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The Seiko Presage SARX055 Titanium is the latest model by Seiko to come out from the Presage line. A dress watch design, the SARX055 has some of the qualities that mirror the more refined Grand Seiko line of watches. I was very intrigued by the white paper-like dial surface which has some semblance to the famous Grand Seiko 'Snowflake'.

I desired to get the watch through SeiyaJapan.com when I saw it being listed (I was lucky as a few days after the listing, the website announced that the stocks had sold out). The listed price was YEN140,400 (including tax) or USD1,248.16 (based on the the exchange rate on 21 November 2017) but the merchant sold it at USD1,058 or MYR4,623.97. Adding the import tax of a further MYR296.50, total cost came out to MYR4,920.47.

The watch is made out of titanium with the super-hard proprietary surface coating by Seiko called DiaShield. It has been said that it has the hardness of 2 to 3 times stronger than stainless steel. This provides the necessary hardness to the titanium surface to protect it from scratches from normal wear. Meanwhile, the dial is protected by sapphire crystal with super-clear coating surface for anti-reflective and anti-smudging qualities. The display case-back is also protected with the same crystal material.

The design is a very traditional round wristwatch with a crown located at the 3 o'clock position as well as a date aperture at 3 o'clock. Measuring 40.8 mm wide (excluding the crown), the watch has a lug width of 20.0 mm and a lug-to-lug length of 45.0 mm. Thickness is 11.0 mm. Made out of titanium, the overall weight (with all links included) is just 106 gm. The bracelet is able to accommodate a maximum wrist size of 200.0 mm or 7.9 inches.

The watch has finely polished markers and sharply tapered hands. The seconds hand is flame blued. There are sub-second markers on the chapter ring. The date aperture has a rectangle polished frame and the date is black on a white back ground. Only four lines of text are on the dial; the brand name, the series name, the movement type and the manufacturing coding. All are in different font and sizes.

The uniqueness of the SARX055 is the dial texture. It looks like the surface of a white (slightly beige) conqueror paper. It has the same concept as the Grand Seiko ‘Snowflake’ (see: My review of the Snowflake). If you are like me, you would love to see the special dial texture on the SARX055.

The crown uses a push-in system. Despite that, the water rating on the watch is still 10 ATM or 100 meters. It has a nice rounded edge and a large “S” cut deep into the top surface.

The bracelet has a combination of brushed and polished sections. The end-link is solid. A typical link is made out of 5 separate items and this show how intricate the design of the bracelet. The central bridge connecting both part of the bracelet is machined and not stamped sheet metal. Definitely shows quality.

Care must be taken when resizing the bracelet as Seiko decided to use a pin-sleeve system to attach the links together where the sleeve is a very small friction tube than can easily be lost.

As this is a dress watch, the clasp on the watch does not have an additional safety flap as per typical Seiko bracelets apart from the button latch. In the center of the clasp is the brand sandblasted prominently.

The display case-back shows the mid-range Seiko 6R15 automatic caliber with 23 jewels. Introduced in 2006, the movement has hacking and hand-winding capabilities. It features a hacking mechanism and pinned balance spring for adjustability. Thanks to a Spron 510 mainspring, the 6R15 boasts 50 hour power reserve, operating at 21,600 BPH or 3 hertz. The manufacturer states an accuracy rate of +25/-15 seconds per day although in reality, the accuracy is much better straight from the box.

The Wearing Experience

The skin-care "Comfotex Titanium" technology incorporated in the SARX055 was originally used as standard for Seiko Brightz series of titanium watches. This technology allows the watch to be light and allergy-friendly. It has a luxurious feeling to it and tougher to scratch then the typical 316L stainless steel alloy.

Visually, it has the ‘Grand Seiko’ feel to it. Compared to my Grand Seiko SBGA011 “Snowflake”, the SARX055 has very similar design lines. Their bracelets also look similar. Anyway, more about this later.

As a dress watch, this watch is a gem. It wears well and feels like a million bucks on the wrist. The sapphire glass and its anti-reflective and anti-smudging coating make it visually stunning at any angle.

Below is a short video of the watch on my wrist.

Comparison between the SARX055 and SBGA011

The Seiko Presage SARX055 Titanium has been given the nickname “Baby GS Snowflake” in view of its striking similarity to the famous Grand Seiko SBGA011 Spring Drive “Snowflake”. However, is this nickname justifiable? How similar are they? These are some questions that I will try to answer in this next section.

In the table below are some of the basic comparative statistics.

	SARX055	SBGA011
Material	Titanium with DiaShield	Seiko’s patented “High-Intensity” titanium alloy with DiaShield
Crystal	Flat sapphire crystal	Dual-curved sapphire crystal
Dimensions	W: 40.8 mm L2L: 45.0 mm T: 11.0 mm L: 20 mm W: 106 gm	W: 40.0 mm L2L: 48.0 mm T: 12.5 mm L: 20 mm W: 100 gm
Movement	6R15 Automatic	9R65 Spring Drive
Complications	Date	Date and Power Reserve

From the size perspective, the dimensions are generally similar although the SBGA011 is slightly on the longer and taller side of things. From that point onward, the SBGA011 starts to sprint well ahead of the SARX055.

Visually, one can see why the SARX055 has been given the nickname “Baby GS Snowflake”. In the photos below, you can see how similar the two watches are to each other.

