This is the first watch I've ever owned that caused people to spontaneously compliment my taste in timepieces. It's *very* good looking and the photos you'll find do not do it justice. It's not exactly black, but when you look at it face-on it's nearly black in most settings. From the side, though, it's a rich dark gray. The contrasting gloss and matte titanium finishes are very pleasing. The crystal is gorgeous and though the many features may make it seem a bit busy at first, you will find it clear and user-friendly. Controls are very smooth and responsive. It is comfortable and despite being largely steel under the titanium shell, it is not a heavy watch. The fact that it's a great bargain should not go unnoticed, either. The vendor left their retail price sticker on the package when they shipped it, and I can only say I was very satisfied when I compared this to what I paid. This is an excellent watch. Durable and functional enough to wear in nearly any setting, and also attractive enough to inspire spontaneous "Wow, that's a great watch!" comments from people. Highly recommended. I am delighted with it.

PROS:
br /- Outstanding Design and Color*!!!
br /- Easy to use read
br /- Many nice features (date, alarm, tachymeter)
br /- Stopwatch [1/5 of a sec, up to 60 min](elapsed time split time measurements)
br /- scratch-resistant crytal glass!!
br /- 100m water resistant (33ft)
br /- Titanium wrist band !!
br /- SEIKO (=Quality)
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br /CONS:
br /- The bottom of the case is steel (that's quiet usual)
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br /More Details:
br /Alarm rings for a maximum of 20 seconds and is a little weak if you are wrongly planning on using it as an alarm clock. While its hour- and minute hand glows in the dark for a while, the watch itself does not have a light button. Remarkably, in dark conditions you are still able to see the white hands on the black background. The color of the watch is not as pitch black as shown in the advertised picture, but rather a dark dark gray that looks black in dark conditions and dark silverish in bright conditions. The line in the middle of the wrist band is polished and reflects light just like chrome (or a mirror). In contrast, both edges of the wrist band are a FLAT dark gray. The whole watch looks very expensive!
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br /This watch is definitely a nice designed, good quality watch with very nice features (which will be hardly used). It's an all-around watch as well, looking formal, yet also sporty. It's look is unmatched, as is also its color.
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br /For under $200 (MSRP $400) this is a great watch to own. There are watches, and then there is THIS watch.

I don't need to comment anymore on how great the watch is. Just read the review by M. Mote of NY, NY. It was very helpful to me when I was deciding to buy the watch. He got it right on!
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br /I have a small wrist and was concerned about the size of the dial. But after receiving it, it fit my wrist nicely. The watch is 43 mm wide from one end to the tip of the crown (listed as 41 mm diameter), the crystal is 30 mm in diameter, and it's 13mm thick. Out of the box, I thought that the watch was heavy and bulky but that impression soon went away as I got the watch properly fitted and I started wearing it.
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br /This watch is almost perfect. I say almost because there are a couple of features that I would like on it:
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br /1. A perpetual calendar so I don't have to keep adjusting the date as it always goes up to 31.
br /2. Kinetic or Eco-Drive type power source so you don't have to replace the batteries ever.
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br /Having owned a more complex and feature laden Chronograph, I found all of the adjustments and features easy to use. Highly Recommended!

This is my first Seiko watch and I must say that I am impressed. It is a good value for this level of build quality. It does cost 4-5 times more than a Timex, which is why I'll wear a Timex when there's a possibility of loss or damage.
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br /PLUS: Great looking watch that you can wear for any occasion. If you mainly use a watch just to see what time it is, this will work for you. It is also quite rugged and feels like a quality piece of hardware. Watchband was easy and simple to adjust by removing links. Unlike some other watches I have owned, the date indicator can be turned back.
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br /DELTA: It can be hard to read the dial in low light conditions. The face does not glow for very long after dark. The smaller dials have tiny markings that are not at all easy to see even with perfect lighting. The date indicator is tiny and must be adjusted for months less than 31 days.

Not only does this watch perform well with some nice features, it looks great and invokes many comments from people as to how great it looks ! Have not received any negative comments. Most people go out of their way to say how much they like the way it looks !

Very nicely put together, i gave this to my son for Marine graduation and all of his friend loved it. Can be worn with jean to suits. keeps very accurate time.

Ditto what everyone else says about how the watch is MUCH nicer than how it appears in the photographs. Seriously it looks much more beautiful and expensive than the Tissot's or Citizen chronograph watches costing 3-4x as much. And yes, it's not as black as in the photo. It is more of a gunmetal color and looks brighter or darker depending on the angle and lighting conditions.
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br /Aside from style the watch is quite comfortable. My wrists aren't very wide and I had three links removed. It doesn't get sticky or pokey. I was concerned the watch might be too big and thick, but once I had it fitted I found this not to be the case. It has a nice weight to it as expected so if you're not used to it, it feels like half a handcuff attached. Hey, it's a man's watch, not a wussy Movado.
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This watch is excellent for the price; as stated, it's mean-looking and sleek. I do have a couple of issues: 1) The band scratches quite easily. This is especially a problem due to its color; and 2) For some reason, the date goes ahead too quickly (I will change the date at 12:05 in the morning, and by that afternoon it'll be on the next day...annoying). It's weird, and I'm sure it's not endemic with all this model.
br /However, for $200 it's hard to beat. It's so attractive, and I've had so many positive comments, I've basically put my Tissot and Techomarine in the bullpen.

