Seiko SSC017 Review – Seiko Solar Dive Watch

 

In today’s post, I’m going to do a Seiko SSC017 review – a watch that’s popular among Seiko fans because of its cheap price, high amount of features and quality.

It’s also one of Seiko solar dive watch, a great combination of Seiko’s own solar technology with its dive watch technology (such as the SKX007 fame).

So what do we get from the SSC017? In summary this is an ISO complied fully functioning dive watch, huge 200 m water resistance, accurate quartz chronograph movement, solar powered (very convenient as it take out the disadvantage of having to change a quartz watch battery), super bright LumiBrite lumes, 5 beats per second sweeping chronograph seconds hand.

And most important of all the cool sporty dive/chronograph watch look that it has!

Without any delay, let’s look at the Seiko SSC017 review, another great value for money Seiko solar dive watch.

 

Seiko SSC017 Solar Dive Watch Specification

Diameter: 43 mm
Thickness: 13 mm
Lug Width: 20 mm
Case: Stainless steel case
Strap: Stainless steel bracelet with dive extension

Dial: Black dial
Watch Crystal: Hardlex crystal
Hands: Arrow hands with lume
Markers: Circle markers with lume
Bezel: Unidirectional rotating dive bezel with minute markings (black and blue colors)
Subdials: Running second hand (left), 24-hour time (right), 60-min chronograph measurement (bottom)

Movement: Seiko Caliber V175 – Solar quartz movement
Movement Features: Solar powered, Chronograph function with 1/5 second increment, 6-month power reserve
Accuracy: +- 15 seconds per month
Power Reserve: 6 months (for a maximum of 1-hour chronograph used everyday)

Water Resistance: 200 m / 660 feet
Other Features: Date feature, Chronograph, Dive bezel, LumiBrite luminous material on markers and hands, Solar powered quartz movement, Meeting ISO Standards for dive watches, Screw down crown and pushers, Energy depletion warning

Seiko SSC017 Manual: Link 

Best Place To Buy: Amazon

Dive Watch + Chronograph Dial

The dial of the SSC017 is a cool looking watch face with black background color. Due to its chronograph function, the dial is a bit busy with 3 additional subdials: running second hand (left), 24-hour time (right) and 60-min chronograph measurement (bottom).

 

 

On top of that, it also has the typical dive watch dial: big bulky hands and circle index markers – both filled with Seiko’s famed LumiBrite lume.

With the amount the lume is applied, I’m quite sure the luminiscent will be able to hold on for quite some time. The 24-hour time inside the right subdial is very convenient which I really love.

 

Lume shot of the Seiko SSC017

 

There is also a date window between 4 and 5 o’clock markers, but it’s too small in my opinion. Using a black background for the date window also make it kinda blend in with the black dial and thus making it harder to look at.

The main seconds hands stem are blue in color which is a very nice detail to complement the blue bezel. Blue hand is also used at the bottom subdial for minutes measurement.

At the edge of the dial are minute markings with 5 fine increments between them for the 1/5 second chronograph measurement.

Looking carefully, you are going to notice that the dial consists of two layers: the upper layer is the outer edge until the markers and a lower layer for most of the dial. Quite a nice touch there Seiko!

 

Diagram on what’s what on the Seiko SSC017 dial

 

All in all, this is a very cool looking watch. Well, it sure is. It combines the two most cool looking watch designs – dive and chronograph – giving us a a great combination of both.

 

200m Water Resistant Case

The casing of this Seiko SSC017 is made of stainless steel with polished finishing.

Unlike the higher grade SARB lines, the case of this watch is straight, without any beautiful curves and cuttings. The sides feel down from the bezel straight to the bottom plate and is highly polished.

It has a diameter of 43 mm with 13 mm thickness. Not a small watch by any means but still very wearable.

It’s quite thick for a quartz watch but since it’s a chronograph with Solar and 200 m water resistance, I would say the thickness is just about right.

 

 

Lug width is 20 mm and it comes with a polished and brushed stainless steel bracelet out of the box. Seiko doesn’t skip out on the bracelet as it has a dive extension located near to the clasp.

This extension will lengthen the bracelet’s length and normally used by divers to wear the watch above their wet suit. Not bad eh for a $200 watch?

Another great thing about it is the 200 m water resistance rating which is assuring. Not to mention it also qualifies with ISO 6425 dive watch requirements making it a great choice for divers.

The crown and chronograph pushers are all screw down type, so it’s best not to use those underwater.

 

 

The diving bezel has a black and blue colors which is a very nice design. I’ve seen other models of this having different bezel color (green, red, etc) but somehow I like the blue one the most (which is why I’m reviewing the SSC017 lol).

It seems that I’m not along in this regard as Amazon shows the blue variation is the most popular among other Seiko solar dive watches.

