One Of The Most Beautiful Automatic Watch Under $500 – A Seiko SARB065 Cocktail Time Review
Seiko has always make great watches at affordable prices. And this post will dedicated for the Seiko SARB065 review, or popularly known as the “Seiko Cocktail Time“. B
eautiful with sunburst guilloche dial, and a price tag that won’t break your bank, there is no reason not to love this little timepiece.
Let’s get on to the Seiko Cocktail Time review, which in my opinion is the most gorgeous automatic watch under $500.
In A Hurry? >> CLICK HERE To Check The SARB065 On Amazon.com
Before we get to the detail review, let’s have a quick look at what is the SARB lineup all about.
Seiko SARB Line – Middle Range Dress Watch
The SARB line is Seiko’s middle range dress watch and one of the most popular watch line among Seiko fans.
The reason for its huge popularity?
It’s downright beautiful, with great craftsmanship but at an affordable price. Some of the most popular watches in this line is the SARB065 (the watch I’m reviewing here), the simple yet elegant SARB033, and the unique SARB017 Alpinist with grean and gold dial).
This SARB065 watch is a collaboration done by Seiko and Shinobu Ishigaki, one of Japan’s top bartender. They teamed up together and released a couple of watches and the most popular is this (which is why it’s nickname is “Cocktail Time“).
For some reason unbeknownst to most people, Seiko only released this watch for JDM or Japan Domestic Market which means it is not available outside of their country. I’m guessing they really like to keep the best watches for themselves.
Now that’s downright selfish! Non-Japanese (like you and me) also have the right to own these gorgeous watches. Fortunately, people outside of Japan can buy this watch through many online merchants, of which Amazon.com is one of them.
Seiko SARB065 Cocktail Time Specification
Diameter: 40 mm
Thickness: 13 mm
Case: Stainless steel
Band: 20 mm leather band with clasp
Dial: Guilloche sunburst dial
Watch Crystal: Seiko’s Hardlex crystal
Markers: Sword shape markers
Hands: Dauphine minute and hour hands. Black color with blue tip for seconds hand
Movement: Seiko’s Caliber 6R15 with 23 Jewels. 21,600 vibrations per hour or 6 beats per second
Power Reserve: 50 hours
Accuracy: +25;-15 seconds per day
Water Resistance: 50 m
Other Features: Date display at 3 o’clock, Exhibition caseback, Non-screwdown crown at 3 o’clock
Where to Buy: Amazon (Click the link below to check its latest price)
Gorgeous Design With Sunburst Guilloche Dial
The first thing that you are going to notice is the gorgeous sunburst guilloche dial. The silver dial is designed with lots of fine silver lines from the center of the watch to the edge, a feat that need exquisite craftsmanship to make.
The watch then will just took reflection of lights beautifully and will change it’s appearance under different light points.
Even though the picture above shows it to have a blue dial, the actual dial is white in color. You need to see it in person to really understand the magnificence of it.
I’ve embedded a youtube review of this watch down below that you can see to look at how pretty it really is in person.
Can you see how stunning the SARB065’s dial is.. It’s truly marvelous to look at
Small Stylish Signatures
On the Seiko SARB065 dial, you will find the “Seiko”, “Automatic” in italic and “23 Jewels” signatures on the dial. The signatures are beautifully put on top of the dial, and does not obstruct it in any way.
There are also the small words “Japan” and “6R15” on the bottom of the watch, signalling it is made in Japan for JDM and the movement caliber that it has.
Seiko uses wedge shaped hour markers with silver stainless steel color which perfectly complement the sunburst dial.
Same goes for the silver dauphine hands. Only the second hand is different, black hand with a blue tip, a very nice detail.
There is no luminous on the hands and markers, but then again, who needs them on a dress watch? Save those lumes for when you are getting a sporty dive watch.
The design of the watch face is truly beautiful. It’s sort of captivates you to keep looking at it. The attention to detail on the seconds hand tip really blow me away. Only the Japanese are able to give so much detail, at such an amazingly affordable price for a watch.
