SEIKO CONCEPTUAL SUR311P1 BLACK DIAL MEN WATCH

What is the procedure for correcting the date?

One click out on the crown, turn until the right date shows, crown back in. The watch never stops, so the time is unaffected and there is nothing to reset afterwards. Seiko's general instructions for analogue watches say the calendar must not be changed between 9:00 pm and 4:00 am, and the reason they give is the whole of it: it may not change properly if you do. Seiko publishes no manual specific to calibre 6N52, so that is general guidance rather than a figure issued for this movement — and the instruction for working around it is theirs too. Move the time to any hour outside the window, set the calendar, then put the correct time back.

How well does it read in the dark?

Well enough to tell the time without reaching for a light. Seiko fits LumiBrite to the hands and the indexes — a compound that stores light while you wear the watch and gives it back afterwards, with nothing to activate and no cost to the battery. A short spell in daylight or under a lamp is a full charge. One limit worth stating: the specification covers the hands and indexes alone — the date aperture is not among them, so reading that still needs a lamp.

Can I keep it on in the shower or the pool?

Yes to both, and to a bath. Seiko's instructions describe a 10 bar watch as suitable for wearing while bathing or shallow diving, so everyday water is comfortably within it and steel has nothing that minds a soaking. Scuba diving is excluded outright, with Seiko's Diver's watches recommended for that, and the 100-metre figure is a pressure the case is tested against rather than a depth it may be taken to. Seiko's own precautions are worth repeating: push the crown fully in before the watch meets water, never operate the crown while the watch is wet, and rinse the case in fresh water after salt or chlorine.

Is the crystal likely to scratch?

It resists scratching very well. Sapphire is grown synthetically for this purpose and ranks among the hardest materials fitted over a watch dial, which is why a sapphire crystal still looks clear after years of the contact nobody notices happening. The distinction worth drawing is between hardness and toughness: a hard crystal shrugs off abrasion but can still chip or crack under a sharp impact against something like stone or tile. With ordinary care, that hardness is what keeps everyday abrasion off the glass.

When will the battery need replacing?

Seiko quotes approximately three years. Many Seiko quartz watches give notice: the seconds hand begins moving in two-second steps instead of single ticks, while the time stays correct. Not every Seiko movement includes that indicator, as Seiko itself points out, so regard it as a helpful extra where present rather than a dependable alarm. Bring the watch to any City Chain store for servicing — the screw case back must be opened and re-tightened against a sound gasket, and the 10 bar rating depends on that being done properly.

What are the fitting dimensions, and can the bracelet be taken in?

Go by the 47mm lug-tip-to-lug-tip span rather than the 40.2mm dial: that span is what has to bridge your wrist, and it is generous for a case of this diameter, so a tape measure is worth a moment before you commit. The case is 8.4mm deep and the watch weighs 113g on its stainless steel bracelet. The bracelet runs 20mm wide at the lugs and is taken in by removing links. City Chain offers complimentary bracelet sizing at any outlet, and your warranty book is worth bringing.

How is the watch covered after purchase?

By a 3-year warranty against manufacturing defects, on any SUR311P1 bought from City Chain Singapore, an authorised Seiko retailer. That addresses faults built into the watch rather than impact damage, the wear a case and bracelet collect over years, or a battery that has reached the end of its life. Warranty work calls for the card and the receipt together, so keeping the two filed in one place from the day of purchase is the practical move.