Its seems everyone complains about the bracelets on the little Seiko 5's. Here's a tip: Buy a Cape Cod metal polishing cloth to clean the bracelet and make all of it nice and bright and shiny. It will look like a much more expensive piece. Thank me later. Cheers.
Purchased this gem of a watch a few day's ago... Swapped out the braclet and put a leather strap on it and it completely changed in looks and feel! I love this watch!!!
@@rohitroy978 I have a friend who sells watches he sold this to me for a good price, I'm sure you'll find it on eBay or Amazon also try Japanese websites or Singapore. Goodluck! :) it's definitely worth it!
Seiko’s supply chain is always a mystery to me. Last year I felt extremely lucky to be able to find one of these because I had thought they were discontinued years ago, but the serial number suggests the one I ended up getting was made in January 2019. I had thought it must have been much older stock than that considering how hard it was to find. To anyone seeing this, get one while you can! You can’t find a more beautiful automatic dress watch at that price, even after you factor in a few extra bucks for a leather strap.
Do you know what the band width is? I've seen 17mm or 18 mm. What is the real width? 17 seems like such an odd measurement, but some of the other seiko 5s have a 19mm, so the 17mm might be the real one.
@@3rdstone1 okay. Thanks. I ordered one and ordered some 18mm leather straps. Luckily I didn't buy a metal bracelet yet. I was going to get a 17mm one. I'll have to see if I can find a good 18mm one now.
Same here. This is just my everyday-dress watch and I'm not afraid to do anything with this piece: not expensive but still a bit rare. I call it my "Baby Explorer". 😎 😅
You can't ask for much more in a basic, entry level mechanical watch. It checks all the boxes to tell the time with a day/date complication. As usual, its graphic design is visually appealing, something Seiko has mastered, without being gaudy, too formal, or too much like a tool watch. You could wear it with anything from beachwear to white tie and tails. Unlike most (very nearly all) of the Swiss watch companies, Seiko is not only Japan's premiere watch company with a flagship Grand Seiko luxury line, it produces Everyman watches like this one - spanning every price point in mechanical and quartz - without sacrificing build quality.
Thank you, Marc, You made my day!!!!! I got the watch fast (Except Indian Customs' usual delays). My dream watch and although I own more than 20 Wrist Watches - This has a special place in my heart. Fantastic is the word.!!!!
OK, I've learned my lesson. Buy them when they're available or regret it. I've ordered two of them. One to keep in it's box for the future and one for now. Thanks for the heads-up Marc. :-)
Had one recently for a few months. My dress watch preference is 39mm with 20mm lug width. Loved the way he indices sparkled in the light but was right on the cusp of too small for me and the 18mm lugs pushed it over the edge. I sold it to a friend of mine that likes the smaller watches more than me. He absolutely loves it. So it has a good home.
The lume on the the 12 o'clock is different. It's being covered up by the 12 hour marker about half way so the lume pip appears slightly smaller and more square than all the other lume pips in the dark.
I just received my watch I'm beyond impressed it's heavy the fit and finish is literally Seiko level the lume dial/bezel looks great. It keeps amazing time I honestly thought the 38 would not look good on my wrist but I'm glad I went 38 instead of the 42
My only gripe about a Seiko 5 like the SNKL23 is its thickness relative to similar analog Quartz watches. But I suppose manufacturing the case even 1.5 mm thinner would make these watches considerably more costly.
Yes! The famous "[...] Seventy-Five Dollar Watch That Looks Like A Million Bucks"! Welcome back to it!!!! The issues: * it still has the same bracelet * it still has the same hardlex crystal * it still has the same 7s26 old movement (non-hacking, non hand-winding) * it's now sold at $139.00 (Island Watch Price on Sept. 18th) Seiko didn't update it at all!
@@islandwatch, indeed, Mark, that's not your fault, but it's what I criticize about what Seiko did. They'd have better make a reissue than producing the SNKL23 as they did originally.
Don't get your hopes up. I think seiko has already introduced the replacement, it looks the same but they took down the specs, Hadlex, 4r movement, and maybe a pressed clasp. That's what they've been doing.
I bought it five days ago for a very good price, and it was the last piece in Kuwait, I'm so happy I was able to get it. Now "she" sits beside 'her' siblings Seiko SRPC13J1 Recraft Special Edition, Seiko Recraft Solar Chronograph SSC513P9, Seiko 5 sport Helmet SSA285j1, Seiko SNKP27 & 23 Recraft, SEIKO Tank Homage SUP880, Seiko Padi SRPA21j1 and others. I have been following your channel for a long time and liked each video.
I very seriously doubt that. *No* Japanese company would allow stock of incoming materials and parts, or finished product to pile up anywhere. The plant manager would be cashiered for it. The Japanese invented "One Piece Flow" and "Just in Time" supply chains to prevent anything from being stored anywhere - which consumes space and costs money to manage it. No company I worked for in the past 25 years would allow it. Plant managers would be fired for it. My educated guess is they've got fully amortized production lines able to make a profitable product for which there continues to be a demand. They'd be loony to shut it down, if for no other reason than the Fiduciary Duty corporate officers have to do things that turn a profit, and not do things that turn shut down profitable endeavors.
This is a beautiful watch. I have the K version. Anybody who doesn't have this in their collection should seriously consider adding this. So lucky to be able to have the chance to buy this from Long Island Watch and especially the J version.
I've just got my Seiko from long Island watches and put on a dark brown Italian leather strap. It looks ridiculously good and looks like a watch 2 or 3 times the value now!.
This is an awesome watch I've neglected too much since I got my SARB035. Your Watch and Learn videos are awesome, too, and as you pointed out yourself, they have a long shelf life and remain useful to many for years. Cheers!