Above is a great video review of the Seiko SARB065 Cocktail Time. Notice how beautiful the sunburst dial is. I really love how it catches lights from different angles.
Want Your Own SARB065? >> CLICK HERE To Check The Latest Price On Amazon.com
Highly Polished Stainless Steel Case
To complement the shining sunburst dial, Seiko opted for all around polished stainless steel case. The case is 40 mm in diameter, and 47 mm lug to lug width (overall length of the watch from top to bottom). In my opinion, it is a good size for a man’s wrist.
One thing that puzzles me is the thickness of 13 mm. 13 mm is a common thickness for many diver’s watch which is why I’m astounded on why a dress watch would have to be this thick.
Since a dress watch does not need to have that much water resistance, it can be thinner, which will give it a sleeker look. But nevertheless this watch still look amazing on wrist.
It can also be paired with different strap colors and will still look gorgeous.
The watch comes with shiny leather band, which have a butterfly clasp on it. So you never need to worry about damaging and replacing your leather band, as is the case with normal pin and buckle.
Some people do not like the shining band (me included) but I understand that Seiko wants to make the Cocktail Time a “shining watch” but the shining leather band is just a bit over the top.
Not to mention it looks like a cheap vinyl band. But luckily, a replacement leather band is just $20-$30 away =).
Exhibition Caseback To Peek At The Auto Movement
The crown is located at 3 o’clock, the same with the date display. An engraving of “S” can be seen on the crown to denote “Seiko” which is a nice detail.
The watch features an exhibition caseback, a favorite feature of mine. You can see the back of the Caliber 6R15 movement that powers the watch.
But don’t expect too much from Seiko’s exhibition casebacks (at least at this price point). They never did put much effort to beautify the back of the movement for our eye’s pleasure like Swiss manufacturers.
The gears are all the same color, the jewels are not really easy to spot, and the engravings are just minimal.
This is not really a deal breaker for me though. For one, there is absolutely no problem with the movement’s performance (more on that later on).
But then again, the aesthetics of the exhibition caseback is not really prominent, compared to their Swiss competitors.
Luckily, Seiko more than doubled their effort on the other aspects of the watch, namely the gorgeous dial, markers, hands and casing.
These other aspects of the watch are more than enough to cover the little lacking in their exhibition caseback. Besides, how much time do we look at the movement compared to the dial and case right?
Caliber 6R15 – Seiko’s Answer To ETA 2824
Powering the Cocktail Time is Seiko’s own in-house Caliber 6R15 automatic movement, Seiko’s equivalent to ETA 2824 movement. This movement is usually used in many Seiko’s mid range watches.
It is essentially a workhouse, and is even used in many diving watches by Seiko (especially the mid-range Perspex line).
That shows just how good the movement is. It has 23 jewels and is automatic and hand winding mechanism, the best of both worlds.
The usage of automatic movement will free its owner of having to change the battery (like in normal quartz watch).
It also has hacking feature that stops the seconds hand when you are adjusting the time. This will enable you to set the time perfectly to the seconds.
The Caliber 6R15 has a 21,600 vibrations per hour, or 6 beats per seconds. The beats will indicate how smooth the movement of the sweeping second hand will be: a higher beat per second will give a more fluid sweeping motion.
With 6 beats per second, this movement is not that fluid to be honest. ETA 2824 with 8 beats per second will have a more fluid motion albeit slightly.
But there are two major advantages of having a lower beat rate. First, the service interval of the watch will be longer as the parts are not moving as much as a higher beat rate movement.
Secondly, the lower beat rate will have more power reserve. The 6R15 has a whopping 50 hours (2 full days!), compared to ETA 2824 with 38 hours (1 and a half day).
Caliber 6R15 – An Accurate Movement
The advertised accuracy of this movement is +25 and -15 seconds per day, meaning the watch could gain 25 seconds or lose 15 seconds per day.
