Seiko

The 6R35 is where Seiko starts publishing an accuracy tolerance (+25 to -15 seconds a day) and fitting sapphire. 41mm, 46.9mm lug-to-lug and 12.3mm thick is unusually wearable for a 200m watch.

This is where Seiko starts publishing an accuracy figure (+25/-15 seconds a day) and fits sapphire. A 6R35 overhaul is $296 against $176 for a 4R36 — a real difference, and one you can plan for.

300m with a 46.4mm lug-to-lug is unusual — depth ratings normally cost wearability. The clasp extender is the detail that says Seiko still expects this one to be dived.

300m and a 46.4mm lug-to-lug in the same watch is unusual. The extender in the clasp is the detail that says Seiko still expects this one to be dived, not just worn.

The cushion case has no protruding lugs, so it reads 45mm and wears smaller. Hardlex is the compromise; the cheapest published overhaul in the industry is the compensation.

Seiko rates this at 200m as a diver's watch, not merely water-resistant — screw-down crown, screw case back, unidirectional bezel. The 45mm figure is misleading: the cushion case has no protruding lugs.

The most recommended mechanical watch in the category, and the reasoning holds: a hacking, hand-winding caliber with commodity parts and a published service price. 42.5mm and 170 grams on the bracelet — check the size first.

The 4R36 is the most commonly serviced mechanical caliber in the United States and Seiko publishes a flat $176 price to overhaul it. That single fact does more for a twenty-year horizon than any spec on the case.

Identical mechanics and service path, 76 grams lighter. The hard coating takes the first year of marks instead of the steel.

Same 4R36 and the same $176 published service price as every other 5 Sports, with a hard coating on the case that takes the first year of scuffs instead of the steel.

Reads far less sporty than the SRPD line. The footprint is the catch: 48.1mm lug-to-lug is longer than the 42.5mm SRPD55's 46mm.

The 39.4mm case reads small, but the 48.1mm lug-to-lug does not — this wears longer than its diameter suggests. Measure your wrist before you buy on the diameter alone.

Before the 4R34 a mechanical GMT started around $2,000. The rotating 24-hour bezel lets you track a third zone as well as the one on the hand.

The 4R34 is a caller GMT — the 24-hour hand is the one you set, not the local hand — but it is a real mechanical second time zone on a movement whose service price Seiko publishes.

The size that makes an entry mechanical GMT work on a smaller wrist. The fixed bezel means no third time zone.

Identical movement and identical service cost to the SSK001 in a case 3mm narrower. If the 42.5mm SSK001 is too much watch, this is the same purchase in a size more wrists can carry.

The V192 keeps ±15 seconds a month, runs six months on a full charge and costs less to service than a 4R36 overhaul. The 21mm lug width is the annoyance.

Seiko lists V-series solar service at $163 — cheaper than a 4R36 overhaul and far cheaper than a mechanical chronograph. The 21mm lug width is the annoyance: standard straps come in 20 and 22.