The new Seiko 4RXX movement has made its way into the market. They can be found in the Presage line, the Seiko 5 line as well as the Superior line. This time round, I will take a look at a Seiko Superior that is powered by the 4R37 movement.
This variant of the 4R movement is characterized by a 24 hour indicator hand located in a sub-dial at the 11 or 12 o’clock position depending on the location of the crown. This hand cannot be set independently. It can however tell you whether you are in AM or PM time when your are setting the time.
Like the other 4R variants, the movement comes with stop second mechanism as well as hand wind capability. The crown is between the 4 and 5 o’clock position and I find that the lug kind of obstruct my thumb when setting the time or even hand winding the watch.
The watch comes with a slide rule bezel which is the same one found on certain Seiko chronograph models. It can be used to do conversion of weight, distance, etc from one unit of measurement to another. The watch comes with a instruction manual for the slide rule bezel.
The crystal is slightly curved as you can see in the side profile shots.
The watch is water resistant to 100m and comes with a display back showing the 4R movement.
Here are two closeup shots of the 4R37 movement.
There are bracelet variants but this particular variant comes with a soft rubber strap.
Instruction manuals and warranty booklet:
Diameter: 44mm
Lug width: 22mm
Thickness: 13mm
This watch is distributed in Singapore by Thong Sia Group. List price is SGD462.30 inclusive of GST. (Note: price mentioned is for reference only. I am not a watch seller)
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Seiko Superior SSA003K featured in this post is provided by:
Authorized Seiko dealer
K2 Watch Company
845 Geylang Road, Tanjong Katong Complex
#03-K1. Singapore 400845
Tel: 6746 0270
Wow, I’ve never seen that one before. I REALLY like that!!!
That’s because it’s very new. I’m probably one of the first few to post this on the Internet.
Nice… does Ah Goh have other dial and bracelet variants?
I saw a bracelet version with black dial at Goh’s shop. He will a few more pieces next Monday/Tuesday.
Most of the variants have black dial except for one with blue dial and white sub-dial.
Hi Thomas,
I also spotted the new Seiko Superior SSA-series models at my regular watch retailer a couple of days ago. I took some photos with a spare memory card (with the intention of uploading to my Flickr account) and just today absent-mindedly formatted the SDHC card with images of the SSA003K..d-oh!
The all-new 4R37 caught me totally by surprise. I noticed the fixed GMT subdial (a’la some Citizen Eco Drive models) subdial, which to me is a bit superfluous. Seiko could have fitted a fixed 24-hour sweep hand like the old 6117 Navigator/World Timer automatics from the 70s but they elected the subdial approach instead.
What I didn’t know until I played around with the watch was that it could both hack and handwind. Not since the 6R15 we’ve seen both features in a mid-priced caliber. Surprisingly these new Seiko Superior SSA-series (note that the Seiko 5 Superiors had been long discontinued) are more affordable than I had expected.
While the 4R37 fits in nicely somewhere between the upscale 6R15 and the lower specc’ed 4R15/16 calibers, I’m not sure if the 24-hour subdial has a place in a diver’s model. As we know, ISO certified diver’s watches require legibility in darkness and there would be not enough dial real estate for the 12 o’clock marker.
It’s gonna be an interesting year for Seiko fans!
cheers,
Stratman
Hi Stratman,
The new 4R movement comes with several variants and at least two of them can be used to make a diver’s watch.
- 4R35 (three hands with date display)
- 4R36 (three hands with day/date display)
Besides the above, there are:
4R37 (three hands with 24 hour hand in sub-dial)
4R38 (three hands with open escapement)
4R39 (three hands with open escapement and 24 hour hand in sub-dial)
Like what you say, it’s gonna be interesting.
Best regards,
Thomas
Seriously a nice piece, Thomas.
I bought one myself after you left the shop
Congrats, bro. I bought one too.