But from my experience with my SBDC003 (or Sumo) that uses the same exact movement, the highest deviation that I got is +-5 seconds per day. This is consistent with many reviews by other owners around the world.
The main reason why this is happening is that most movements are designed to be very good at accuracy when dial is being used and also facing up.
When the dial is facing other directions (down, inclined left, etc.) gravity effect of the movement will kick in and reduce the efficiency and accuracy of the watches’ parts.
Not only that, magnetism and lack of power reserve (such as after not using the watch for a day and half) will reduce its accuracy too. Which is why a +-5 seconds in normal usage is a good standard for any automatic watch.
Click here for futher info on the Seiko Caliber 6R15
Seiko SARB065 Cocktail Time
Tissot Le Locle
Side by side comparison of the Tissot Le Locle and the Seiko Cocktail Time. Which one do you prefer? Let me know in the comments section below =)
Tissot Le Locle T41.1.423.33 Vs Seiko SARB065 Cocktail Time
A few weeks back I have reviewed another gorgeous watch, the Tissot Le Locle T41.1.423.33. These two watches are dress watch, both cost less than $500 and this match up is basically a Japan vs Swiss battle.
Both have gorgeous guilloche dial, but one has a subtle dauphine shape hands and markers while the other has black sword hands and roman numeral markers.
It’s also the battle between Cal. 6R15 and Cal. ETA 2824. Both of these two watches are great watches in their own right, but which one is more gorgeous?
Everyone is entitled to their own opinion. But for me, the Seiko Cocktail Time triumphed over its Swiss challenger.
The sunburst dial design of the Cocktail Time is more beautiful than the Le Locle. I love how the guilloche lines of the Cocktail Time covers the whole dial, as compared to the Le Locle, where the guilloche is only present at the center of the dial.
The simple silver sword hands and markers complements the sunburst dial and pretty much complete the watch’s look. It is without a doubt the Cocktail Time wins hands down.
Mesmerized By The Gorgeous Sunburst Dial? Where Can I Get One?
Where to buy Seiko Cocktail Time since it’s not sold officially outside of Japan? Don’t worry as the watch is readily available on many online retailers.
If you’re a fan of Amazon, you’re in luck as Amazon also have this watch listed on its website. Check the latest price of the watch by clicking the link below.
Conclusion
The Seiko SARB065 is a gorgeous watch and has solid craftsmanship that rivals Swiss watchmakers. It’s robust automatic movement, complemented with its real beauty makes it such a pleasure.
The dial is just extraordinary and really makes it One of The Most Gorgeous Automatic Watch Under $500 in my opinion.
One thing for sure, there will be plenty of people that will stop and look at it and compliment your watch all the time. With a beautiful watch face like this, who wouldn’t?
I hope you like my Seiko Cocktail Time review and find it helpful. If you have any comments or opinion on this watch, just ask me will ya.
Let me know in the comments section below =)
Don’t forget to share this review and subscribe my site for more great stuffs in the future.
Cheers!
Isaac
Just found your website, tho I could not remember how and what led me here 🙂
A really really great site, and in my opinion you have the best detailed watch reviews online!
Just wondering when you will be doing a write up for the Seiko Presage “New Cocktail Time” lines, I look forward to it.
Hi Joe. Great to have you here buddy. Ah yes I’ve seen the new Presage Cocktail Time in stores and am very excited as there’s color options right now. I’ll try to do a proper review of the watch soon. Cheers!
I think SARB065 is the best looking watch of the SARB line to be honest yes even better than looking than SARB017 Alpinist maybe because green is not my favourite colour. But yes for me remains the best even without Sapphire crystal but with Hardlex. I think the real alternative to the SAR065 is the Hamilton Jazzmaster Viewmatic really beautiful watches with sapphire crystal and higher power reserve than the Sarb
Hi Vincenzo. You do have an interesting opinion. That dial is just so beautiful to look at. By the way, you might be happy to see that Seiko released a couple of Presage watches with this gorgeous sunburst dial like the one on the SARB065. I’m going to cover that soon. Stay tuned!
