It feels like it's been a long time coming, but here is the review for the new Save The Ocean Glacier Marine Master Reduced... Also, check out the Antarctica Monster: th-cam.com/video/DALX39LtKKE/w-d-xo.html AKA: Happy Feet Monster, Ice Chicken Monster
Great review as usual, Shane. I think you know I'm a big Seiko fan, owning a bunch of them and also a bunch of Seiko homages. One of those is a MM300 homage by Heimdallr. After getting that, I told myself I really want a Marine Master. I knew you were going to review this one, so I was curious to find out if this smaller one would be the one to get. In one way this ticks all the boxes such as the sapphire crystal and - low and behold - a milled clasp. But then there are those disappointments like the bezel alignment/insert material, unsigned crown and the lume that is a total let down... At that price... 🤔 So yeah, I wonder if we'll see some homages that are actually better bang for buck... Still: it gives me that Seiko itch..
If it was $650usd - I'd buy it, but pressed indices, printed not filled lume, chunky clasp, bad alignment and +/- 25 seconds per day makes that my top. The dial is a beauty. It would feel good explaining that "It's just a Seiko" with that Glacier dial.
The last great diver from Seiko was King Turtle and Samurai, with ceramic bezel, sapphire crystal and ISO-rated 200m just under 400$. It was on strap but with a Strapcode bracelet it looks at least double the price or more.
Wife just bought this for me for my birthday. It is a beautiful watch. With my small wrist, this case design is fabulous! I didn’t notice the two tone hands until watching this video (have had the watch for 3 hours!). I love the readability of this, and the glacial color face is a nice difference from my other blue divers
I bought the SBDC143 Willard a couple of months ago, and I absolutely love that watch. The one you’ve reviewed here is in the same tier. They are great watches. Thanks for the great review and beautiful macros.
@@RelativeTime I should add that the seichu straps that it comes with are absolutely beautiful. The best natos ever. I did buy the OEM bracelet too, which is also fantastic.
Love that dial and bezel combo. It's strong. In the end i decided to go with the king samurai with the white dial, as i had just recently bought a blue dial Farer Charlton. For me the king samurai bests this one in every aspect(case shape, ceramic bezel, lume) except the movement and i couldn't ascribe another 400 bucks for a 4R to 6R upgrade. Huge competition once you hit a grand from just soooo many companies.
I love my 62 mas version! It’s great and I love the time reserve. But I will say I get as much joy from my spinnaker or Farer! It’s all about what you like. Seiko is still my fav overall brand!!👍
Ordered one from the AD. It was perfect - great fit to wrist, great feel of the weight, everything aligned. And had a huge spec of dust on mirror finished side of the hour hand :D . So I returned it and demanded a new clean one. They sent me one. As perfect as the first one, without the dust. So, I fully wind it to see the accuracy with watchcheck app. After one hour the watch halts. I thought that ... well lets wind it again and check - same thing, dead after an hour. Tried third time - ran great for 70 hours. I wound it again and again got great 72 hours. So, I wind it third time and this time wear it on the hand. And... halts after a short time. Returned this junk to AD. I don`t know what is wrong with their QA procedures but they are really not up to the standards.
It's a beautiful watch, but when I looked at the MM reduced series in the boutique in London, I have to say, I wished that Seiko hadn't reduced the size. The dial is beautiful, but the watch doesn't have the presence that I enjoy so much. I see a lot of comment on social media calling for smaller watches, but I personally don't get it and especially I don't get it for dive watches. I own and love the original blue Sumo, a Save the ocean Samurai, an SBDC077 Green Sea (the large 62 MAS) and my smallest Seiko at 42mm, a black Fifty five fathoms. After looking at all the Seiko Boutique had to offer, I was left feeling that the only watches I was drawn to were the special editions around the £2500 mark, but I really didn't feel that they were worth that price. I ended up buying my first non Seiko watch for many years, a Tissot Seastar 2000. It's big, at 46mm and 16mm thick, its beautifully finished and has a gorgeous fumee dial in aquamarine blue with waves a domed sapphire crystal and ceramic bezel. Looking through the domed crystal, I love the depth of the case and the layers of detail, with the hands, indices, chapter ring and textured dial all having very much their own plane to inhabit. Still keeping a close eye on new releases from Seiko of course.
I picked up the spb187 this year and on the whole it's a great piece. The lume is disappointing, my old skx with printed lume is far brighter and longer lasting. I could live without the divers extension but I understand it's there because it's a prospex.
I've been looking at the 62mas style watches for a while but couldn't decided which one to buy, but as soon as I saw this model I bought it, and to be honest I think it's fantastic, I haven't taken it off since I got it.
You know what? I actually don't mind that the crown is not signed. I can engrave it myself with initials etc. and make it more personal. Is that allowed?
