My rating: 9/10. Seiko SARB automatic men’s watch with Guilloche sunburst dial.
Hello everyone, today I’m doing a Seiko ‘Cocktail time’ review. This is a very popular men’s 40mm automatic watch. It uses the 6R15 caliber self-winding automatic movement and is one of the most popular Seiko SAR watches currently available.
This is a popular mid range dress watch from Seiko’s SAR line that combines a beautiful dial and casing dial with a highly popular Seiko automatic movement. It was designed in collaboration with Shinobu Ishigaki, he’s one of the top bartenders in Japan. They ended up coming up with a couple of watches which is what lends its name to the watch “Cocktail Time” you see.
At the bottom of this article, you can find a list of my recommended retailers to purchase this watch from
Seiko Cocktail Time Watch Review
Dial Design
First up we’re going to take a look at the dial design for this Seiko SARB Cocktail Time watch. One of the most notable features of this watch is the beautiful sunburst guilloche dial. This is done with a series of very fine silver lines that extend from the centre of the dial all the way to the edge, something that requires quite a bit of craftsmanship to produce.
This Sunburst Guilloche dial reflects the light brilliantly meaning as you’re wearing your watch and moving your wrist around you’ll get a slightly different appearance at various angles.
On the dial we have silver coloured wedge shaped hour markers and silver Dauphine design hands. These work really well with the sunburst dial in my opinion. The seconds hand is a little different as it is finished in black with a small blue tip which I like the addition of.
You may have noticed that there is no lume on this watch, personally, I don’t think it’s too important on a dress watch like this. If lume is something you’re after then you can find plenty of other watches much more suited for that type of use.
At the 3 o’clock position is a small date function that may be of some use. This is a feature many people still like to have on their watches, more for design than anything else these days.
Also on the dial with have the works “Seiko” and “Automatic” in an italic font and the term “23 jewels” just below, this refers to the 23 jewel automatic 6R15 movement. At the bottom of the dial are the words “Japan” and “6R15” again referring to the movement and where the watch was made.
Overall I’m a big fan of this dial design with the sunburst guilloche finish, it’s a really nice design and quite typical of a few Japanese watches that I’ve seen now.
Casing Design
Next, we’re going to take a look at the casing design of this Seiko 065 SARB. The casing is made of a polished stainless steel and has a diameter of 40mm with a thickness of 13mm. This 13mm thickness is actually a little large for a dress style watch, that being said it clearly still works with the overall design. For those who like to switch out their straps, it may be of use to know the size of the gap between the lugs. This lug gap is 20mm width and the leather band can be removed with ease when using a band removal tool.
A key feature of this casing is the exhibition style caseback that allows you to view the movement of the watch through the rear of the watch. This is a popular feature on automatic watches that I’m personally a really big fan of having quite a few in my personal collection.
Strap Design
In this section, we’ll be taking a look at the strap of the Seiko Cocktail. The band on this watch is a bit of a hit and miss subject. It’s made of a soft genuine leather and fastens with a special fold clasp. The problem with the strap that some people have is the shiny finish it has. Luckily as I mentioned earlier on, changing the strap is a pretty simple job which is something I’d likely elect to go for.
Type Of Crystal
On the front and rear of the Seiko SARB065 is a Hardlex crystal glass. This is a Seiko own lens which is commonly found on many of their watches. It gives the watch a good level of scratch and shatter resistance. It’s not as scratch resistant as a sapphire glass, but then again the weakness of a sapphire glass is its lack of real shatter resistance, which is why a mineral or Hardlex glass is often favoured, even on more expensive watches at times.
Watch Movement
At the heart of the Seiko Cocktail Time is a Seiko 6R15 movement. This is Seiko’s own in-house automatic movement which is their own equivalent to an ETA 2824. You’ll find the movement features in many of their affordable watches as well as a lot of their diving watches. You may also find a lot of people online arguing over what’s better, the Seiko 6R15 or the Seiko 4R36.
The Seiko 6R15 is a 23 jewel automatic movement that features both hand winding and hacking capabilities. A hacking feature is what allows you to stop the movement of the seconds hand by pulling out the crown and adjusting the time, it’s favoured by watch fans who like to accurately set their time to the second.
An automatic movement uses the movement of your wrist to power up the watch. This means you no longer require a battery and can actually save a pretty penny or two by avoiding it. You can learn all about the Seiko 6R15 movement on Seiko’s information page.
What’s the accuracy of the Seiko 6R15 movement like? The Seiko Caliber 6R15 beats at 21,600 vibrations per hour which equate to 6 beats per second, you may occasionally see it stated online that it beats at 5 per second, this is wrong if you do the math. At 6 beats per second you get a relatively smooth second hand, not quite on the level of 8 beats per second like an ETA 2824, but still very nice.
A couple of benefits to a 6 beat per second movement over an 8 beat per second movement include a better power reserve, note that the 6R15 has a 50 hour power reserve whilst the ETA 2824 has a 38 hour power reserve. Also as with anything mechanical, due to the fact that the parts move less often, it actually has a longer service interval.
All this equates to an accuracy of +25 and -15 seconds per day. Automatic and mechanical watches accuracy is measured in days whereas quartz movements are typically measured in months or even years for some of the best watches.
There’s actually a lot of things that can affect the accuracy of a movement:
The direction the dial is facing (up, down, included left etc)
gravity
temperature
magnetism
power reserve
Again you can see a detailed breakdown of the various accuracy measurements on Seiko’s 6R15 information page that I linked to above. Overall though, the Seiko SARB065 features a reliable workhorse movement that a lot of people are pleased with, to be honest.
Water Resistance Rating
So what’s the water resistance rating like for the Seiko Cocktail Time SARB 065? Well and truly this isn’t designed to be a watch that has a huge rating in this department, in general, dress watches don’t tend to be.
The SARB065 Seiko watch has a 50m water resistance rating. It’s suitable for swimming, white water rafting, and fishing. Again I’ll point out that the crown of the Seiko Cocktail Time does not screw down.
Watch Specifications
Band: Genuine leather strap, standard length, special clasp.
Case: Stainless steel casing, sizing diameter: 40mm and thickness: 13mm.
Water Resistant: A water resistance of up to 500m / 5 bar.
Watch Advantages
Seiko 6R15 automatic movement
Date display
Sunburst Guilloche Dial
50m water resistance rating
Exhibition caseback
Watch Disadvantages
Shiny leather strap that can be hit and miss (easily swapped out for a different strap though)
My Final Thoughts On This Seiko SARB065 Cocktail Time Review:
Overall, I feel it’s easy to see why the Seiko Cocktail Time has been such a huge hit over the years. It’s remained one of the most popular Seiko SAR watches due to the high-quality build and pricing of the timepiece. If you’re after a gorgeous looking dress watch with an automatic movement that considered affordable then this watch might be ideal for you.
After looking into the watch design, quality, features, and pricing this watch received a 9/10 from us at The Watch Blog.
The problem with the Seiko Cocktail Time not officially being sold outside of Japan is that it’s actually a little hard to come by. I’d recommend trying out places like Amazon or even eBay. Ebay’s great if you prefer going for second hands watches.
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