Seiko Men's SKA381 Kinetic Silver-Tone Watch Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)As a (novice) watch enthusiast, I salivated over getting this watch for an extremely long time. I wanted a watch that I wouldn't ever need to change the battery for, and one that had an external rotating bezel marked off in minutes (helpful for avoiding parking tickets in the city). Also, I wanted this to complement my other watch (the seiko SKX031) that was a traditional Seiko diver.

When the watch arrived I couldn't wait to try it on. These were my first impressions:

The Good:
(1) The watch looked like it does in the pictures. No complaints here.
(2) The bezel is unidirectional and has a _very_ smooth feel. Much better than my bidirectional SKX031.
(3)The watch is rated to 10 bar (unclear from the posting) - which per the Seiko informational guide is good for constant wear while taking baths/showers. All good so far.

Then I tried to charge it with a few shakes of the wrist. Now for the next bit:

The Bad:
(1) Shaking the watch (to mechanically charge the internal battery/capacitor) was a LOT noisier than I had anticipated. At first I thought it was broken. To give you an idea, my Google search on this was "seiko kinetic grinding noise". But after reading further reviews about Seiko Kinetics I've concluded this is simply a facet of the Kinetic winding mechanism. For those of us who enjoy automatics (self-winding watches) where the winding mechanic is a subtle, almost invisible sensation- the seiko kinetic winding mechanism is a much harsher metallic auditory and gritty experience.

(2) After 3-5 solid minutes of shaking the watch - the second hand indicator STILL indicated the power charge was "low". I'm not talking about the secondary button depress - I'm talking about the second hand moving in 2 sec increments indicating a low power reserve. This made me think that my watch simply wasn't charging, or the capacitor was dead - until I read a review indicating it might take as many as 24,000 (yes twenty-four thousand) flicks of the wrist to fully charge this watch. This by itself isn't a bad thing. But put this together with the above #1 and I was rapidly starting to lose my enchantment with this watch.

Ok now for the rest:
(1) I somewhat blithely assumed I would never ever need to replace the electric charging unit for this watch (the capacitor/battery) - which for me was one of the bigger appeals. Unfortunately nothing (especially nothing that holds a charge) is forever. I admit this is my fault not having done due diligence - however had I known this beforehand I likely would not have purchased this watch. Overall- I gave this watch 3 stars. It would have rated lower except I acknowledge this is more a bias for automatic watches on my part. Still - I haven't decided if I'm going to return this watch yet. For its price ($155 ish on Amazon) it's still a far better deal than what you get get on Ebay, and maybe the grinding sensation won't be as noticeable when its on the wrist and being flicked on occasion.

I'll have to see. Maybe i'll just bite the bullet and get another automatic watch instead.

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Product Description:
Contemporary styling with advanced technological features, the Seiko Kinetic watch is the world's first quartz watch powered by human movement. By the simple movement of your wrist, the rechargable battery charges itself. Once fully charged, it captures and stores energy up to six months. Kinetic - the most advanced electronic watch technology. Features include- stainless steel case and bracelet, white dial with date display and screwdown see thru caseback. 100 meters water resistant.
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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