Wow, what a stunner! After seiko started increasing price for new models, seiko is now my secondary brand, where I will selectively buy, like the 5kx gmt. And maybe this one if I can ever get past that price. Orient was my primary brand, till they behave worse than seiko, they raise price for both current and new models in MY and SG. So now I don't have any primary brand. Haha
It’s very pretty. It’s probably not really for me but I can certainly appreciate that it’s got a lot going for it. You did an amazing job photographing and filming it. 👍
The flatter case of the 62mas (and originals) is what I’d prefer. On its own, I can appreciate how all the small details come together on this model. The only quibble for me would be the 5KS/DressKS crown.
The reason the lume doesn't last as long nowadays is because it isn't deep filled. The hour markers are raised and Seiko only uses a tiny amount of lume on them. If you check one of the older MM200 models they glow brighter and for longer too because they actually have applied markers as opposed to raised.
Seiko are in a really interesting place atm. They’re more “budget” line are punching way above they’re waste line to the degree that their watches that cost twice as much really aren’t giving you much more in a lot of cases imho.
Great video and review of an awesome looking Seiko . I agree that such a great dial deserves stronger lume . I’ve noticed quite a lume difference between models and years of Seiko divers , with surprisingly some from a few years back stronger than some newer ones. Keep up the good work 👍
Great review as always Shane. I get the value proposition, but that dial is spectacular... and that's why people will ultimately buy it. Nobody does dials like Seiko...
Very true. Seiko is a master. Plus another side to the value proposition is resale. There are exceptions, but Seiko usually has pretty good resale if you happen to buy one and don't like it. Unlike a lot of Ali watches.
Came for the first hand review on the seiko, stayed and subscribed. I think it's a great review, where one does not need to read between lines. Value on this piece is low, however pretty it looks from afar. Thanks for the vid
That's a coincidence - I am, too, waiting for that exact model to get to me... And yesterday I had the Antarctica Monster on my hand, oh, I LOVE that watch!
Hope you enjoy this one when you get it. I love both of them for different reasons. I can't help but smile when I wear the Antarctica Monster. Whereas I'm always in awe when I wear this one.
I love this ⌚!! In regards to the lume my thought is they didn't want the white lume to turn green as it does due to sheer strength. Low light transition markers stay white keep the color balanced with the dial.
Thanks for the great review Shane. I have an older SBDC053 with a similar looking bezel that shifts between royal blue to black depending on the light. It is apparently it is made from coated stainless steel
Good review. This is very good looking watch when I last handled it in an AD. I still prefer the MM300 only because I prefer their builds and the heft. I know that it is not a fair comparison due to costs differences. Thanks for upload.
@Another Watch if only the mm300 came in at this size or even 40mm ..It would be an instant buy for me..This is the next best thing and I'm cool with it ..I do believe eventually, that Seiko will come out with a smaller higher end mm300..It's only a matter of time..
@@anotherwatch I'm with ya 💯.. With the current trends of smaller case sizes, you'd think Seikos marketing team would be all over this...Take my money!
As a hobby collector I'd rather go with the Citizen Orca. The "quality" diver market is saturated with big hitters, Swiss names and outstanding value (if you take the time to look). This is an amazing watch, but only for casual wearers needing one watch or perhaps folks who want to build a specific Seiko collection. For general collectors, shelf space is limited, so actual (sub $1,000) Swiss made divers keep their crown and novelty Japanese items are better served with ones offerings the Orca etc.
The 6 million dollar question 😀Yeah, even on advertisement pictures, some are off by half a mark. For a +1000$ watch? I have a sub 400$ Manta ray turtle... of course it's off. And it makes me crazy. A sub 300 Tissot is perfectly aligned.
Seiko's "Save The Ocean" line donate a little something to organisations studying and helping to preserve one of our most precious biological resources. That probably justifies the marketing and the price and buying this piece, but not it's flaws - quite the contrary. Great review! Thx.
Love my Monster Pinguin because it has an awsome dial. This one to, but for a lot more money. Compared to other (micro) brands, only a movement upgrade and a saphire crystalcannot justify the amount of money for me. Maybe a Zelos, Phoibos or Audaz next time? The Seestern MAS62 with MOP dial and lumed datewheel is better bang for the bug. Hope Seiko makes Save The Ocean models still with a 4R35 movement.
I was contemplating getting myself a similar Seiko, but because of the rubbish movement (6R35) I decided retro fitting the watch with the cheaper but superior 4R35 wouldn't really be a good move. I looked at several homages as the monocoque MM300 and regular MM200 case really speak to me, found one which is monocoque and has a Sellita SW200 movement. Very happy with my +2 SPD which would never be possible (not without some serious orientation management anyway) with the 6R35. I would have loved it to have been a Seiko but what a dog of a movement. C'mon Seiko get your act together while there's still love for you.
