Seiko Spirit - References, Prices and Owners' Reviews

It's the end of March 2020, during the first lockdown. I wanted to treat myself during this strange period. The Seiko SARB033 had already been on my mind for a few months, but since the watch has not been on sale since 2018 (and even then, it was only in Japan), I didn't dare take the plunge. Finally, I overcame my reluctance and had to heat up the credit card and ordered a new SARB033 from Long Island Watches for €400. It will arrive on April 20, 2020, accompanied by customs fees that I had not anticipated :) The frustration of the customs fees was quickly faded and replaced by real satisfaction. The 38mm black dial is beautiful, the dauphine hands add a "dressy" touch, the date window is well integrated, the applied indexes are successful, in short, all good. It is also comfortable to wear because of its contained dimensions, perfect for my very thin wrist (15cm) and fits perfectly under shirt sleeves. The steel bracelet does the job but after a few months, I replaced it with leather straps, this watch being a real "strap monster". I have the impression that everything goes with this watch. On the technical side, the watch is equipped with a 6R15 movement which I believe has a 50h power reserve which is not bad for the price. In addition, the watch is waterproof up to 100m which gives it a real "everyday watch" side even if I would not go into the sea with it. Then, the watch is equipped with a sapphire crystal which adds robustness to it. In the end, I love this watch even if in 2025, I wear it less since my collection has grown a lot since then (it was my 5th watch in 2020 now I have 15). But every time I put it back on, always the same pleasure and the feeling of rediscovering it, especially when changing straps.