Seiko Tank
It took me a long time to warm up to the idea of a rectangular watch. Years, honestly. They just looked wrong. But, if we're being real, everyone has that one friend who dresses way better than they do. The guy who knows your style enough to nudge you a bit outside your comfort zone without feeling like an imposter. Mine happens to be a serious watch guy (still crossing my fingers for a guest post). He's the one who instigated my first "real" clothing purchase--a killer Hestin coat that's still in rotation seven years later--and he's the guy who manages to try trends without looking like he's chasing them. We also spend what our bosses might think is altogether too much time texting about watches (they're wrong, if anything it could be more, but our bank accounts won't allow it).
Last fall, around the time my wife suggested I buy her a Cartier Tank, my friend was sending me photos of the vintage Seiko Tanks he'd scored online. Sadly, the Cartier Tank remains firmly out of our budget. But, I floated the idea of a Seiko stand-in. It was met with polite disinterest, let's say. In her mind, there's no substitute. In mine, well, the jury was still out on that.
Fast forward to my recent Seattle visit and an evening at my friend's house where we did some serious wrist checks with his current watch collection. Featuring the rectangular Seiko SUP880. There's a hell of a lot to like.
Now, I have a bit of a history of hating stock faux leather straps. My first real watch (more details here), had a faux leather strap. It didn't take long for the shine of that watch to wear off and for me to detest the overly stiff strap that never broke in. The strap on this? Actually... not bad. Someone had clearly broken it in, and it felt good. Like good enough that I forgot to confirm if it was faux leather or not. Turns out, this Seiko has a totally random 23mm strap size. Which means, unless you're ready to hunt, you're probably keeping the stock strap anyway. Luckily, it works.
Then there's the face. Clean Roman numerals and a clear homage with the italicization everywhere but the 12, 3, 6, and 9 (or XII, III, VI, IX for your Roman numerologists). Gold dot hour markers. It all ties in with the soft gold case. It has a whole warm, vintage energy. Not flashy, just classic.
But what really sets it apart from the modern Seiko Tank is the dial itself. To my knowledge, Seiko Tanks are not currently made as an automatic watch. This one's quartz. And, okay, we're living in a quartz watch revival era, so fine. But, this Seiko is solar-powered. That's where the dial gets interesting. It has these subtle pinstripes, which I imagine help it collect light. Infinitely better than the Seiko Tank homage you can buy today. There's something undeniably Art Deco about the pinstripes. Like, if Nick Carraway was trying to blend in at one of Jay's parties, he'd be wearing this Seiko SUP880 while he sipped his gin fizz.
As for where it fits in your wardrobe? Sure, you can always pair it with a suit. But I think it works best when you're dressing up without trying to dress up. Date night comes to mind. Imagine gray slacks with a white tee in the summer and denim shirt in the fall. Or swap the slacks for raw denim and a knit button-down. Something that looks relaxed but intentional. Add the Seiko on your wrist, and you've got that casual elegance nailed. You’ll feel like you’re getting away with something—looking sharp while barely trying. And who doesn’t want that?
Long story short: I didn’t expect to like a rectangular watch. Now? I’m thinking about what else I’ve been wrong about.
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