Seiko and Casio are where a lot of watch collections start, and for good reason. Both made millions of watches that are tough, well built and easy to find used. You don't need to know much to start, but a few choices shape what you'll be happy with. Do you want a battery watch you can forget about, or a mechanical one you'll wind and fuss over? Will it get wet? Do you want a screen or hands? Here's where we'd start in our catalog, roughly from the least expensive way in upward.
Start with a Casio digital
The least expensive way in is the F-91W. Casio introduced it in June 1989 as the successor to the F-87W, and it's still made. It runs on module 593, and a CR2016 cell lasts about seven years. You get a stopwatch to a hundredth of a second, one daily alarm, an hourly beep and a small LED light, though early ones had an amber light instead. The case is resin with a stainless steel back, and it measures 37.5 by 34.5 mm and only 8.5 mm thick. One quirk is that the calendar doesn't know the year, so February always has 28 days. It's rated to 30 metres, which means rain and splashes, not swimming.
The A168 is the same kind of watch on a bracelet. Its module 3298 has an EL backlight, a stopwatch to a hundredth of a second and about seven years from a CR2016. If you want more functions, the AE-1200 runs on module 3299, with world time across 48 cities, five alarms, a countdown timer and an LED light. Casio rates its CR2025 at about ten years.
With any of these, the checks are quick. Ask for a photo with the display lit and every segment showing, and look at the strap or bracelet where it joins the case. Casio's manuals note that EL lights lose brightness after long use, so a dim panel on an old A168 is normal wear.
Or go straight to a G-Shock square
If you want something you can drop, swim with or wear to work on a building site, buy the DW-5600E. It's the direct descendant of the first G-Shock from 1983, it's been flight-qualified by NASA, and it has survived being run over by a truck for a Guinness record. Module 3229 quotes about two years on a CR2016, and the EL light uses more battery the more you press it. Newer stock may be the DW-5600UE, which uses an LED light and gets longer battery life.
If you'd rather never change a battery or set the time, the GW-M5610 charges from light and sets itself by radio. Our guide to the Casio square goes through every version.
Your first mechanical Seiko
The Seiko 5 line started in 1963 around five traits, which were automatic winding, a day and date display, water resistance, a recessed crown and a durable case. The SNK809 is the classic first automatic. It's a small military-style watch, under 40 mm, with a 7S26 movement on view through a display back and an 18 mm strap that's easy to swap. Its crown sits at 4 o'clock and doesn't screw down, so it's only good for 30 metres. The 7S26 doesn't hack or hand-wind, so if it stops, give it a gentle shake and set it again. Seiko made millions of them, which means plenty of listings to choose from.
The SRPD55 is the newer route. When Seiko relaunched the 5 Sports range in 2019, the SRPD55 was the most conservative of 27 launch models, styled closely on the SKX007. It measures 42.5 by 13.4 mm and is rated to 100 metres. It runs on the 4R36, which hacks and hand-winds, and you can see it through the display back. It doesn't have a screw-down crown, so treat it as a watch for swimming and leave real diving to a screw-down crown.
The SKX, if you want a real diver
For years the SKX007 was the watch everybody recommended. It's a 42.5 mm diver with a screw-down crown, a one-way bezel and 200 metres of water resistance, driven by the 7S26. Seiko ended production around 2019, so every one you buy now is used. The SKX009 is the same watch with a blue and red bezel, and the SKX013 is a smaller version for slimmer wrists.
The SKX is also the most modded Seiko there is. Bezel inserts, sapphire crystals, new hands and whole new dials are common, and a modded watch isn't the same as an original one. Ask the seller to list anything that's been changed. Our guides on buying a vintage Seiko diver and spotting a redialed or franken Seiko show what to look for.
When you're ready for vintage
A 1970s Seiko 5 on the 6119 movement is a gentle first vintage watch. It's simple, it was made in huge numbers, and NASA flight director Gene Kranz wore a Seiko 5 6119-8460 during the Apollo missions. Like the 7S26, it doesn't hack or hand-wind. If you'd rather have a vintage diver, the 7002-700A was made from 1988 to 1996, right before the SKX took over. With anything this old, ask when it was last serviced, and expect the water resistance to need testing before you swim with it.
How to choose
- You want it to just work. Get a Casio digital or a DW-5600E.
- You never want to touch it. The GW-M5610 runs on light and sets itself by radio.
- You want a mechanical watch for daily wear. The SNK809 is the small, classic start. The SRPD55 is bigger, more water resistant and hand-winds.
- You want to swim and dive. An original SKX007, SKX009 or SKX013 with a screw-down crown.
- You want history. A vintage Seiko 5 or a 7002, bought with service history if you can find it.
Buying your first one used
Most of these watches sell as Buy It Now listings, so you can take your time and ask questions. Look for clear photos of the face, the case back and the clasp. For a mechanical Seiko, ask for a short video of the seconds hand running and a note of how it's keeping time. For a Casio, ask for the display lit with every segment showing. A seller who answers quickly and shows the case back is usually a seller worth buying from. Once you know what you like, our guide to Seiko movements explains what's inside the next one.
