Alvin

Sep 157 min read

Watch Review | Seiko Flightmaster SNA411-P1

There are a bunch of watches that I had before starting the blog, this is one of them. It is special, busy, maximalist and in your face but has somehow been left out from my bloggings, yes that is the correct term. It and a number of others have been neglected, but no more, I will make up for it. I always call this the Flight Timer, but it's the Flightmaster. The former is from Oris and I've wanted it for ages - there's a deal Chrono24 on but the Explorer II has quashed hopes of any more expensive watches this year - or ever. I digress, we are here for the dizzying heights of the Flightmaster, you will get dizzy if you look at that dial for too long!

Purchase / Post / Packaging

I bought this watch a while ago but I found some info in the old inbox. I searched my old emails and came across one from eBay stating I was the highest bidder for a Flightmaster in August 2018, I obviously didn't win that as that was the only email. Mine actually came from Creation Watches in November 2018, seems I was hunting for one for a while. It cost me, wait for it, £161, and the email states £26 discount, I'm not sure if that is already taken off - that is a STEAL. Now, if you go to Creation, you can get one - they are in stock - for an unfortunate £507 which is a bit mad indeed though they always have discount codes. There is one on eBay UK now, it is £173 with 3 days left.

I should have bought them all and waited 5 years and then started reselling. I'm guessing post and packaging were all good as Creation are reliable and established. I must have bought at least 5 watches from them. There is a reality check to acknowledge here, that someone who pays £500 for it might not have the same appreciation for it as I do - a good deal goes a long way.

Just to quickly digress again, on the subject of price over time, I have been looking for a birth year watch. I can't tell you what year it is because it hurts my feelings, but out of the few on Chrono24 with papers, there was one (from a current top 5 Swiss watch brand) that was circa £17.00, that's right £17.00 - they provide the print advert to make you feel even older. Bonkers, I'm having a non-quartz crisis right now.

Case, Dial & Hands

Obviously this one is all about the dial and bezel. If the Speedmaster and Navitimer had a bastard baby and injected it with compound V, it might be this, not just in name. This has an array of potential information on the dial and the bezel, there is a thing called an E6B flight computer, which was a circular slide-rule which allowed various calculations.

This (below) is what one looks like, I wasn't planning to add it but it's hard to explain if you've never seen one so you're welcome. I'll leave some links in the footer for those who want to get really involved. But the dial and bezel combine, slide-rule style, to allow similar conversion functionality - gallons to litres and feet to metres amongst others. It's a logarithmic ruler apprently. I haven't tried to use it but it's pretty badass - it's a mathematically speaking.

In addition, there is a 60 minute chronograph - more than enough for most, an alarm function, date and 200m water divingnessability. The alarm sub-dial at 6 can be fiddled with and used as a secondary time zone if you prefer, it works and is a very nice touch. There is a lot going on so it appears hectic but it remains legible and the yellow chrono hands add a welcome pop of colour.

The bezel is nicely tactile and groovy, it doesn't click though which is a bit flat as an experience, we like some resistance and feedback. The crown and pushers are groovy and screw-down, which feel good but I'm not a fan of screw-down pushers, they're just annoying and fiddly, even if they look cool.

The applied hour markers are required for clarity and they don't get lost, lume is good on markers and hands. You know I love an applied marker and especially an applied logo, it elevates the finish - dial text under the logo is the only place it will fit but looks good. The Flightmaster then, puts the fun in function - if, that is, you figure out how to use the slide-rule thingy.

Strap, Function and Fit

Seiko budget straps can leave much to be desired and a wincing wearer often with a soon to be hairless wrist. This is not the case here. I'm gonna go big and bold, and say this is one of the most comfortable steel bracelet watches I have in the collection. The bracelet is well finished and the deployant has a reassuring click and fit, it's lovely. The case is compact so it sits snug on the wrist. And the Flighty may not look it but it is a strap monster, the interwebs is littered with Flightmaster strap game wins, should be called the Strapmaster...

