Seiko Spirit Automatic SARB035 JDM – The White Knights of Seiko, A Review (plus Video)

My interest in dress or formal watches continues unabated. Today I was able to get another of the famous White Knights of Seiko, the Seiko Spirit SARB035. This design is not new. It was first made available back in 2009 under Seiko’s Spirit line. This is a line of formal dress watches less complex than the Premier line. As opposed to other models in the Spirit line, the SARB035 is completely mechanical. This is also a JDM (Japanese Domestic Market) model i.e. made in Japan and sold only for the Japanese market.

Seiko is one watch brand that is synonymous with value-for-money timepieces at every price range. I have to declare up-front that I am one of the many Seikonistas that follow the brand closely and with a passion. Having said that, I do try to be objective but I guess, the readers will be the judge of that.

The SARB035 is an in-house made timepiece that is priced at YEN45,000 (MSRP in Japan). Made out of polished and brushed stainless steel, the watch casing has a diameter of 38.0 mm. It has a thickness of 11.2 mm and its lug-to-lug width is 45.0 mm. Lug width is 20.0 mm. The watch casing is paired with a stainless steel bracelet that starts at 20.0 mm at the lugs and tapers to 18.0 mm at the clasp. The clasp is signed and secured with a button lock.

Seiko Prospex “Mini-Turtle” SRPC37K1 (Similar with SRPC35K1, SRPC39K1 and SRPC41K1) – A Winning Design, A Review (plus Video)

Seiko ended 2017 with another take of the iconic 6309 diver of yesteryear. When the brand launched the Turtle re-craft edition back in 2016 under series reference SRP77x (I got the SRP773 in the collection. See the review here: http://easternwatch.blogspot.my/2016/01/seiko-prospex-srp773-turtle-diver.html), the Seikonistas went wild with excitement. Seiko quietly listened to feedback given and decided that some of the suggestions were valid. I guess the most grouse received must have been the size issue of the SRP77x series. A good proportion of the fan base found the Turtle too big for their wrist.

To address this problem, near the end of 2017, Seiko quietly launched another interpretation of the 6309. This new series is similar in capabilities to the 2016 series apart from its dimensions and a couple of small changes. Nicknamed “Mini-Turtle”, a lot of people gave positive reviews of this new iteration. This new series is not just a scaled down model but a new version of the 6309 icon. The series comprises of four models: