications, weighted the same way on every page. The formula is on our methodology page, so you can re-run it yourself.

01

Orient Kamasu RA-AA0004E39B

Best for: The best hacking automatic here

9.0/10

Keep Score

Crystal
2.5/2.5
Serviceability
2.5/2.5
Water resistance
1.5/1.5
Warranty
1.05/1.5
Strap standard
1/1
Cost-to-keep transparency
0.4/1
Check price on Amazon

#ad Affiliate link · We publish no price we have not verified today

Orient states hacking and hand-winding for the F6922 and puts it behind sapphire in a 200m case with a screw-down crown and three years of warranty.

40 hours of reserve, and no US service price list.

On paper this is the best value in the category and it is not close: sapphire and a hacking, hand-windable in-house caliber at a price where Seiko still fits Hardlex. Orient's three-year warranty is longer than Hamilton's or Tissot's.

Manufacturer specifications for the Orient Kamasu RA-AA0004E39B
MovementOrient F6922 in-house automatic, hand-winding, hacking
Power reserve40 hours
Case41.8mm stainless steel
Lug-to-lug46.8mm
Thickness12.8mm
Lug width22mm
Crystalsapphire
Water resistance200m
Warranty3 years

Specifications read from Orient Watch USA product page, RA-AA0004E39B.

02

Orient AK00 Version 3 RA-AK0007S30B

Best for: Hacking with domed sapphire and a day-date

8.0/10

Keep Score

Crystal
2.5/2.5
Serviceability
2.5/2.5
Water resistance
0.6/1.5
Warranty
1.05/1.5
Strap standard
1/1
Cost-to-keep transparency
0.4/1
Check price on Amazon

#ad Affiliate link · We publish no price we have not verified today

Domed sapphire over an in-house F6B24 that hacks and hand-winds, with day, date and a 24-hour sub-register, and three years of warranty.

42.5mm with a 50.5mm lug-to-lug, 14mm thick, and rated 50m.

Domed sapphire at this price is unusual and it is why this one is here. The 50.5mm lug-to-lug is not — that is a big watch, whatever the 42.5mm on the spec sheet suggests.

Manufacturer specifications for the Orient AK00 Version 3 RA-AK0007S30B
MovementOrient F6B24 in-house automatic, hand-winding, hacking
Power reserve40 hours
Case42.5mm stainless steel
Lug-to-lug50.5mm
Thickness14mm
Lug width22mm
Crystalsapphire
Water resistance50m
Warranty3 years

Specifications read from Orient Watch USA product page, RA-AK0007S30B.

03

Orient Star Modern Skeleton RE-AV0005L00B

Best for: The hacking skeleton

7.8/10

Keep Score

Crystal
2.5/2.5
Serviceability
2.5/2.5
Water resistance
1.1/1.5
Warranty
0.7/1.5
Strap standard
0.6/1
Cost-to-keep transparency
0.4/1
Check price on Amazon

#ad Affiliate link · We publish no price we have not verified today

An openworked F6N44 that hacks and hand-winds, with a power-reserve indicator, sapphire, a screw-down crown and 100m.

Orient's page states two years of warranty beside copy referring to three, and the lug width is 21mm.

The only openworked watch on this site rated to 100m with a screw-down crown, which is what makes it wearable rather than ornamental. The 21mm lug width is the catch: strap shopping will cost you more and take longer, forever.

Manufacturer specifications for the Orient Star Modern Skeleton RE-AV0005L00B
MovementOrient F6N44, automatic with hand winding and hacking, power reserve indicator
Power reserve50 hours
Case43.2mm stainless steel
Lug-to-lugNot published
Thickness13.7mm
Lug width21mm
Crystalsapphire
Water resistance100m
Warranty2 years

Orient Watch USA states a two-year warranty on this product page alongside marketing copy referring to three years. We score the shorter stated term.

Specifications read from Orient Watch USA product page, RE-AV0005L00B.

04

Citizen Tsuyosa NJ0150-56E

Best for: The hacking integrated bracelet

7.7/10

Keep Score

Crystal
2.5/2.5
Serviceability
2.5/2.5
Water resistance
0.6/1.5
Warranty
1.5/1.5
Strap standard
0.2/1
Cost-to-keep transparency
0.4/1
Check price on Amazon

#ad Affiliate link · We publish no price we have not verified today

Citizen states hacking for the in-house 8210 and backs it with a five-year warranty — the longest here — behind sapphire.

The 9.1mm lug width means the bracelet is the watch, and it is rated 50m.

Sapphire and an in-house automatic for the money is genuinely rare. The catch is structural: Citizen lists the lug width as 9.1mm, which means the bracelet is the watch. When it wears out, no strap shop can help you.

Manufacturer specifications for the Citizen Tsuyosa NJ0150-56E
MovementCitizen 8210 automatic, hacking, 42-hour power reserve
Power reserve42 hours
Case40mm stainless steel
Lug-to-lugNot published
ThicknessNot published
Lug width9.1mm
Crystalsapphire
Water resistance50m
Warranty5 years

Citizen's five-year limited warranty excludes the power cell, case, bracelet and strap.

