Seiko Premier Sunburst SRP311K1 Black PVD Monster, Second Generation (similar to SRP307, SRP309, SRP313, SRP315, SRP319, SRP455, SRP457, SRP459, SRP581, SRP583 & SRP657) - Evergreen Icon, A Review (plus Video)

When the first generation Seiko Monsters (GEN1 Monster) first came out back in 2000, I wan't into the watch collecting craze yet. When I went headlong into the hobby from 2010 onwards, I decided to get myself a GEN1 Monster in the form of the SKX779K1. Really enjoyed the over-engineered design and its toughness relative to its asking price - real value for money!

When the second generation Seiko Monsters (GEN2 Monster) came out in 2012, I was rather lukewarm over the new series. In all, 11 different models were offered with some limited edition models set at a very high price. Many felt that Seiko was milking the Monster genre too much and the slew of offerings literally overwhelmed the fans. I didn't get one for the collection as I felt the line was crashing with too many new examples suffocating the Monster sub-line.

In late 2018, Seiko launched the third generation Seiko Monsters (GEN3 Monster) and this got me re-evaluating my earlier assumptions about this sub-line. The love for the Monster series was too overwhelming to be snuffed out by the over-exuberance of the GEN2 Monster releases. Therefore, after seven years since the release date of the GEN2 Monster, I start to source for one.

Deep Divers in the Collection (1000 Meters of Water Rating or More)

I love heavy duty divers and I have collected some of the deepest diving examples. This review will highlight my watches with 1,000 meters of water rating and do some form of comparison between them. As at the date of this posting, I have 14 watches with water rating of 1,000 meters or more.

	Number	Movement	Material
Citizen	2	Automatic, Solar	Titanium
Seiko	2	Automatic	Titanium
Rolex	1	Automatic	Stainless Steel
Omega	1	Automatic	Stainless Steel
Deep Blue	2	Automatic	Stainless Steel
Ocean7	2	Automatic	Stainless Steel
Steinhart	1	Automatic	Titanium
Hamilton	1	Automatic	Stainless Steel
Bell & Ross	1	Automatic	Stainless Steel
BALL	1	Automatic	Titanium

The links to the reviews on these watches are as follows in no order of preference:

1. Citizen Promaster Solarzilla 1000M BN7020-09E
2. Citizen Promaster Autozilla 1000m NH6930-09F
3. Seiko Marinemaster 1000m SBDX011 
4. Seiko Perspex Marinemaster SBEX001G 
5. Rolex Oyster Perpetual Deepsea M116660-0001 
6. Omega Seamaster PloProf 1200 M Co-Axial
7. Deep Blue Pro Seadiver 1k Blue Dial
8. Deep Blue Depthmaster 3000m Green
9. Ocean7 LM-8 Professional Deep Diver
10. Ocean7 LM3 V2 1250m Dive Watch
11. Steinhart TRITON 1000 Titanium Titan
12. Hamilton Khaki Navy BeLOWZERO 
13. Bell & Ross BR02-92 Pro Dial Diver Watch
14. BALL Engineer Hydrocarbon DeepQUEST
     

Head-To-Head: Seiko Prospex Alpinist Solar Titanium Multi-Sensor SBEB013 versus Casio Protrek Adventure Titanium Triple Sensor Ver. 3 PRW 3000 T7

ABC (Altimeter, Barometer & Compass) watches are the ultimate adventurers' timepiece. In the intervening period between pure mechanical and satellite linking watches, Casio led the way in innovation as well as some excellent examples especially under the Protrek series. Unknown to many, Seiko too has some interesting examples in this genre. This review shall compare Seiko Prospex Alpinist Solar Titanium Multi-Sensor SBEB013 (left of the photo below) against Casio Protrek Adventure Titanium Triple Sensor Ver. 3 PRW 3000 T7 (right of the photo below). In the spirit of transparency, I do own both models and hopefully I can provide an unbiased view in this short report.

Head-To-Head: Seiko Perspex Marinemaster 1000m Hi-Beat SBEX001 versus Seiko Perspex Marinemaster Professional 1000m Automatic Diver SBDX011

Technology in mechanical watches interest me immensely. One area that I follow closely is on dive watches, specifically extreme dive watches. Seiko has a number of watches that represent the best in technology. I am blessed to be able to own two of them, the 1000 meter SBEX001 (on the left of the photo below) as well as the iconic SBDX011 Emperor Tuna (on the right of the photo below).

