Oceanus Watch: Seiko Men's SRN023 Coutura Kinetic Retrograde Watch Review

Average Reviews:
4.4 out of 5 stars

(More customer reviews)Seiko Men's SRN023 Coutura Kinetic Retrograde Watch is a fine time keeping machine. In about two weeks since I've had it, the watch was too fast only by 4 seconds relative to the internet time. It takes very moderate amount of movement to keep its battery charged. True, it looks very nice and catches the other people's eye. There are, though, couple of important things I definitly do not enjoy as much as its ability to be a very good time keepinginstrument. I have problem reading time at a reasonably quick glance. The face is way too busy with wide and long 5-minute marks and with unjustifiably large and bright what Seiko ironically calls the watch "retrograde" for - the day dial. When both hands are over this dial, it takes quite some time and strains my eyes to recognize which hand is which, especially when they are close one to another, not to mention when they are even partially one over the other. The minute hand is much narrower than the hour hand and has a very sharp end which is barely distinguishable when the hands are close together and the more so when they are over the day dial.I think that both the minute hand and the second hand could be made a tiny bit longer. Another thing I definitely do not like and have hard time using is the little datewindow because it is way too small, the date dial is imbeded too deep and the numerals are too small especially when two numerals are to be displayed there - very hard to read. All in all, we carry a watch to SEE the time and other things on the watch face without having to spend too much time for this and straining our eyes. Add to this being in a not so bright lighting environment and you would start thinking about buying another watch and puting this one on the other wrist as a decoration -:))) However excelent a watch is as a time keeping instrument, it has got to be convenient, practical and easy to use. Prior to this watch I had another Seiko watch that served me better than well over quarter a century but it had a perfect lay out of the white face, also withthe calendar on it.
June 28, 2010. Well, I would now, after 8 weeks of carrying this beautifully looking watch, radiating gold on black, on my wrist, like to add a few words to my original review. I am now more fully aware that this watch is NOT at all convenient, practical and easy to use.Theproblem reading the face of the watch that I wrote about earlier, is even more troublesome than I initially had encountered. So, I am already looking for another watch that will have a clearly readable face instead of decoratively glitteringdisplay with that noncical "RETROGRADE" day dial. The best spot for the latter is an arch slot at the top of the face, just belou the hour marks, never mind where the date dial is as long as it isimbedded in the face. In addition, the watch is heavy and, therefore, shoud've hsd a wider wrist band, not the 20 mm. one. If you adjust the band to be tight then your wrist would suffer. If you would allow it to sit loose, you will have to use your second hand to turn the watch towards your eyes. Finally, the band's lock should have been made with a safety feature which I find is the most reliable as it never unlocks accidentally. One more thing I am also missing is the functional bezel . . . well I fell for the looks-:))) In conclusion, would somebody buy my watch for a half price, LOL? I have changed my rating to two stars instead of initial three. Happy shopping to every one!!!

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Product Description:
The Seiko Men's Coutura Kinetic Retrograde Watch includes bold gold-tone hour indexes and an unconventional date calendar decorating its face. The timepiece is constructed with a black stainless steel case, a black multifaceted stainless steel bezel, and a black stainless steel link bracelet with a secure push-button clasp. A strong sapphire window shields the black dial face, which features gold-tone hour markers and Arabic numeral indexes at six and 12 o'clock. The dial also includes a gold-tone crescent day calendar beginning at the two o'clock position, and a date calendar at six o'clock. This kinetic-powered timepiece is water resistant to 330 feet. It is presented in a luxuriously padded Seiko case.
Kinetic: A powerhouse in technological innovation

Like mechanical and quartz, Kinetic is a platform. Over the past 20 years, SEIKO has created on this platform a suite of Kinetic movements, each bringing unique features to the consumer.

It was at the 1986 Basel Fair that SEIKO unveiled its first Kinetic prototype. Introduced under the trial name of 'AGM', it was the first watch in the world to convert kinetic movement into electrical energy. It was the first step in a development that, 20 years later, has made Kinetic synonymous with environmental friendliness, high performance and long-lasting convenience to a generation of users worldwide. From the launch in 1988 of the first commercially available watch (then under the new name AGS) until today, over eight million Kinetic watches have been sold (as of 2007).

In 1998, Kinetic Auto Relay was released, extending the 'at-rest' operating period of the watch to a remarkable 4 years. 1999 saw the launch of the Ultimate Kinetic Chronograph, a masterpiece which fused the very best of SEIKO's mechanical and electronic watch making skills, and in 2003 another Kinetic Chronograph was launched. At Baselworld 2005, the Kinetic Perpetual made its first appearance, combining Kinetic convenience and longevity with a perpetual calendar, correct to the year 2100. In 2007, SEIKO's emotional technology Kinetic Direct Drive is introduced.

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