Head To Head: The Best Entry-Level Sports Watch Under $300

Amidst the new Blancpain x Swatch release, Rolex buying Bucherer, and some pretty crazy new releases absolutely slaying it in the eye of the public, I’ve come to notice that the Seiko 5 hypetrain restarted. You see, a good percentage of people in my watch groups were either buying or wanting to buy a Seiko 5. And when Hodinkee did a review about the Seiko 5 right around last week, that didn’t help either. Although, if I am being brutally honest, the Seiko 5 has always been a watch that has consistently been (over)hyped over the past 5 years.

Now that I’ve delivered a slightly boring and average introduction (at this point, I am surprised if you’ve not scrolled away), I’ve got a bit of a predictable announcement to make – I picked one up. Oh, and I also forgot to tell you guys that I picked up its arch-rival – the mighty Orient Kamasu.

Now, folks, let’s unfurl the curtains, and pit these two sports watches against each other. On that note, let the games begin!

Why I Picked The Seiko 5 Sports

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Well, I was given a budget of around $200 by my best friend to spend on my 18th birthday. The catch, however, was simple – if I had to spend that $200, I’d have to spend it on a watch. And given my options at the authorised dealer, the 5 was literally a no-brainer. Of course, it was either that or an Emporio Armani or some fashion watch that I’d probably regret buying, or stash away in a drawer four to five years from now, so I’m glad I made the right choice by purchasing the only mechanical option out there. In addition to this, it’s kinda romantic in some ways that my brother-from-another-mother bought me a mechanical watch that’ll pretty much last for generations – just like our friendship.

Of course, this watch came with its apprehensions. I was highly skeptical about owning this watch, because there were a lot of things I had to get used to. The large 42.5mm size, the crown at the 4-o’clock position instead of the regular 3, and let’s not mention Seiko’s “legendary” quality control at this price point, especially when it comes to bezel alignment. In all fairness, I was lucky when it comes to that department. As you can probably tell from the above photo, the bezel is perfectly aligned. And no, I did not modify it (although, I did change one thing and I’ll get to that in a bit), but I definitely won the luck of the draw here.

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As far as modifications are concerned on this watch in particular, I’ve installed an FKM rubber strap from WAMD, which totally changed the watch from something I was skeptical about initially to something I find incredibly difficult to take off of my wrist. This case on a rubber strap is arguably the most comfortable watch in my collection. It also makes it classy, yet casual at the same time. However, I do plan on getting a flat sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating on the underside installed. It makes for an incredibly classy summer watch that works well with a lot of dress-casual outfits, but it’s definitely not something I’d wear with a suit, or anything that’s slightly formal.

And that’s where the Kamasu comes in.

On That Note, Why The Kamasu?

While the 5 was a gift from my best friend, the Kamasu was actually a gift from my father. It wasn’t something that I had planned on getting, but it was more like something that I just found a good deal on. You see, because I had my 12th grade board exams, I lost the opportunity to celebrate my birthday this year. There’s not much I was able to do, really. But when my dad left for Singapore on a business trip, I found the Kamasu on Vincent Watch, and so I thought it seemed like a good idea. While I wanted this configuration (black dial on a steel bracelet) the whole time, Vincent only had this watch with the burgundy dial. As luck would have it, when my father went to the AD to collect the watch, the black dial was in stock. What made the deal even better was that it was the V1 black dial, and not the V2. I personally disliked the V2 as it had faux-aged lume, and the circular hour markers didn’t feel as cohesive aesthetically. The guy at Vincent told my dad that this was actually the LAST V1 Kamasu in black that they had in stock, before they’d stop selling it entirely. Knowing this, my dad jumped on it.

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As you can tell, the watch is stock, and unlike the Seiko, it will remain that way. I don’t know how, but Orient have somehow managed to create a platform that is so damn good, you don’t need to change anything. Sure, the movement is unregulated, but honestly, it works. And hey, the tolerances for this and the Seiko are pretty much the same as far as the movement is concerned. There’s just so many wonderful things that this watch has in its favor that don’t need to be tampered with. Or do they?

…which brings me to their respective pros and cons.

