The Seiko 5 Sports line was created in 1968 and the SRPK17 is Seiko’s recreation of the first 1968 model.

Diameter: 39.4mm

Lug-to-lug: 43mm

Thickness: 12.5mm

Lug width is: 20mm

The watch has 100 meters of water resistance.

The SPRK17 overall is an extremely faithful recreation of the original 1968 model. The case is in a cushion format with scalloped edging towards both the 12 o’clock and 6 o’clock positions. The bezel is fully graduated, bi-directional, and a friction-fit format. I originally was concerned about the friction-fit action because my only experience with such a bezel was from Vostok which provided a rough and somewhat difficult to turn bezel. Here the bezel turns like butter and the bigger concern is it is relatively easy to bump it out of the preferred position. The pip is lumed.

The SRPK17 has black dial and features lume at all hour markers except at the 3 o’clock position, which instead of an hour marker features the watches day and date complications, both with discs color-matched to the black dial. The hour and minute hands are baton-style and lumed. The seconds hand, also lumed, is red an in a lollipop configuration. The original Seiko 5 logo appears beneath the 12 o’clock position. Towards the 6 o’clock the word “Sports” appears in blue followed by subdued silver text regarding the watch’s automatic status, jewel count, and water resistance. The dial is protected by a Hardlex crystal.

The watch case is made out of stainless steel, as is the bracelet. This bracelet is again inspired by the original 1968 style, and it is for the better. It wears surprisingly well, and feels notably superior in quality to the usual three-link bracelets Seiko likes to use today at this price-point. Due to how it bends it does wear chunky though, which combined with the watch’s thickness may make this stand up too high for some people, particularly since the rest of the watch’s proportions are quite modest. To me is doesn’t feel top-heavy and I have not had issues even with long sleeves. 

The crown is at the 4 o’clock position and offers three positions. In position 0 the watch can be hand-wound. In position 1 you can turn the crown clockwise to adjust the day (alternating between the English and Spanish versions) and turning the crown counter-clockwise adjusts the date. In position 2 the watch hacks and the time can be set.

Flipping the watch over you can see another the watch has a closed caseback with information related to this being a limited edition model. The watch is powered by the 4R36 caliber movement. This is an automatic, an in-house movement by Seiko that beats at 3 Hz, has 24 jewels, and offers approximately 41 hours of power reserve.

Putting this watch on my timegrapher, I get an average across all six positions of +1.2 seconds per day. The range of readings was pretty broad to achieve that however, with the extremes being -6 seconds per day to +15 seconds per day, but all were well within the movement’s accuracy rating of -35 to +45 seconds per day.

So, what are my overall thoughts on this watch?

The positives:

• Cool retro vibes

• Surprisingly nice bracelet for this price bracket

• Smooth bezel action

The negatives:

• Crown is hard to manipulate

• Easy to knock the bezel out of your timing position

• Just Hardlex instead of a sapphire crystal

Seiko limited this watch to 15,555 units and at the time of this video lists the watch at $415. These are readily available new, even today, thanks to the huge limited run, and you can find them new lower than the MSRP.

My two gripes about the watch relate to the bezel and the crown. The bezel feels great to handle, just be aware it doesn’t take much to brush up and move it out of position. For most circumstances this is no big deal but it is a key FYI if you are planning to time something important. The crown is a bigger frustration. Again, Seiko decided to be relatively faithful to the original watch. But the crown is small and difficult to manipulate. It is so recessed that winding it is even a chore (as it does not pop out to wind since this is not a screw-down crown). I think they made the right decision given what they were trying to accomplish, but this is one of the worst crown experiences I’ve seen out of modern Seiko, so be aware.

All the rest of this watch is a positive for me. I really need to highlight the bracelet. I am so used to garbage-tier bracelets from brands in this price bracket and my experience with Seiko has been disappointing until this one. It doesn’t let the watch lie flat in a way I prefer but on wrist it feels really nice, though it lifts higher than other designs would allow. It is definitely worth trying out.

It was also nice to feel a well done friction-fit bezel that is silent and fun to play with. But overall, the watch just looks so distinct compared to the rest of the modern Seiko 5 catalog. I really enjoy its small size, its subtle use of color, and that you have a sub-$500 watch with color-matched date and day discs. The watch just oozes charm and if you like smaller watches this is one worth looking into. With its understated nature and water resistance this would make for an excellent daily watch.