SEIKO CONCEPTUAL SUR309P1 BLUE DIAL MEN WATCH

How is the date advanced?

Draw the crown out one click to its middle stop and turn it until the correct date appears, then press the crown back. The watch keeps running while you do it, so the time is untouched. One restriction applies: Seiko's general instructions for analogue watches say the calendar should not be changed between 9:00 pm and 4:00 am, giving one reason and no more: it may not change properly if you do. Seiko issues no manual specific to calibre 6N52, so that window comes from its general guidance — either way, if you find yourself inside those hours, wind the time past them, set the date, and bring the time back.

How readable is it in the dark?

Readable without reaching for a light. Seiko specifies LumiBrite on the hands and the indexes — a compound that absorbs light during the day and releases it slowly afterwards, with no battery drain and nothing to switch on. A few minutes under a lamp or in daylight is enough of a charge. One honest limit: Seiko specifies it on the hands and indexes only, so the date window is not luminous and will need a light.

Is it suited to swimming and bathing?

Both, yes. Seiko's general guidance for a 10 bar watch reaches bathing and shallow diving, which covers lengths in a pool, a shower and anything the weather can do. Scuba diving is the exception, ruled out at this rating with Seiko's Diver's watches recommended instead, and the 100-metre figure describes a tested pressure rather than a depth to descend to. Three things protect the seal: the crown pressed fully home before any water, no turning or pulling it while the case is wet or soapy, and a freshwater rinse after salt water or chlorine.

What protects the dial?

A sapphire crystal, grown synthetically for the job and among the hardest materials fitted over a watch face. That hardness is what keeps the view clear after years of contact nobody registers at the time — sleeves, desks, doorframes, a watch pushed into a bag. The caveat is worth stating: hard is not the same as shatterproof, and a sharp strike against stone or tile can chip or crack a crystal that has never picked up a scratch.

How long does a battery last in it?

Seiko quotes around three years. Many of its quartz watches signal the end of a cell: the seconds hand starts advancing two seconds at a time instead of ticking once a second, and the time stays correct while it does. Seiko notes the feature is not present in every movement, so treat it as useful if it appears rather than a warning you can wait on. Bring the watch to any City Chain store for servicing: the screw case back has to be opened and re-tightened onto a sound gasket for the 10 bar rating to survive it.

What are the wearing measurements, and can the bracelet be resized?

The dimension that decides how a watch sits is the 47mm between lug tips rather than the 40.2mm dial, and 47mm is on the long side for that diameter, so it is the figure worth measuring against your own wrist. Against it, the case is only 8.4mm deep and the watch weighs 113g all in. The bracelet runs on 20mm lugs and is resized by removing links. City Chain offers complimentary bracelet sizing at any outlet, and your warranty book is worth bringing along.

What does City Chain's warranty cover on this watch?

Three years against manufacturing defects on any SUR309P1 bought from City Chain Singapore, an authorised Seiko retailer. It answers for faults built into the watch, not for impact damage, not for the wear a case and bracelet gather over years, and not for a battery that has run its course. The card and the receipt are required together for warranty work, so filing them in one place from the outset saves a search later.