MarkR's Blog

Today we have a Seiko Spirit, specifically a SCVS003. This is the black dial version with the hacking and handwinding 6R15 movement and the sort-of Jubilee style bracelet.

A short digression about Spirits, SCVSs and SARBs: The SCVS-prefix 6R15-based mechanical Spirits have been discontinued and have been replaced by the SARB-prefix 6R15-based mechanical range. The SARBs are listed by Seiko Japan under the 'Mechanical' range and are not officially Spirits although they are often referred to by this name. The 'Spirit' name lives on with Seiko but in the form of quartz watches (including the SBFG, SBPA and SBPG digital watches with the S760 and S771 modules) which seem to be targetted at the same demographic as the earlier SCVS mechanicals and the SARBs.

Now back to this watch....

When I first became aware of the Spirits and SARBs I was taken by what good looking watches they were at very appealing price points. I was lucky to find one I liked at a good second hand price and I pounced. The watch feels like quality in one's hand. (Oh how cheesy that sentence sounds but what else can I say, it's true!). Whilst one should not judge a watch by its weight, the fact is that very lightweight watches often feel somehow insubstantial and can seem suggestive of overly thin metal (although other factors can make up for that, including a comfortably eye watering price tag in some cases). The SCVS003 does not suffer in this deparment: For an average sized watch (a smidge over 38mm), it carries a satisfying weight which gives it a solid and resilient feel, without being too heavy. It feels anything but cheap.

I mentioned that this watch is about 38mm diameter (40.5mm with the crown) and called this an "average" size but, of course, it is quite small by the standards of many of today's watches. Ignoring the WISy debate about about how large a dress watch "should" be, I think it looks, feels and wears larger than 38mm, but not excessively large. It is a good size and weight for a modern dress watch.

In terms of looks, the SCVS003 really plays its part as a modern dress watch: It is very good looking and yet pulls it off in an understated way. The black dial is a lovely dark, consistent matt black. In many ways my photos, poor though they are, show this colour better than the naked eye. The flat sapphire crystal does not produce glare (although it does show fingerprints all too well against the black dial), the case has an interesting combination of shapes and matt and polished surfaces, the hands have an aesthetically pleasing shape and are well proportioned. The crown is signed with the Seiko "S" and is very firm; unlike so many watches it has very little wobble.

The movement visible through the display case back works as one would hope. Manual winding is extremely smooth, it keeps good time, winds automatically very easily, and has a very good power reserve. I haven't made a conscious effort to measure the power reserve but it seems to be better than many of my other automatic watches. Although the movement is not fantastically decorated, I still feel that the display back is worth having: It fits in well with the overall aesthetic of the watch.

The bracelet end links fit very well between the lugs with no movement. Although the end links do not match the height of the lugs (i.e. they are lower between the lugs), this is not an error in the design: It seems to be a conscious design decision. I note that some of the Orient dress watches in the same price range have the same feature. I have seen these watches criticised for this aspect of the design but to me it looks great. I am not sure that having the end links perfectly match the height of the lugs would look quite as good.

The bracelet on this watch uses Seiko's evil pin and collar linkages. Oh well, I can live with it. What else can I say about the bracelet, other than that it is extremely comfortable. One limitation of this design is that the clasp only has two adjustment holes and, as far as I know, there are no half links for the bracelet. Happily I have been able to find comfortable positions for my wrist. Despite the limited adjustment in the clasp, the clasp is one of the best bits of the bracelet: The sound and sensation it makes as it snaps shut is... delicious. I think that's the right word. :)

So what's wrong with this watch? Not a lot in my opinion. As mentioned, the bracelet and clasp could stand to have a bit more scope for micro-adjustment. And I'd rather the dial text at the 6 position was reduced. But apart from those minor (to me) points, I don't think much needs to be changed. The only improvement would be to upgrade it to a Grand Seiko. In fact I'd recommend this watch to anyone who doesn't have a Grand Seiko.

So, at last, here are some pictures. Hope you like them. This watch lends itself to pictures without excessive glare. This just means you can see the fingerprints and skin residues (ick, sorry!) instead.












Specs:

• Model: Seiko Spirit SCVS003 6R15-00A0.
• Genre: Dress watch.
• Movement: Seiko 6R15.
• Hours, minutes, seconds, date at 3.
• Push in crown at 3.
• Lume: Tiny amount on the minute and hour hands.
• Water resistance: 10 BAR
• Flat sapphire crystal front.
• Flat mineral glass crystal display back.
• Stainless steel case, stainless steel case back surround.
• Bracelet: Lovely Seiko stainless steel Jubilee-like bracelet with very smooth-functioning clasp with side release buttons, solid links, solid end links.
• Diameter (excluding crown): 38.4mm
• Diameter (including crown): 40.5mm
• Height: 11.6mm
• Lug tip-to-lug tip length: 44.2mm
• Lug width: 20mm
• Strap/bracelet attachment: Spring bars.
• Weight (on bracelet): 134g