Review: Seiko 5 SNK803K2 Military Beige

I first became aware of the Seiko 5 series while aimlessly meandering the watch pages of Amazon. At the time, I was happy to have found some humorously cheap Timex’s to buy and fool around with…I guess I was just having one of those “I need to buy something” moments. Regardless, when I came across a set of very nicely styled military automatics, made by Seiko, that cost just under $100 dollars, I knew I stumbled upon something great. Fast-forward a week, I received my Seiko 5, unboxed it and was immediately pleased with what I saw.

$69

Review: Seiko 5 SNK803K2 Military Beige

Case
Steel
Movement
Seiko 7S26B
Dial
Beige
Lume
Yes
Lens
Hardlex
Strap
Nylon
Water Resistance
100M
Dimensions
37 x 43mm
Thickness
10.6mm
Lug Width
18mm
Crown
4
Warranty
N/A
Price
$69

In true military watch style, the design of the Seiko 5 is very purposeful.  The face is clean and legible. The markings are broken into two rings, the outer indicating minutes, the inner for hours and at the 3′ position you have a slot for the day and date. Everything is sized well, spaced well, printed nicely… It is an easy watch to read at a glance. There even are small dots of Lume at the outer most edge adding to low light visibility. The model I purchased has a beige face, which I chose over the blackgreen and blue, as I felt it would be a more unique accent within my wardrobe. The body is stainless steel with a sandblasted finish that adds a nice matte sheen to the surface. Once again, as a military watch, the matte finish feels very appropriate.  The minute and hour hands are Lume filled classic diamond shapes and the second hand is long and thin with a red tip at the business end, and a Lume dot at the opposite side.

The build quality of this watch, however, is what really stood out to me when I first held it. For a seemingly small watch, 37mm, it has a substantial weight to it…50 grams to be exact. Plus, at 11mm thick, it is stout and sturdy. The crown is small and set at an angle, making accidental dislodging very unlikely. The crystal is Hardlex, Seiko’s proprietary hardened mineral, which psychologically at least, adds some durability. The movement, which is visible through the case back, is an unadorned auto that looks like it is task oriented and not meant to be pretty, like an engine on a winch. The overall effect is that strapped to your wrist is not a fussy piece of jewelry; it is a tool for time keeping.

The strap that comes on the watch is a light beige double-layered nylon with leather/pleather reinforcing around the sizing holes that resembles a 2 buckle Zulu strap. It is simple, seemingly durable strap but it lacks nice finishing.  The light khaki/flesh tone coloring is extremely boring, especially against the beige face. I have since paired the watch with both classic olive army green and “Bond” black and grey colored NATO straps, and have been very pleased with the result. With the army green band, you complete the image of the robust military watch; the two earthy tones play off each other for a nice effect that looks great with jeans and patterned shirts. The Bond strap has a more subtle impact on the watch. The cool grey and black emphasize the warmth of the beige in the face while the strong stripes add a graphic contrast to the simplicity of the dial. This is my preferred arrangement for work attire, though it still goes nicely with casual dress.

The Seiko 7S26B movement has been fine so far. No noticeable accuracy issues. The rotor is quite loud and sounds more like a pepper mill than a timepiece, but as I said before, this watch is not dainty. Frankly, the fact that it has a little growl kind of seems appropriate. The day/date function is always great to have, and the Seiko’s happens to be bi-lingual (Eng/Span on mine), which is just cool. Granted the first day it was in Spanish, but that was an easy fix.

After wearing this watch for the last couple of months I can hands down say that if you are looking for a military styled watch you will be very pleased with this purchase. Does it have the authenticity of a Laco Flieger or a Mil-Spec Marathon? No, of course not, but it is an extremely well styled homage to the real thing…and perhaps, a more wearable alternative. Oh… and did I mention it was only $89?

Images from this post:
Related Reviews
Zach is the Co-Founder and Executive Editor of Worn & Wound. Before diving headfirst into the world of watches, he spent his days as a product and graphic designer. Zach views watches as the perfect synergy of 2D and 3D design: the place where form, function, fashion and mechanical wonderment come together.
wornandwound zsw

48 responses to “Review: Seiko 5 SNK803K2 Military Beige”

  1. Speedmaster says:

    The Seiko 5 is an affordable classic.

  2. Harry Bishop says:

    I have this model (which I call “sand” color), plus the khaki green, plus the blue, all on the nylon straps which are great as they are double thickness rather than just a nato strap. Plus as well I have the black on stainless. Yes you can tell I enjoyed this watch! 🙂

    I purchased the green first and find I wear it the most often, the sand/beige second. It’s not quite as interesting in the other colors which I wear less often.

    $88 is a good price, I managed to get most of mine for less just by keeping trying again and again on eBay with some high-volume vendors I knew would warrant what they sent.

