A Budget Seiko Watch Further Proves Why It’s the King of Dependability with an Epic TV Cameo

Noah Wyle is back in the ER with the Max drama ‘The Pitt,’ and he’s rocking an affordable field watch.

By Brad Lanphear

Published April 15, 2025

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Updated April 16, 2025

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In the extremely crowded hospital procedural genre, The Pitt is already standing out for its unflinching accuracy.

Max’s new hit drama stars Noah Wyle, best known for his role in ER as one of the most famous and beloved TV doctors to ever grace the silver screen.

But his character this time is a grizzled and pragmatic senior attending who deals with personal trauma while keeping his staff in order.

a nurse and doctor standing next to eachother — Dr. Robby wears a Seiko 5 Sports field watch.

Wyle’s Dr. Michael “Robby” Robinavitch wears a watch that perfectly reflects his character’s personality and priorities. Rather than a luxury watch that is very much attainable for someone of his standing, Robby keeps track of time with an affordable but dependable Seiko field watch.

a doctor in a blue hoodie — The affordable, reliable field watch is a perfect match to Dr. Robby’s personality.

The first season follows one over-night shift in real-time, each episode covering an hour of elapsed time. Dr. Robby’s single wardrobe arrangement gives the audience an immediate understanding of his personality.

Rather than a polished medical professional with well-kempt hair, clean scrubs and a pressed white coat, Wyle’s character wears a ragged old zip-up hoodie and keeps a scruffy, graying beard.

a seiko 5 sports field watch laying on a desk — Based on old military watches, the Seiko 5 Sports field watch is perfect for ER doctors.

A Rolex or Omega, both favored in the medical profession, would be totally out of place on Dr. Robby’s wrist. The show’s wardrobe department brilliantly chose the workhorse Seiko 5 Sports SRPG35 with a nylon NATO strap, as first spotted by Inside Hook.

The Seiko 5 Sports field watch

Much digital ink has been spilled in praise of the Seiko 5 Sports dive watch collection, but the field watch variety is woefully underappreciated. It offers the same rugged dependability and even runs on an identical movement.

a seiko 5 sports field watch — The Seiko 5 Sports watch featured in MAX’s *The Pitt*.

It makes sense, considering 5 Sports dive watches have the same dial design as the iconic Seiko SKX collection from the 1990s and 2000s. That rich heritage is built into the new dive watches while its field brethren have to forge their own paths.

the back and nylon strap of a seiko watch — The nylon NATO strap makes the SRPG35 light, comfortable and washable.

The Seiko 5 Sports field watch collection uses a military time dial with large Arabic numeral hour markers for strong legibility, an obvious asset to an ER doctor. A thick coat of lume is applied to the hands and indices for low-light visibility.

Doctors constantly note the date and time, so the large day-date window on the SRPG35 is useful on the job. Both are reliably maintained by Seiko’s in-house caliber 4R36 automatic movement, the go-to engine for a huge range of mid-tier Seiko models.

a doctor in a blue hoodie wearing a seiko watch — Dr. Robby’s Seiko 5 Sports field watch.

The nylon NATO strap is probably the most appealing feature to an ER doctor. It is light, breathable, and — crucially — machine washable.

Keen observers will notice that Dr. Robby cut his strap, leaving a frayed end with no chance of the excess length coming loose. This is a real veteran move that expresses his pragmatic nature and indelicate relationship with his watch.