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Seiko Coutura SSC788P9 Solar Two Tone Bracelet Watch - W25166
Ref. SSC788P9
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The Coutura line is Seiko's answer to a particular brief: a dress-adjacent chronograph with enough complication to justify the dial real estate, powered without a battery to change. The V198 calibre achieves that cleanly — built in Japan, it converts any light source into charge and holds six months of reserve when full, so the perpetual calendar it runs will keep itself honest through 2100 without adjustment. At 44mm across and 11.8mm deep, the case sits large on the wrist but lies flatter than the complication count might suggest. The sunray grey dial carries gold-toned indices and hands, which give the multi-subdial layout enough contrast to read quickly while keeping the two-tone bracelet and case from looking mismatched. The decorative cabochon crown adds a jewellery note that marks the Coutura out from Seiko's more tool-oriented chronographs. The integrated bracelet is adjusted through removable links rather than a quick-release system, which takes a few minutes to do properly but keeps the fit close once done.
- Reference
- SSC788P9
- Brand
- Seiko
- Case size
- 44mm
- Case thickness
- 12mm
- Case material
- Two-tone
- Case shape
- Round
- Dial
- Grey
- Crystal
- Sapphire
- Movement
- Solar
- Calibre
- V198
- Functions
- Chronograph, Day-date, Small seconds, Power reserve indicator, Alarm, Perpetual calendar, Solar powered
- Water resistance
- 100m
- Bracelet / strap
- Stainless steel bracelet
- Strap colour
- Two-tone
- Clasp
- Three-fold clasp
- Lume
- LumiBrite
- Retailer
- F.Hinds
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.
Manufacturer’s guarantee
What the specifications mean
Strengths
- 100m water resistance covers swimming and watersports
- Sapphire crystal, which resists scratching
- Luminous hands and markers for low light
Worth knowing
- 44mm sits at the larger end
Compare alternatives
Watches from other brands at a similar price, style and size, so you can see what else your budget can buy.
| Specification | SSC788P9 |  010-02730-00 |  MTRH2S602 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | £479 | £449 | £320 |
| Case size | 44mm | 45mm | 44mm |
| Water resistance | 100m | 100m | 100m |
| Movement | Solar | Solar | Solar |
| Strap | Stainless steel bracelet | Silicone strap | Stainless steel bracelet |
| This watch | Closely matched |
|
Your new watch
Frequently asked questions, and things you should know about this watch
Can I swim with it?
Yes. At 100m it is rated for swimming and snorkelling, though not for diving.
Will the glass scratch?
Unlikely. Sapphire is second only to diamond in hardness and shrugs off everyday marking.
Does it need a battery?
No. It charges from light, and the cell behind that is designed to last a decade or more.
Is 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.
Who are F.Hinds?
F.Hinds has been run by the same family since 1856 and is now in its fifth generation, with more than 115 shops across England and Wales. They are a member of the Responsible Jewellery Council and an Authorised Diamond Dealer.
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