Hey everyone!  I'm relatively new to the forums but I wanted to start doing a few in-depth watch reviews of my small collection.  This Seiko SNK795 was my very first real watch, purchased just over a year ago in December 2010.  The only watches I had before this were cheap digitals from when I was in grade school.

I loved this watch for the year that I wore it daily.  It took some incredible abuse and kept ticking with near perfect accuracy.  Just so you know the watch was not wound during the taking of these photographs.  It still works perfectly though.

Specifications
Case diameter: 38mm
Case thickness: 11mm
Band width: 20mm
Weight: 103.6g

I didn't realize at the time how small and light this watch really was since it was my first.  Comparing it now to my Orient Mako, it looks like it could be a women's watch on my 6.6" wrist.  It has absolutely no heft compared to the Mako; however that's not always a bad thing.  I would only wear it now for special occasions since it's my only "dressy" type watch.

Materials
Crystal: Seiko's proprietary "Hardlex"
Case/strap: Stainless steel

I was actually very impressed with the Hardlex crystal.  I was by no means careful with this watch at all.  It was banged off of shelves at work multiple times among other things.  In the entire year that I had it, it only got one permanent scratch.  The stainless steel band has tons of scratches; it looks like it survived a plane crash or something.  I really don't mind if my watches show wear; I only buy affordable and I think it gives them character.

Overall Aesthetics
I bought this as my first watch mainly because of the simplicity.  I really liked the minimalistic style.  Also, at the time I had absolutely no idea what I wanted in a watch.  I didn't really realize that this was a small, dressy style of watch.  I do like the silver reflectivity of the numeral markings.  I really like the subdued crown; it never digs into your wrist.  I also like the fact that the watch is thin.

However, over time my overall perceptions of it stylistically have changed.  Although it was my first watch and will always be special because of that, the dressy aesthetic has lost its appeal to me as I'm more of a casual guy.

Strap
First I must say that I've had absolutely no problems with the quality of the stainless steel strap and closure throughout my trials and tribulations with this watch.  It has held it to my wrist like a venerable servant.  The watch was very comfortable on the wrist.  However, once again the Orient Mako completely changed my perspective.  Now this Seiko's strap just feels extremely chintzy, like it could fall apart at any moment.

Movement
I believe this Seiko uses their 7s26 movement.  I cannot pretend to be an expert on movements; I'm just a novice watch lover.  However, I can tell you from experience that this movement was impeccably accurate.  I daresay you will NOT find a more accurate automatic watch for this price (More on price in a minute).  In the course of the year, I only had to adjust the time about 2 times, and it was only in the first couple months.  In the last 8 months I wore it, it gained +0 minutes.  From what I've now learned about mechanical watches, that's pretty incredible for the price point.

Price/Value
I paid $72 shipped for this watch via Amazon.  I really think the entire Seiko 5 line represents an excellent value.  I don't regret this purchase in the slightest, but if I could go back in time I would choose a different model; probably the military style SNK809.

Lume
The lume on this watch was incredibly weak, but only because the surface area that was actually lumed was tiny.  Only the hour and minute hands and tiny markings around the outside of the dial had luminescent paint.  It only worked after being exposed to strong light, and only lasted a few minutes.  To be quite honest the lume was so unimpressive it didn't even warrant a photograph.

Special Features
This watch is only water resistant to 30 meters, so from what I understand this probably only covers washing your hands.  Fair enough, I would never swim with a watch on anyways.  The day/date window is easily readable.  The best feature this watch had was the display caseback, something I miss GREATLY transitioning to the Orient Mako.  I really enjoyed being able to see the "magic" of the mechanical movement at work.  It was really cool to be able to witness the pulse of the watch's heart.  If I ever get another automatic, I will mandate that it has a display caseback.

Overall Build Quality
Now that I've owned an Orient Mako for a few weeks, I've come to appreciate the added weight.  Everything about it just feels more solid.  But despite the lightness of this Seiko, it proved to be a tank at heart.  It withstood terrible abuse, like being dropped from 4 feet on concrete.

Final Thoughts
This watch made a faithful companion and was an excellent introduction into the wide world of watches.  I would highly recommend a Seiko 5 to anyone new to watches.  My only suggestion is to be prepared to upgrade the strap.  It would really improve the watch tenfold.

Overall, you really can't go wrong with Seiko.  Even the cheap models like this one are insanely reliable.  I have come to understand why they are so respected on the forums.