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Seiko SRPB46J1 'Manhattan' Automatic Watch - W25188
Ref. SRPB46J1
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Stepping up in Seiko's range
The Cocktail Time series gave Seiko's Presage line a reason to reach back into Japanese bar culture for its inspiration, and the Manhattan sits among its most coherent expressions of that idea. The name comes directly from the drink — the rich, graduated brown of the sunburst dial is meant to read as the cocktail itself, an association that shapes every finishing choice on the watch. Where many dials of this type rely on applied indices for texture, here the faceted diamond-shaped batons and Dauphine hands do the work instead, catching raking light sharply enough that the watch reads differently at different times of day. No luminous material is applied to either, which is consistent with how the watch positions itself — this is not a watch built to be read in the dark, and the uninterrupted dial is cleaner for the absence. At 40.5mm across and just under 12mm thick it sits low enough to disappear under a shirt cuff when needed, which is a useful thing in a dress watch that is not often said plainly enough. The 4R35 inside is the dependable baseline of Seiko's automatic range — it hacks, it hand-winds, and it runs for 41 hours unworn. The exhibition caseback shows a gold-finished rotor, and the deployment clasp is finished in matched rose gold PVD rather than brushed steel, a detail that takes a week or so to notice and rewards it.
- Reference
- SRPB46J1
- Brand
- Seiko
- Collection
- Presage
- Case size
- 40.5mm
- Case thickness
- 12mm
- Lug width
- 20mm
- Case material
- Rose gold PVD
- Case shape
- Round
- Dial
- Brown
- Crystal
- Hardlex
- Movement
- Automatic
- Calibre
- 4R35
- Functions
- Date
- Water resistance
- 50m
- Bracelet / strap
- Leather strap
- Strap colour
- Brown
- Clasp
- Three-fold clasp
- Lume
- Luminous
- Retailer
- F.Hinds
Additional specifications
- Lug-to-lug
- 47.5mm
- Power reserve
- 41 hours
- Weight
- 70g
Learn more about Seiko
Kintaro Hattori opened a watch and clock shop in Tokyo in 1881, aged twenty-one, and began manufacturing under the name Seikosha — roughly, house of exquisite workmanship — in 1892. The Seiko name appeared on watches from 1924.
The company's significance is that it broke the Swiss monopoly twice. First on precision: Seiko was appointed official timekeeper of the 1964 Tokyo Olympics and built the quartz chronometers and printing timers to do it, and in the 1960s its movements placed highly at the Neuchâtel and Geneva observatory trials against the best Swiss houses.
Then on technology. On Christmas Day 1969 Seiko released the Astron, the world's first quartz wristwatch, accurate to five seconds a month where mechanical watches managed that per day. The consequences for Switzerland were catastrophic — employment in the Swiss industry fell by roughly two-thirds over the following decade. Seiko deliberately did not enforce its quartz patents, allowing the technology to spread.
The same year it produced the 6139, among the first automatic chronographs, and it has since introduced Kinetic, Spring Drive — a hybrid regulating a mechanical mainspring electronically, giving a perfectly gliding seconds hand — and its own dive and field lines.
Seiko remains fully vertically integrated, making its own hairsprings, quartz crystals, and even the Zaratsu-polished cases, at price points from under a hundred pounds upward.
- 1881
- Kintaro Hattori opens his Tokyo shop.
- 1924
- The first watches carry the Seiko name.
- 1964
- Official timekeeper of the Tokyo Olympics.
- 1969
- The Astron becomes the first quartz wristwatch.
- 1999
- Spring Drive enters production.
Also in 7 collections
This watch appears in the Seiko Presage range (44), Back in Stock (4,868), Automatic Watches (1,750), Leather Strap Watches (1,037), Automatic Watches Under £500 (336), Rose Gold Watches (273) and Brown Dial Watches (98).
Manufacturer’s guarantee
What the specifications mean
A mechanical watch for everyday wear.
Strengths
- 47.5mm lug-to-lug keeps the 40.5mm case wearable
- Luminous hands and markers for low light
Worth knowing
- 50m suits rain and handwashing, not swimming
Seiko SRPB46J1 'Manhattan' alternatives
Watches from other brands at a similar price, style and size, so you can see what else your budget can buy.
| Specification | SRPB46J1 | 98A319 | T1584072203100 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | £490 | £499 | £450 |
| Case size | 40.5mm | 40mm | 40mm |
| Water resistance | 50m | 50m | 50m |
| Movement | Automatic | Automatic | Automatic |
| Strap | Leather strap | Stainless steel bracelet | Stainless steel bracelet |
| Power reserve | 41 hours | 42 hours | 80 hours |
| This watch | Closely matched | Closely matched |
Your new watch
Frequently asked questions, and things you should know about this watch
Can I swim with it?
Showering yes, swimming no. 50m covers splashes and brief immersion, but a swimming stroke generates well above the pressure that figure describes.
Water resistance explainedWill the glass scratch?
It resists most everyday knocks. Hardlex is a hardened mineral glass — tougher than standard mineral, softer than sapphire.
Sapphire, mineral and acrylic comparedDoes it need a battery?
No. It is automatic — the motion of your wrist winds it, and there is no cell to replace.
Quartz, automatic and solar comparedHow long does it run for when it's not worn?
About 41 hours fully wound — enough to survive a night off the wrist, but not a full weekend.
What size strap does it take?
20mm. Any strap of that width will fit, and on most modern watches quick-release bars make the swap a two-minute job with no tools.
Will it fit my wrist?
Lug-to-lug is 47.5mm, which suits wrists from roughly 16.5cm (6½ inches) upward.
Lug-to-lug decides fit more than case diameter does.
How to size a watch to your wristIs it a men's or women's watch?
Listed as men's.
Cheapest place to buy
F.Hinds is the only UK retailer we track stocking this reference, so there is nothing to compare it against today.
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