@@RelativeTime I was lucky to have a look at a few Mm300's before choosing a couple of Proxima both with SW200 movements ( although nh35a would be arguably better value. I like the nh35a because with the exception of a 4R35 in a Samurai and one other the rest of then run superbly, all gain less 7 secs per day on wrist., Most without any adjustment from me. I'd rather a MM 200 with a nh35a than the 6435 because of the greater consistency. I'm not a Seiko hater, they gave so much to horology. Unfortunately finances dictate and the Seiko vfm doesn't hold up for me.
Great looking watch and thanks for a very well done review. The dial color is awesome. But it’s too bad that the price in save the ocean Seiko’s is now north of a grand.
At least for the "Modern Re-Interpretation" line. I think you can get some of the Save The Ocean Monster and Baby tunas for $500. Still expensive for what they are though.
Hi Shane. Great video as usual. Overall the watch looks good. But I can't help but feel that the line plots and hands are a touch small when compared to the dial size. Compared to other Seiko divers it doesn't really stand out. The mini Turtle I think would be a comparable option for less money.
I think they are a little small, but in line with the Marine Master 300 / 200 line. Funny you should mention the Mini Turtle. The first time I put it on it reminded me a little of how the Mini-Turtle felt on the wrist.
I have no source, and I do not know what the bezel insert is actually made of for this watch, but my "feeling" of Seiko's in this price range, is that normally the bezel inserts are made of steel
Great review! Thanks. That dial is beautiful. I have not tried this style case on my wrist. I wonder if it fits similar to my Sumo? The blumo is a sweet fitting watch. Also the case finishing is outstanding. I have the zelos spearfish. Love the dial...movement..,lume. The case finishing like all their watches....meh! I am kind of drawn to the sbdc169. Wonder how it feels on the wrist? Thanks again
The white dial on the sbdc169 looks really cool. I'm guessing it wears like any other Willard or turtle. Which are usually amazingly comfortable for the size. As for this one... I have to say it's the most comfortable Seiko Diver I've worn.
Great video! It is a nice watch and one I would consider. You are right, it is hard to beat the Orient Star Diver. For the SBDC167, is it made in Japan? It states Japan on the case back but I did not see "made in".
I like the different straps that you've tried on with that watch. They give different looks to the watch, and more wearability. My favorite is the strap at @10:21 . Is that canvas?
Thanks! There should be a link in the description to it. It's a Nylon / Rubber hybrdi from strapseeker. They sent me some to check out. Really nice straps, but for some reason they use really narrow springbars. Looks great with the watch, though. The one I've been using the most with it is the Barton Cordura hybrid. You can see that at 18:27
I have a blue face n bezel 300MM From Squire , I mean Steeldive.Its unbelievably fantastic . Has a etched signed crown , sapphire crystal, NH35a movement. Fender, i mean Seiko remain the star and cover the whole market . Maybe .
I was seriously considering this one. But, as far as the more premium Prospex line of "vintage reissues" are concerned with 6R35 movement, I ended up getting a green Willard recently. Btw, I also like that light blue dot on the second hand. I'm very particular with my blue colors.. I held out on this one cause I wasn't sure if maybe some green, perhaps too much of it, may be seen in this type of blue dial. Idk? Overall, I think it is probably sufficiently more blue enough. Great buy!
There is also the 62mas version that's more of a traditional darker blue. One reason I decided to get this was that the blue was so different. I didn't want it to match any of my other blue divers, or ones I might want to get in the future. It's almost like a metallic electrified tiffany blue.
@@RelativeTime I think I do like the darker blue of the 62mas version. But, I prefer the mm200 case. Idk?.. I think the mm200 would still be the best one to get out of the 3 they made.
I just bought my 1st “Luxury” watch. Dropped North of $2.2K for a VJ 7750 in a Fortis Classic Cosmonaut AM. Gorgeous and although I did not borrow my children’s college fund for this watch…..I thought about it 🤣. Very (like microscopic) small defects in detail can be seen if you are (OCD?) looking for them. No “perfect” watch has ever been made….@ least not for regular dudes that buy Seiko and Hamilton and Zelos…..No perfection for us. But….DANG…..(wtf Seiko???????)
@Tony Boros I don't mind it ..I think with these they are trying to keep in line with historical references..They didn't have the signed crowns back in the day..
im with you. i like the unsigned crown. i like simple. sometimes, put too much on something, it ruins the item as a whole. besides, we dont look at the crown to tell time, we look at the dial.
The whole time I watched that, I kept thinking why would I pay 1200? Maybe 600. Compared to the Seastar 2000, with the ceramic, and the rhodium hands and the even prettier and also pretty unique dial, with 3x the water resistance... I'll give the seiko a win on the case and band though, those are pretty great. The seastar 2000 case is as overtly utilitarian as any watch ever gets, and I replace the band with a miltat hexad on the second day, but from the top down, it's spectacular at the price point, and on my wrist has only lost several seconds over the course of as many months.
I really liked your video. I've been wearing my SBDC047 for a few days again, and I like it just as much as this watch. You helped me put off the urge to "spring" for a Spring Drive diver.
