# Seiko 5

9 Hacker News commenters recommended Seiko 5 and 1 criticized it, November 2025 to November 2026. It was recommended in 3 of 13 months.

**Verdict:** Recommended as an inexpensive mechanical watch, with dependable timekeeping and a wide range of styles. Critics note it can lose or gain a minute or two a day.

## Why people recommend it

- Inexpensive mechanical watch pick (2 comments): "The excellent Seiko 5 can be had in a wide variety of styles, many for under $100." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50319556)) "Seiko 5 is the go-to recommendation for inexpensive mechanical watches" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48556286))
- Dependable timekeeping despite low price (3 comments): "they are as dependable as their 100x expensive brethren" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49997152)) "as dependable as their 100x expensive brethren" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49998094)) "after that it kept time well" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48833639))

## What people warn about

- Loses or gains a minute or two daily (1 comments): "they do lose or gain a minute or two a day in my experience" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48833441))

## Alternatives hackers recommend

- [Grand Seiko](https://hackerapproved.com/p/grand-seiko-watches.md): 7 recommend
- [Seiko mechanical watch](https://hackerapproved.com/p/seiko-mechanical-watch.md): 5 recommend
- [Rolex Submariner](https://hackerapproved.com/p/rolex-submariner.md): 5 recommend

## Where to get it

- [See price on Amazon](https://www.amazon.com/s?k=Seiko+5+Automatic+self-winding+watch&tag=hackerapprove-20) (affiliate link)

## Cite as

Hacker Approved, "Seiko 5", https://hackerapproved.com/p/seiko-5/ (counts from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026).