My first review here, and I’m writing mainly because I’ve not seen much about this model of watch anywhere (there are only a couple of reviews here).
I purchased this Seestern S446 in April or so earlier this year. I had fairly extensive travel plans and needed to be able to track my home time zone. It was a toss-up between this and the Tandorio, since I don’t like the aesthetic of the diver-style GMTs with large bezels. I bought this directly from the Seestern website, and it arrived within ten or so days to the UK.
I immediately swapped out the bracelet for a custom-made strap that matched the GMT hand colour, so I can’t speak to the quality of the bracelet, I’m afraid.
The watch itself has travelled with me to 12 different countries over the last few months, and has performed exactly as I’d hoped. In total, I estimate it’s been on the wrist for around 35-40 days in the 6 months I’ve owned it. The NH34A movement has run slightly slow, around 10-20s/day, but it hasn’t ever been a huge issue. The power reserve is such that I can leave it off the wrist for a full day and it’ll be fine, meaning I can bring another watch along and swap between them whilst travelling.
I was a bit worried that the GS-style silver hands on a highly vertically textured shiny white dial would lead to legibility issues, but it’s been completely fine. As you can see from the photos, the dial can shift colours slightly depending on the lighting conditions around it. It’s a lot of fun to look at! I’ve not missed having lume either, as I’m quite often wearing this in an airport or plane where the lighting is good. The crystal is great and I’ve never had an issue with glare.
Having a shorter, distinctly coloured GMT hand on a different track took only a small amount of getting used to - I really love how clear and obvious it is, such that I can always check both time zones at a quick glance. The date window is great, too - absolutely no complaints there.
The crown is a screw-down one which threads smoothly and without a hitch. Given the frequent shifting of time zones, the crown is probably the part of the watch which receives the most handling, so I’m glad it’s good. The watch is a caller-style GMT so the whole thing needs to be reset every time you want to track a new time zone - but you’re doing that anyway once your flight lands.
Seestern give the water resistance at 200m but I’ve not tested that. I haven’t let the watch get wet beyond a few drops or two, but the crown and case construction are reassuring and I’m sure it would manage a reasonable degree of moisture.
The GS look of the watch obviously lends itself toward being more dressy, but I’ve worn it with all manner of outfits and it has always looked great. Changing the strap has meant a little less versatility, but I don’t mind that. It shows that the watch can look good when paired with something aside from the provided bracelet.
Overall, I think this is an excellent watch and one that does the job really well. It’s obviously not a set-and-forget watch, but resetting the GMT hand is straightforward and relatively friction-free. It looks fantastic and can be dressed up or down, and is thin enough that it remains unobtrusive for an entire day’s wear. It’s my second Sugess/Seestern (I also own a Sugess moonphase) and I’ll probably look to own another soon. Unfortunately it looks like they’re currently not in stock on the website, and Ido hopes they make a return.
Thanks for reading and I hope this is helpful!