Nevertheless, side-by-side you can see the subtle differences – the shape of the lugs, the hands, the markers, the clasp, the crown etc. Despite that, the SARX055 is an excellent ‘homage’ to the Snowflake and it now gives the opportunity for many fans of the brand that may not be able to afford the SBGA011 with something similar yet inexpensive.

Conclusion

This is one timepiece that has the capacity to impress yet give confidence to the wearer to use it anytime and anyplace. It has all the bits and pieces to make it feel special yet at a price point that does not break the bank.

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Seiko marked the 60th anniversary of its first automatic watch with a pair of limited edition chronographs in 2016. One has an enamel dial while the other has an Urushi lacquer dial. The clincher was not the styling (which was appealing to a lot of people) but more on the pricing. Compared to Swiss made watches with enamel dial or lacquer dial, the price was unbelievably low and the series sold out swiftly.

Seiko has decided to bring back the enamel dial concept in a new series for 2017. This time around, it is not a limited edition series. This gives hope to many fans of their change to get their hands on at least one. Under the Presage line, this new series have four types of watches that make up part of the regular collection. The styling takes its cue from two historical Seiko timepieces; (below, left) the Laurel wristwatch of 1913 which was Seiko’s and Japan’s first ever wrist watch with an enamel dial and (below, right) the Time Keeper pocket watch of 1895 which utilizes a distinctive font for the Roman numeral hour markers.

There are four models, using three different calibers. From left to right, there is the SRQ023 with the 8R48 chronograph movement; the SPB045 with the 6R27 multi-hand movement, the SPB047 with the 6R15 movement and the SPB049 tonneau shaped also with the 6R15 movement. I chose the SPB049 over the other three primarily due to the shape.

The SPB049 is one of two of the most basic under the series. A three hand watch with a date window at the 3 o’clock position, the SPB049 has a rather unique watch casing that is seldom seen in a Seiko collection. This model has a 35.9 mm wide, 46.0 mm tall and 12.5 mm thick tonneau case. As a dress watch, the SPB049 exudes class that fits any formal occasion.

There are three distinct scales on the dial. The outer scale consists of minute markers with 1/3rd sub-minute markers. Next to this is a scale with 5-minute markers in Arabic numbering. Finally, the third and innermost scale consists of the hour markers in Roman numerals. The area where the 3 o’clock hour marker is supposed to be located has be replaced by the date aperture boxed is a black square line.

The date aperture has a rounded square shape to it to facilitate the enameling process. If the aperture has 90 degree angle corners, it may be difficult to get the enamel to stick properly. Even if they could make it stick, the stresses at these points would make them weak susceptible to cracking. As it stands, Seiko made the date wheel with a white background and added the black square line around it to create the illusion of sharpness.

There are four lines of text on the dial. The upper quadrant only has the “SEIKO” brand. The lower quadrant has the rest, the words “PRESAGE”, “AUTOMATIC” as well as the words “JAPAN 6R15 -03HO R 4” in extremely small font size at the bottom.

All the markers, number and letters are painted directly on the enamel dial.

The hands on the SPB049 are beautifully blue-flamed elongated-teardrop shaped pieces. Coupled with the crescent shaped end for the seconds-hand, they provide a nice counterbalance to the otherwise straight angle patterns on the dial.

The whole dial is protected by a dual-curved sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating. The bevel edge of the crystal is slightly higher than the edge of the fixed bezel. This can increase the chance of a chipped crystal if hit by a glancing impact from the side. Meanwhile, due to the shape of the sapphire crystal, the ends of the minutes-hand and seconds-hand are bent downwards so that it would not hit it.

The crown in located at the traditional 3 o’clock position. A rather larger crown of approximately 6.5 mm wide, it has a vintage cupcake style design with a large letter “S” etched on the top surface. Meanwhile, the lugs do not have pass-through lug holes. They are short and curved downward towards the wrist to facilitate better grip on the hand.

Compared to my other enamel dial watch which also comes from the Seiko Presage line, the SARX019 (see http://easternwatch.blogspot.my/2016/07/seiko-presage-sarx019-enamel-dress.html for full review), the enamel on the SPB049 is whiter and finer based on my personal observation.

The case-back has a display window made out of sapphire crystal. The back-plate is attached to the watch case by way of four screws. Due to the construction, the watch is only water rated to 5 ATM or 50 meters.

The engine that powers the SPB049 is the well-known caliber 6R15. It is an automatic movement with a 50 hour power reserve with 23 jewels. Operating at 21,600 BPH or 3 Hertz, it has anti-magnetic properties up to 4,800 A/m.

The watch is paired with a black alligator strap and come with steel folding buckle. Like all Seiko folding buckle on leather strap, the strap tail is facing inward instead of outward.

The Wearing Experience

The size of the watch casing is just nice for my wrist (I have a 7.25 inch or 18.5 cm circumference wrist). The top to bottom length is long but it does not create a situation of overhang on the wrist. This is primarily due to the short lugs.

Visually, the SPB049 looks stunning due to its simplicity. The blue hands has a distinct contrast to the enamel dial which has that simmering paper-like surface which can only be appreciated up close. Below is a video of the watch on my wrist.

The listed price in Kuala Lumpur is RM6,100 inclusive of GST. Rather high compared to the list price in Japan. However, after taking into consideration the discount as well as savings from courier charges, the price difference is not that excessive. However, compared to an equivalent Swiss made watch with enamel dial, it is unbelievably cheap!

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