Can't take my eyes off it. Excellent quality! Most beautiful watch I ever had. People stop to comment how good it looks.

When I read some of the reviews for this watch they mentioned that the watch was not as black as the picture suggests. I was expecting to open the box and see a watch that was gray, or titanium colored. To my delight, when I opened to box the watch looked just like the picture on the amazon web page (like the picture provided by the vendor, not the four customer supplied images).
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br /I have to say, I am very happy with the look and feel of this watch. It fits my small wrist nicely (I had to remove 4 links) and does not look too big. When I bought the watch I did so thinking I may return it if it did not look as dark as I wanted, or if it did not fit my wrist nicely. When my wife and daughter saw the watch they both were impressed and urged me to keep it, which I did.
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br /I get lots of compliments when I wear this watch.
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br /Seiko did it right when they designed this watch!!
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br /I like this watch so much, I am thinking of getting another Seiko model SNAC41 which is listed on Amazon in a couple of different places Seiko Watches- Seiko Men's Coutura Alarm Chronograph Watch #SNAC41 Seiko Watches- Seiko Coutura Alarm Chronograph Men's Watch.

This is a slick, rugged-looking, macho watch where the quality of the craftsmanship is obvious. Despite the fact that I have fairly thin wrists, it is a prefect size, and doesn't engulf the joint as a watch with a larger face might. I've acquired a nick or two on the strap (I tend to be hard on watches - wear them all the time), but the crystal hasn't a single mark - testament to its durability.
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br /I thoroughly recommend this timepiece.

I received the watch within days of ordering it. As a few have already stated, the pictures DO NOT do this watch justice. Very easy to read. It was a little bigger then I thought and not as lite, but it is one of the finest watches I have ever owned or looked at. Looks like a very high end watch at a very affordable price. Can't say enough about how pleased I am and the compliments I get about it. You would be silly paying more for any watch, if a sports watch is what you want I would HIGHLY recommend this one. BTW this watch does not have the day of the month on it, but I could care less LOL.

Mine just arrived yesterday. After looking at it in several stores, I decided to pick it up from Amazon.com, who's price was considerably better than what I found at a duty-free shop on St Thomas while on vacation. Look and feel is great, and it's a Seiko, so the quality is without question.

This is hands down one of the best watches I have. I own Tag Hauer, Oris, Tissot, Bulova, Longines and Movado. This was my first chronograph and I have not stopped wearing this daily since January. I have gotten more compliments with this watch than any of my Swiss ones. This performs great except for the fact that the instructions are horrid. It's not a pure black watch since it has some lighter tones and has a shiny gloss on its band which comes across really cool. The face has tiny black dots which are visible if you look closely at it and at an angle and the luminous hands are enough for when in a dark movie house. The weight is not heavy at all and the size is just right without being monstrously large like some others. I have nicked the watch by accident a few times but the crystal hasn't scratched once. I have also accidentally dropped it about 3 feet and it still worked fine. The second hand is nice since I can see it in low light settings with the red hand offset to the background and the overall feel of the watch and attention to detail is excellent-- highly comparable to any of the finer Swiss watches available at a reasonable price. Awesome daily wear watch that goes well with jeans or slacks. One of my best purchases yet!

I have owned Seiko watches since my dad bought me my first when I was in my first year of college. I was looking for a kinetic, but fell for this watch. It is just too sharp, it really gets noticed. I have found no problems with it at all. I recommend everyone buy them while they can, because its a discontinued model. SO GET IT WHILE YOU CAN. Seiko makes excellent watches. I have a green Seiko 5 automatic watch that I use for work, and love that one also. Oh I have a smaller wrist, I had to take 5 links off, and it fits great.

this is my first Seiko and I love it..!!looks great and fit perfectly on my wrist(had to remove 2 links)
br /only problem is I have not received any warranty information from the vendor. will have to contact them for that

This watch truly is a beautiful time piece. I love the look, the quality, the value, etc. etc. I didn't buy this watch because I needed it, I bought it because I wanted it. I'm usually very hard on crystals, but this one has proven to be very scratch risistant. The reviews helped convince me of the quality. I simply love everything about this watch.

I liked the watch and the delivery was on time. Unfortunately the manual that came with the watch was not written for this model. The warranty card does not have any merchant info, so I am not sure it is going to be easy to have the watch serviced if you do have a problem with it.