Inaugural Review: Seiko Kinetic 5M62-0c80
It’s only fair that I begin this site’s watch content with the watch that started it all for me. Maybe it’s not so fair that I review this watch through the eyes of a much more discerning and particular watch enthusiast than I was in 1997. That was when I begged my parents to front me a rather large advance on my allowance.
This Seiko Kinetic and I have been through a lot, as evidenced by the numerous scratches on the crystal, and the black and gold finish coming off the bracelet. It wasn’t technically my first watch: I had a Casio calculator watch in the early ‘90s, and before that a Starfox watch from Corn Flakes box tops (that could play a rudimentary version of the video game), and even before that some little digital toy that showed the time within the mane of a plastic lion.
Suffice it to say, the Seiko was my first “real watch” (sorry, Casio, I barely knew you before you were drowned in a tidal pool on Cape Cod). It doesn’t get any wrist time anymore for three reasons: it doesn’t fit, the capacitor no longer holds a charge, and it doesn’t really work for me on an aesthetic level.
Before I seem like I’m bashing a watch that brought me so much joy for so many years, let’s talk about what it actually is. It’s a 38mm dress watch on an integrated bracelet (meaning it can’t be changed out for another strap, which we’ll discuss in a bit). The watch is black and gold, and aggressively so. The case? Black. The dial? Black. The bracelet? A three link with black outer links and black-and-gold inner links. It has golden, bar-shaped applied hour markers save for the Roman numeral XII at 12 o’clock. The minute track is printed in pale gold, as well. The date window is framed in gold, and the date wheel is gold text on a black background which matches nicely. There is a gold crown at 3 o’clock and a gold pusher at 2. What does it do? I’ll tell you in a moment.
There is very little text on the dial: an applied Seiko logo up top and the word “Kinetic” printed down below, and the expected Japan Movement detail text along the bottom edge. The handset is a simple lance style in gold, nicely executed. The only other feature worth noting is an applied golden arc that sweeps from 12 to 6. What is this, you ask? Why, it’s a power reserve gauge. You see, there is that little button at 2 o’clock that, if pressed when the seconds hand is at the 12 o’clock mark, will tell you how much power the capacitor has based on how far it gets along the arc. It’s a nifty solution and I recall it being a pretty cool trick to show my friends back in 1997.
Ok, so the styling is dated, but how about the execution? Well, there’s nothing too remarkable there, which is not a bad thing. It’s a simple three-hander but some little flourishes liven things up. There are little triangles embossed into the bezel giving it a bit of a porthole look (don’t say Royal Oak, don’t say Royal Oak, don’t….). It sits well on the wrist, and the integrated bracelet allows the lug to lug dimensions to stay nice and compact. The two-tone bracelet look doesn’t really appeal to me anymore, but others may feel differently.
The finish on the case has worn over the years, but the bracelet began to wear quite quickly until the buckle and the links around it were bare metal. Herein lies one of the issues with integrated bracelets: unless you plan to purchase replacement links, if it gets damaged or worn, you are left with a tired-looking watch. I love patina on an old timepiece, and the nicks and scratches of daily wear don’t bother me, but that level of wear and tear just left it looking a little sad and contributed to my moving on to another watch (followed by a few dozen more).
So what is a Kinetic watch, after all? Is it just some branding? It actually denotes the type of movement. A trademark of Seiko’s, a Kinetic combines the self-winding of a mechanical automatic watch with the battery technology of a quartz watch. Where it unquestionably beats a quartz watch is that that battery capacitor is rechargeable, meaning you won’t have to replace it every few years. Where it falls short is in that same capacitor: if the capacitor dies or can’t maintain the charge as it ages, the watch will run but only when worn. Seiko released the Kinetic line in 1988, and while they still make them today, they are largely a novelty that dates them to a very specific period.
The bottom line is this: I wouldn’t buy this watch today, certainly not at retail. However, it kick-started my interest in watches, and I wouldn’t trade this piece for anything. I may not wear it anymore, but there is something almost talismanic about that beat-up little Seiko. It was a great first “real” watch, and that’s one of the things that Seiko still does very well.
