I first encountered the Sawtooth waaaaay back in 2014 as part of a Seiko watch exchange with @kmicalgod (Instagram and Twitter) that I documented here. Kim sent her SCH057 with the blue wave dial and while I liked it and could certainly see its appeal, I didn’t love it. Part of the problem is that it arrived sans strap or bracelet and the big case with its narrow lug box looked weird to me on the few straps I could squeeze onto it. Still, I thought that the same watch on a factory bracelet would be a winner, so years later, when a nearly new Seiko SCH063, black dial, steel bezel model popped up in my WatchRecon search, I grabbed it.
Seiko decommissioned the series a few years ago, but you can still find clean, used examples for under $400. This one, with both rubber strap and bracelet, was $375.
When it comes to dive watches, Seiko does not mess around. The Sawtooth has a 200m rating, a screw-down crown, and a variation of Seiko’s famous multi-part tuna can case that features an external unit with a bezel shroud that fits over the central barrel. None of Seiko’s tunas are small and the Sawtooth is no exception. It measures 47.6mm wide and 48mm long. Thanks to the 7N36 quartz movement inside, it is only 12mm thick. Compared to my 16mm thick Kinetic Seiko Prospex SUN065 (you can read my review of its nearly identical stablemate, the SUN019, here) it is positively svelte.
These big divers are a lot on a 6.75″ wrist like mine, but the Sawtooth is pretty reasonable. Its low profile goes a long way in this regard but it’s not the only trick employed. Its upper surface falls away sharply to create a low beltline. Integrated lugs and a shallow lug box keep the strap (or the first link) tucked tightly to the head. The H-link bracelet works wonders for the watch’s wearability. Its end link is only 20mm but the second one flares to 28mm to match the outside width of the lugs and then, following the curve of the case, rapidly tapers to 20mm again. The links themselves are barely 4mm thick and the polished center links contract nicely against the predominantly brushed watch while tying together the shiny shroud fasteners and crown.
Altogether, the Sawtooth exhibits remarkably little bulk for such a large watch. Ok, so it’s still not exactly small on me, but still quite wearable.
Sizing the bracelet is easy if you like working with pin-and-collar connections, which nobody on earth does. Collars suck. After two of those tiny buggers shot out of the tips of my tweezers and into oblivion, I began to wonder if I would even be able to reassemble the thing. I did, of course, and was able to finish the fitting with the aid of the micro adjustments in the push-button clasp.
Seiko’s 20mm vented rubber strap is certainly of high quality and I appreciate details like the great wave design on the tip. That said, I’ll probably never wear it. I’m just not a rubber guy and I can live without the lint it attracts.
When I reviewed Kim’s Sawtooth, I mentioned how the toothy grip and tight action made it uncomfortable to operate the bezel. I have to confess that I don’t have the same issues with this one. The teeth aren’t terrifically sharp and the action is firm, but smooth, allowing me to rotate it with just moderate fingertip pressure. This is a good thing given that the shroud makes much of the bezel inaccessible.
If you are even remotely familiar with Seiko divers, the Sawtooth’s dial will offer no surprises. The printed dots-and-bars markers are exactly what you would expect. The contrast is good, the execution is clean. I dig the syringe and arrow handset. We have a color-matched and framed day and date window and only as much text as absolutely necessary. All in all, it’s a handsome, if not particularly sexy, setup. Now, when the lights go down, it’s a whole other story. Seiko went heavy on the Lumibrite — very heavy. Some have said the Sawtooth exhibits the brightest lume this side of the legendary SKX-series Monster divers. I’d say that is pretty accurate. Good stuff.
So, was the Sawtooth worth my 8-year wait? Absolutely, but honestly, what the hell was I waiting for? This is an excellent watch. It’s not without its quirks, mind you, but it’s a cool-looking, eminently practical diver, and my initial assessment was right on the money; this watch is at its best on its factory-supplied bracelet.
If you are feeling the lure of the Sawtooth, I’d recommend you give in to that urge now while the good ones are still cheap. You won’t regret it.
