Watch Reviews

Stuhrling Original Delphi Acheron

Stuhrling Original Delphi Acheron Review

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The Stuhrling Original Delphi Acheron, assuming that it follows the standard the brand now sets, is not a bad purchase when acquired for its $150 street price. It’s absolutely an attractive automatic that gets attention, and it’s built pretty well. Time will tell about longevity, but my experience with it so far has been positive.

Hamilton Jazzmaster Auto Chrono

Hamilton Jazzmaster Auto Chrono Review

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I’m in love with the Auto Chrono. Of course it’s beautiful, but it’s the fine details Hamilton put into this version of the Jazzmaster, along with the new H21 automatic movement, that created something genuinely brilliant. I can’t think of a single watch that retails for under $2,000 that I’d recommend before the Hamilton Jazzmaster Auto Chrono.

Cadence Winston

Cadence Winston Review

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The Winston is a completely adequate watch for its $40 price tag. Powered by a Miyota quartz movement, the Winston is a simple and minimalist timepiece. The stainless steel case/bracelet are ultra-lightweight.

Hamilton Jazzmaster Open Heart in Rose Gold

Hamilton Jazzmaster Open Heart Review

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The unique Jazzmaster Open heart is designed to let the exposed movement do the talking. Lacking any complications, the Open Heart is an attractive and understated watch despite the open heart dial. It’s built well and uses an ETA 2824-2 automatic movement. Recommended.

Victorinox Infantry Vintage Chronograph

Victorinox Infantry Vintage Chronograph Review

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The Infantry Vintage Chronograph is designed to do its job and do it well. Excellent visibility – day or night – and solid build means that you can confidently wear this watch almost anywhere. This is an excellent watch for someone that wants a chronograph and wants something that will work and look like new for many years.

Hamilton Valiant Automatic

Hamilton Valiant Automatic Review

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I quite enjoy the Valiant Auto for being an overall elegant and affordable timepiece. Its $645 price tag buys you higher-grade ETA automatic movement, good quality of build, and a sapphire crystal. It’s comfortable to wear, compliments just about any outfit, and won’t break the bank. Recommended.

Citizen CA0427-08E

Citizen CA0427-08E Review

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My experience with the Citizen CA0427-08E is mixed. I’m not a big fan of how it looks overall- they tried a little too hard to be techno-sporty. With an MSRP of $295, they are also on the expensive side of entry-level quartz chronograph, and the fact is that I’m not sure I’d spend $300 on this watch. Technically it’s a good watch, and if you like how it looks, I suppose that’s all that matters.

Cadence Wrist Rocket WT2

Cadence Wrist Rocket WT2 Review

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If you want a low-cost sport watch that comes with all the functions you need (chrono, alarm, timer, etc) the Cadence Wrist Rocket WT2 is a solid choice. We picked this one up for less than $20 and have nothing but good things to say about the watch and Cadence’s customer service.

Tissot Couturier Automatic Chronograph

Tissot Couturier Automatic Review

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My experience with the Tissot Couturier Automatic has been wonderful. For nearly three years it has been a reliable and accurate automatic that has held up quite well aesthetically. I like the C01.211 chronograph movement- it’s given me no reason not to. As a result of the C01.211, you can get a mechanical chronograph from a Swiss manufacturer for under $1,000- and I like that, too.

Tissot T-Touch Classic

Tissot T-Touch Classic Review

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There are just a few small quibbles that kept the T-Touch Classic from scoring perfect. It’s the quartz watch that can be dressed up or down easily, looks great with just about anything, and has great functionality built in. I refer to it as the Grown Up’s Timex because it packs a ton of great features (and backlighting) into an attractive and distinctly adult timepiece.

Hamilton Khaki Field Automatic 02

Hamilton Khaki Field Automatic Review

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Hamilton has priced the Khaki Field right. At $500 it offers a sapphire crystal, a Swiss-made ETA 2824-2 movement, and a date display. Hamilton is known for quality of craft, and the Khaki Field is another example of that. I’m not a fan of the strap it ships with, but that’s an easy fix and doesn’t sour my opinion of an otherwise fine watch.

Lucien Piccard 26576SSD

Lucien Piccard 26576SSD Review

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Where do I start with this one? From eighteen months into ownership, the day display hand came out of alignment, lining up just below the actual indication. One of the diamonds has a very obvious occlusion visible to the naked eye. It’s big, bulky, and has no idea what it wants to be. It’s horribly inaccurate. It’s not a good buy, period.

Seiko SSB039

Seiko SSB039 Review

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About Seiko

Seiko was founded in 1881 and produced its first watch in 1924. It is one of the largest watch manufacturers on the planet and is the parent company of many sub-brands, the most popular being Grand Seiko, Pulsar, and Orient.