Interesting about the lume. I have an all steel MM200 and the lume is great on my example. It holds up against my King Turtle, dress kx and even my Oris Aquis.
Not the biggest fan of this kind of watches, still this dial is nice, plus i love the hands trick, is one of my favorites in any watch i'd say. Lume looks weak though and price is on the other side, so not a winner for me here, let aside the style i'm not fond of. Thanks for the review Shane, be well mate, cheers. PS "...i'm done with Seiko divers"...... no, you're not! As we say here "Eat a big bite but don’t say big statement"! 😜 PS2 I'm sure you already know what's happening with the other channels i mentioned in your community tab, still i responced over there too. Woke up this morning to check for more and it seems like lots know who the "bad" guy is...
That might of been the SWC Hyper-G. th-cam.com/video/L62t0joAfZo/w-d-xo.html I usually shoot watches in batches, and I think I was working on it at the same time. Otherwise, do you have a time code?
Such a nice dial. Man I just want an mechanical watch.I wish I got into watches before I got into knives I have a bunch of high end knives and I still just carry the same benchmade griptilian. I don’t know how you decide what to wear man it would give me agida
Good, comprehensive review Shane. Very pretty dial, but for that money I'd expect more. Ceramic and proper lume at least. And that's where the slippery slope begins (hello SNR029, you gorgeous thing).
You're right Shane, ally bezel insert at this price is poor. My Islander diver has a lumed sapphire insert for less than $400. And a high beat movement. I'm really over Seiko.
I would like it a little bigger. Something between this size and the mm300. I own a great blue hole, i love it and i hate it for the bracelet and the bezel not being ceramic. Nowadays watches in half price come with ceramic bezel. I hate the bracelet not only fot the colar and pins but it is only 20mm and it gets narrou very close to the case tapering to only 16mm, algo the 1st link to the lugs make the case longer. should be buying a strapcode bracelet.
Hello from France, i like your video , i would like to ask you where did you find and which is the brand of the dark blue strap on a rubber basis? It looks like canvas on the top but rubber on beneath? I bought the watch last week… Thank you!
I usually try to link the straps in the description, so you can check there. Otherwise I had two straps like that in the video, both hybrids. One was from Barton, the other is from a brand called Strapseeker. Strapseeker is on Amazon here in the US, but not sure about france. Hope you are enjoying the watch... I love mine.
@@RelativeTime thank you for the answer, i will look for some straps. In May i bought the black series SPB255J1 and i was soooo happy with it and especially with the 70 h power reserve that i thaught have one in silver would be great too - and than i saw this one… i snapped :)… too bad that they did not offer a blue seichu strap with it… that would be a perfect match!
Thanks for the thorough review! I'll stick with the MM300 San Martin NH35A. Lume is definitely a disappointment as you stated. In this price tier, and considering its a Seiko, it's completely unacceptable. Who would pay $800 for a SKX007 that doesn't even hand wind?
@@RelativeTime I just purchased it during the Summer Sale last month on Ali Express. Got a tremendously good deal on it, and it has everything - sapphire w/AR coating, ceramic bezel with awesome edge to it, killer lume, MM300 case, NH35A workhorse reliable movement, sweet caseback, amazing hexad brushed bracelet, 6 micro adjustment clasp, 300M - you HAVE to buy it and review it! Get the black color, not blue or green!!!!! You always show the coolest assortment of straps in your videos!
Nice dial but too heavy for me at 175 grams on the bracelet . Also $1250 is too much cash for what you get .At that price point I would rather get a Laco Atlantik diver ( about $150 less) on rubber strap or a Damasko 42 ( about $ 250 more ) both German made using Swiss movements . Both in my option have better specs are better value for money , and will be more comfortable to wear for every day use than this “ clunker “. Seiko bracelets are also not that great in my opinion. On a bracelet I would get a Glycine Combat Sub 42 mm for about half the price, or a Yema Superman 41 mm for about $250 less. Both use Swiss automatic movements and again are better value in my opinion. I love Seiko but they have gotten a bit greedy when it comes to price .
Personally i wear both, but as for channel, generally speaking there are more interst in Automatics. Part of it is due to snobbery in the community, but I think a lot of it is also becaue most of the "nicer" watches are Autos. Most companies don't put as much attention into their quartz watches. There are some exceptions of course.... and some of those videos perfom fairly well. As for kinetic watches... they are kind of dead. Seiko doesn't seem to care much about them anymore, and there is more of a focus on Solar. And this is coming from someone who was a fan of their kinetic watches.
@@RelativeTime Thank you. I bought an Invicta with the Miyota internals. Not impressed. The actuator (Pendulum) seems, well, stiff. My first and probable last auto purchase. Thank you again. I have asked the same question to quite a few sites and received nothing back. Good luck with all you do.