Specifications read from Citizen Watch product page, NJ0150-56E.

05

Laco Augsburg 39

Best for: The hacking flieger

6.8/10

Keep Score

Crystal
2.5/2.5
Serviceability
2.5/2.5
Water resistance
0.6/1.5
Warranty
0/1.5
Strap standard
1/1
Cost-to-keep transparency
0.2/1
Sold direct by Laco

We earn nothing on this link. Laco sells it directly.

Laco states hacking seconds for its Miyota-based 2S, in a 39mm Type A pilot's case with sapphire front and back — fitting, on a pilot's watch.

5 ATM and no stated warranty term. Sold direct; we earn nothing on this link.

Sapphire front and back, 46.5mm lug-to-lug and a Miyota base any independent can service. Laco states no warranty term on the product page and 5 ATM is the weak line — this is a dry-land watch.

Manufacturer specifications for the Laco Augsburg 39
MovementLaco 2S automatic, based on the Miyota 82S0, hacking seconds
Power reserveNot published
Case39mm matt finished stainless steel
Lug-to-lug46.5mm
Thickness11.55mm
Lug width18mm
Crystalsapphire
Water resistance50m
WarrantyNot stated by the manufacturer

Specifications read from Laco Watches product page, Augsburg 39 (861988).

06

Orient Bambino Version 7 RA-AC0M03S30B

Best for: The hacking dress watch

6.3/10

Keep Score

Crystal
1/2.5
Serviceability
2.5/2.5
Water resistance
0.3/1.5
Warranty
1.05/1.5
Strap standard
1/1
Cost-to-keep transparency
0.4/1
Check price on Amazon

#ad Affiliate link · We publish no price we have not verified today

Orient's in-house F6724 hacks and hand-winds inside a 38.4mm dress case with a 44mm lug-to-lug and three years of warranty.

Domed mineral glass and 30m.

A 44mm lug-to-lug is genuinely small by modern standards, and this is the Bambino to buy if the 40.5mm versions never sat right. The domed mineral crystal is the compromise, and it is the one Orient never fixes on this line.

Manufacturer specifications for the Orient Bambino Version 7 RA-AC0M03S30B
MovementOrient F6724 in-house automatic, hand-winding, hacking
Power reserve40 hours
Case38.4mm stainless steel
Lug-to-lug44mm
Thickness12.5mm
Lug width20mm
Crystalmineral
Water resistance30m
Warranty3 years

Specifications read from Orient Watch USA product page, RA-AC0M03S30B.

Skip this one

Timex Marlin Automatic 40mm TW2V44600

Best for: Not if hacking matters to you

6.5/10

Keep Score

Crystal
1.8/2.5
Serviceability
2.5/2.5
Water resistance
0.6/1.5
Warranty
0.35/1.5
Strap standard
1/1
Cost-to-keep transparency
0.2/1
Check price on Amazon

#ad Affiliate link · We publish no price we have not verified today

The Marlin has the look people want from an automatic, and an acrylic crystal that polishes back to new.

Timex does not publish the caliber or state whether it hacks, so you cannot check before you buy. On this page, that is the one thing that disqualifies it.

Acrylic reads as a downgrade and mostly is not: it scratches easily and polishes out with a cloth and a tube of paste, which sapphire does not. On a watch you intend to keep for decades, that is a feature.

Manufacturer specifications for the Timex Marlin Automatic 40mm TW2V44600
MovementAutomatic (caliber not published by Timex)
Power reserveNot published
Case40mm stainless steel
Lug-to-lugNot published
Thickness13mm
Lug width20mm
Crystalacrylic
Water resistance50m
Warranty1 year

Timex's one-year warranty explicitly excludes the crystal, strap, case and battery.

Specifications read from Timex product page, TW2V44600.

Compared

Read from each manufacturer's own product page, linked on the entries above.
WatchMovementHackingHand-windingWarranty
Orient KamasuF6922StatedStated3 years
Orient AK00 Version 3F6B24StatedStated3 years
Orient Star Modern SkeletonF6N44StatedStated2 years stated
Citizen Tsuyosa NJ01508210StatedNot stated5 years
Laco Augsburg 39Laco 2S (Miyota 82S0 base)StatedNot statedNot stated
Orient Bambino V7F6724StatedStated3 years
Read from each manufacturer's own product page, linked on the entries above.

What about Seiko?

The Seiko product pages we read state manual winding for the 4R and 6R families but not hacking, so we have not listed them here. The hand-wound vs automatic guide covers winding in more detail.

Questions people actually ask

What is hacking on a watch?

Hacking stops the seconds hand while you set the time, so you can set the watch to the second.

Which automatic watches hack?

On this site, every Orient automatic, the Citizen Tsuyosa and the Laco Augsburg state hacking on their makers' pages.

Do Seiko automatics hack?

The Seiko product pages we read state manual winding for the 4R and 6R but not hacking, so we do not list them here.

Is hacking important?

Only if you set your watch to the second. For most people it is a convenience; for anyone who syncs to a time signal, it is essential.

Sources

Every specification and figure on this page came from one of these documents. Where a manufacturer does not publish something, the page says so rather than filling the gap.

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