Seiko Caliber 5M82 Watch Movement

Manufacturer	Seiko Time Corp.
Caliber Number	5M82, 5M82A
Movement Type	Kinetic (rechargeable quartz with automatic winding)
In-House?	Yes
Diameter	27.6mm
Casing Diameter	27mm
Height	4.3mm
Jewel Count	Six (6)
Frequency	32,768 Hz
Capacitor/Battery	Seiko part #3023-24T
Power Reserve	Up to 6 months on a full charge
Accuracy Rating	Less than 15 sec/month
Driving System	2 part step motor
Regulator	None
Hand Count	3
Functions	Central hours; central minutes; Central seconds (non-sweeping); date at 3:00
Other Features	Low battery indicator (EOL), overcharge prevention function, power reserve indicator via button at 2:00
Hacking Seconds?	Yes
Quickset Date?	Yes
Country of Manufacture	Made in Japan
Known Models	Seiko Prospex Kinetic Diver (5M82-0AF0 “Pepsi” bezel) (Add your watch to the comments below…)

The Seiko caliber 5M82 (5M82A) is a kinetic watch movement with 6 jewels, made in Japan.

In Seiko’s own words:

“SEIKO KINETIC Cal. 5M84 is an analogue quartz watch equipped with the Kinetic technology developed by SEIKO. It generates the electric energy to power the watch, utilizing the movement of your body, and stores it in the rechargeable battery, which requires no periodical replacement unlike conventional button-type batteries.”

Some of the topics covered in this caliber listing:

5M82 VS 5M83 VS 5M84:

There is a similar caliber 5M83 with the major difference being that the 5M83 has a day-date calendar complication, whereas the 5M82 only has a date.

Further modifications to the calendar complication are found in the caliber 5M84: featuring a date at 3:00 and a retrograde pointer style day-of-the-week indicator spanning from about 4:00 to 7:00 on the dial.

Most of the specs and parts between these 3 calibers are interchangeable, obviously except for the calendar parts.

The calibers are so similar that Seiko actually combines all three into the same user manual.

Replacing the Battery/Capacitor:

When your watch no longer holds a charge, or the seconds hand jumps in 2-second intervals no matter how many times you swing it back and forth, then it might be time for a new capacitor (rechargeable battery).

The cell in the caliber 5M82 is an MT920 style titanium carbon lithium rechargeable battery with an operating voltage of 0.9V to 2.2V. But don’t get just any MT920 battery! The tabs on these batteries are different depending on the specific part number for specific calibers.

Part Number Info:

The 5M82 takes Seiko part number 3023-24T capacitor. You can buy it here (your purchase supports the site).

How long does it take to fully charge?

Some parts sellers state that for a brand new capacitor, you must shake or swing your watch about 800 to 2,000 times to charge up the new cell.

Seiko backs this up in their official instructions, stating that it takes about:

250 “swings” to get a day’s worth of energy (power reserve) stored up.
500 swings for 2 days of power reserve.
Undisclosed number of swings to get to full charge – just start wearing it.

How to check the power reserve?

The 5M82 is equipped with a built-in power reserve indicator, but it is not a traditional display as seen on many mechanical watches. The power reserve indicator on watches with this caliber is engaged by waiting for the seconds hand to reach 12:00, then pressing the button at 2:00. The second hand will jump to a certain position between 12:00 and 6:00 on the dial, with the stopping point being the indication of how much runtime is remaining on the current charge.

Please see the excerpt from the Seiko user manual below…

On a full charge, it should last about 6 months.

Additional Resources:

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Zachmonoda

2 months ago

Does anybody have experience with the longevity and reliability of this calibre and/or relatives?
I am pondering Kinetic vs. solar vs. automatic.

Hand winders I exclude, for fear of over-winding and breaking it, because I am partially spastic due to stroke, and the attacks are random and unpredictable.
Thanks in advance for any feedback 🙂

mrcig

1 month ago

Reply to Zachmonoda

All of the kinetic movements I own, have been reliable and accurate. Its a movement that should be worn a few times a week. The rotor charges the battery, instead of winding a spring, like in an automatic watch. The newer movements use a rechargeable battery instead of the capacitors used in the earlier models. It will be difficult to find new kinetic watches, but they’re still available.

I have a cal. 5m83 in a watch that was bought for me, by my wife, 20 years ago. It was my only watch, and never came off my wrist, for at least 10 years. It has been faultless. I had the capacitor replaced by Seiko around 10 years ago, and recently noticed it doesn’t charge to normal levels, so it is currently away to be reinvigorated again. I love this watch.

I have two kinetic watches with this movement.
The SKA623 & SKA783

Does a watch winder work on the late Kinetic?
I read there are a few different generations, with the first ones NOT responding to winders, which is kinda nuts for me, but it’s foggy as to the last ones.
There are some of the last generation still on sale at nice prices, totally beautiful watches, but I am not very active, so a winder response of the charger is a must for me.