Hands-On with the Seiko 5 Sports “Diastar” SSA285K1

A Seiko 5 watch comes with a set of expectations. If it’s wearing the badge on the dial, you know that you’re getting a no-nonsense timepiece, one that’s both reasonably priced and robustly built to Seiko’s exacting standards. The “5” references a set of key attributes that first defined the line: automatic winding; the day/date displayed in a single window; water resistance; a recessed crown at the four o’clock position; and a durable case and bracelet. Of course, much of this is already part and parcel of modern watches, so today these bullet points are more of a spiritual guide for the Seiko 5 line rather than a strict checklist. Nevertheless, if it’s a Seiko 5, you know you’re getting a workhorse that punches way above its weight.

Today, we’re going hands-on with a watch Seiko brought out last year and, like many of their lower-tiered releases, it went by largely unnoticed—introducing the Seiko 5 Sports “Diastar,” reference SSA285K1.

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The case measures 44.75mm wide, 47.8mm lug-to-lug and 13.3mm thick. There’s no two ways about it—this is a big watch, and the barrel case takes up a lot of that real estate. But it seems to be a deliberate design choice. Seiko didn’t upsize the case to accommodate a large movement or anything of the sort. Instead, this seems to be more of a retro throwback to vintage barrel-shaped designs from the likes of Rado, Heuer and others.

Despite the notable width, the watch is very comfortable on the wrist. The tempered case length means that it works for those of us with smaller wrists, though the watch will have quite a bit of visual presence. Conversely, for the big-wristed amongst us, that perceived presence goes a long way in making the watch look appropriately sized. Either way, the case-heavy look is sure to divide, so it’s something you have to want.The profile is where the case design gets really interesting, with a sporty, almost-futuristic design grounding the geometry. There are sharp lines and a bevel guiding the eye along the length of the case, with undercuts that remind me of an aerodynamic sports car. The undercuts are polished, contrasting against the brushed bevel and mid-case. Overall, the finishing is excellent here, and quite a ways more impressive than what I’ve seen on other watches in the Seiko 5 range.

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The dial is what initially drew me to the watch. It’s decidedly retro, with an attractive automotive concept that works well with the case. It has a faded cream tone, bordered by a green checkered racing index. Applied indices—polished with lume-filled centers—are placed at every hour. Then, there’s a separate minutes track right below that. There’s a Seiko 5 Sports badge at three, a black contrasting date window at six, and a 24-hour sub-dial at ten-eleven. The hands are straightforward swords, polished with lume at the center. The seconds hand is a black tapering needle.

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Overall, I like what Seiko did with the design here. In some ways, I feel like this is what the Recraft line from a few years back should have been, but wasn’t. There’s a restrained simplicity here that really works. That said, I bet this watch would have looked just as good with a more traditional layout—e.g. with the logo underneath 12 and no 24-hour sub-dial between ten and eleven.

The movement powering the watch is Seiko’s 4R37A automatic caliber, a variant of a movement family Seiko began churning out in 2011. It can be hacked and hand wound and has a beat rate of 21,600 bph. While I don’t find the 24-hour sub-dial to be an especially useful complication, it does add a touch of visual complexity to the dial, so I’ll take it.

The watch comes paired with a double-layered mil-strap. It’s green with white accent stripes. It’s rigid out of the box, but it breaks in rather quickly with some wear. The drilled lugs allow for easy swaps, so I threw it on one of our straps for something a little different. Of course, another pairing that would work really well is a rally strap.

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Looking at the package as whole, this is a nice offering from Seiko. While I’d have preferred a more restrained case, that’s all a matter of personal preference. Now, these aren’t readily available anymore, but there are a handful of sellers across eBay and Amazon still holding stock, so I wouldn’t wait too long before picking one up. Prices range from about $180 to a hair over $200—all in all, a pretty great deal.