Where many of us started
By Kenji Watanabe, Osaka ยท
For about fifteen years the SNK809 was the answer whenever someone on a forum asked for their first mechanical watch. 37 mm, 11 mm thick, black field dial, 18 mm fabric strap, 7S26 automatic, 90 to 150 dollars. It was the right answer, mostly.
The size is lovely. The dial is easy to read on a dark morning. I dislike the 7S26, though: it neither hacks nor hand-winds, so you cannot set it to the second, and after a night off the wrist you stand there shaking it like a thermometer. Hardlex crystal, 30 m, and an exhibition back that shows a movement nobody will frame.
Today I would buy a 4R-powered field Seiko instead, or look for a clean used SNK809 at a flea market price.