How many turns to fill the power reserve from empty until full? What will happen if I took too many turns, will it damaging the machine?
Usually I use a rule of thumb of about 30-40 turns to fill my watches up. The actual number will vary depending on the movement (which you can check on the manufacturer’s website or other sources).
While I don’t think modern movement will be damaged if we wind it a lot more, but I always practice caution with regards to this. After all these are delicate machines and should be handled with care.
I have this sarb065 and wonder how to measure that 50 hours power reserve?
What I’ve done is by using my phone as a stopwatch. After I’ve used the watch for a few days, I’ll give it a couple of hand wind before starting the timer – just to make sure the power reserve is full. Then I’ll start the timer on my phone and put the watch in its box. Since it has 50 hours power reserve, I’d say you have to check it hourly starting from the 40th hour.
Let me know how that works for you buddy =)
Hi Isaac thanks for reply. Is there any way to know whether the power reserve is full or not?
Unfortunately that is not possible with this SARB065. There are other automatic watches with power reserve indicator (in the form of another subdial) that can show that.
As always your review posts do not disappoint in any way!.. The beauty of the Seiko SARB065 with the enhancing pictures make me remember the old style automatic watches, even though some may view them as outdated. They are everlasting, especially if it’s an elegant watch and high quality pieces.
Hi Andrew. Glad that you love the way this Seiko SARB065 looks. Yes you are very right. Automatic watches are not dead yet and instead have gained more following than ever. It’s definitely more beautiful and has character than a normal quartz watch =)
Hello,
thank you for sharing a very interesting article about watches. I really like this watch and I have to point out, you really explain in detail everything we need to know about this watch. It seems great and I will definitely consider to get one for myself.
Have a great day
Hi Karlo. Thanks for visiting by and I’m glad you like this article =)
Hi, it is a great review on Seiko SARB065 Cocktail Time watch and I am sure,my husband is going to like it. He is fond of watches and already he is having two Seiko watches.
Seiko SARB065 Cocktail Time is definitely has a classy look and will go with casual and office look.
Thanks for sharing the review. I am going to share your site with him for future purchase.
Hi Sangeeta. Glad to know that you like this Cocktail Time. You really know your husband well. In my opinion, if he already has 2 Seikos, I’m sure he will be happy to have another one in his collection =)
Isaac
It’s a shame Japan only let the Sarb watches be on the Japanese market. I like the Seiko brand and have owned a few myself.
They were mostly the watch I wore when I did outside work. They stood up really well to weedeating and cutting wood. Those were cheap plastic though and not these fancy-pants ones. I enjoyed reading up on these Seiko watches.
Hi Jason. Glad to meet a fellow Seiko lover =)
Yep those Seikos really are good value for money and certainly can withstand some hard work. And since it’s not too expensive, you might not really regret if anything bad happens to it lol. Thanks for visiting!
Hello, When I first saw the heading for your blog : Automatic Watches For Men, I was wondering what kind of watch could that be. Actually I was captivated by it and upon reading further I realized it was really worth the while especially when I saw the review on the Seiko product. Japanese products have always proven to be quality and I love the beauty and design of this watch especially the leather strap. Thanks for showing us how to order this beautiful but affordable watch online even though it is only limited to Japanese market.
Hi Bonto. I’m just trying to share my knowledge of these watches here and am glad that you like the post. Like what you’ve said, Japanese products are also of high quality, with some can even rival Swiss made watches.
It’s very unfortunate these Seikos (and also some Orient watches) are not more widely available worldwide except for their home country. So we should be grateful to these online sellers for giving us the chance to own some of these hidden gems =)
Many thanks for visiting. Cheers!
