Where the hell am I? :: stuff - watches - Seiko Arctura Kinetic Chronograph

You know how something can grow on you? Not a fungus or anything organic, but a concept, an idea, a TV show, a book, a movie, a watch. My first impressions of this one were along the lines of, "Eww." Or something. This was back in the summer 2003 area when they were introduced. But, like a song you can't get out of your head that you eventually find yourself humming, I found this watch kept coming into view.

I finally broke down and tried one on, just to see how it would look. I had concerns about the integrated bracelet (which turned out to not be an issue) and I did not think it would work for me. Wrong. As soon as I tried it on I was hooked. The next day I went back and bought one. I paid more than what I would on the internet, but not by much from the prices I was able to find at the time.

Some think that it would be difficult to read but it is really not. The hands are fat enough and you learn where to place your eyes when you check the time (instead of just admiring it).

From the Poor Man's Watch Forum Archives, 24 Hours with the Arctura Chronograph

The Seiko Arctura Kinetic Chronograph is part of Seiko's Elite Collections line of watches that also includes the Sportura, Premier and Vivace lines. For more information on these other lines see Seiko's Web Site. There are two versions of the Arctura Chronograph currently available in the US, the SNL001 with a white face and the SNL003 with a black face. With the exception of this cosmetic difference the two models are the same. I opted for the SNL001 when I choose to purchase - it felt more legible to my eye than the SNL003. The MSRP for this watch is $650, however it can be found on the web (and at retail, I discovered) for up to 40% off list price. I purchased mine from a local Fred Meyer Jewelry store.

Movement: The Seiko Arctura Kinetic Chronograph uses Seiko's 7L22 kinetic movement. Some general info on Seiko's kinetic movements: like automatic watches, the kinetic contains a rotor (Seiko refers to it as an "oscillating weight") that powers the movement of the watch. However, unlike an automatic where the rotor winds the mainspring, the oscillating weight runs through a gear train that amplifies the movement by 100 times, which is then passed to the rotor. The rotor in this movement converts the movement of the oscillating weight to to a magnetic charge. Next, the generating coil block transforms the magnetic charge into electricity to power the watch. That energy is passed and stored in the Kinetic Energy Storage Unit (K.E.S.U.). The circuit block controls voltage and amperage and passes electricity to the quartz crystal oscillator, which oscillates at 32,7698 times a second. Lastly, the step motor until converts the electric signal into rotation to move the hands via the gear train.
Fully charged the K.E.S.U. will hold enough power to run for five months. When the charge is low (12 hours remaining) the second hand will tick in 2 second increments, indicating that power is low.

Seiko has a nice pdf diagram of the Kinetic movement available via their web site >> here.

Size:

Without crown: 40mm

With crown: 44mm

Lug to lug: 48mm

Height: 13mm
(as I do not have proper measuring tools, all sizes are approximate).

Functions: Hours, Minutes, seconds (sub-dial), date, 45 minute chronograph

Pre-Purchase Thoughts: Since I first saw these (I think maybe here or on the SCF) I instantly like the looks of the watch. Aesthetically, it was very pleasing to me. I have been intrigued and interested in watches with off set or smaller dials for the actual time with other features occupying the other space on the dial - most watches of such design that I have seen are RMW (like FP Journe, Glashutte and Lange & Sohne as some examples). So, as I like the look of this style this watch caught my eye for that reason. The movement, also, was fascinating to me, sounding like a mix between automatic and quartz, an automatic-quartz, really. So I was intrigued when they first appeared to say the least. I knew, however, that I would not be able to buy this watch over the internet without touching and handling it first. The first source of concern was the bracelet - I am not a big fan of integrated bracelets; the one watch I own now with an integrated bracelet gets no wrist time as it does not fit properly at all. So that was a concern. The second was the dial for the time - was it really legible? It did seem kind of small after looking at the watch over time. So, for these reasons I waited until I found them in local stores. And even then did not try one on until just recently (Jan. 11) - and that was all it took!

My 24 hour impressions: Wow. This watch is a stunner to look at on the wrist, and I know because I've been constantly running the chronograph and checking the time all day. The bracelet - fits like a glove. I had four links taken out and tried it on and it was ok, maybe just a tad tight, but livable. As I was looking at the watch later in the night I found that there is a small adjustment that can be made on the clasp to adjust it in or out 2mm (in my case, out) - not a huge amount, but I found when I moved it out that 2mm made a world of difference. Otherwise, there is no other adjustment other than removing the links. The clasp is has a pusher on either side to release the bracelet.
Legibility and readability turned out to not be an issue for me. I've gotten used to where to look already and have not had any problems reading the time. There is some luminescent material on the hands and when placed under a direct light it does charge and lume. But, I am not sure how well it functions under normal wear (sunlight, lighted room) as I wore it today with a long sleeve shirt it was not in direct light. In my brief experiment it did not seem to hold the lume for very long. Reading the exact time on the chronograph minute counter does require a closer look as the markers are rather close together, but it is easy to see the major 15 minute divisions and the smaller 5 minute divisions as well.
The manual that came with the watch indicates the crown should screw down, which as I was reading surprised me as I hadn't noticed it when I set the date and time. Nope. Not a screw down. The on-line manual corrects this error.

So, after one day, what do I think? From a visual standpoint the watch is top notch - I think Seiko did a great job with the overall design including the case, face, and bracelet. Functionality wise no complaints either. Without any real difficulty I am able to read the time and the chronograph functions as it should. Two BIG thumbs up from me for this one. Since I'm going to have to slow down after my fast start into 2004, I don't forsee any problems having this be my last purchase for a while.