Seiko 5
The most recommended of 4 mechanical watches
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.
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.
10 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 9
- criticize it
- 1
- approval share
- 90%
Recommended in 3 of 13 months
- November 2025: not recommended
- December 2025: not recommended
- January 2026: not recommended
- February 2026: not recommended
- March 2026: not recommended
- April 2026: not recommended
- May 2026: not recommended
- June 2026: recommended
- July 2026: recommended
- August 2026: not recommended
- September 2026: not recommended
- October 2026: recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it doesn’t carry the badge
- 9 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, not met.
- 9 recommenders for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 3 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, not met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Inexpensive mechanical watch pick
“The excellent Seiko 5 can be had in a wide variety of styles, many for under $100.”
Comment from 31 Oct 2026 in “Casio Watches of the 1980s” “Seiko 5 is the go-to recommendation for inexpensive mechanical watches”
Comment from 16 Jun 2026 in “Mechanical Watch” Dependable timekeeping despite low price
“they are as dependable as their 100x expensive brethren”
Comment from 7 Oct 2026 in “GPT‑6 and Intelligent UI for everyone” “as dependable as their 100x expensive brethren”
Comment from 7 Oct 2026 in “GPT‑6 and Intelligent UI for everyone” “after that it kept time well”
Comment from 8 Jul 2026 in “Canada's only watchmaking school still ticking after 80 years”
What people warn about
Each mark is one comment
Loses or gains a minute or two daily
“they do lose or gain a minute or two a day in my experience”
Comment from 8 Jul 2026 in “Canada's only watchmaking school still ticking after 80 years”
Other mechanical watches people recommend
The three most recommended other mechanical watches, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seiko 5This page | 9 | 1 | 90% | 3 | — | — |
| Grand Seiko | 7 | 0 | 100% | 5 | — | — |
| Seiko mechanical watch | 5 | 3 | 63% | 5 | — | — |
| Rolex Submariner | 5 | 3 | 63% | 4 | — | — |
What people said
All 10 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“There's very few (if any) Seiko 5s that are under $100 anymore.”
“The excellent Seiko 5 can be had in a wide variety of styles, many for under $100.”
“as dependable as their 100x expensive brethren”
“they are as dependable as their 100x expensive brethren”
“after that it kept time well”
“they do lose or gain a minute or two a day in my experience”
“wonderfully basic entirely in-house movement”
“Seiko 5 and Seiko 5 GMTs are great”
“Seiko 5 is the go-to recommendation for inexpensive mechanical watches”
“I have a seiko 5 which i always wear except in the shower.”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.