Seiko 6810-0010
Introduction
The Seiko reference 6810-0010 (and its very similar sibling, the reference 6810-0011) holds a very special place in my collection. It was one of my true grail watches that I spent considerable time hunting for. Further, despite already owning one reference 6810-0010 and one reference 6810-0011, it is the only watch that I find myself wanting to purchase more, better, examples whenever they come to market.
Three things I like
Case: The case is the main draw for this watch, as its geometry is extremely aesthetic. Namely, the squarish, almost tank tread-like, lugs juxtapose tastefully against the quaint circle encasing the dial. Of course, it is not possible to discuss this case without mentioning its ultra-thin nature, coming in at only 5mm thick - thanks to the calibre 6810 inside.
Movement: At only 1.98mm thick (or thin), the manual wind Seiko calibre 6810 is, in my opinion, one of Seiko's best calibres. It is hard for me to resist a Seiko that carries this calibre, or a calibre derived from it.
Dial: The dial gets mentioned, not because it is particularly special but, because it compliments the case extremely well - almost camouflaging into the case with its vertical brushing.
Three things I dislike, or wish were different
Size: While this watch is decently sized at around 31mm across (not including the crown) and 34mm lug to lug, even with a wrist size of around 6 inches, I do wish it was slightly larger - say a 10% increase in size, other than to its vertical dimensions. This increase would not only give the watch a bigger presence, but further emphasize its thinness.
Indices: I would love to own an example of this watch that was made without the indices on the dial. I consider that would further push its overall design - albeit at the cost of some functionality.
I really do not have a third point against this watch so I am just going to wish that my example had a cleaner dial as it suffers from some deterioration - most likely due to a build up of minor water intrusion. Having said that, I could rephrase this point and wish that this watch was designed with better water resistance but I think that is too much of an ask considering that it is already an engineering marvel, given its thinness, and it is a dress watch.
I hope you have enjoyed my review.