    Glad you enjoy it!
    Cheers from Canada
    Harry Bishop

  3. SteveW says:

    I too just bought the black strap / face. Great watch. Great price.

    Love the offset crown and light feel.

  4. hosain says:

    hi sorry to bother you but could you tellme if the reinforcement on the nylon strap is pleather or real genuine leather for religious reasons I cant wear real animal leather so could you please help me out maybe the manual or box says the product info. I have bought one before but I am now unsure wether I can wear it or not thank you

    • Zach says:

      Hi,
      Thanks for the comment. I looked at the box and unfortunately there is nothing indicating whether it is or isn’t real leather. My gut says it isn’t, but I know that you probably want to make sure. My recommendation… find a nice all nylon 18mm strap, they are usually under 20 bucks, and put it on the watch… I personally think the watch looks much better with different bands that contrast the face more.

      Best of luck,
      Zach

  5. Jared says:

    I purchased a silver face Seiko 5 about a year ago. My inspiration were all of J Crew’s Timex watches on NATO straps; I just couldn’t see paying J Crew in the neighborhood of $150 for a quartz Timex…especially when I was able to find similarly styled Seiko automatics for under $100. (Nothing against J Crew, I actually love their clothes.)

    I agree with your review, I really enjoy my Seiko 5, and J Crew’s NATO straps go perfectly with the 18mm lugs! That watch is a great, cost-effective was to scratch the “need-a-new-watch” itch.

  6. koush22 says:

    Would it be possible to replace the band with a leather strap?

  7. Peter Mead says:

    I’ve had this watch for 2 weeks now and agree with all of the above but wanted to make two addtional observations. 1. The watch accuracy is relative to its use, but is very accurate for an automatic overall. For the first week and a half, it was exactly three seconds behind my iPhone. In other words, spot on. I was wearing it to bed as well. Last night I took it off and laid it flat and this moring it gained four seconds…overnight. Tonight I’m going to take it off and lay it on its 9 o’clock edge and see what happens. 2. It has thin (whimpy)lug pins. Yesterday I was at the rifle range shooting a Remington ’03-A3 (WWII high powered rifle) and the recoil and the contact with the sling caused the pin on one side to pop out. Couple that with the fact that it is marginally water resistant and you get a military “looking” watch. That said, it is still a wonderful watch if worn within its designed expectations.

  8. Peter Mead says:

    Oh, the other thing is that you mention that it is water resist to 100m. That would be nice! but it is actually only 30m. That’s why I said in my previous post that it is marginally water resistant.

    • Zach says:

      Thanks for your comments and for pointing that out! Sorry for the mistake, I’ve corrected the info. But, yeah…any watch in this price is definitely a “looks-like”…The SNZH53, for example, doesn’t have a screw-down crown, which is absolutely necessary in a functional diver, but the look is so great one can forgive..well, I can. I haven’t had issues with the springbars coming out myself, though I haven’t put them under any stress akin to firing a rifle. That being said, they can be tricky to catch with a springbar tool, since the shoulders are very thin. At least spring bars are cheap and easy to replace.

      Thanks again,
      Zach

  9. John says:

    In response to this model being a military ‘looking’ watch: I would think that anyone looking for a decent diver probably would not be considering a watch in the 80-100 dollar range. 30m is far more water resistance than your average person will ever need. Also, I can attest to the durability of this watch as I accidentally dropped mine from about 4 feet up onto concrete and it hit the ground case first. Not only was there no discernible damage but it functions like the day I bought it. Overall, considering price, I find this to be a decent and rugged timepiece. I am tempted to put mine through a battery of stress tests to see just how much it can take. (I found mine for $60 btw)

  10. Brian says:

    Is this watch better suited to a 16mm band? I just bought two 18 mm NATO straps and they feel a little tight going through. Is it supposed to be that way to prevent sliding?
    There are way fewer colors to choose from in the 16 mm size.

    • Zach says:

      Hey Brian,

      I always use 18mm straps with mine. Sometimes the straps are a little tight depending on the brand, but that’s better than loose, and there are many more options at 18mm.

      Thanks,
      Zach

  11. Q. says:

    Can you wind this watch apart from wearing it, or does it only wind while you wear it?

  12. D-Man says:

    Did you have to buy those extra straps? Or did they come with them?

    Anyway, I might consider buying this watch soon.

  13. John T says:

    I bought the black dial version with the black nylon strap. I love the look of the watch, but I did not care for the look of the black strap on the watch and put on a Di-Modell Montana leather strap in brown. It is a great looking combination; they were made for each other. Today, I got a green, red and black striped Nato band from DeBeer, just for a change now and then. It also goes nicely with the black dial version. Different strap, different look. Now I am tempted to buy the beige dial version. More so than some other styles,these watches look great with different styles of bands.