Am always lost with the Seiko ref models......bought a similar watch, spb187j1 (had to look it up) wears the same as the sbdc101, slightly larger. The 101 wears like a compact 39mm. However, comparing these 2 with the sbdc053 which is 42.6mm, the sbdc053 wears better, more comfortable and am glad I didn't buy the Seiko bracelet for it, the strapcode is great. Not at all impressed by the accuracy of the sbdc101 aka spb143j1 nor of the spb187j1 (similar to this one in the vid) as the 6r35 isn't much better than the 6r15. Some more PR and better mainspring but that's just about it. The sbdc053 replaced mainspring, regulated and it's at -1 sec @ 24h. The other two are 1 month old and are at +20 sec @ 24h !!!! That, altho for Seiko is within specs, for me is unacceptable. Despite the fact that the mm300 is in many folks a Grail, I do regret buying it. Far too bulky, a very slim (and flimsy) bracelet with a tin can clasp and to access the mechanism, only via crystal. Won't get into GS now but in the range of this model in vid along with a few others that I've bought, would have been better off with say +$200 and have, ceramic insert, better bracelet/clasp and better QC. But....like you said, it's Seiko we're talking about. Great review as always, many thanks and stay safe.
I'm not a diver watch guy but this one peaked my interest and I almost made it through the entire video. But, you lost me at the lume commentary. Man, too bad about the lume quality. Bet you were bummed out too. That watch looked great on the brown leather strap though. Nice job
Interesting. I grabbed that off seiko's promo for the new models. It had it listed as the 1968 inspiration. I thought they were referring to the 6215. Maybe I got it wrong. www.seikowatches.com/us-en/products/prospex/special/1965-1968-1970-savetheocean
@@RelativeTime Yeah, I guess they referred to 6159 as the first 300m hi-beat diver, mentioning it being a 10-beat one. Donno why they don't like the 6215 that much😅
It's a beautiful watch, BUT I can't help but feel, Seiko never give you more than they have too, & the ongoing saga of bezel alignment is symptomatic of QC that should have been addressed a long time ago. I vote with my wallet & now choose to buy something other than Seiko.
It feels like it's been a long time coming, but here is the review for the new Save The Ocean Glacier Marine Master Reduced... Also, check out the Antarctica Monster: th-cam.com/video/DALX39LtKKE/w-d-xo.html
AKA: Happy Feet Monster, Ice Chicken Monster
Great review as usual, Shane. I think you know I'm a big Seiko fan, owning a bunch of them and also a bunch of Seiko homages. One of those is a MM300 homage by Heimdallr. After getting that, I told myself I really want a Marine Master. I knew you were going to review this one, so I was curious to find out if this smaller one would be the one to get. In one way this ticks all the boxes such as the sapphire crystal and - low and behold - a milled clasp. But then there are those disappointments like the bezel alignment/insert material, unsigned crown and the lume that is a total let down... At that price... 🤔 So yeah, I wonder if we'll see some homages that are actually better bang for buck...
Still: it gives me that Seiko itch..
Bezel is ceramic
No ceramic!
@@mcroadtrip7313 It's not Ceramic, it's lacquered steel!!
If it was $650usd - I'd buy it, but pressed indices, printed not filled lume, chunky clasp, bad alignment and +/- 25 seconds per day makes that my top. The dial is a beauty. It would feel good explaining that "It's just a Seiko" with that Glacier dial.
At that price It should have better movement and QC 6r35 are unpredictable movements
The last great diver from Seiko was King Turtle and Samurai, with ceramic bezel, sapphire crystal and ISO-rated 200m just under 400$. It was on strap but with a Strapcode bracelet it looks at least double the price or more.
Wife just bought this for me for my birthday. It is a beautiful watch. With my small wrist, this case design is fabulous! I didn’t notice the two tone hands until watching this video (have had the watch for 3 hours!). I love the readability of this, and the glacial color face is a nice difference from my other blue divers
It's a gorgeous watch. I love mine more everyday.
Gorgeous watch. Dial being fantastic is not unusual for Seiko but that case design is amazing! This watch was deserving of the longer review. Thanks!
I'm normally a plain black dial type of person who doesn't like colored dials or textures, but that dial is gorgeous.
I bought the SBDC143 Willard a couple of months ago, and I absolutely love that watch. The one you’ve reviewed here is in the same tier. They are great watches. Thanks for the great review and beautiful macros.
Thanks! How does the Willard wear?
@@RelativeTime The best Seiko I’ve ever worn. The fit and finish, the size and scale are amazing. I’m very glad to have it.
@@RelativeTime I should add that the seichu straps that it comes with are absolutely beautiful. The best natos ever. I did buy the OEM bracelet too, which is also fantastic.
Love that dial and bezel combo. It's strong. In the end i decided to go with the king samurai with the white dial, as i had just recently bought a blue dial Farer Charlton. For me the king samurai bests this one in every aspect(case shape, ceramic bezel, lume) except the movement and i couldn't ascribe another 400 bucks for a 4R to 6R upgrade. Huge competition once you hit a grand from just soooo many companies.
