SEIKO Men's SPC049 Velatura Black Leather Black Chronograph Dial Watch

This watch is big and elegant. Just the way I like my watch.The alarm is not loud, but the idea of having yachting watch with an alarm is for a wrist watch to wake you up while on the water and away from city noise. Otherwise get an alarm clock.The dimensions of this watch is clearly stated by Amazon, and it's big. So there shouldn't be any surprises. It is also heavier than most watches but you will get used to it soon. In any way, I ordered this watch because I wanted a heavy big watch.I bought this watch from JustCalculators and they are the most efficient of any sellers, of anything, hands down.Considering that I live in Australia, having my order processed and delivered in 5 days is impressive. All other orders, and I order a lot, take at least 3 weeks, at best.Even though I was shorthanded over $100 in returning my previously bought watch and buying this one instead, and having to pay another $60 postage, I contribute that to miscommunication.All in all this is an impressive watch, and JustCalculators are as good as a seller can be.

I am a fan of alarm watches, especially vibration alarms, and have a Tissot. I couldn't find another good one for my self-inflicted birthday present and settled for a sound alarm watch, instead. It had to be largely if not completely analog and the Velatura Yacht Timer fit the bill in several of its functions, none of which relate to me on a yacht. Seiko knows how to build a quality watch, which is one of my imperatives, but I didn't go looking for a Seiko, I just found it. There were many things I liked about the Velatura Yacht Timer (VYT), including its good looks with the black leather band, its large size and the lightness of the titanium case, a nice feature of a quality watch this big. The watch face is attractive but busy, even without a 3 dial chronometer, which I detest. That being said, the chrono on this watch is a bear to use but that is of little concern to me as I rarely use one.I became ambivalent about two features of VYT, the alarm's low intensity and the low contrast of the main hands to the watch face. Even in a quiet room, hearing the pleasant chime when not listening for it was problematic. I tried it a number of ways and was disappointed that I missed hearing the alarm often enough that I could not rely on it. Forget about hearing the Velatura Yacht Timer's alarm when any degree of background noise is present or if you are wearing a coat sleeve over it. In fact, the alarm sounds loudest when you are looking directly at the watch face, which is just the position you would not be in when you needed the alarm to remind you of a meeting or to turn over the steak that's grilling. I don't believe this low intensity alarm issue is unique to the Seiko Velatura, either, as I have encountered it with other respectable brands. A niggling detail is that the chugging of the sweep second hand does not always coincide with the dial's minute markings. I am not an overly compulsive person but there is something satisfying about a minute hand hitting those markings again and again; not with this watch.My disappointment in the alarm was matched by the low contrast of the main hands against the (busy) dial. You really have to focus on the watch to gain the time because the position of the main hands can difficult to discern, otherwise. Consider that one of the great advantages of an analog watch is the rapidity with which you can tell the time with just a momentary glance. My wife, leaning over to admire the watch, had to ask me what time it was as she simply couldn't decipher it! By and large, the inherent functional advantage of analog over digital is lost with the Velatura Yacht Timer, a failure in ergonomics by Seiko. That being said, its good looks could not be achieved with digital readouts contaminating the watch face, so analog wins this one, hands down. [Sorry, I couldn't resist the pun.]Now we come to the deal breaker. Seiko decided that you should have an extra knob to crank the stem with considerable force, sealing it to the case like a vault. The problem is that with this arrangement, the stem protruded so far from the case that it jabbed me with considerable force whenever I bent my wrist back. In fact, I got a bruise and that's a first for me from a watch! The obvious solution is to wear the watch snugly, higher up on the wrist, and that works. Unfortunately, I like to wear a watch loose enough that it slides easily while not being able to rotate around. I simply could not wear the Velatura for more than a short time without becoming uncomfortable. As far as keeping the seal of the watch intact, the mechanism does what they want, as far as I could tell. For my lifestyle, the only time that seal would be tested is if the ship I was on sank. As the wreckage drifted down to depths below 300 feet, the watch might still be working but I surely wouldn't. So, the Seiko engineers simultaneously achieved a competent case seal and a significant ergonomic failure. It's a bit peculiar looking, too, and some might call the bulging stem ugly.What was not disappointing in any way was my fine retail experience with Amazon. I bought the watch online at a competitive price with an American Express card, thereby increasing the manufacturer's warranty period. Amazon got the watch to me promptly and kept me informed. Returning the watch was free of hassles and Amazon kept me informed of its arrival and, by separate email, the prompt processing of the refund.My experience with Amazon suggests they have grown into becoming a high quality, online retailer that I will use, again, when local resources fail.Yours truly, Dr. Mike

Very good watch, beautiful aspect and a lot of yachting-chrono functions, easy to activate in action. Titanium makes the product very light to wear.

This watch is now my new favourite. I've hardly worn another watch since I got this. The crown design makes it just a bit larger than what Im accustomed to. However, on hefting it for the very first time I was amazed at how light it actually was relative to how solid and heavy it looked. My guess is the titanium casing contributed to this. Although I treat my watches with excellent care and attention, this one has already been through some pretty wet conditions and it stands against the moisture very well. Once the crown is properly sealed there's no worry about moisture interfering with the functioning. At first I was daunted by the features and operation complexities but simply reading the manual was enough to thoroughly acquaint myself with the functions. I believe a great watch should be affordable. While this one sat at the ceiling number Id pay for a watch I consider it superb value. Its an excellent and handsome piece that goes well either for dressing or casual wear. Very happy to own it. Other reviews noted frustration with the crown design digging into the back of the palm because it protrudes slightly. I cant see how this happens. I've been wearing this for months now and have not had any such issues.

I had never been a fan of seiko watches but I was persuaded to buy the Velatura model after all the positive reviews I had read. This watch shouts quality and technology and is really impressive. If you also take into account the low price it was purchased -486 pounds- through amazon (the discount was real because my search was extensive. There were a few small variations in price offers but amazon product quality is guaranteed), it was actually a bargain. Anyone who buys it will definitely enjoy it for a long time.