Let me be completely honest about the Seiko here. First and foremost, the one thing that bugs me the most about this watch is the lack of a framed day-date window. I know it’s a small detail, but believe me when I say that the watch would have felt so much more premium if they had one on. For this reason alone, the dial of the Kamasu is a lot more aesthetically pleasing than the 5KX. I think the dial finishing on the Kamasu is executed a lot more nicely, as there are fewer blemishes that you would find, unlike the Seiko 5. Also, I know how watch review YouTubers tend to go on and on about how wonderful Seiko’s LUMI-BRITE paint is. Yes, it glows pretty damn well in the dark, and yes, it lasts longer. But really, once you keep it next to the Kamasu, you’d actually be hard-pressed to tell the difference. The luminous paints on both these watches have the same level of intensity in low-lighting conditions. What this means is that if you ever need to watch to glow in the dark, these two will do just fine. LUMI-BRITE lasts only for about 30-odd seconds longer, and at that point, you stop caring about the difference. Both these watches will last you about 20-25 minutes at night (in some cases, even longer), and I think that’s more than enough.

When I got the Seiko 5, I had this sinking feeling at the back of my head that “this bracelet had to go”. The gap between the end-links is so large, you can create a pinhole camera with it. You can’t say the same about the Kamasu’s bracelet, with solid links and hollow end-links. Obviously, the clasps on both these watches are below average, but I’ll forgive that, given how much these two cost. For the money, the Kamasu has a much better bracelet. It feels nicer to touch, it has that heft to it that the Seiko doesn’t, and more importantly, the build quality is a lot better. To me, the Kamasu pretty much has better “everything” than the Seiko. It’s got smaller dimensions, nicer case finishing, a sapphire crystal, double the water resistance, a screw-down crown, and so on.

Except in one department.

The bezel of the Seiko 5 is by far the best diving bezel you can possibly ever encounter for that price point. I’m not joking when I say that it puts the bezel of the Kamasu to shame, and let me tell you why. When I first got the Kamasu, the bezel was so tight, I could hardly move it. It would clog up, and I constantly had to use some form of lubricant or the other, just to get it to move. On the contrary, the bezel of the Seiko 5 was buttery-smooth from the get-go. It was much more easier to use, and if you didn’t factor in quality control issues from misaligned chapter rings, it’s miles better than the Kamasu. And even now, when the Kamasu’s bezel has become more easier to use over time, I still prefer the bezel action of the Seiko 5 all day long.

Don’t make this a spec-war between the two watches though.

…and the reason why I say that is because they have two different use-cases, and appeal to two different types of people.

You heard it here, folks. These are two different watches for two different people – the Kamasu, on one hand, is the more hardcore tool of the bunch. You can beat the crap out of it, and it’s meant to be treated that way. My personal Kamasu is beaten up to the point where I’ve even put a small nick into the sapphire crystal while open-water swimming (yes, I do actually use the full capability of my dive watches!). It’s a tool that you can trust with your life. I pretty much do that on a daily basis. Granted, you can modify this watch if you really have to, but it’s a watch that’s best left stock simply because you really don’t need to modify it. It’s a watch that is a lot easier to wear and feels a lot more premium on the wrist. I would go as far as saying that the Kamasu is for people who want a “one-and-done” watch for the money, where you can just get one, and have it be your only Orient, your only dive watch, or even the only wristwatch that you own.

But, when you buy a Seiko 5, you don’t just buy a watch. You buy a legend. And that legacy and cult status is something that the Kamasu doesn’t have….yet. It may, soon. Consequently, if I wore the Kamasu, I’ll have to end up explaining the watch, the brand, and so on to someone who isn’t particularly into watches. Don’t get me wrong, I’d love to do that, and tell you all about Orient’s heritage, but I also don’t want to overly look like a nerd. On the other hand, if I wore the Seiko 5, people know exactly what it is. If anyone who’s not into watches asks me, then all they need to do is to see the Seiko logo on the dial for them to be convinced that I’m wearing a nice watch. Ironically though, I get more compliments whenever I’m wearing the Kamasu. No idea why, though.

Another factor you want to keep in mind is that the 5 is a nicer watch if you want to modify it. In fact, it’s a watch that begs to be modified. I must admit, if you regulate the movement to COSC spec, and modify the bezel, dial, and crystal, you’ll effectively be left with a watch that can hold its own against something that’s way more expensive not in terms of finishing, but specifications. All I am trying to say here is that these are two distinct watches for two distinct people, and that’s okay. I love both of them equally, and like I said, they serve two different and distinct purposes in my collection.

But still though, which one will you choose? I’ll let you decide.