I call it my "Baby Explorer". 😅 (I know it's far from it) I wear it with a leather-vintage strap, a Bond-NATO strap or a nylon strap with stripes matching the dial. 😎 As it is fully automatic, I wear it at least once a day (or at night) so it won't stop.
With all the hubbub around these I ended up with a used SNKK71K1 from goodwill as my daily driver. Same watch with a solid black dial, no pinstripes. Same hands, different bracelet but not any better.
I've just ordered one at some store that goes by the name of .....Island watch, Affordable Quality Timepieces Online :-) Hopefully it gets to Belgium in one piece. Keep ya posted!
I been thinking about this watch and the blue version and as I went into RU-vid today I see you made a video. The price has gone up on these quite a lot to when you pick one up for 65 and now they over 120
Always great to see this one available. It really looks great for the buck, and I'm glad to be able to snatch a K model for around $80 buck some year ago. I love how nicely done the brushed and polished finish is on the sides of the case. Too bad many classic affordable 37-38 mm Seiko 5 models might be phased out soon, and mostly replaced by 5 Sports and higher prices.
Wonderful little watch! They are coming back indeed, I bought mine a month ago from Ebay (Irish seller). But they might be gone just as soon. Seiko works in strange ways...
I had one of these but sold it after a couple of years because I struggled to see the hands under certain lighting conditions. I replaced it with the snk355 which I personally think is a much nicer watch.
Maybe Seiko had some 7S26 movements to get rid of? But as for the price you can get so much more for another $20 like the Seiko 5 Sports line up. Better build quality, better band or strap, better water resistance, 7S36 movement and usually more lume on the face.
This Seiko SNKL23J1 looked very appealing to, especially from a looks vs value point of view. I would like a watch which I wouldn’t be overly concerned if it became scratched, as it’s just over $100. I went to order this model from Long Island Watch just a few hours after this video came out and it appears the have sold out already. I’m a little disappointed but I will keep looking. Good videos Mark.
I know it's a Seiko 5, so they have to put a day/date on it, but man, it's an eyesore. If they dropped it so the watch was time-only, I'd be wearing one right now. Otherwise it's great! Glad you found some stock, Marc!
The 5 on the dial is nasty, at this point in the game.. I've had various one's over the years. For the price, it's a good starter. Now, the find would be a stash of J's SXK 007's. Best, JP
My daily beater, im the proud owner of this bad boy.. I replace the bracelets with 20mm aftermarket seiko jubilee.. Fit perfectly and the most surprise is it only lost 1 sec or 2 per day.
The price really shot up. I bought three variants and I am not sure if it is the same but sure looks it. They were 79.00 back then. The only problem was the crappy bracelets easily replaced and being the watch was so inexpensive it was an easy fix. They still work but they should right? 5 years old about. Almost everything has gone up in price with Seiko so this is no surprise. With a 6.8-inch wrist, 38mm works really well for me.
recevied mine yesterday (SNXS73K). got to mod it out (movement, crystal, bracelet and more) but was surprised as how beautiful it is. will take care not to destroy it, as i really want to keep it
I very nearly bought one of these, but I chose the SNK623 in the end. Still a very nice looking seiko. Turns out I am very partial to a black face on my watches, infact I hadn't actually conciously realised until now that most of the watches in my collection have black faces.
I think the lug design makes it look best on the bracelet, not straps. The bracelet itself is good for the price, despite being a nightmare for hairy arm. And this watch is far more beautiful than the sarb033 and the sarb035.
I have the SARB-035, SARB-017 and a Cocktail time amongst my Seikos, but this little SNKL23 still gets worn to work quite frequently on my brown Hirst strap. A much superior "gateway" watch than the overhyped (IMO) Bambino, which I also bought as one of my firsts but barely wore and (it also didn't make me feel anything when I did).
I really wanted this piece but couldnt find them anywhere. Hence the Bambino as my first piece. A watch is no good value proposition when you cant purchase it
The Japanese DON'T discontinue items that sell. After a hiatus of an indeterminable length, they always seem to bring back the item in question, usually at a higher price.
Great video Marc. I remember Jack’s article in Hodinkee. I finally ended up getting the blue dialed sister, the SNKL43, in June 2019. I figured that Seiko had some movements and other older 5 parts and made a few batches to deplete the stock. IMHO, I don’t expect to see these by early next year. Even to a seasoned collector, this watch offers a lot. All the best-Mark
It may have been a trick of the camera, but the 12 pip seemed to be glowing at half strength... so... perhaps a vaguely different orientation indicator after all?
Mark thnx for sharing this on this great Seiko model!!! Was wondering ?? If one was to order this watch from you,and wanted a strap replacement ,would you swap it out ??
Please clarify/verify that the J-code means made in Japan. I saw another source that it simply means it’s for the Japanese market. Not to be confused with JDM, which is exclusively for Japan.
Long Island Watch right, you were clear it’s not JDM in one of the comments. I’m just asking to confirm J doesn’t mean Japanese market. If you’re saying it actually says “made in Japan”, then that answers that.
Is there different versions of that watch because ive noticed that theres one that has made in japan on the dial where as theres another version were that isnt there if u know what i mean
Hi Mark hope you could help..I need the lug to lug measurements please. The problem is on some website s the measurements are 17mm and some 18mm..your help will be appreciated
I guess your finally back to normal watches , as lately you showcase ammm what can I say a watches that liked by very low number of watch collectors , wish all the best
Long Island Watch I believe the watches don’t sell need to be reviewed so collectors will get to notice it and start to think about it, as if it’s selling wye we’d you present it or review it! I totally respect your opinion, totally, but that’s what I think 💭
