SEIKO CONCEPTUAL SSB405P1 GREEN CHRONOGRAPH MEN WATCH

What makes the dial different?

It is green, and it is striped horizontally rather than left plain. The ridges pick up light at slightly different angles, so the dial shades from one band to the next instead of reading as a single flat colour, and the effect changes as you move your wrist. Seiko describes it as a green horizontal striped dial.

How do the chronograph and tachymeter work together?

The upper pusher starts and stops the timing — you can press it repeatedly to accumulate intervals — and the lower pusher resets the hands to zero. Seiko advises resetting and checking the hands sit at zero before you begin. Timing runs to 60 minutes in fifth-of-a-second steps, with no split-time function on this calibre. The tachymeter reads speed off that same timing: start the chronograph at the beginning of a measured kilometre or mile, stop it at the end, and the seconds hand points at the number of those units you would cover in an hour. Because the hand passes the scale only once, it reads events that finish inside a minute. Bear in mind that Seiko's three-year battery figure assumes about an hour of chronograph use a day, so stop and reset once you have your reading.

Why is there a fourth hand?

That is the 24-hour hand. It turns once a day rather than twice, so it reads the hour against a 24-hour scale and tells you at a glance whether the dial is showing morning or evening. One point worth being clear about: Seiko's instructions for the 8T63 state that this hand is geared to the hour hand and travels with it. Its job is telling morning from evening, and it cannot be set on its own to follow a second time zone.

When should I not adjust the date?

Between 9:00 pm and 3:00 am. Seiko's instructions for the 8T63 set that window, warning that adjusting the date then can stop it advancing the following day. Wind the hands clear of that window before you touch the date, then set the time afterwards.

Is it safe in water?

For swimming and snorkelling, yes — Seiko rates it at 10 bar, which covers everyday contact with water as well as a swim. Scuba diving is not covered; Seiko's own manual states that watches marked 10 or 20 bar are not for diving, and the 100-metre figure is a pressure rating rather than a depth you can take the watch to. Two instructions from the manual are worth following: never turn or pull out the crown while the watch is wet, and keep it out of baths and saunas. Rinse it in fresh water after a swim.

Will the bracelet be sized, and how does 41mm wear?

City Chain offers complimentary bracelet sizing at any outlet — bring your warranty book along for the service. On fit, the number to watch is the 48mm lug-to-lug span rather than the 41mm diameter, because that is the dimension reaching across your wrist and it is on the long side for this diameter. At 12.3mm deep and 152g the watch has real presence.

What does the warranty cover?

Buying the SSB405P1 from City Chain Singapore, an authorised Seiko retailer, includes a 3-year warranty against manufacturing defects. It does not extend to accidental damage, ordinary wear or battery depletion. Keep your warranty card and proof of purchase, as the watch cannot be submitted for warranty service without them.