Seiko Presage Watch Owners Review – “Cocktail Time” Inspired Seiko USA References

Released in 2016 the Seiko Presage collection hit the ground running! It became an instant Seiko fan classic, with its distinctive style and array of models.

In the review below, I shall cover the current six watch range as well as the two-tone SSA358 model, which I own. As always, I’ve gone into great detail of all the key measurements and even the weight of the watch.

Finally, I shall try to answer if this is a good value for money watch at around $3-500 and if it’s right for you.

Fine Mechanical Watchmaking From Japan

Full Collection

Currently on the Seiko USA site there are six models for sale as seen below.

Buy Seiko Presage Watches Now On AMAZON.

All are hand and automatic winding movements.

Further, at Beselworld 2018, they released several other models towards the end of this YouTube video (in additional to some fantastic limited edition “Presage Luxe” models with blue enamelled dials!). So watch this space to see when they are released to the USA market.

Presage Collection Reference Number & Details

In reference to the picture above:

Top – From Left To Right (reference numbers)

• SRPB46 – Brown sunburst dial, rose gold finished case, date aperture and brown leather strap. Retail Price $495
• SRBP43 – Steel color sunburst dial, stainless case, date aperture and black leather strap. Retail Price $425
• SRPB41 – Blue sunburst dial, date aperture, stainless case and stainless bracelet. Retail Price $450

Bottom – From Left To Right (reference numbers)

• SRPB77 – White sunburst dial, stainless case, with date aperture and steel bracelet . Retail Price $450
• SSA359 – Black sunburst dial dial with balance wheel aperture, stainless steel case and black  leather strap . Retail Price $475
• SSA358 – White sunburst dial with balance wheel aperture, two tone gold (color) & steel case and metal bracelet. Retail Price $525

For a more detailed look at the Seiko Presage “Cocktail Time”, I got my hands on the final model mentioned above and have a full on the wrist review below.

Review Of The – Seiko Presage SSA358

Technical Details Of The Watch

• Movement: 4R38
  • Jewels: 24
  • Power reserve: 41 hours
  • Vibrations per hour: 21,600
  • Manual & Automatic winding
• Crystal: Box shaped
• Water resistance: 5 bar (165 feet)
• Dial: pressed with gloss finish
• Caseback: display

Size & Weight:

• Case width: 40mm
• Case to crown: 44mm
• Lug to lug: 47mm
• Case thickness: 12mm
• Strap size: 20mm

• Weight:
  • With metal bracelet: 136 grams (4.8 oz)
  • Watch head only: 51g (1.8 oz)

Packaging

For a watch of this price point, especially containing this type of good quality movement packaging is a second thought. But is more than adequate for the job at hand.

See some of our recent Omega watch reviews for incredible packaging.

Review On The Wrist

I was looking for a simple travel dress watch, and found the versatility of the two tone bezel to be what I was looking for.

Further, the open aperture on the face, exposing some of the movement added that extra bit of interest.

Strap Change

I didn’t, however, like the bracelet so decided to change that. This was not due to its construction, but look.

For dress watches I prefer a leather strap. This time I chose a black snake skin with a gold buckle in keeping with the crown.

I’ve also sported this purple toad strap to make it a bit more fun (as seen above to the right).

When I travel, especially to Asia or south America I don’t like to carry overly expensive watches as I tend to be doing less business and more adventure items.  My go-to sporty rugged “beater” is the Seiko SKX007J, and this Seiko Presage is going to take the spot for the more dressy option.

With that being said, I always have multiple straps as this 1-2 min task can totally transform the look and vibe of a watch. So I encourage all of you to really incorporate this into your watch rotations, not only different watches but different straps too!

Day To Night Wearability

Having owned the watch now for about six months, it regularly goes in and out of the rotation.

I find it to be quite versatile, being able to go from quite casual to semi-formal. As it’s time only, I would  wear it with a tuxedo if needed while travelling, all the way down to shorts and a short sleeve button-up.

Buy Seiko Presage Watches Now On AMAZON.

Final Thoughts On The Seiko Presage Watch Line

I’ve really enjoyed owning this watch.

If you’re looking for an all round good casual to smart watch, you can’t really go wrong if your budget is in the $3-500 range (and cheaper if you look on Amazon, etc…)

This offers immeasurable better value over “fashion” and “designer” watches. This Seiko shall stand the test of time, so take the plunge and dip your toe into fine Japaneses watch making, as there is a lot to explore.

Buy Seiko Presage Watches Now On AMAZON.

Explore more Bespoke Unit watch content: 

• Seiko SKX 007 Vs 009
• Read all Seiko watch reviews
• History of Seiko
• See all our watch brand histories
• Bespoke Unit watch homepage

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.