5 Best Seiko Watches Under $500
Below we explore 5 of the best Seiko watches under $500, known as one of the most recognisable and affordable brands in the watch industry
The Rundown
When it comes to watches, Seiko is one of the most prolific watch brands in the world. It has a rich history that spans over a hundred years, and during that time it has become one of the most popular manufacturers of watches in the world. In this article, we will take a look at some of the best Seiko watches under $500. We will explore the history of the brand, and explain why these watches are so popular. Then we will break down each watch individually, highlighting its features and why it is worth your money.
Seiko is a Japanese watch brand that was founded in 1881 by Kintaro Hattori. It is one of the oldest watch brands in the world, and it has a rich history of innovation – creating many of the world’s firsts. Seiko was the first company to mass-produce quartz watches, back in December 1969, with their Seiko Quartz Astron. This innovation caused a crisis in the Swiss watch industry, as these watches proved to be much more reliable and precise compared to the manual and automatic movements produced by the Swiss watch industry.
Not long later in 1988, the Seiko watch industry created their next biggest innovation, called Seiko Kinetic, a watch designed with an oscillating weight that uses the watch wearer’s motion to turn into electricity, reducing the need for any battery replacement.
Seiko is known for its quality and precision, and it is one of the most respected watch brands in the world.
Seiko Presage Style 60s SRPG09J
Specifications
| Movement | Japanese (Automatic) |
| Material | Stainless Steel/ Nylon |
| Crystal | Hardlex |
| Calibre | 4R35 |
| Case Diameter | 40.8 mm |
| Power Reserve | 41 hours |
Topping the list as the best Seiko watches under $500, albeit, being slightly over the budget, the Seiko Presage Style 60s SRPG09J is a beautiful watch that pays tribute to the brand’s rich history, and seems to take a lot of inspiration from a previous model in 1964, called the Seiko Crown Chronograph.
As the model insinuates with the name ‘Style 60s’, the watch is paying homage to the 1960s era of watchmaking. It has a simple, elegant design that is inspired by 1960s fashion with a beautiful simplistic black watch face, with non-intrusive line hour markers all encased with a stainless steel case and a nylon bracelet giving it a more sporty aesthetic.
Probably one of my favourite watches on this list has to be the Seiko Presage Style 60s due to its sheer elegance, beautiful finish and its automatic movement with a clear case back, which allows you to be transfixed by their movement. Not to mention the nylon strap which pairs much better than the heavier link bracelet.
Although the Presage Style 60s watch may be slightly higher than the budget suggested in this article the high-quality build of this watch at such an affordable price range along with an automatic movement (albeit their common 4R39 movement) makes it feel like you are getting away with murder.
Seiko Prospex ‘King Samurai’ SRPF03K1
Specifications
| Movement | Japanese (Automatic) |
| Material | Stainless Steel |
| Crystal | Hardlex |
| Calibre | 4R35 |
| Case Diameter | 43.8 mm |
| Power Reserve | 41 hours |
| Water Resistance | 200m |
Inspired by the original samurai collection that and was discontinued in 2008, the Seiko Samurai collection earned the warrior title, due to the design of the the hands that resemble a samurai sword. We added this watch to our list of the best Seiko watches under $500 as it became an instant classic timepiece among many watch enthusiasts, which eventually led to the company re-vamping the Samurai collection in 2017 and carried onto release updated models there on after.
This led to the creation of the ‘King Samurai’ addition, a nice upgrade to the old version. The Samurai style that especially caught our attention is the Seiko Prospex ‘King Samurai’ SRPF03K, which is their latest edition in the collection.
This watch is a great affordable dive watch, that will not fail to impress, it comes loaded with the classic features of a dive watch, including a unidirectional bezel with 60-minute count down and a light grey contracting color for the first 10 minute counter, all paired with a clean dial and clear large hour marks.
Seiko Presage Cocktail Time ‘Blue Moon’
Specifications
| Movement | Japanese (Automatic) |
| Material | Stainless Steel/ Calfskin |
| Crystal | Hardlex |
| Calibre | 4R38 |
| Case Diameter | 40.5 mm |
| Power Reserve | 41 hours |
The Seiko Presage Cocktail Time ‘Blue Moon’ is a special edition watch that was designed by famous Japanese mixologist, Hisashi Kishi. This watch was inspired by the blue moon, which is said to only occur once every three years.
The watch is one of the best Seiko watches under $500 features a beautiful deep blue dial with a sunburst finish and beautifully finished mirrored hands and markers, with the 12, 3, 6 and 9 hour markers appearing slightly bigger than the others, giving it a great aesthetic.
The case is made of stainless steel and it has a see-through back so you can admire the inner workings of the watch, with the dial also featuring a eye catching open heart feature, that gives the wearer a insight into the watches movement from the front – which also gives it a classical and complex appearence.
It is powered by Seiko’s caliber 4R38 automatic movement, which is a slightly more simplistic design compared to their most common movement found inn their dive watches the 4R36 that also features a day date complication.
Seiko 5 Sports ‘Mikan Orange’ GMT SKX Re-Interpretation SSK005
Specifications
| Movement | Japanese (Automatic) |
| Material | Stainless Steel |
| Crystal | Hardlex |
| Calibre | 4R34 |
| Case Diameter | 42.5 mm |
| Power Reserve | 41 hours |
The Seiko SKX is an iconic watch that needs no introduction, it has been around since the early 1990s and to this day remains one of the best bang for your buck GMT watches on the market.
Seiko released a re-interpretation of their classic model in 2019 with some subtle changes, which included a new dial design with larger hour markers, a new bezel insert and most noticeably the addition of a GMT hand.
The Seiko SSK005 GMT ‘Mikan Orange’ is one of my personal favourites on this list, it is a great looking watch with its pop of orange on the dial, with a bi-colored bezel of black and gray which really makes it stand out from the crowd. It is powered by Seiko’s 4R34 automatic movement and features a date complication at the three o’clock position.
Seiko 5 Sports ‘Flieger’ SRPH25
Specifications
| Movement | Japanese (Automatic) |
| Material | Stainless Steel |
| Crystal | Hardlex |
| Calibre | 4R36 |
| Case Diameter | 39.4 mm |
| Power Reserve | 41 hours |
The Seiko 5 Sports ‘Flieger’ SRPH25K is a great looking watch that is inspired by pilot watches created for WWII, with its large and easy to read dial that presents the minutes on the outside in larger writing and has the hour markers writing within a smaller circle within to mimic the B-UHR watches, similar to the IWC Big Pilot – created for precisely timing bomb drops in fighter aircrafts.
This Specific Seiko has added a sporty and more twist to the old style fighter watches, within a smaller diameter size, and a darker appearance which features a modern day upgrade with a day/date complication at the three o’clock. The watch is powered by a 4R36 automatic movement, and has a water resistance rating of 100 meters.
This is a great affordable watch that pays tribute to watch making history, which makes it an even better purchase, as you are wearing a bit of history on your wrist.