  14. Bobby C. says:

    This model just might be the best bang for the buck in the entire watch world. Great review and a shining example of why this site rocks!

  15. J J Carter says:

    I tried this one, but returned it to Amazon. At 37mm it didn’t wear with enough ‘presence’ on the wrist and I felt the hands were too short to fill the dial as I like. The very beige face a strap also limited what clothing it would go with.

  16. Jawan says:

    I got mine at just over 60 bucks off a crazy sale and all i can say is “thank you Lord!” On appearance alone and everything else aside this watch has taken away my IWC Mk XV craving.

    Good review Zach. Thanks for your wide coverage of German brands.

    Cheers!

    B

  17. MT says:

    Anyone have a bund suggestion for this watch? I’ve found several that would accommodate the 18mm lugs, but not the 37mm diameter. I’m hesitant about going beyond a 42mm bund. Thanks!

  18. Scott says:

    I have one of these. It keeps good time, but I’m a little put off by the metal-on-metal noise from the rotor.

    At the price,Seiko can’t be spending a lot of time on quality control or set-up, so I’ve been wondering if it would be worth it to have a repair person go over the watch and lubricate and adjust it.

    It already keeps time as well as some of my more expensive automatics, so maybe some TLC would help it last longer.

    What do you think?

    • Boyd says:

      I have several watches that powered by 7s26 movement (low-end automatic movement). All of them make noise when the rotor is moving. I don’t think the noise makes any problem to the movement. I used them for several years without any problem, still running strong and accurate. If you’re serious about the rotor noise, try 6r15 movement JDM watches. They’re superior than 7s’ movement. And far more expensive, too.

      Sorry for my bad English.

    • Toby says:

      Ive had a Seiko snk031 with a 7s26 movement I bought off ebay from overseas that I wore constantly for well over 8+ years probably closer to 10 years. I wore it at work, fishing, hunting, changing my oil, when changing out flats, etc… A little over a year ago I busted one of the spring bars pretty bad. Other than that its still in good shape, and Ive never had to do a thing to it.

      Looks like Ill be picking up one of these watches as well, I just wish Seiko made them with a white face.

  19. Bob says:

    I love this watch!

    I used to have the SEIKO SNDA65 which have powerfull looks but it is way too heavy for me and have the feeling of hitting everything in the way.

    This is a perfect eveyday watch. I just wished it would be a little bigger for better time reading purpose.

    The price tag of $60 is amazing!

    I am just curious is there a Japan version as well as a Malasyian version of this same watch? I think i recall some picture of Japan Movement but i might be wrong. I have the Malasyan one by the way.

    Sorry for my bad English.

    • Wade says:

      Did you figure out the difference between the Japan and Malasiya versions?

    • Wade says:

      Zach did you ever find a difference between the Japan and the Malasiya versions? I’m looking at getting the black version of this watch, but will the movement be Malasiya or Japan? Labor is much cheaper in Malasiya… Are the movements the same? Does it matter? Should I get the black (it looks beautiful in your photos), or go with another color that is Japan made?

      Thank you so much for running such a great website!!!! I check here every day! And thanks in advance for any info you have!

  20. TSellers says:

    I saw Marathon mentioned in this review and thought I should comment. I got a Marathon as my first Tritium timepiece. Within a couple of months it started to fog up if I was wearing it in a moist environment such as hiking while in the rain. When I inquired about sending it in the CSR was leaving on holidays for a month and after that I simply never bothered to get it done under warranty. Eventually some of the sunken numbers on the bezel lost their paint. I bought a Nite watch next, with a white face. The orange Tritium hands on it are not as bright as the Marathon’s green hands, and the grey numbers on white background do not stand out as much as I’d like. Also the Nite is bulky and heavier than I’d like. Although both the Marathon and Nite still run fine, I plan to grab one of these. I have been trying to decide between this model, an SNKK29 (which does not seem to have much for reviews, maybe it is new), or the similar looking but larger SNZG07 (which seems to be thinner in spite of it’s wider case, but has larger lumabrite markings).

  21. Ben says:

    Got the green version of this watch a couple days ago, after mulling it over for some time. I needn’t have worried! I’m incredibly pleased with this watch. Design-wise, the face is very handsome and legible. I would like a little more brown in the paint on the face, but the color is still quite a nice, muted, military green. The red tip on the second hand is a sharp touch, and the date window pops well due to the white wheel background. I also really like the quirky bilingual day option: I have mine set en español right now, just for fun! The strap that shipped with the watch was actually pretty cheap-looking due to the styrofoam-weight plastic hardware, but I traded that out for a dark-red and sand NATO with metal hardware and love the final effect. Movement wise, the watch has been keeping perfect time (+/- 10 sec) for the last couple days, though of course that may settle in one way or the other after a few more weeks of wear. I agree with the above review: the movement seems purpose-built for getting a job done. It’s not fussy at all. Rather, it feels very substantial and sturdy. The crown turns smoothly to set the time and gives a nice firm “chunk” as the day and date snap by during adjustment. I have noticed the rotor grinding a bit on mine, too, but it’s not really that notable during normal activity, unless I’m really paying attention. Overall, an excellent watch: I’m proud to have added it to my collection.

