While the Prospex line is steadily becoming more and more high-end, the Seiko 5 Sports collection remains mercifully accessible. This is where you can look for daily runaround watches and practical timepieces. However, that’s not to say that amid the many pilot’s watches, divers and all-terrain sports watches there aren’t some more refined, dressy options. Case in point, the new Seiko 5 Sports SNXS 32mm, which we have been hands on with.
The headline here is that the SNXS is being presented at a new, reduced size. The previous version of this watch, which is still available, measures 37mm in diameter but the one we have here is just 32mm. Even with the zeitgeist favouring vintage proportions, that’s particularly small. And yet, with its broad tonneau shape, curving lugs and polished bezel, it doesn’t actually feel as tiny as the numbers suggest on the wrist. In fact, while it is a bit too small for my preference, there are plenty of modern masculine figures I could picture wearing it – the likes of Timothée Chalamet if he wasn’t busy wearing £100K Urban Jürgensens instead of £300 Seikos.
For the dials, they’ve opted to maintain the colours and designs of the 37mm collection, just at the new, smaller proportions. While there are silver- and gold-coloured versions, the one that captured my attention is the rich blue edition with golden hour markers and matching central hands. It’s a colour scheme that I always associate with navy uniforms with the gold accents on the dark blue, which feels appropriate for a dress watch in a sports watch collection.
Despite the watch’s diminutive size, it houses a mechanical movement in the form of the 2R06. It’s the first time the 2R06 has been presented in a sub-35mm case as part of the SNXS series. It’s an automatic calibre with 40-hour power reserve, which is solid enough given the size of the watch and its accessible price point of £310 (£340 for the gold PVD case options). At a price like that, it might be the perfect gift for your significant other this festive season – or perhaps you could even go for a matching his & hers pair across the different sizes.