The Seiko SARB065 Cocktail Time and Tissot Le Locle are both very beautiful and elegant watches and I would like to have them both in my collection. But as fan and collector of Swiss watches,if I had to choose between them I would opt for the Tissot Le Locle.
There is something about Roman numerals on a watch face.
Hi Karim. Thanks for dropping by. Indeed the Tissot Le Locle has its charm because of its classical look. I totally respect your opinion buddy. I’ve some friends that say they won’t touch a Seiko simply because it’s not Swiss. There will be differences in opinions and I understand that. Hope to hear from you again!
The Seiko SARB065 Cocktail Time is a beauty and I always wanted to gift this to my brother. It has been on my mind for a really long time and I wanted to know more about the product details, that is when I landed on your review and got almost all the information which I was looking for. This is a really informative post and really helpful for someone who is planning to buy one of these. Thanks.
Hi Shrey! I’m glad that I could be of help to you. This is a really beautiful watch and I’m sure your brother will also love it. If you have any questions about this watch, feel free to ask. Thanks for dropping by!
Hey there. What a stunning watch this Seiko is! It looks like it would be super expensive. I would love to get something like this for my dad some time, he’s been so good to me over the years and I feel I need to treat my to something. I will keep your site in mind once I get the money together!
Thanks for sharing this with us!
Hi Hannah. God bless your dad for having such a grateful daughter like you. He must be very happy to receive a beautiful watch from his beloved daughter.
I’m sure you won’t regret to buy your dad this Seiko SARB065 for him. Seiko is well known for making sturdy little timepieces that survived through the test of time, at that are their lesser priced models.
Thank you for visiting and do drop me any comments of questions. I’ll be glad to help =)
Wow, this watch is absolutely stunning!! I really do love a good looking watch, so this definitely is one to add to that list. It would make a great gift for someone so thanks for sharing. I really enjoyed reading your in-depth review. Do you have any on watches for women? I would be very interested in reading them!
Hi Andrea! Thanks for reading my review. I’m glad you love it. Whoever that is, he would be a very lucky guy to get the Seiko SARB065 as present =)
Unfortunately I’m only checking out on men’s watch right now. I do have some requests to put a review for a women’s watch but I don’t think I’m able to do that in the near future. But some watch makers do make some female watch models based on their male’s lineup, for example Tissot. So I’ll try to include the female’s option when I’m reviewing watches in the future. Stay tuned!
I was wondering if you might be able to refer me to automatic watches for women? I have a problem with watch batteries running out super fast. My mother had the same problem – apparently it has something to do with something in our system/blood stream…I’m not sure. I’ve been looking for years for an automatic watch, but can’t seem to find anything.
Hi Debra. That’s a really strange condition you and your mother have. I’m sorry to hear that. I hope you guys are alright and there is no other medical condition apart from the batteries running out fast.
It could be a bit hard to find an automatic watch for women really. It’s mostly because the market for it is quite small compared to men who are more appreciative of automatic watch. Since women’s watch is quite small (around 25-30 mm), the automatic movement inside also need to be smaller than that. And that leads to increased costs as the smaller and more compact movement will cost more (compared to men’s watch that use a larger movement).
While I was reviewing the Tissot Le Locle a few weeks ago, I stumbled upon a woman’s version of the Le Locle. The Tissot Le Locle T41.1.183.34 For Lady has the same sunburst dial, measures at 25 mm diameter and is very light at 70 g only, even with a stainless steel bracelet. It looks gorgeous and I would recommend you to have a look at it.
I have to agree the Seiko SARB065 Cocktail Time is a beautiful dress watch. It is very elegant to look and and would great with a suit or a tuxedo.
The caseback looks very intricate even though Seiko went with a minimal look with the same color gears and other hardware.
This watch would look great at the office or at a formal gathering. Thank you for the review!
Britt
Hi Britt! Indeed the Seiko SARB065 is a handsome watch. I’m glad that you like this review. If you have any watch that you are interested in and would like my opinion, feel free to let me know =)