Seiko Prospex Alpinist Solar Titanium Multi-Sensor SBEB013 (Similar to SBEB015, SBEB017, SBEB019, SBEB035 & SBEB037) – A Good Start Against Established Competitors, A Review (plus Video)

The Seiko Prospex Alpinist SBEB013 is my first solar, digital display and ABC (Altimeter, Barometer & Compass) watch from the Seiko family. It is also the third ABC (Altimeter, Barometer & Compass) multi-sensor watch in my collection. I already have the Casio Protrek as well as the Tissot T-Touch. It would be interesting to note the differences in functionality as well as capabilities of the various makes. I will make such a comparison in a special box section later in this review.

It is difficult to get an example of this watch in Kuala Lumpur as Seiko does not officially offer this model here in Malaysia. Through the internet, via Amazon, I was able to source one from a merchant operating out of Japan. Within a week, the package was on my table.

The Packaging

The SBEB013 comes with a quality double cardboard box package. The outer box uses a thinner cardboard material painted in black with the brand logo as well as the Prospex logo on the top of the box in silver. The dimension of the outer box is 12 cm by 9 cm by 8 cm. Inside this box contains the main watch box as well as the manual, warranty and a special instruction booklet on how to resize the bracelet. Included also is a tool for the bracelet resizing. This is a first time I’ve seen Seiko give a resizing tool as part of the presentation package.

Seiko Post-It Holder

I got this piece from my favorite Seiko AD. It is a nice wooden holder for Post-It notes as well as multiple coloured sticky tabs.

Wine Glass by Grand Seiko

A few years ago I bought a limited edition Grand Seiko, the SBGE033 from a road show and the AD was nice enough to also give me a gift with the purchase.

It turned out to be a pair of wine glasses from Seiko with the Grand Seiko brand sandblasted onto the glass surface.

On it are three blue glass bubbles which I can't quite understand the significant of it. Tried searching it on the internet but nothing came out of the search. If anyone has any information, feel free to put it in the comment section below.

Seiko Presage Enamel Automatic SPB049J1 Watch (Part of the SRQ023J1, SPB045J1 & SPB047J1 Series) – A Fine Dress Watch With Great Value, A Review (plus Video)

Seiko marked the 60th anniversary of its first automatic watch with a pair of limited edition chronographs in 2016. One has an enamel dial while the other has an Urushi lacquer dial. The clincher was not the styling (which was appealing to a lot of people) but more on the pricing. Compared to Swiss made watches with enamel dial or lacquer dial, the price was unbelievably low and the series sold out swiftly.

Seiko has decided to bring back the enamel dial concept in a new series for 2017. This time around, it is not a limited edition series. This gives hope to many fans of their change to get their hands on at least one. Under the Presage line, this new series have four types of watches that make up part of the regular collection. The styling takes its cue from two historical Seiko timepieces; (below, left) the Laurel wristwatch of 1913 which was Seiko’s and Japan’s first ever wrist watch with an enamel dial and (below, right) the Time Keeper pocket watch of 1895 which utilizes a distinctive font for the Roman numeral hour markers.