I hate the 6R. All my 4R movements run much more accurately.
The texture of the blue dial is so nice. Man, I love pretty watches.
I love my 62 mas version! It’s great and I love the time reserve. But I will say I get as much joy from my spinnaker or Farer! It’s all about what you like. Seiko is still my fav overall brand!!👍
Ordered one from the AD. It was perfect - great fit to wrist, great feel of the weight, everything aligned. And had a huge spec of dust on mirror finished side of the hour hand :D . So I returned it and demanded a new clean one. They sent me one. As perfect as the first one, without the dust. So, I fully wind it to see the accuracy with watchcheck app. After one hour the watch halts. I thought that ... well lets wind it again and check - same thing, dead after an hour. Tried third time - ran great for 70 hours. I wound it again and again got great 72 hours. So, I wind it third time and this time wear it on the hand. And... halts after a short time.
Returned this junk to AD.
I don`t know what is wrong with their QA procedures but they are really not up to the standards.
Wow! Seiko really needs to get their crap together!
It's a beautiful watch, but when I looked at the MM reduced series in the boutique in London, I have to say, I wished that Seiko hadn't reduced the size. The dial is beautiful, but the watch doesn't have the presence that I enjoy so much. I see a lot of comment on social media calling for smaller watches, but I personally don't get it and especially I don't get it for dive watches. I own and love the original blue Sumo, a Save the ocean Samurai, an SBDC077 Green Sea (the large 62 MAS) and my smallest Seiko at 42mm, a black Fifty five fathoms. After looking at all the Seiko Boutique had to offer, I was left feeling that the only watches I was drawn to were the special editions around the £2500 mark, but I really didn't feel that they were worth that price. I ended up buying my first non Seiko watch for many years, a Tissot Seastar 2000. It's big, at 46mm and 16mm thick, its beautifully finished and has a gorgeous fumee dial in aquamarine blue with waves a domed sapphire crystal and ceramic bezel. Looking through the domed crystal, I love the depth of the case and the layers of detail, with the hands, indices, chapter ring and textured dial all having very much their own plane to inhabit. Still keeping a close eye on new releases from Seiko of course.
I picked up the spb187 this year and on the whole it's a great piece. The lume is disappointing, my old skx with printed lume is far brighter and longer lasting. I could live without the divers extension but I understand it's there because it's a prospex.
Hey Simon, did you happen to see my other reply? Hope so get back to me soon. email is the best.
I've been looking at the 62mas style watches for a while but couldn't decided which one to buy, but as soon as I saw this model I bought it, and to be honest I think it's fantastic, I haven't taken it off since I got it.
It looks great, especially that dial. I am a true Seiko fan, but this one does not give enough bang for the buck.
Agreed. How do you release such poor lume on this watch? The bracelet should have a bigger bling factor than it does considering the dial.
You know what? I actually don't mind that the crown is not signed. I can engrave it myself with initials etc. and make it more personal. Is that allowed?
Wow, what a stunner! After seiko started increasing price for new models, seiko is now my secondary brand, where I will selectively buy, like the 5kx gmt. And maybe this one if I can ever get past that price. Orient was my primary brand, till they behave worse than seiko, they raise price for both current and new models in MY and SG. So now I don't have any primary brand. Haha
Prices are rising everywhere. I don’t understand why people are making Seiko and co. out to be villains for that.
It’s very pretty. It’s probably not really for me but I can certainly appreciate that it’s got a lot going for it. You did an amazing job photographing and filming it. 👍
Thanks!
The flatter case of the 62mas (and originals) is what I’d prefer. On its own, I can appreciate how all the small details come together on this model.
The only quibble for me would be the 5KS/DressKS crown.
I was tempted by the 62mas version of this one, but in the end I'm pretty happy.
The reason the lume doesn't last as long nowadays is because it isn't deep filled. The hour markers are raised and Seiko only uses a tiny amount of lume on them. If you check one of the older MM200 models they glow brighter and for longer too because they actually have applied markers as opposed to raised.
They aren't applied they are stamped from the back of the dial.
Seiko are in a really interesting place atm. They’re more “budget” line are punching way above they’re waste line to the degree that their watches that cost twice as much really aren’t giving you much more in a lot of cases imho.
Great video and review of an awesome looking Seiko . I agree that such a great dial deserves stronger lume .
I’ve noticed quite a lume difference between models and years of Seiko divers , with surprisingly some from a few years back stronger than some newer ones.
Keep up the good work 👍
I'm usually struggling to keep up with the Seiko diver models. This one with that dial & size, looks like the one for me if I'm buying a diver.
I have a mm200 and the case shape and size is fantastic. I have a 7.25 wrist and it fits my wrist perfectly .
The Seiko marinemaster is the watch that i will owe someday i am sure of it! Thanks for the review
Great review as always Shane. I get the value proposition, but that dial is spectacular... and that's why people will ultimately buy it. Nobody does dials like Seiko...