  22. rnzmnby says:

    are you able to wind the watch using the crown?

  23. Karl Grosvenor says:

    I had one of these watches my was a green model.It was very comfortable to wear and looked gorgeous,but sadly the clear plastic back broke very easily into many pieces.I was boarding a train with my bicycle and knocked the outside of the watch which did no damage whatsoever to that side but I noticed it wasn’t working.I took it off and saw the back was missing so looked around the floor only to find the broken plastic pieces in many parts.This is a bad design flaw it looks nice but Seiko should have used real hardened glass on the back as they do on the front not cheap plastic.I sent it back to Seiko UK but unfortunately it went missing in the post and I was clumsy by loosing my post office receipt so I need another watch.This is my favourite style wise but that design flaw has put me off buying another I am sad to say.

  24. Karl Grosvenor says:

    No.

  25. Chas W says:

    I had been looking for a reliable automatic for less than $100 (usually a tall order). After seeing your review, I bought this watch in the beige color and really glad I did. I changed out the strap for an olive canvas strap and got a brown leather strap for about $10 each (not top quality I know, but they both look great next to the beige face) and I’m still way under budget even with the different options. I have fairly small wrists so the size is exactly the right proportion for me. There are no issues with noise, setting the day/date/time, time-keeping accuracy, etc. Thanks for the great work.

  26. Tracy Reed says:

    I have one of these that I added a domed sapphire crystal to and installed a gray Colareb strap. It has become one of my favorite watches.

  27. 200 Fathoms says:

    Now $56 on Amazon…

  28. makima says:

    thanks for review!
    just bought one for ~$27 delivered!

  29. Lipcsei Gábor says:

    I received my SNK805 yesterday. My first impressions: Good looking, nice watch, it does worth it’s price. NATO straps are more comfortable than the SEIKO strap. The lume is not too powerful the dots are tiny. The case is a bit heavier and more bulky than my old HMT but I guess it is due to the automatic construction (the rotor needs the space).

  30. Wurnman says:

    Just bought one and i love it. I just wished it was 40mm in size or even slightly more as it looks small on my arm and im not build like Jon Cena…

  31. Chris Chatelain says:

    No, and honestly it’s not required (for me anyway). If I’ve forgotten to wear the watch for a day (24 hour or longer period), all I do is wear it for an hour before bed and it gains enough power reserve to chug along for another 24 hours. The winder is incredibly efficient.

  32. Tyler A says:

    I did a double take when I first read your article as it exactly describes my experience with this watch. I too stumbled upon it after searching on Amazon for cheap Timex watches to fool around with just because I felt the urge to buy something new. I too chose the beige face over the other colors as I felt it would be more unique to my style. It is still on its way but I have no doubt that I will love it if you gave it the Worn & Wound seal of approval. Thanks for the stellar review!

  33. Matt G says:

    Mine has developed a loose Rotor. This watch is what I was looking for exactly. I knew I liked the styling, size (compact is good), offset and inset crown (doesn’t jab my wrist), thin case (comfortable under gloves and doesnt snag inside sleeves of jackets) and automatic winding was nice too (never have to worry about replacing batteries). The price was right for a utilitarian time keeper that I was sure to abuse. And that is exactly what I’ve done. Day one I put a few pock-marks in the face via welding spatter. After 10 months of daily wear it has a handful of scratches in face and the corners are shiny from wear. I’m back at W&W today to report that after 10 mo of daily wear the rotor of the automatic winder had loosened to the point where the watch sounds like a rattle and the rotor scrapes against the display back. Read a bit about others with this problem and hoping for an quick/easy fix.

    • Matt G says:

      Update: found a good jewlery repair guy and took all of 15 seconds to fix. Now the watch is running fast so I need to figure that out…

  34. Dave Algonquin says:

    Even better, these are about $55 on eBay.

  35. Champika Samarasekera says:

    Similar story, I had this watch for almost seven years and the rotor loosened before failing completely. A potential replacement really depends on your price point. If you were to stick with Seiko I’d say look for a watch with the 4R36 movement. All the same functions you had in the Seiko 5 plus hacking and hand winding. I’ve only had mine for a few months so I can’t vouch personally for its reliability yet but I haven’t come across any horror stories. One step higher is the 6R15 movement with some component material upgrades but you lose the day function.