Seiko 5 Sports Automatic Blue Reference SRPB85K1 (similar to SRPB79K1, SRPB81K1, SRPB83K1) - A Great Starter Watch for a New Collector, A Review (plus Video)

The SRPB85K1 was launched in 2018 without much fanfare. Not surprising as Seiko tends to keep Seiko 5 product launches extremely low-key. Although there were a number of such releases last year, most were generally cosmetic changes to a basic design - last year, the bulk appears to be dive watch related.

One that caught my eye was the SRPB79 - 86 Series (please refer to a short introduction to the series as the end of the review), specifically the SRPB85K1.

The SRPB85K1 comes with a countdown timer. As the name suggest, the scale provided allows one to set a target time (within 60 minutes) and set the bezel so that when the minutes hand reaches "0", target time has been reached.

The countdown timer bezel is seldom seen on a Seiko sports watch. Most of the new Seiko 5 Sports launches throughout 2018 came with a movable bezel, either a dive timer bezel, a compass bezel or a 24-hour bezel.

Unfortunately, it is not as flexible as a dive timer. A dive timer can be used to track not only the amount of time spent doing something (like diving) but also be used to track a secondary timezone. It is because of this flexibility that watch makers tend to produce more dive timer equip watches.

Buy/Sell Recommendation: Rolex Oyster Perpetual Explorer 39 mm Reference 214270 - BUY

I did a review on the Rolex Oyster Perpetual Explorer 39 mm Reference 214270 back in October 2013. To read the full review, please click here: http://westernwatch.blogspot.com/2013/10/rolex-oyster-perpetual-explorer-39-mm.html.

Below is a video of the watch on my wrist. After considering the positives and negatives of the watch, I recommend that this watch is a BUY.

Head-To-Head: Seiko Prospex 300MM SBDX001 Marinemaster versus Orient 300M Professional Saturation Diver SEL0200

When Seiko launched the 300m Marinemaster or 300MM, SBDX001 (on the left of the photo below) back in the year 2000, its sister company, Orient was also working on a professional dive watch. Orient answer was the Orient 300M Pro Saturation Diver SEL0200 (on the right of the photo below). Both are powered by their own in-house automatic movement, made out of stainless steel and capable of mix-gas diving down to a maximum depth of 300 meters.

BALL Watch Powerbank - Corporate Gift, A Review

My friendly dealer was nice enough to give me a gift of a BALL Watch Powerbank when I visited his shop just the other day. This item was some of the corporate gift that BALL Watch gave away to visitors to their exhibition a few weeks ago.

The Powerbank has a 5,000 mAh capacity. Its dimensions are 12.9 cm in length, 6.7 cm in width and 0.9 cm in thickness. All black plastic construction with the brand, logo and corporate motto printed at the bottom of the Powerbank in luminous paint.

Apart from the Powerbank , it also comes with a short charging wire and a small silver colored pouch. Unfortunately, there wasn't any instruction manual that came with the package. Should not be hard to decipher.

The point where the charging wire hooks up to the Powerbank is found on the side. At the top edge of the Powerbank , you can pull off a long tab that reveals a number of different connection points for you to access the power of the Powerbank.

Citizen BN0211-50E Promaster Tough Eco-Drive Black Dial Bracelet Watch - Simplicity Is Its Beauty, A Review (plus Video)

Any watch collector will have something to say about quartz watches. All would say that accuracy for quartz powered watches surpasses mechanical timepieces. Unfortunately, a lot of them also will shy away from acquiring a quartz watch due to the prevailing negative perception vis-a-vis a mechanical timepiece. Although I officially don't have such a bias view against quartz watches, the watches I acquire over the years appears to show a high degree of leaning towards mechanical timepieces. After looking at the facts and some soul searching, I came to the conclusion that my historical acquisition trail has been influenced by reviews and comments from other watch collectors.

I realised that my worldview is a reflection of the collective wants of all the watch collectors that are sharing their dreams about this hobby online. Unfortunately, this is not what I want in the hobby. For me, it is all about the design, technology and a watch's position on the evolutionary tree of watches. In the last year or so, I have started to become more inclusive and started to look further into the quartz world.

Buy/Sell Recommendation: Invicta 3045 Grand Diver - PASS

I did a review on the Invicta 3045 Grand Diver back in October 2013. To read the full review, please click here: http://westernwatch.blogspot.com/2013/10/invicta-3045-grand-diver-watch-high-end.html.

Below is a video of the watch on my wrist. After considering the positives and negatives of the watch, I recommend that this watch is a PASS.