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As a previous owner of the original Seiko SARB065, or “Cocktail Time”, I always kicked myself for selling it. I sold it shortly before Seiko announced that they’d be discontinuing it, and before I knew it, sellers were asking anywhere from $800 to over $2,000 for a watch that used to cost only $300 to $400. Recently a new old stock SARB065 popped up on eBay at a decent price, however, so I had to jump on the opportunity. I’ll be giving my initial impressions below, as well as an unboxing video.
Unboxing A New Old Stock Seiko SARB065
I purchased the watch from a seller based in Australia, so it took some time to get to me in the US. It was worth the wait.
The first thing I did after wrapping up the unboxing video was take off the stock patent leather strap. Instead, it’s now fitted with a Horween Chromexcel strap, which I think suits the watch.
Anyways, onto my initial review of the watch. As I mentioned before, I have owned the OG Cocktail Time in the past, but that was long enough ago that now when I put it back on my wrist it feels like a new watch.
It’s a different feeling completely from picking up one of my old watches that’s been sitting unworn for only a few months in my watch box. It’s kind of like re-watching a movie you haven’t seen since you were much younger and don’t really remember the plot. You’ve seen it before and the nostalgia is there, but watching it now is still somewhat of a new experience, at least until the plot begins to unfold and it slowly starts coming back to you.
The Good
I think everyone can agree that the best thing about this watch is the dial. I especially like the SARB065’s dial, because I like the font for “automatic” and I like the “23 jewels” text above 6:00 way more than I like the “Presage” text and sterile “AUTOMATIC'” on the new Seiko Cocktail Time SRPB43. The dials are otherwise the same between the SARB065 and new Cocktail Time.
Another thing I like about the SARB065 is the story behind it and the fact that it was only intended for the Japanese Domestic Market. The watch was designed in collaboration with Japan’s top bartender Ishigaki Shinobu in 2010, and utilizes the 6R15 movement. This is a step up from the 4R series movements that power the new Cocktail Times.
High-quality, applied indices are really great, and coupled with the nice dauphine hands and framed date window, they add depth to the dial and complement it perfectly. I literally wouldn’t change a thing about this watch’s dial – it’s perfect.
The Bad
It’s hard for me to find fault with the overall package of this watch. The only thing about it that I’d consider bad, if I was really nitpicking, is the case thickness. Or more specifically, the side-case profile. The side case is thick, and the slab sides make it wear thick. I think that Seiko missed an opportunity here.
They didn’t even really need to make the case thinner per say, they could have just made the side case rounded so it appears thinner on wrist. I do think Seiko could have made it thinner, too. I mean look at the SARB035. It’s powered by the exact same movement, and also has an exhibition case-back (which is one of the main reasons the Cocktail Time sits high on the wrist, even excluding the boxed hardlex crystal):
I get that there’s no need for an elaborate case here. I don’t need alternating finishing between brushed and polished like the SARB035. The completely polished, simple case is fine, and it works well with the watch – especially since the dial is meant to steal the show. I just think Seiko could have found a way to make it wear thinner on wrist. I would never want them to scrap the domed hardlex crystal, though, because that’s my second favorite feature of the SARB065 (after the dial). It’s similar to the domed sapphire crystal on my Oris Sixty-Five – and I love it.
The Ugly
Coming back around to the stock strap – it’s the ugly part of the SARB065. I don’t like using the word hate, so let’s just say I highly dislike it. I wore it for a few weeks on my first SARB065 and it broke in nicely. It was very comfortable, but the shiny patent leather isn’t my thing. I get that it fits the whole “cocktail” vibe, but it’s just not for me.
I’ve experimented with black Shell Cordovan and cognac alligator straps in the past (on my old Cocktail Time that I flipped), and I’m still not sure if I’ll switch things up again.
As mentioned previously, the brown Horween Chromexcel strap that I had laying around the house will be attached to my SARB065 for now. I’m also seriously considering getting a black, small scale alligator (or crocodile) strap instead. The watch actually looks pretty good on most straps (excluding rubber straps and NATOs), so I might even try a grey suede or blue strap.
Bottom line: the stock strap is terrible and it’s the only ugly part of the watch. And that’s just my opinion. I can also empathize with people who like the strap if they like the look, because once broken in, it is a comfortable strap that does suit the watch’s vibe overall.
Wrapping things up
I’m glad to have the OG Cocktail Time back in my collection, and this time it will be staying there. The dial and hands are just as beautiful as I remembered. The thicker case is one of the things that I still don’t necessarily love about the watch, but I can get over that. I have thinner watches and I have thicker watches, so the SARB065 sits in between them. It’s certainly not a deal-breaker, and I don’t have any issues slipping it under a shirt cuff.
I like owning this version especially because it’s the true original. I also like this dial with the pre-Presage branding much more. The smaller applied Seiko logo looks classier and I like the smaller crown more than the larger “cupcake” crown on the new Cocktail Time watch. If I didn’t find a good deal on the original JDM Cocktail Time, I likely would have given in and purchased the newer SRPB43 at some point, though – because the ice-blue dial that both the new and old version share is just too good for me not to own.