The size is also on point even though it's 42mm it fits smaller, with stubby little lugs not the Dracula teeths seen on some pieces. But there is a caveat here, though the lug-to-lug is a decidedly inclusive 44mm, the bracelet end-link extends past the lugs to make it 49mm lug to lug! See below.

While this might be seen as a negative, it still fits really well, so no big deal. There is no sapphire glass here, there is a domed hardlex that catches the light pleasingly but doesn't hinder the view. The case doesn't look as impressive as an SKX but it's a practical and poised package.

Movement & Accuracy

This folks, is a quartz watch, but we know that's ok, don't have a crisis about it. It's been solid and reliable, I set my other watches from it. However, it's ready for a battery change now and if it's the first then that's 6 years in, not bad at all - I am 95% sure I haven't had it done before. The small-seconds subdial ticks quartz style, but the chronograph hand is fluid at 5 beats per second which makes it smooth as satin (not silk), a very nice touch and reset is nice and creamy too.

IMG: Calibercorner.com

I have just bought a cheap timegrapher from China but I haven't used it yet. If it works I will start adding that detail to reviews.

Competition / Value for money

This is a versatile watch, not quite GADA (go anywhere, do anything), I guess it can do everything bar be a dress watch. But if the functionality and the style suit you, it's a great watch to own. At £161 it's a steal of a bargain of a deal, at £500 not so much. I think if you can get one for around the £300 mark or less, in good condition, it's a great result. But you might struggle to find that deal. Saying that, as a child of the Omega Speedtimer and Breitling Navitimer, even at £500 it's a fraction of the cost.

The Breitling Navitimer 46 (£7850) and the Speedmaster 42mm (£7500) - bold, pricey and beautiful. Breitling are known for thier aviation and exploration pieces and there are loads of options there for those who have the budget. In that vein if you want to get bonkers, the Omega Speedmaster Skywalker X-33 is a very cool digital/anologue hybrid of large proportions - the skinny wrist secretly wants one.

Where there is a Seiko there is a Citizen close behind, I have never owned a Citizen and I'm not drawn to them for some reason. They have a Promaster / Nighthawk / Skyhawk or something with similar styles and bags of functionality but they are often jumbo sized - yea the names are cool ok. These are legit competition but they don't look as refined, and some have digital sections spliced into the dial in odd places - pros and cons I guess. They do have the slide-rule game going on though.

The Promaster Skyhawk A.T 46mm (£599) on the left in black and the Promaster Navihawk A.T 48mm (£499) on the right, a similar vibe but a bit more going on and a bit massive.

At the more sensible end there is always a Casio for your needs, and the Edifice EF-527D-1AV will give you the slide-rule you desire at the £120 mark, but it is 46mm again - a bargain for the stout-wristed. I guess for these kinds of watches there is a lot going on so they size them up - which is why the Flighty is special.

I also learned that there used to be an Omega Flightmaster back in the 70's, the Seiko Flighty definitely takes many cues from Omega's many timers and masters but that can't really be a bad thing can it. It is noted that the Speedmaster has a tachymeter to measure speed and though the Flight has the text on the dial, I heard it doesn't function as one.

Conclusion

I think you get the idea, it's a bloody awesome timepiece. It brings a number of welcome twists to wrist. I can't recommend this watch enough if you like cool things that do cool things, the only issue at the moment is the price. At sub £200 it's one that some fans might add to a collection on a whim and others might save a bit and justify due to the reasonable price. At circa £500 it might be one that fans might like but can't justify in any circumstance, which is a shame. The Seiko Flightmaster is a maximalist literal tool watch with more functionality than you can shake a Casio calculator watch at. If you like it and can get a deal, you won't regret it, it's one that always brings a smile to my face and grabs attention without the risk of being grabbed (by a thief).

Yours Functionally,

Alvin