Seiko Solar Quartz Chronograph Movement V175

Inside the Seiko SSC017 is the V175 movement, a Seiko Solar quartz chronograph. What I love the most about this movement is the solar bit – there is no need to change the battery like normal quartz.

And of course the quartz movement comes with a very high accuracy ( +- 15 seconds per month) compared to an automatic watch (read this article for more comparison between quartz and automatic).

And if you are wondering whether the watch has any power reserve, the answer is yes. But unlike normal 40 hours power reserve of an automatic, this watch has 6 months power reserve that’s absolutely terrific.

And to charge it back again is very simple. Just use the watch outdoor under bright sun and it will charge automatically. It can also be charged by exposing to normal light but it’s not as effective though.

 

Table showing the recharge time required for different light intensity (lamp, sunlight, cloudy). For full info, read the Seiko SSC017 Manual here.

 

If the power reserve goes very low, the seconds running hand (left subdial) will start to move at 2-seconds interval and the chronograph can’t be used.

It’s meant to conserve power and also let the users know about the low power reserve. By then, what we have to do is just to expose it to bright sunlight for just a few hours for a full charge. Voila! It couldn’t be easier!

 

1/5 Seconds Chronograph

We know that quartz movement has that tick-tock seconds hand action right? Well the Seiko SSC017 watch is also the same with the running seconds hand at the left subdial.

But the great thing is the chronograph seconds hand (the bigger blue hand) is a moving at a 1/5 second rate which means it’s actually sweeping with 5 beats per second.

Now that’s a great thing that I really like. Firstly, it will be more accurate than a normal 1-second increment chronograph.

Secondly, it’s just look much better! Granted the beat per second count is still fairly low but it’s still a sweeping seconds hand =)

 

 

Operating the chronograph is fairly easy. Top pusher is used to start/pause the stopwatch while the bottom pusher is for resetting it. The chronograph will record only up to 1-hour measurement.

It’s a bit low, frankly speaking, but most normal watch users will not have to measure time more than that. If you need to measure more than 1-hour due to work, hobby etc, then you need to find different chronographs for that.

One improvement that I think Seiko should implement is to make the chronograph seconds hand the running seconds hand too. By doing this, they can free up the left subdial for maybe 6-hour time measurement subdial.

Of course in doing so, they need to have a different pusher to change the mode from normal watch to chronograph watch.

And while at that, make the running seconds hand has a sweeping motion with 8 beats per second – which will definitely cut the power reserve.

But since it is solar powered, there is no problem with recharging. I’m definitely okay with just barely a month of power reserve, as long as I can have that beautiful sweeping seconds hand. Hope somebody from Seiko will read this =P

You can download this Seiko SSC017 Manual for further info about the V175 movement.

 

Watch the video above to see the Seiko SSC017 in action 

 

Who Should Get The Seiko SSC017?

So who should get this watch? Solar powered for a long lasting and easy recharging, chronograph for time measurement, accurate quartz movement, sweeping chronograph seconds hand, 200m water resistance.

And a cool looking dive and chronograph watch. If you tick yes for all of that then this is the perfect watch for you.

This Watch Is NOT For……

It’s not for those looking at normal watches. As mentioned earlier, the SSC017 is a combination of dive and chronograph watch.

But it does not have the full feature of both (due to size constraint etc.). For a start, it does not have a tachymeter scale normally found in chronos. So if you watn a full fledge chronograph, then this might not be what you’re looking for.

 

(Read my article here on the best chronograph watches as alternative to the SSC017.)

 

Pros And Cons

Pros:

1- Cool looking dive watch with black and blue colors
2- Bright LumiBrite lume on the markers and hands
3- 1/5 seconds increment chronograph gives a beautiful sweeping hand motion
4- Solar powered giving it high power reserve and easy recharging
5- Huge 200m water resistance rating
6- Accurate quartz movement

Cons:

1- Not a full fledged chronograph

 

Where To Buy Seiko SSC017? What’s Its Best Price?

So where to buy this cool Seiko solar dive watch? Currently Amazon has the best price for this Seiko SSC017. It’s listed on the website for way less than its MSRP of $425. Click the link below to check it out on Amazon.

 

->Click Here To Check The Best Prices Of Seiko SSC017 On Amazon<-

Final Thoughts

What’s left to say about this amazing watch? I, for one, really love its very cool look of dive and chronograph watch combination.

The solar powered movement is another huge plus to this watch as there is no need for any battery change or anything. Having a sturdy base with 200 m water resistance rating also makes it a very robust watch.

Overall, the Seiko SSC017 is a perfect for your casual and sports events. And I won’t even be surprised if anyone wears this to office.

I can imagine it looks great with suits too. At its current price range, this could just be the most value for money watch ever with its long list of features.

 

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Hope you guys love this Seiko SSC017 review. If you have any questions or comments regarding this Seiko solar dive watch, feel free to drop it down below. Till next time.

Cheers!
Isaac