Very true. Seiko is a master. Plus another side to the value proposition is resale. There are exceptions, but Seiko usually has pretty good resale if you happen to buy one and don't like it. Unlike a lot of Ali watches.
Great review, lots of information, execute at the perfect pace. Thank you Sir
Came for the first hand review on the seiko, stayed and subscribed. I think it's a great review, where one does not need to read between lines. Value on this piece is low, however pretty it looks from afar. Thanks for the vid
Thanks and welcome. Value on Seikos at this price always seems to be pretty low. Although I still love this one, but for me it's all about the dial.
I already have the brown dial version but I love this one too. Do I need both?!
You already know the answer. 😉
Well done review. Thank you. Agree with the disappointment with lume, but I usually have enough light.
I love these 2 : Seiko MM 200m Reduced and the Speedmaster Reduced.
That's a coincidence - I am, too, waiting for that exact model to get to me... And yesterday I had the Antarctica Monster on my hand, oh, I LOVE that watch!
Hope you enjoy this one when you get it. I love both of them for different reasons. I can't help but smile when I wear the Antarctica Monster. Whereas I'm always in awe when I wear this one.
I love this ⌚!! In regards to the lume my thought is they didn't want the white lume to turn green as it does due to sheer strength. Low light transition markers stay white keep the color balanced with the dial.
That could be.
Thanks for the great review Shane. I have an older SBDC053 with a similar looking bezel that shifts between royal blue to black depending on the light. It is apparently it is made from coated stainless steel
Seiko & Tudor has some thick case shapes. But seeing that this is 42mm/13mm is interesting 🤔
Good review. This is very good looking watch when I last handled it in an AD. I still prefer the MM300 only because I prefer their builds and the heft. I know that it is not a fair comparison due to costs differences. Thanks for upload.
Fair Enough, thanks for watching!
@Another Watch if only the mm300 came in at this size or even 40mm ..It would be an instant buy for me..This is the next best thing and I'm cool with it ..I do believe eventually, that Seiko will come out with a smaller higher end mm300..It's only a matter of time..
@@flow2tech if they do that, I would be one of the first purchasers 😀
@@anotherwatch I'm with ya 💯.. With the current trends of smaller case sizes, you'd think Seikos marketing team would be all over this...Take my money!
As a hobby collector I'd rather go with the Citizen Orca. The "quality" diver market is saturated with big hitters, Swiss names and outstanding value (if you take the time to look). This is an amazing watch, but only for casual wearers needing one watch or perhaps folks who want to build a specific Seiko collection. For general collectors, shelf space is limited, so actual (sub $1,000) Swiss made divers keep their crown and novelty Japanese items are better served with ones offerings the Orca etc.
So what in particular do you think the Swiss do better in this price range?
The 6 million dollar question 😀Yeah, even on advertisement pictures, some are off by half a mark. For a +1000$ watch?
I have a sub 400$ Manta ray turtle... of course it's off. And it makes me crazy.
A sub 300 Tissot is perfectly aligned.
What an absolutey gorgous watch!
Fabulous review. Thank you!
Glad you enjoyed it!
Seiko's "Save The Ocean" line donate a little something to organisations studying and helping to preserve one of our most precious biological resources. That probably justifies the marketing and the price and buying this piece, but not it's flaws - quite the contrary. Great review! Thx.
Love my Monster Pinguin because it has an awsome dial. This one to, but for a lot more money. Compared to other (micro) brands, only a movement upgrade and a saphire crystalcannot justify the amount of money for me. Maybe a Zelos, Phoibos or Audaz next time? The Seestern MAS62 with MOP dial and lumed datewheel is better bang for the bug. Hope Seiko makes Save The Ocean models still with a 4R35 movement.
I was contemplating getting myself a similar Seiko, but because of the rubbish movement (6R35) I decided retro fitting the watch with the cheaper but superior 4R35 wouldn't really be a good move. I looked at several homages as the monocoque MM300 and regular MM200 case really speak to me, found one which is monocoque and has a Sellita SW200 movement. Very happy with my +2 SPD which would never be possible (not without some serious orientation management anyway) with the 6R35. I would have loved it to have been a Seiko but what a dog of a movement. C'mon Seiko get your act together while there's still love for you.
Which homage did you get? What do you prefer about the 4R35?
@@RelativeTime I was lucky to have a look at a few Mm300's before choosing a couple of Proxima both with SW200 movements ( although nh35a would be arguably better value. I like the nh35a because with the exception of a 4R35 in a Samurai and one other the rest of then run superbly, all gain less 7 secs per day on wrist., Most without any adjustment from me. I'd rather a MM 200 with a nh35a than the 6435 because of the greater consistency. I'm not a Seiko hater, they gave so much to horology. Unfortunately finances dictate and the Seiko vfm doesn't hold up for me.
