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17 of 18 found the following review helpful:
 Look And Feel of a $600.00+ Timepiece Aug 26, 2007
By Dos Ojos
This watch is also known as the Seiko Gadget, Seiko Landshark, Atlas, etc. It's not as eye-catching as the famed Seiko Black Monster Divers Watch but I think it's more elegant looking and has a better steel bracelet.
I bought it for it's looks, not because it's a divers watch. It's rated at 200m; that's pretty deep; not many of us are ever going down that far even with scuba equipment.
There are many Rolex Submariner look-alike watches out there; Seiko makes one too. This is not one of them. It has some arabic numbers instead of markers and the lume is very good in the dark. The black face with the contrasting yellow hands looks real sharp. The calendar display is large enough to be seen without the usually useless cyclops magnifier found on many diver watches (including the Rolex). It has the look of rugged precision equipment; like an old Nikon 35mm camera or a Leatherman tool knife.
The real surprise is the stainless steel bracelet. It is beautifully machined with brushed satin and polished sections; solid links held together with push-pins. It attaches to the watch head with no gaps as if it were cast in place. It is far more attractive, expensive looking and comfortable than the bracelet on any other Seiko diver. Indeed, many Seiko divers have bracelets with cheap, hollow folded links that pull your arm hairs. Though it's a heavy watch, the bracelet holds the watch comfortably on the wrist without pulling hairs! I would never replace this bracelet with a leather or rubber strap. I would even say this bracelet looks better than that of the Rolex Submariner!
The bezel rotates smoothly in one direction with multiple clicks yet it's firm enough that it won't be shifted accidentally. The screw-down stem at 4 should be a little bigger to make it easier to change the time; in fact, it should have been the size of the compass stem at 9. The compass stem is pretty to look at but no one's going to use the compass fuction; it takes too long. The case itself is built like a vault. The stainless steel has a satin finish in some sections, brushed in others and mirror polish in the back. A real quality job.
I haven't owned this watch long enough to guage the accuracy of the automatic movement. I have other Seikos with the same movement and they all run fast at first then settle down. I've taken the back off other Seikos and there's a little lever to adjust the accuracy to about 10 seconds per day. Not as accurate as even a cheap quartz watch, but how much accuracy do you really need? There's a certain charm to an all mechanical timepiece that quartz watches just don't have. I've had other Seikos with this automatic movement for 3 years; they cannot be wound by the stem and they aren't polished and lovely to look at, but they're rugged and reliable. Seiko deserves credit for making affordable automatic watches.
This is one of the few divers watches that's elegant looking enough to be worn as a dress watch.
3 of 3 found the following review helpful:
Seiko 5 Atlas Diver, Great Watch Oct 25, 2007
By Home Improvement Guy
Needed to pick up a new watch after my last Seiko died after 4 years of use. That watch was a basic Chrono still selling here and other places for around $120, and I must say that the Atlas is much nicer and has better overall build and feel. Easily justifies the $75 more I paid for it.
The movement is also very smooth, compared to the previous Chrono which had the tick, tick movement.
The band is super nice, as well as the locking clasp. Both are sturdy and safe. I was also able to remove links myself with a few tools at home and was wearing it the same day I got it. Google watch link removal.
Looks very nice, some reviewers have said it is "big" and it is, however, I'm thin and have smaller wrists and it still fits well and is comfortable. (I am 6'1" 170 lbs.)
I did put a small scratch in the crystal already, so I don't think it's as hard as some.
The compass is kind of silly. Watch me say that and then get lost in the woods not knowing how to use it.
Overall, for the guy looking to pay a decent price for a solid, quality, functional watch, I think this is a great buy. Can work for business or just kicking around, and appears to be a tough watch.
5 of 6 found the following review helpful:
It's substantial. May 09, 2007
By R. Hummel
This is a hefty watch that looks expensive. The extra dial on this thing operates a compass feature on the watch, which probably is not very useful for most people.
Otherwise I'm very impressed with the quality and appearance of the watch. The crystal on this piece is very hard -- I haven't scratched or dinged it yet, and I'm horribly tough on watches. Keeps great time. Winds itself.
Overall, a great value for a quality watch.
2 of 2 found the following review helpful:
 A great idea, but poorly executed. Jul 13, 2011
By Brad
There are a couple of things I do quite like about this watch. The firm uni-directional bezel ring that is never accidentally turned. Also, the relatively smooth sweep of the second hand is a neat feature for a watch in this price range. The watch seems well-built and the band and case feel like they'd hold up to a fair bit of abuse.
On the other hand, as others have mentioned, this is a hefty watch. There's a lot of steel here and it makes for a lot of weight on your wrist. If you don't find that appealing, this watch isn't for you. Also, in contrast to the bezel ring, the dial for the compass ring is quite loose and is easily rotated during wrist motion. I've found this to be annoying having the cardinal directions perpetually skewed off-centre. Furthermore, and more importantly, despite the screw-down crown the dial on the left side of the case which turns the compass does not screw down. This seems like a serious design flaw for a watch rated to 200m and I wouldn't trust it for more than a shallow swim. In addition, the scoring on the crown causes the edge of the crown to be quite sharp and can dig uncomfortably into the wrist.
Also Noteworthy:
-I've used and abused this watch while doing things like mountain biking, hammering and camping. As a result of some significant force, the (free floating) coiled spring in the movement jerked down and got caught on another internal component requiring a watch repairman to dis-lodge the spring. Whether this issue is unique to this watch or movement design, though, I can't say.
2 of 2 found the following review helpful:
 Great Value, OK watch. Jun 25, 2010
By Jason
Purchased the watch because its in the price range I was shopping for. for this price range this was my choice of a few weeks searching. for around $200. us dollars its a fine looking sporty watch (my opinion). its automatic, so no needing a battery replacement. However, its made cheaply, so I am not expecting it to last my lifetime or anything. It is what it is. a nice looking, cheap watch that suits its purpose. It will probably scratch to heck from the cheap materials fairly soon. But Im not expecting much from it. Its not a rolex, but compared to other watches for 200 bucks, this was my first choice. I am a diver so i needed something watertight. I have dove 40x with it so far, in a few weeks, some light scratches on the bezel already. there was an almost impossible to see hair inside the watch glass when it arrived. almost impossible to see however.
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