KMII's review of the Seiko Presage 60th Anniversary Edition SRQ019J1 offers an in-depth look at this significant chronograph, marking Seiko's more serious entry into the mid-level mechanical watch market. The author's choice of the enamel dial version, over the Urushi, provides a unique perspective on its design, movement, and overall value proposition.
Our dear moderator MTF has dropped the bombshell here in March - straight from Basel - namely Seiko's intention to play more seriously in the mechanical mid level watch arena, showcased by two limited edition chronographs to start, namely the enamel dialled SRQ019J1 and the Urushi dialled SRQ021J1 (
link here). And this was the first time in my very short watch collecting history that I called the Boutique straight away to put in an order.
Unlike most Purists here, who opted for the more traditionally Japanese Urushi, I went for the enamel instead. I have very few white dialled watches and none had an enamel dial up to now. I am a sucker for blue hands and the red 12, as well as the overall colour scheme is more reminiscent of the first Seiko wristwatch. It simply sang to me more than the black one, to be honest.
So let's start at the beginning. The watch is packaged in a relatively unobtrusive and compact wooden box, more Habring than Grand Seiko. Not sure how it will stand the test of time but one can clearly see every opportunity was taken to ensure as much as possible from the limited amount one pays for it went into the watch proper.
And here it is - in its full 60th anniversary of Seiko automatic watchmaking glory. A column wheel, vertical clutch chronograph, with its dia-shock, spron and magic lever elements combined into the marketing speak 'Trimatic'. 4 Hz, 34 jewels, acceptable power reserve, hacking, hand winding... And that enamel dial (may well be the best value grand feu enamel chrono out there).
And here it is on the wrist. Its 42mm diameter works well even on slight-wristed people like myself and the lugs are nicely shaped, so that it sits there securely. The legibility is very good in daylight (it has no lume). It does not do the colour co-ordination thing for hands (one colour for chrono functions, another for time) but the time hands are leaf shaped, while the chrono ones are straight, so it is still relatively easy to tell them apart at a glance. What is hard to see from the pic below (the dial is generally not easy to photograph) is that the three subcounters lie a bit recessed in the enamel dial.
Now to the less endearing aspect of the watch - at 16mm you will not slip it under any cuffs short of those of a kimono. Not a killer criterium per se, but were it a bit thinner, I think it would be much more versatile (also easier to justify in more formal settings). The lugs have a brushed finish on top, otherwise the whole case is polished (and very nicely so for the price level (and competitive at a level above) - no complaints here).
The crown is marked with a historically accurate S and is very easy to operate - it has none of the fiddliness of entry level Seiko mechanicals, which are not meant to be hand wound. The brushed finish makes for a nice contrast, too.
It is accompanied by two mushroom shaped pushers for the chrono functions. These require a very positive application (you will not press them by mistake, rest assured) and are - not surprisingly - nowhere near as smooth as on my Chopard LUC Chrono One
At the same time their feel is still preferable in my opinion to some recent Breitlings (B-01 movement) I have tried.
The one disappointment is the deployant, which I may very well change. It is comfortable and it is easy enough to find the right position for it but it does not give one the absolute security of being locked in place, even though it is button operated. Here Seiko could have done better in my opinion, as both the GS efforts and the clasps on their bracelet divers (some much cheaper than the Presage) attest to. The croc strap (dark brown for the SRQ019J1) is par for the course but Tonneau has recently poisoned me with Camille Fournet's strap customizing tool, so I may actually succumb and try some alternative straps, too. The lugs are not drilled, though (Seiko is yet to awaken to the strap changing possibilities generally).
The movement is functional first and decorated, well, hardly at all. Cleanly executed, with Tokyo stripes (I guess) on the rotor, and that's about it. Will still need to see the timing performance but I guess Seiko is being very conservative in what they promise here and the watch will likely over-deliver.
As I said, it is very hard to capture the dial and the blue hands without time, set-up and better equipment. Here is a first attempt, and I will not stop trying
The enamel is very appealing and while we all agree, it would be even better without the date, this part of the market will demand it more often than not (so understandable that they went for it).
So what is my first verdict? It is clearly not a Grand Seiko, nor is it priced as such. Still it has many very honest, well executed details and is in that sense, a proper Seiko. Many details are just right and it is charming overall.
Here some first impressions of pro's and con's:
+ Unbeatable value - a column wheel chrono, with an in-house movement and an enamel dial at this price level is astounding. I hope this leads the Swiss to start being a bit more down to earth in their pricing, too
+ The grand feu enamel dial - really very, very nice
+ A nice combination of many historical Seiko elements into a fairly coherent whole - the colour scheme, nice Breguet numerals, hands, crown and pushers...
+ Very nice overall level of finish - no shortcuts here
+ Wears very nicely for a 42mm case size - even on smaller wrists
- The deployant does not feel as secure as one is used to from Seiko
- The case is rather thick at 16mm - here surely more could have been done
- The date is perhaps not the least obtrusive.
I hope this helps those yet to decide and thanks for viewing! Looking forward to many more SRQs (019s and 021s) here, too
This message has been edited by MTF on 2016-10-10 12:46:01 
