Seiko 5 Sports SRPG29K1 Military / Trench Watch (similar to SRPG27K1, SRPG31K1, SRPG33K1, SRPG35K1, SRPG37K1, SRPG39K1, SRPG41K1 & SRPG42K1) - Another Winner From Seiko, A Review (plus Video)

I have been collecting Seiko 5 series of military inspired watches for many years. These watches are basic, robust and practical. In fact, I would recommend these watches as a good starter watch for someone interested in the world of horology.

The genesis of the Seiko 5 military inspired watches is the iconic SNK805K2 (the link to the review is here). Nevertheless, the journey for me start with the next iteration of the genre, the SNZG09K1 which I reviewed in November 2013 (the link to the review is here). For me, that watch was a great value for money piece of machinery that can handle any situation. From then on, I start to collect the examples of the genre as new models were introduced.

Recently, the brand, under Seiko 5 Sports, launched the latest series of military style watches. There are a number of models to choose from. Although I would usually go for a green dial version, unfortunately, none came with a bracelet. Instead I chose a blue dial version, the SRPG29K1 to take home with me.

The Series

Currently, there are nine (9) models in the series. These are the two bracelet models, the SRPG27K1 and SRPG29K1; the four NATO strap models, the SRPG31K1, SRPG33K1, SRPG35K1 and SRPG37K1; and finally, the three leather strap models, the SRPG39K1, SRPG41K1 and SRPG42K1.

SRPG27K1  Bracelet Black dial Brushed casing 146 gm	SRPG29K1 Bracelet Blue dial Brushed casing 146 gm	SRPG31K1 Grey NATO Dark grey dial Brushed casing 77 gm
SRPG33K1 Green NATO Green dial Brushed casing 77 gm	SRPG35K1  Beige NATO Black dial Brushed casing 77 gm	SRPG37K1 Black NATO Black dial Brushed casing 77 gm
SRPG39K1 Calfskin strap Blue dial & golden accents Brushed casing 75 gm	SRPG41K1  Calfskin strap Black dial & golden accents Black PVD casing 75 gm	SRPG42K1 Calfskin strap Green dial & golden accents Gold PVD casing 75 gm

Although the SRPG33K1 should be the natural choice since it has the colour that I like (green), I decided to prioritise getting a model with a bracelet. This is because I noticed that the bracelet for this series has a new design. More about this later. 

The Watch

The watch casing and bracelet is made from 316L stainless steel. It has a surface treatment that is neither polished or brushed surface. It has been said that Seiko used a bead-blasted finishing technique that resists both reflections and scratches. You have to see it with your own eyes to appreciate it.

The watch has been designed to be wearable by practically anybody. With a diameter of 39.4 mm and a height of 13.5 mm, the dimensions is well within the 'not too big' or 'not to small' category. It can also be said to be a 'unisex' design that extend across genders. Moreover, at a weight of just 146 gm (assuming the bracelet is not resized), it is not relatively heavy.

The blue dial has a chromatic metallic brilliance to it. The straight walled chapter ring has a stainless steel polished surface. There are three timing scales presented on the dial. At the edge of the dial is the first scale which represents the minutes depicted by white lines and various shaped of applied lumed markers. The paint used to provide the illumination is Seiko's proprietary Lumibrite paint. The second scale is the main hour markers represented by the numbers "1" to "12". These number are cut pieces and applied directly on the dial. The third and final scale is the secondary hour markers represented by the numbers "13" to "24". These numbers are painted in silver directly on the dial. Having these primary and secondary hour scales is typical of military style watches.

To be able to incorporate the day and date functions, a large rectangular aperture was cut through the dial at 3:00. Unfortunately, Seiko had to sacrificed two of the three hour markers at this position. Meanwhile, the bevel edge of the cut is framed with silver paint. For this model, Seiko opted for date and day wheels with black background to fit in closely with the tone of the dial.

There are four lines of text and graphics on the dial. On the upper quadrant is the brand, cut from the sheet metal and applied as well as a painted logo of the Seiko 5 Sports in silver paint. On the lower quadrant and somewhere in the middle is word "Automatic" painted in silver. Right at the bottom, just above the minutes scale are printed "4R36- 10S4 R5 2" in vary small print.

