OMG Moment: Seiko SKX009K1 Automatic Professional Diver 200M Rubber Strap Disintegration – Replaced with a NATO Strap

My Seiko SKX009K1 rubber strap disintegrated on me. Not suprising as a couple of my other watches with rubber straps have failed this year (Emperor Tuna, BR Diver). Instead of getting a replacement from Seiko, I've decided to replace it with an OEM NATO strap instead (since I got a lot of them lying around the house).

SEIKO Prospex 200M Diver Automatic SBDC053 (SPB053) – A Dress Diving Watch, A Review (plus Video)

During Baselworld 2017, Seiko launched a few modern interpretation of its famous iconic dive watch, the 62MAS. The closest to the original, the SLA017 (SBDX019) uses Seiko’s top of the range movement and materials. Seikoholics and fans gave it a five star rating and practically all examples (only 2000 pieces were made available) have been taken up. Fortunately, I was one of the lucky one and the review on that piece can be found here (Review of my SLA017/SBDX019).

The only downside of the SLA017 (SBDX019) was the limited number available as well as the high price set for it. Nevertheless, as to not disappoint the legions of Seiko fans, the Company came out with two examples with more modern re-edition or interpretation of the 62MAS and sold at a more reasonable price range.

The all bracelet model with matte black dial is the SBDC051 (SPB051) and the silicon strap sunburst blue dial SBDC053 (SPB053) . The listed price in Japan is YEN378,000, YEN108,000 and YEN86,400, respectively (as at 1 November 2017). When compared to the price of the SLA017 (SBDX019), the other two models are much cheaper. Like the SLA017 (SBDX019), these two models are also flying off the shelves due to surge in demand. 

Seiko Prospex Plastic File Folder - Accessories

I recently given this plastic file folder from Seiko with images from its Prospex line of watches. The back of the file has the history of Seiko Prospex dive watches. Anyone wants to guess how much it costs?

Seiko Recraft Series Automatic Green Watch SNKP27 (Similar to SNKP23, SNKP25) - Welcome Home Beautiful, A Review (plus Video)

An interesting series coming out of Seiko's factories is the "Recraft" line. These are modern watches with vintage design cues at an affordable price point. Akin to a Seiko 5 series but not necessarily so. I believe Seiko found that the current level of quality required of a Seiko 5 with the 4R winding and hacking movement will require them to price it to a level that would not make Seiko 5s the 'cheap value-for-money' watches it used to be.

To solve the affordability issue, Seiko created the 'Recraft' line that firmly puts the brand in the hands of the masses. I have collected a number of watches under this more affordable line and they are truly value-for-money works of art.

The latest into the collection is the SNKP27. This is a square shaped watch which is seldom seen in the realm of Seiko. It has a MSRP of USD275. Made out of stainless steel, it is 40 mm horizontally and 46 mm vertically. It also has a thickness of 12 mm thick. Lug width is 22 mm. The watch is paired with a leather strap with a signed buckle.

Powered by Seiko legendary 7S26 caliber workhorse, it creates a package that is hard to beat when it comes to capabilities at such a low price point.

Seiko Miniature Display Diver Air Tank

I received this cute miniature display diver air tank made out of solid 316L stainless steel from my favorite Seiko AD. It would appear that the item is machined out of a solid block of steel. Heavy piece that can double up as a paper weight.

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.

Evant Tropic Diver Fume Blue Limited Edition 300 – A Handsome Watch, A Review (plus Video)

For the last couple of years, I have been exploring new independent boutique brands that offer designs that are refreshing with a fairer price point. Generally, watch prices are getting ridiculously high. Some of my favorite brands have been getting expensive. Unfortunately, the increase in price is not a reflection of new designs or materials but due simply to supply and demand.

One boutique brand that I have my eyes on is Evant. This is an extremely young watch brand. It was created in December 2015 by a group of watch enthusiasts as highlighted on the website: https://www.evantwatches.com/. Apart from this tidbit, nothing about their country of origin or the people behind the brand was mentioned. More about this later.

The Evant Tropic Diver Fume Blue Limited Edition 300 is the third offering by this Company. The first two, Tropic Diver 300 Limited Edition 150 and Tropic Diver 300 Vintage Limited Edition 150, were well received by the market and was quickly sold out. It turns out that the Tropic Diver series closely resembles a dive watch from Breguet that was produced in limited numbers on 1965 called the No. 1646. Although I should have just said that it is homage to the Breguet No. 1646, this linkage was in fact made by watch bloggers and not officially from Evant itself.