SEIKO 12 Inch Black Framed Luminous Numbered Wall Clock

I challenge this clock to some very high standards
The opening few words of this review are being written after I bought this clock and received it but BEFORE I open the box. The reason is that I have very high expectations for this product. I could have easily gone to any of the big discount stores and bought a wall clock for under $10 and it would serve its function for telling time. I made a conscious effort to choose this one with the Seiko name brand on it and pay a LOT more because I expect it to look awesome, have excellent quality of construction and have a motor movement that is worthy of the name Seiko. Most people know what I’m talking about … those cheap clocks all have the same cheesy movement that sounds terrible (despite promises that they are “silent”), eat batteries, and rarely are even close to keeping accurate time. Seiko is a Japanese word meaning “exquisite” that traces its roots back to 1881 and is the company who invented quartz watches almost 50 years ago when their first model cost as much as a medium-size car.That’s a very high expectation … is this wall clock up to the challenge?My first impression upon opening the packing box is that clock weighs just over 32 ounces. In my experience that’s a lot for an 11” wall clock. The no-name similar model that it replaces weighs only 10 ounces. So we’re off to a good start there.Inside, the clock is wrapped in plastic, which is wrapped in a plastic bubble-wrap bag and surrounded by a cardboard frame. There is no doubt that it is protected well in shipping.The frame of the clock is not what I expected. It’s nicer. Rather than just being black plastic it has a glossy metallic look to it. The look is subtle but it sets the look of this clock apart from most others. The large clear lens looks more like clear crystal than plastic, another nice first impression. The clock face is white but not pure white, more like the familiar white Seiko uses on their wrist watches. Ditto for the graphics. The numerals are crisp and easy to read and the sole writing on the face is the word “SEIKO”. I have a thing against products that have huge logos and advertising about their product after I’ve already bought it but sometimes a subtle and classic brand name logo works well, and in this case it is fully appropriate.The rear of the clock is fully encased (most clocks aren’t) and the quality of the plastic is thicker and nicer than expected. It’s held together by screws rather than plastic tabs. The movement looks just like any other modern clock except for the word “quartz” which I don’t recall seeing on most clocks.One thing I really liked immediately is the hanging hole on the rear of the clock. Instead of just being the usual small keyhole it has a large opening the shape of a house … a large square with a triangular “roof” on it coming to a tip that centers the clock over the nail or screw in the wall. That makes it amazingly easy to center over the nail and end up with the clock hanging perfectly level. There was obviously some thought that went into that design.I should mention that I bought this clock to hang over our wall-mounted TV so we could check the time while watching TV, mostly in the evening. So first off how it looks is very important. It passes that test completely to my satisfaction, the size and design are contemporary without looking like a schoolroom wall and it adds rather than detracts from the décor of the room. The second reason for choosing this particular model is the luminous hands and numerals. We did not want something that lights up to detract from watching TV but yet it had to be easy to read from across the room during normal evening TV watching hours. The clock faces a wall of windows so it gets plenty of daylight to “charge” the luminous paint even on cloudy days and I don’t care if it glows all night, if it makes it until 11:00 PM I am happy. The good news is that the glow does last at least 4 hours after the sun sets and is still bright enough to read past 1:00 AM. The entire numeral is luminous, not just a dot next to it and the same with the hands … the entire hand glows, not just the tip. The effect is being able to read the time in an instantaneous glance with no detraction at all from watching TV. Of course the sweep second hand can’t be seen after dark but I don’t care about that.Finally, the two big questions – how noisy is it and how accurate is it? Since I like to sit in the room during the day and read in a totally quiet room, and frankly I hate ticking clocks, I’m pleased to report that from across the room I can’t hear a thing. The sweep second hand doesn’t ratchet from second-to-second like most clocks but moves in one continuous sweep like old electric clocks used to do. Even when standing right next to the clock it is almost impossible to hear but, more importantly, it does not tick. As far as accuracy, our local TV late night news starts at the same time every night to the second. The Seiko clock is dead-on accurate based on that. To check further I have compared it to the atomic clock we have in the hallway and to my smartphone clock, which of course is synced to a central server. The Seiko has not gained nor lost one second since I got it. I’ll add an update here when the first battery replacement comes around, hopefully that’s not going to be any time soon (Seiko tells me the one AA battery should last a year).THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW1. They include a AA battery in the box, a thoughtful touch2. They also include an appropriate-sized mounting screw. A pleasant surprise3. The one I got does not have an on/off switch for the movement as illustrated in the instruction manual, a minor inconvenience if you like to set your clock “to the second”. To do so it’s necessary to hold the battery in your hand and be ready to shove it in at the exact second you want the clock to start.4. The battery and mounting screw are hidden behind a tab in the shipping box. I had already thrown the box away when my eye just happened to catch something and on further inspection I discovered the little plastic accessory bag. Seiko could have put them in a little more conspicuous place.Bottom line – this is a Seiko. Certainly not in the same class as a $1000 timepiece but night & day better than the discount store wall clocks. It wasn’t an easy decision to spend so much on a basic wall clock but I’m glad I did. For once I’ve found a product that is worth paying more for.

Great clock!
Great clock and silent running. Second hand has a steady continuous motion, not a tick tick action like our other wall clocks. The clock is well made compared to other wall clocks we saw in the stores prior to buying this one. We own two other Seiko wall clocks and they have performed well over the years. One of these clocks is over 30 years old and runs great. This clock’s numbers and clock hands glow in the dark when the lights are off. Not super bright but this feature does help you tell the time if no light is available and you are fairly close to the clock. You may be able to see it across a room but we’re up in the years and our eyes lost their night vision many moons ago. I suspect this glowing feature does not last all night, it is more like a driver watch hands which has a short life of illumination.

Relógio muito bonito. Trabalha com precisão.

Silent clock keeps time but needs more luminosity for the high price.

It’s on the expensive side for a wall clock but looks great so I don’t mind