Very nice looking watch! The lay out reminds me of Seiko 6139 vintage chronos. If I could tweak this, I’d change the sub dial to white to make it a panda!
Yes, white sub-dial on black dial would be nice. There is a variant with blue dial and white sub-dial.
Hi Thomas, does this new movement is a better one that the one found in the new R-15 Diver’s watch? or they both are alike in accuracy and quality?
Regards from México City.
The 4R15 does not come with hack and handwind where as the 4R37 does. From what I understand, the 4R15 has a better accuracy spec and has a longer power reserve of 50 hours.
Nice watch good photo’s and a fine review! Thank’s
Thanks, Gregory.
nice, like dial without figures, i like it with character stroke, sometimes Jap designer feels figures bad
Yes, the dial has a simplistic design.
I bought the version with the SS bracelet yesterday and this watch seriously oozes with class
Kudos to Seiko for impeccable attention to detail. Very well made watch for the price bracket…as usual.
An interesting feature about the bracelet is it having a well finished bottom compared to ordinary bracelets and thus feels comfortable on the skin.
Congrats and thanks for sharing your thoughts on the watch.
Wow nice! Does it beat at 21600? Crystal hardlex? Thanks excellent review.
Yes, it beats at 21600bps. I don’t see “hardlex crystal” mentioned anywhere on the hang tags so I suppose it is mineral crystal.
What a nice Seiko, is it available yet in Indonesia?
Please check with the distributor in your country.
[...] this new 4R37 Seiko Superior – SSA003K may be the next watch I buy, if I can find one. I’ve been wanting a reasonably-priced [...]
I remember the tiny pic of these you posted some months before, was my favorite of the 4r range back then and looks great in the flesh – thanks for the review and the great pictures.
In a similar style – seiko have newly released a nice solar (finally) aviator alarm chrono: SSc009P1 – should suit a lot of peoples needs and well worth a look.
yes Pete, I remember you said the SSA003 looks good when I posted the stock pictures a few months back.
I googled the SSC009P1 you mentioned. Looks good,
Thanks for the new Thomas. I found some stock images of this series on a very obscure Mexican site several days ago. You can find 3 other variations here (not affiliated):
http://wdimex.com/category/seiko/page/4/
Thanks for the link, Adam. Here are two more variants not found in the link.
Wow! The all stealth is really nice–J model, too!
Taken from a J model catalog
may i know the accuracy of this new movement? any stated specs in the manual?
Some guys on Seiko Club reported +11s per day. Here’s the factory specs.
Hi Yeoman
Based on yr intro on SSA003k. I just picked up SSA 005K1. It comes with metal strap. Any recommendation on affordable rubber or leather? Thanks in advance
Hi Chen,
You can go to the Seiko Service Centre or ask the dealer to order the original rubber strap shown in this post. Silicone straps would work as well.
Best regards,
Thomas
[...] 4R37 hacks and handwind. I first learn about this watch recently when Thomas posted a review on his blog . The movement interest me because I thought it was refreshing to see Seiko offer hacking and [...]
[...] Seiko is bankrupting me, but Long Live Seiko anyway.
Another reason – very recently discovered: 4R37 Seiko Superior – SSA003K http://yeomanseiko.wordpress.com/201…03k/#more-2978 [...]
[...] [...]
Hi Yeoman
Do you know if this is available online? I live in Canada and we probably have the worst Seiko selection you can find anywhere.
Any help?
Thanks!
Online sellers are very slow at getting new models up these days. Saw one at watches88.com.
Just saw the model with the gold accents! This is a great looking watch. Something about the bezel design that makes it elegant and sporty at the same time. Personally, a lot of strap options would fit this model. I agree with pinoywatchidiot that dial design is reminiscent of the 6139 single chronographs of the 70s. I would try an isofrane or a shark mesh bracelet on this baby, if I get my hands on one.
Cheers!
Not sure about the Isofrane and shark mesh. I actually prefer it on a vintage style leather strap.