Whereas the 7S26(A) was once notorious for losing up to 30 seconds per day, the 7S26C has reduced that to a very reasonable 3-5 seconds a day. I expected to find significant concessions in the movement, but Seiko has improved it’s calibre a lot over the past two iterations. The case of the SNK807 is made of stainless steel and has a matte brushed finish all over, with the exception of the edge of the caseback, which is polished. Even a generic, plain black or brown leather strap will completely change the watches’ appearance for the good.

Seiko SNK807 Review - Hands-On Watch Reviews of Affordable Timepieces Seiko SNK807 Review - Hands-On Watch Reviews of Affordable

With kind regards to the premium watch brands that continue to inspire us, our eyes lean towards the affordables that are interesting in their own right. But regardless of how you use the SNK807, do yourself and the watch a favor and throw out the blue strap. The minute markers have Arabic numerals at five minute intervals, similar to the inner hour track, which has Arabic numerals at every hour. Auke developed a slight interest in watches a couple of years ago, which soon escalated in an unhealthy obsession that lasts to this day. Depending on the region, bracelet model and other features you may find this watch reference written as SNK807J, SNK807J1, SNK807J2, SNK807K, SNK807K1, SNK807K2, SNK807P, SNK807P1, SNK807P2, etc.

On a very slightly textured background, the SNK807 features and outer track with minute markers and an inner track displaying the hours. One point of criticism, however, is the print on the caseback crystal: it is unnecessary and makes it feel a bit cheap. The result is a watch that is not perfect, but does a lot of things very right for very little money.

Seiko Watch ref. SNK807 (7S26-02J0) - The Seiko Guy Seiko Watch ref. SNK807 (7S26-02J0) - The Seiko Guy

Furthermore, it doesn’t appear to be very durable; after a few days the first signs of degradation were already visible.It houses the 7S26 caliber with 21 jewels, running at 21600 bph with an accuracy of +45/-35 seconds per day. The SNK807 comes with Seiko’s own Calibre 7S26C, a budget movement found in many Seiko 5’s and Seiko SKX-divers. As such, the SNK807 makes for a great weekend beater watch or a first watch for someone just getting into mechanical watches. That doesn’t mean Seiko hasn’t made any concessions: the 7S26C doesn’t support manual winding, nor does it have hacking seconds. There are no distracting elements present and Seiko did a good job on making the dial clean and legible.

Seiko 5 Military SNK807K2 | Ref. SNK807K2 Watches on Chrono24 Seiko 5 Military SNK807K2 | Ref. SNK807K2 Watches on Chrono24

While I’m personally not a big fan of date windows, this one is executed beautifully and fits the watch well.