while i have a few seiko 5's, this is the very first one ive bought new. the rest were very used and old.
that said let me tell why im so impressed. first the case. its the perfect size and polished except for the top of the lugs which are brushed. this looks great and was done without a single flaw that i can find. the lens is flat and should hold up well. the case back is transparent and is a neat feature if you want to enthrall small children ,Amish,or any lost tribesmen you may happen across. another neat thing is the crown. its at 4 o'clock and inset a bit. i love that because it keeps the crown out of the way and protected.
the band was well made but i put a leather one on because thats what i do. the internal lug width is 18mm.
the face of the watch is well done and nicely detailed and the lume is impressive for this price range. when my alarm clock goes off at 4:30 in the morning i can still read the time on this watch. not too shabby.
accuracy- i wore this to work for 5 days straight and it gained a total of 6 seconds. this is way beyond what anyone could ever ask for with a mechanical watch.
the only downside i could ever dream up with this watch is water resistance. i would like to see a 100m model but i don't see this being an issue with me.