Seiko Presage SJE073 Limited Edition

As of late, more and more collectors have been recognizing the value of Grand Seiko. Most who see or handle a Grand Seiko for the first time realize the amount of work that has been put into making a near perfect watch. However, there is an issue with the stepping stone process of reaching Grand Seiko. Well, allow me to introduce to you the next best thing. Infact, let me say the closest thing to a Grand Seiko because saying the next best thing means Seiko cut corners. As you will see here today, they did not.

Seiko fans will already know the amount of value you get from their watches. It’s incredible what you can get for under the 500 dollar mark while still keeping every component in-house. Lets just say there’s a reason this company is still standing strong since 1881 & had the entire swiss industry shook in the 1970s.

So now that you’ve experienced Seiko & you’ve decided to move forward. Well unfortunately the next step after those incredible 500 dollars watches comes Grand Seikos over 5000 dollar watches. Which I’m sure most aren’t comfortable with the 10x jump just yet. But all hope isn’t lost because today we are taking a look at Seikoshas best midrange watch. Yes I said Seikosha because I strongly believe they should bring that name back for their higher end watches.

Presented here today is the Seiko SJE073. A stainless steel watch with a 41mm diameter, 20mm strap size & most importantly a 9.8mm thick case. This watch may seem familiar, well that’s because it is a successor or should I say what they should have done in the first place of the Seiko SARX055.

The Sarx055 however was in titanium which I personally prefer the stainless steel case of the SJE073. The Sarx also had an almost 12mm thickness vs the current 10mm & finally the movement with the 6r15 which is a great movement with a 50 hour power-reserve, However the SJE has a trick up it’s sleeve.

The most important difference however is the level of finishing on this watch. It’s incredible. Quite frankly makes me question purchasing my own Grand Seiko especially if this was fitted with the Spring Drive caliber, I would heavily consider trading. The Zratsu polishing mixed with the beautifully finished brushing is on par with Grand Seiko. The more we inspect this under macro the more we realize how much we are getting for the price point. Many call this the Baby Grand Seiko Snowflake. However I completely disagree with that nickname. The dial is more of a frost dial which is equally as beautiful, but not the same. This is the Seikosha Frost as it deserves to be it’s own thing.

Fitted inside this watch is the 6L35. Quite frankly one of my favorite movements from Seiko. A  4 Hz or (29,800 vph) caliber with a 45 hour power-reserve, 26 jewels & more importantly it’s 1.3mm thinner than the 6r15 which explains the 9.8mm thickness of this watch.