The sword hands for the hour and minutes are polished stainless steel with sections painted in Lumibrite paint. The seconds hand has an arrow design with the tip painted in Lumibrite and framed with red paint.

Protecting the whole dial is a curved Hardlex mineral crystal. I am pleased that Seiko decided to use a curved crystal for this model. This design feature creates a vintage feel to the whole watch that belies its actual price point. Meanwhile, the same material is also used for the display case-back. 

The crown appears to be a new design. Flat with a more defined offset tube between the crown and casing. This design is easier to manipulate as it is placed slightly away from the casing. It uses a simple push-in/pull-out system to engage the gears. Although not a screw-down crown, the technology and manufacturing processes used by Seiko still allowed the watch to have a 10 bar water rating. This is more than sufficient for the intended role of this watch.

The lugs on this model is 20 mm wide. It has pass-through lug holes that facilitate strap changes. As standard, the SRPG29K1 comes with an oyster-style stainless steel bracelet with reference number M10E-B-I. Although the end-links are not solid, the rest of the links are and attached to each other by a simpler friction pin system. Previous Seiko bracelets come with a pin and collar system where a tiny separate collar piece combines with the pin to lock the links in place. Those collars are notoriously known to fall out easily and lost while making adjustments (I've lost a few!). This newer system has just a single pin with a friction end, making the process easier. The clasp is also definitely of a new design. Although not obvious at a glance, the folding clasp with push button release and safety latch now only have two micro-adjustment points on it instead of the typical four points found in earlier models. When compared to an older bracelet as seen in the photo below (L-R: SRPG29K1 vs SKA475P1) you can clearly see the shorter end-tab for this new version.

The display screw-down case-back allows one to observe the Seiko 4R36 automatic movement. It has 24 jewels, beats at 21,600 BPH or 3 hertz with a 41-hour power reserve. Apart from the functions highlighted earlier, it also has the seconds hand stop mechanism when adjusting the time. Is also important to note that this 'basic' movement in Seiko's stable has a proprietary Diaflex mainspring which makes it equivalent or even better than the mid to higher end Swiss movements with Incabloc technology.

Below is a photo of the dial taken in partial darkness. The Lumibrite shines strong.

The Wearing Experience

The watch wears well on my 6.75 inch wrist. The dial is well laid out for ease of reference and the red pointer on the seconds have the necessary contrast to make make quick eye acquisition. The only gripe I have is the reduction in the number of micro-adjustment points on the clasp.

I believe having more than two micro-adjustment points is important for this type of watches. It is sometime necessary to wear the watch on top of sleeves instead of under them. I usually set my watches to the most inner adjustment point and if I need to expand the bracelet width, all I need to do is move to an adjustment point closer to the edge (I usually accomplished this by using the tooth-picker tool on my Victorinox pocketknife). With the current setup, this is not possible. At most, I can only move by 3 mm. I would prefer having 4 or more adjustment points or at least allow a quick adjustment of up to one and a half links length. 

At the price point Seiko is pushing the watch, the SRPG29K1 is value-for-money. Where can one find a watch with an inhouse automatic movement, curved crystal and a reputation for ruggedness all under RM1,135?

Specifications

Reference Number: Seiko 5 Sports SRPG29K1

Case Material: Stainless steel

Strap: Stainless steel bracelet

Clasp: Three-fold clasp with push button release and safety latch

Crystal: Curved Hardlex

Case-back: Screw-down and see-through

Dial: Blue

Illumination: LumiBrite on hands and indexes

Thickness: 13.2 mm
Diameter: 39.4 mm
Length: 48.1 mm

Lugs: 20 mm

Weight: 146.0 gm

Water Resistance:10 bar

Caliber Number: 4R36
Movement Type: Automatic with manual winding

Jewels: 24

Complications: Day & Date display and seconds hand stop function

Power Reserve: Approximately 41 hours

Accuracy: +45/-35 seconds per day

Vendor: AWG, Mid Valley Megamall

Purchase Date: 29 September 2021

MSRP: RM1,135

Purchase Price: RM794

Serial Number: 511694

Photo Gallery

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