My wife and kids got this for me as a birthday present.  I haven't worn a dress watch much in years.  I got used to using a Timex Ironman for running and the damned things are so cheap, accurate, rugged, and functional I just stopped using anything else.  I have a Casio Pathfinder with altimeter, temp, and compass but that thing is so huge I wonder what the hell I was thinking when I bought it.  And I will admit there are times when a watch with a plastic band and case are not the best choice.  I also have an ultra thin Seiko rectangular dress watch with a leather band from the mid-eighties that's still working like new.  So, when I mentioned a dress watch, my wife thought Seiko first.  I bought her a Seiko Black Ion finish watch at Christmas to go with a set of black pearl earrings and necklace.  So she bought me this watch to match six months later.  I think the Seiko Kinetic is very cool.  You get the accuracy and toughness of a quartz movement (which Seiko does very well) combined with a "self winding" feature without the complex mechanical components of swiss watches.  And the Seiko system can store enough energy for six months of operation in its lithium cell.  Try that with a Rolex.

The watch came out of the box with the minimum 1-7 day charge on the indicator.  After two days, it reached the 1 month charge level.  After about a week, it still hasn't reached the top level 4-6 month charge.  Not bad.  About what I expected.  As for the finish, I love the black n gold design.  It's a bit different from your run of the mill stainless or gold design.  I did a little research on the Titanium Carbon Nitride finish and discovered that this stuff is what they use to coat high speed cutting tools for extremely hard materials.  Titanium Nitride comes produces a metallic "gold" color.  Adding carbon to the mix turns Titanium Carbon Nitride into a ceramic coating with extreme hardness relative to the stainless steel substrate it's applied to.  To me, a ceramic coating means this watch will be very resistant to oxidation and scratching as well as unique in appearance.  The black n gold may be a little too flashy or over the top for some people or occasions but for general wear at business functions or going out to dinner, I think it's sharp looking.  I really can't understand why people buy Rolex with Seiko around.  Highly recommended.  The company and the watch.