Seiko & Citizen Watch Forum Message Archive

MOVEMENT:

This watch uses the famous 7S26 21-jewel auto movement. Nothing new here. But this movement is known for its robustness and durability. This is my second watch of this movement, I really like them. Out of the box and worn for 2 weeks this one is running +5 to 7 seconds a day. Not bad out of the box!

CASE CRYSTAL AND CROWN:

Beautiful SS case on this new style. Kind of different, the bezel and case have matching scallop cuts. I was concerned about the bezel because sometimes the look odd if not lined up, but on this model it looks great no matter where the bezel is positioned. There is an interesting crown guard on top of the crown, which I was sure, would snag on clothes but it doesn't. Really neat design as the case has bezel guards that cover from about 11:00 to 1:00 and 5:00 to 7:00. this prevents the bezel from being turned EXCEPT at the 9:00 and 3:00 positions. Crown is of the screw down type and easy to manipulate. The crystal is slightly domed which has posed no problems yet. the dome extends above the bezel by about .5mm. Overall the case has a wonderful fit and finish. The back of the watch is solid and has the traditional Seiko scuba markings.

DIAL AND HANDS:

WOW... VERY luminous all night. and a new design for Seiko. The hour hand has a drastic arrow head and the minute hand is a sword type. The hands themselves are kind of a lime color from the luminous paint and the hands are cream colored. A REALLY nice contrast to the black background. The second hand has a nice luminous marker in the shape of an arrow. I love the design because the minute hand AND the second hand are long enough to move OVER the minute markers on the dial. The dial on the 779K watch is all black with the Seiko name below the 12:00 position and over the 6:00 position it reads AUTOMATIC and Diver's 200M. Nice touch on this model with the day date window. the day and date are white markings on a black background and Sundays are my favorite day because the day is in red. It looks REALLY neat! The hour markers are all luminous rectangles EXCEPT the 12:00 position which is a LARGE divided "rounded" triangle. the minute markers "flow" down a curved piece from the bottom of the crystal out onto the face. This allows the minute hand and second hand to move OVER them. VERY legible in true dive watch style. The bezel is scalloped and very easy to manipulate but stout enough to not be accidentally moved. There is a luminous dot in the center of the 12:00 marker on the bezel.

BRACELET:

TOP NOTCH! this is a GREAT bracelet. But it is heavy! SS material. This is the first Seiko I have seen that does not use split pins. Instead, this bracelet has pins with little collars on the other end. I think it's a step up from the split pins. There are four adjustment holes in the clasp. The clasp is triple fold with two push button releases and a safety flip lock. This bracelet even comes with a diver extension. VERY NICE. The flip lock is labeled SEIKO. I have never had a Seiko that would not adjust to my skinny wrists. This one is no different. Fits like a charm and no hair pulling. Also has solid end pieces and the watchcase has little holes on the lugs, making changing the band VERY accessible.

COMFORT:

This one is HEAVY. If you thought the older Seiko SKX175 or 173 were heavy this one is even heavier! But I like BIG heavy sport watches and this one fits the bill. Despite its size, this watch rides well on the wrist and does not slip up and down excessively.

VALUE:

I paid just under 200.00 USD for this beauty. I have seen them for over 300.oo USD. But for this kind of money this watch is WELL worth it. Seiko has really come out with some nice new changes for this model. The bracelet and design make it well worth even the higher asking prices. If you like large reliable rugged dive watches, this one should be in your collection.