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Best Seiko Solar Watches: Gnomon’s 2024 Guide
Mar 26, 2024
It isn’t a piece of news that Seiko as a watch brand always comes up with an innovative way that never stops admiring the watch community. As the name implied, Seiko solar watch is a collection of watches that don’t need a battery replacement for its quartz. I do understand how changing the battery, sometimes, could be a hassle, especially when it suddenly stops it the moment you never expected. This implies that Seiko solar watch has the capacity to do self-charging using solar energy.
The innovative technology of solar watches has brought Seiko to upscale its popularity. It’s no wonder that Seiko is known for leading the way to create a breakthrough in the world of horology. So, what is a Seiko solar watch and how does it work? Read along to find out the answer and the best Seiko solar watch you can have.
What to Expect from A Seiko Solar Watch?
A Seiko solar watch is part of Seiko’s technological advancement in the world of horology. To reduce the hassle of changing the watch battery and taking care of the environment, using solar energy is a breakthrough that would be a pleasing timepiece in a collection. So, how does this watch work?
While quartz watches are driven by a battery to move the whole function in a timepiece, Seiko solar watch converts the solar or light energy into electronic energy. In a full-charged condition, the watch could even last from six months to a year. Inside the watch case and under the watch dial lies a solar cell unit that will receive and convert the light when the watch is exposed to sunlight. After that, the converted energy is stored in the rechargeable battery — the one element that moves the watch.
Its function that can be recharged is Seiko’s wise solution to save the environment from a used battery. This rechargeable battery can be used in the long term if cared for properly. Therefore, a regular check is still needed to ensure everything goes well.
What kind of lights can be used for charging the battery? It typically can be any kind of light including room light. However, weak light can lead to insufficient charging which would make your watch doesn’t last long. Therefore, exposing the watch to sunlight is better and faster. You can put the watch by a window under the sunlight. Yet, please be sure that your watch isn’t over-exposed or heated to a high temperature.
Read also: Seiko Spring Drive Movement: The Advanced Art of Horology
My Recommendations for Seiko Solar Watch
Coming to an end is definitely a part where I’m going to show you some of the best Seiko solar watches. Truthfully speaking, almost every Seiko solar watch has a similar feature with solar-converting energy as the main icon. So, some of the best Seiko solar watches:
Seiko Prospex Solar Street Series Blue
The first Seiko solar watch on my list is the Prospex collection which never fails me. You might notice the resemblance of Tuna watches in this collection as it tries to reflect the iconic look. Along with Seiko’s updates, this watch appears to be more compact and modest. It features an ideal watch dimension that would sit well on a wide range of wrist sizes.
As one of the Seiko solar watches, the Prospex Solar Street Series is powered by the Seiko in-house caliber V131 solar quartz movement, allowing for an astonishing power reserve of approximately 6 months on a full charge. The also serves as a reliable tool watch for diving with 200m of water resistance and Seiko’s Lumibrite for better legibility in the dark.
Seiko Solar Watch – SNE039
Another option for the Seiko solar watch is the Seiko SNE039 known as an affordable solar watch. As to how Seiko can be trusted for providing a good-looking watch, the SNE039 is also an appealing timepiece with a modest size. It is measured at 37mm in the watch case, 44mm for the lug to lug, and 10mm in thickness — this is a slim profile of solar watches. Thanks to that proportion, this Seiko solar watch could be a good companion as a dress watch for almost any kind of format events.
Seiko Coutura Radio-Sync Solar SSG009
A timepiece as a result of Seiko’s innovations added with radio-sync technology for another level of advancements. As the name implied, the Seiko Coutura Radio-Sync Solar can automatically receive radio signals to adjust the time and calendar functions precisely. Not enough on this feature, the busy dial somehow tells how complex this watch is.
It features a world time function displaying 25 different time zones indicated on the black aluminum bezel. This Seiko solar watch is powered by a caliber 8B92 movement that allows the watch to last for 6 months power reserve on a full charge.
How to Does Seiko Solar Watch Work?
Although Seiko solar watch doesn’t need a quick change for its battery, you still need to pay attention to ways of charging the watch. There are certain environments and conditions that should be avoided. As the watch gains power from the light, you should not expect the watch will work finely after being kept in a watch safe for too long — a place where it can’t be exposed to sunlight.
The watch would run out of energy and stop functioning. In addition to that, do not wear the watch on your wrist, especially under the sleeve, when it’s charging the power. That is not a proper position for the watch to receive much energy — not to mention if your sleeve covers your watch. Therefore, placing a Seiko solar watch by a window, with the dial facing up, is the best recommendation you could ever get to maintain the watch’s life.
Nevertheless, an overhaul is my last recommendation to take care of a Seiko solar watch. Long-term use would definitely affect the watch’s performance and bringing the watch to a service is a wise act to check every element in the watch. Not to mention, if your watch has looseness of screws, retention of oil lubrication, and rust from dirt and sweat.
Seiko solar watch is just one form of Seiko’s innovations to provide a better watch for its enthusiasts. Not only that using solar energy would benefit the wearers but also the environment by reducing the use of batteries. As for the mechanism, it’s actually can be explained in brief words. The lights received by the watch are converted into electronic energy. That way, the energy is stored and used to make the overall functions of a watch work.