It is our opinion that Seiko is a reputable manufacturer and we generally have high-praise for their watches.

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HOW WE REVIEW WATCHES

Our reviews are based on our first-hand experience with the watch. All photos and media are created by us (unless otherwise credited). Learn more about how we review watches and check here to see real customer reviews, specs and prices on Amazon.

Review Summary

Seiko is known for producing watches with a lot of value built in, and in that way the SSB039 is true to form. It’s a fairly attractive watch as the vibrancy of the blue face is quite eye catching. It’s let down by the bracelet, which feels flimsy and cheap. Despite that, I wear it often because it pairs well with a variety of styles and is inexpensive enough that it’s not upsetting when it shows the signs of wear.

Seiko SSB039

Seiko SSB039 Technical Specifications

  • Model Number: SSB039
  • MSRP: $250
  • Case Diameter: 41mm
  • Alternate Models: Seiko makes lots of chronographs.
  • Movement: Quartz
  • Complications: Chronograph, date display
  • Battery Life: Approximately 3 years
  • Water Resistance: 100m/330ft
  • Crystal Material: Hardlex

Seiko SSB039

Setting the Time

Setting the time and date display is done via the crown. The chronograph is operated using the two buttons above/below the crown. The button above the crown starts the chronograph when pressed. If pressed again, it will pause the chronograph. The button below the crown resets the chronograph.

How To set the time:

  • Pull crown to the furthest position (position 3). Turn the crown clockwise to set the time. Note that the date display will roll over at midnight, indicating AM time.

How To set the Date:

  • Pull crown to the middle position (position 2). Turn the crown clockwise to set the date.

seiko-ssb039-face_734x979

Seiko SSB039 Aesthetics & Design

Seiko has made some really excellent looking watches, but the really good looking ones tend to cost a few bucks. In the lower end of the spectrum the designs tend to be subdued. The SSB039 is one of those subdued designs.

Lacking any texture, the hour markers and hands practically jump off of the dial. The effect is compounded by the tachymeter ring circling the dial like stadium seating overlooking the show floor.  It’s a nice effect and helps define the simple but attractive look.

The polished steel bezel gives off a nice shine and dominates the exterior. You don’t really notice the rest of the dull case, or even the bracelet for that matter. The bracelet has polished sections on the middle link, but at casual glance they blend into the rest of the strap and become invisible.

The chrome hands and hour markers don’t have anything in the way of lume, so as soon as the light’s out the SSB039 becomes pretty useless.

Seiko SSB039

Seiko SSB039 Build Quality

The SSB039 is lightweight, though it suffers for it. There’s a distinct cheapness to how it feels when worn. It doesn’t give the impression of sturdiness, despite being made of stainless steel.

Crystal, Case, and Dial

Hardlex is Seiko’s version of a beefed up mineral crystal. In my experience, Hardlex is a little more resilient to daily wear compared to a mineral crystal. Case and point, the SSB039’s crystal looks new despite being worn pretty regularly for months.

The dial also looks good, with everything lining up the way it should. If you look at it under zoom you won’t find any imperfections in any of the hands or markers, and everything is aligned properly too.

The finish on the case has held up well to daily wear. It shows some wear, though it’s mostly on the polished bezel.

Seiko SSB039

Bracelet and Clasp

Seiko has used a stainless steel bracelet instead of a nato or rubber. At this price point I think you’d be better served by either of the other options, as the steel bracelet is flimsy.

It wobbles and sways freely. Unless you wear it uncomfortably tightly, the watch always wants to slide around your wrist. The bracelet is very loose between links, resulting in almost no rigidity. The result is that I’m always fidgeting with the watch, moving it back to a comfortable position.

The deployment clasp is also lightweight, though it doesn’t suffer from the same feeling of cheapness extended to the rest of the bracelet. It snaps closed and stays snug.

Seiko SSB039

More About the Seiko SSB039

Movement

It’s hard to find information on which quartz chronograph movement Seiko has used in the SSB039. This watch is listed as a “special value chronograph” on Amazon and doesn’t seem to be part of any collection on the Seiko website.

It’s been accurate to within a few seconds per week for the majority of the time I’ve owned it (update January 2016: 3 years now).

Value for Money

The SSB039 does offer a good amount of value, though you do pay for it in some areas. The chronograph is useful, accurate, and quiet.

Seiko wisely chose to keep the styling of the SSB039 fairly universal. This watch looks good with most outfits, though I don’t think I’d recommend it for formal settings. As a daily wearer, it will serve you well.

If you’re looking for something a bit more special, for just a little more you can get yourself into an Orient Bambino automatic- it may not have the chronograph, but it’s a real gem of a watch and it’s price almost the same.

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