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Once upon a time, in a pre-coronavirus world, there lived a watch called the SNKL23. This charming creation was beloved across the land, with people far and wide singing its praises. Never had there been a fairer entry-level watch.

But one day, the clouds gathered and the wind picked up. Something was afoot. The watch community looked on as the little SNKL23 started vanishing from store shelves…until one day it disappeared completely.

Throughout the kingdom, there was much chatter, what had happened to the famous budget beater?

Mirror, mirror on the wall, who is the dumbest watch brand of all?

That’d be Seiko, mate.

Aah well, that explains it then.

To cut my stupid tale short, it appeared that Seiko had discontinued arguably their most popular low-cost watch. This SNKL23 had been nearly impossible to find for years, after selling out internationally thanks to the hype built up by a Hodinkee article and a string of subsequent YouTube videos. Seiko never confirmed why or when this exactly happened, so we were left guessing.

I was pretty convinced we’d never be seeing this again and those who had missed the boat would be stuck paying extreme premiums for used models on eBay.

That was until a couple of months ago. Gradually, I started seeing these pop back up across a variety of online vendors, without the price gouging.

It appears these are back available again.

This brings about two questions.

Firstly, should you grab one while they are available?

Secondly, will this watch be sticking around for any length of time?

While I can’t give you a conclusive answer to the latter, I can certainly help answer the former.

I’ll run you through why this watch is thought of so highly; it’s pros, cons and whether I think it’s worth your money today. I’ll also showcase a couple of great alternatives, in case it does disappear once more.

I’ll link all of the watches featured throughout this article. Thanks to Amazon for sending this one in for review.

Watch the full video review:

Watch Dimensions

The pros begin with the dimensions. With a 37.8mm diameter, 10.6mm thickness and a 45.3mm lug to lug, it is in the Goldilocks zone of sizing for most wrists. If you have a particularly large wrist, this will look on the small side, but if you don’t, it will look classy without getting in the way.

Case

Structurally, you also get a visually appealing shape. This is one of the very best Seiko 5 cases, with a sleek and versatile design that smoothly encompasses the lugs and a fairly curved side profile that ensures a comfortable fit. Other popular models with flatter cases result in the case rear protruding unnecessarily, which can leave you with large gaps when on-wrist – a look that isn’t quite so graceful.

Unlike some alternative options, the brushing is also attractive, with brushed flanks, transitioning upwards to a polished bevelled section and finally the glossy bezel atop. It looks fantastic, though it’s clearly not been completed with the same precision of more expensive Seiko offerings such as the SARB lineup; which feature a similar design.

As with all Seiko 5’s, this is made of 316L stainless steel and weighs just enough to feel like a quality product for its size. There is also a very small crown, which is tricky to use but tucks away beautifully to give an incredibly symmetrical overall look, not found in most wristwatches.

To the rear we have a display notched case-back, which provides a low 30m of water resistance. This is one of my few frustrations with the Seiko 5 range, as a slight increase would certainly help with peace of mind.

Movement

Despite this, it does allow you to see the automatic movement within. Admittedly, the 7S26 is far from the most visually appealing option, but its presence here is still appreciated, given the remarkably low retail price.

You get the lovely sight of the second hand beating away for less money than you might think and without the presence of a battery. Interestingly, this movement has been discontinued for years, making me doubtful of this model’s long term future, unless Seiko decides to upgrade the watch; which seems unlikely at this point.

At a price point where simple one tick per second quartz movements are the norm, this is still really cool. It’s not the most accurate option out there, but it makes for a great first automatic watch and this value proposition is only consistently beaten by random Chinese microbrands, whom make trade-offs elsewhere.

As good as the inclusion of a mechanical movement is, the main selling point of this watch is certainly the dial.

Watch Dial

Several aspects of it combine to create a timeless, elegant aesthetic that exceeds the price tag. To me, it’s this which has solidified the watches reputation.

Overall, the clean look is not too dissimilar to some Grand Seiko models, with an alpha handset and a selection of slim hour markers that give a rather premium and slightly dressy appearance. While both of those look great, I think it’s a couple of other factors that make this watch stand out from some of the competition.

Firstly, you have a very elegant black date window; which not only blends in perfectly with the dark dial but also features a two-tone white and silver surround that looks classy and neat. Most affordable watches, including other Seikos, don’t have this attention to detail, often featuring clashing date wheels, which take away from the overall coherence.

Secondly, this watch has two faces and the dual personalities of this watch are revealed in different lighting conditions. When out of direct light, the SNKL23 appears to have an understated plain appearance. However, when illuminated, you start to see the subtle grey striped chapter ring emerge.

This gives the watch more of a unique identity compared to many Seiko 5 models and highlights a surprising level of thoughtfulness that has gone into this design.

As is typical with these watches, you also get the applied pair of logos; alongside some mild luminescence, which may come in handy.

Glass

The flat mineral crystal over the dial is standard at this sort of price and will give you some limited scratch protection, whilst the main let-down of this package is the bracelet.

Watch Bracelet

As you may have guessed, the majority of the money has gone into the main body of the watch, as the default bracelet is the typical lightweight, folded-link rubbish you usually get with these low-end Seikos. It looks ok but you’ll probably want to switch it for something higher quality, so it doesn’t let the rest of the watch down.

While it looks great on a variety of options, I think it suits a mesh bracelet the best. It dresses the watch down slightly, making it wearable in most situations.

It’s no surprise that this watch is so popular. Apart from the band, it both looks and feels like a more expensive watch and there really aren’t many better alternatives for such a small chunk of change.

However, what if this watch disappears once more? Or perhaps you don’t think this is quite the watch you’re after? Well, I’ve found two alternatives that give a similar look, with some slight cosmetic differences.

Seiko 5 SNKl23 Alternatives

First up is the SNK361. This is a gorgeous looking watch, that not only looks akin to the SNKL23, but also bears a striking resemblance to the Rolex Oyster Perpetual.

The main differences here are the case and the hands. This one has larger ‘shoulders’ and baton hands, which give it more of that Rolex style. It maintains the same movement and date window found on the SNKL23, but features an array of 5’s printed across the dial, rather than the patterned date wheel. This is subtle and looks much better than I had expected, given the shockingly bad stock images. It’s a worthwhile alternative for sure.

If you’re a big fan of the dauphine hands though, you may want to check out the SNKL45.

This is a blend of the previous two watches, as it also comes housed in the same case as the previous alternative. Often cited as a mini Grand-Seiko, this Seiko 5 features a similar handset to the SNKL23, but with a more plain dial and slightly elongated applied indices. A red second hand gives this watch a pop of colour to separate it from its contemporaries. Once more, it features the same 7S26 automatic movement.

CHECK OUT THE SEIKO SNKL45 ON JOMASHOP

All 3 of these watches come in a variety of colours, so if the model you want isn’t available in black, you’ll likely find one in an alternative colourway.