What's so special about the watch?
The Seiko 701X series of watches are a great value if you're looking for an off-tangent watch complication outside of the typical chronograph without breaking the bank.
 
The 7017 is a three-handed flyback, and its applications have been put onto many different scales, but none so queer as this one, making it a literal Sports Timer. 
 
What are the functions of the watch?
Day, date, minute chronograph with flyback function. But you'll be buying it because it times basketball and soccer games.
 
Let me tell you about the case...
Cushion is not really a common case in the vintage Seiko world, so when one comes along it's aways a nice surprise. The sides of the case are given a polished finishing, which till now retains their shine with what must be good care from its previous owner.
 
On the top a brushed finish lines the surface, also free from abuse. The thin beveled bezel is a nice touch to the case, framing the matte black dial nicely. 
 
Behind, the screw down case back is free from heavy machine marks, the embossed markings still clear and distinct. 
 
And now the dial...
A matte black dial adorns the inside of the case, with many contrasting colors and line thickness for a very sporty appeal. The perimeter of the dial marks the minute denominations, each fifth multiple printed in Arabic numerals instead.
 
Micro-minute markings close off the time telling portion of the dial from the chronograph functions, the watch's lume indices streaking out from the edge of the inner circle and towards the center hands. The day and date window, often an abrupt distraction to an otherwise simplistic dial dial, has its own white printed frame, a welcome addition given that the discs inside of them are black with white contrasting day and date wheels.
 
Here comes the truely unique part of this watch - along the rehaut in the form of an inner rotating bezel are two different colored strips going around the watch, one demarketing the quarters in a basketball game while the other cuts the 45 five-minute blocks of a soccer game half into neat white blocks. 
 
The Seiko 5 Sports logo, Speed-Timer branding and Daini Factory insignia are all printed onto the dial, consistent with the rest of the dial's markings. 
 
Let's not forget the hands...
The hands are truely exceptional here as well - the hour hand is the thinner of the two sword hands, the thicker one that you'll use for sports timing given the emphasis and a huge chunk of lume.