Seiko is known for their reliable watches, technical advances, and their ambition to provide a cheaper Japanese alternative to the Swiss monopoly of the mid- and upper-range watch market.
The innovation here is that the Seiko Women’s SSC863 Analog Display Silver Watch is solar powered, which means that it does not have a battery that needs replacing and nor does it need to be worn regularly to keep good timing. However, it does need regular exposure to sunlight or another bright light source. So far, the technology seems reliable and it, therefore, provides a nice option for anyone who would like an automatic watch, but who does not wear a watch for enough hours per day for a standard mechanical watch to be reliable.
Technical Details
Staying on the technical front, the SSC863 watch comes with a chronograph (timer) function: 24 hours, 60 minutes and 60 seconds. The 24 hour and 60-minute chronometers are embedded in the main dial. The third hand of the main dial is not the regular hand that tracks seconds, but rather the 60-second chronograph function (which remains fixed on the 12 o´clock position when not in use.) The regular second’s hand is located in a smaller sub-dial embedded in the left-hand side of the main dial. If you regularly use the 60-second chronometer feature then this may be an improvement, for everyone else it is an oddity but not overly important. Be warned though, despite the extensive chronograph collection this is not a serious sports watch (if the appearance was not enough of a key.) The Seiko SSC863 is only water resistant to 30 meters, which in practice means that it is only used occasionally for very light-level swimming or for showering
Design Style
Moving on to appearance, this Seiko watch case is a fairly average size (36mm) but it looks slightly larger due to the dainty and thinner-than-usual band (9mm.) Both case and band come in polished stainless steel that leaves the watch looking glamorous without being over-stated. The fold-over clasp means that the SSC863 timepiece only has one setting and that ladies with larger or smaller wrists should consider getting the bracelet adjusted in store, or factor in the cost of going to a jeweler if they choose to purchase online. The dial is somewhat harder to read than some, due to the combination of silver hands and a white background and the collection of chronographs in the middle of the dial. However, it is still easily readable in standard daylight conditions, and some may prefer the subtler appearance that the color scheme gives.
Does it suit your lifestyle?
Women’s watches are often split between sports watches that have chronographs and dress watches that do not. The SSC863 is ideal if you would like a reliable and glamorous watch that still has a chronograph function but remains affordable. The slim band is also an attraction, as it is increasingly common for women’s watches to have a harder-wearing but chunkier and more masculine-looking band.
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