I have the first gen STO turtle and Samurai. Both with sapphire, and the turtle with MM- style hands. I have all the Seiko divers I want.
Wow, this is such a beautiful piece! After many Seiko watches in my collection, this could be the ultimate Seiko diver. Need to see one in the metal.
If you can find one, they are worth checking out.
@@RelativeTime tried one on today. Amazing. The dial is just gorgeous 😍
Great looking watch and thanks for a very well done review. The dial color is awesome. But it’s too bad that the price in save the ocean Seiko’s is now north of a grand.
At least for the "Modern Re-Interpretation" line. I think you can get some of the Save The Ocean Monster and Baby tunas for $500. Still expensive for what they are though.
Hi Shane. Great video as usual. Overall the watch looks good. But I can't help but feel that the line plots and hands are a touch small when compared to the dial size.
Compared to other Seiko divers it doesn't really stand out.
The mini Turtle I think would be a comparable option for less money.
I think they are a little small, but in line with the Marine Master 300 / 200 line. Funny you should mention the Mini Turtle. The first time I put it on it reminded me a little of how the Mini-Turtle felt on the wrist.
Really Nice Explanation Best of All Till I Watched On TH-cam Related This Seiko Save The Ocean SPB299j1
The case of this watch is a pure marvel ❤️😵
The case is amazing. I can't think of another watch that comes close.
I have no source, and I do not know what the bezel insert is actually made of for this watch, but my "feeling" of Seiko's in this price range, is that normally the bezel inserts are made of steel
Great review! Thanks. That dial is beautiful. I have not tried this style case on my wrist. I wonder if it fits similar to my Sumo? The blumo is a sweet fitting watch. Also the case finishing is outstanding.
I have the zelos spearfish. Love the dial...movement..,lume. The case finishing like all their watches....meh!
I am kind of drawn to the sbdc169. Wonder how it feels on the wrist?
Thanks again
The white dial on the sbdc169 looks really cool. I'm guessing it wears like any other Willard or turtle. Which are usually amazingly comfortable for the size. As for this one... I have to say it's the most comfortable Seiko Diver I've worn.
Great video! It is a nice watch and one I would consider. You are right, it is hard to beat the Orient Star Diver. For the SBDC167, is it made in Japan? It states Japan on the case back but I did not see "made in".
Good Catch... I'm not sure. At this price it should be, but I don't see it specified.
I like the different straps that you've tried on with that watch. They give different looks to the watch, and more wearability. My favorite is the strap at @10:21 . Is that canvas?
Thanks! There should be a link in the description to it. It's a Nylon / Rubber hybrdi from strapseeker. They sent me some to check out. Really nice straps, but for some reason they use really narrow springbars. Looks great with the watch, though. The one I've been using the most with it is the Barton Cordura hybrid. You can see that at 18:27
Beautiful watch. Good choice, Shane.
I’ve got the SPB297 and basically you want to check time often just to look at the dial…..it’s also making me wear my other watches less
I have a blue face n bezel 300MM From Squire , I mean Steeldive.Its unbelievably fantastic . Has a etched signed crown , sapphire crystal, NH35a movement. Fender, i mean Seiko remain the star and cover the whole market . Maybe .
I was seriously considering this one. But, as far as the more premium Prospex line of "vintage reissues" are concerned with 6R35 movement, I ended up getting a green Willard recently.
Btw, I also like that light blue dot on the second hand.
I'm very particular with my blue colors.. I held out on this one cause I wasn't sure if maybe some green, perhaps too much of it, may be seen in this type of blue dial. Idk? Overall, I think it is probably sufficiently more blue enough. Great buy!
There is also the 62mas version that's more of a traditional darker blue. One reason I decided to get this was that the blue was so different. I didn't want it to match any of my other blue divers, or ones I might want to get in the future. It's almost like a metallic electrified tiffany blue.
@@RelativeTime I think I do like the darker blue of the 62mas version. But, I prefer the mm200 case. Idk?.. I think the mm200 would still be the best one to get out of the 3 they made.
Great review, Shane. Thanks for the DressKX shot. That is still one of my favorites for value.
DressKX is certainly a conversation piece!
simply stunning dail
It really is!
I agree with you on the negatives. Though I like the look of this Seiko, there are many other watches in that price range that offer better value.
If you could pick one in this price range, what would it be?
@@RelativeTime, frankly, neither. I just don't trust Seiko any longer. I would probably go with a microbrand.
I just bought my 1st “Luxury” watch. Dropped North of $2.2K for a VJ 7750 in a Fortis Classic Cosmonaut AM. Gorgeous and although I did not borrow my children’s college fund for this watch…..I thought about it 🤣. Very (like microscopic) small defects in detail can be seen if you are (OCD?) looking for them. No “perfect” watch has ever been made….@ least not for regular dudes that buy Seiko and Hamilton and Zelos…..No perfection for us. But….DANG…..(wtf Seiko???????)
That Fortis is really cool. How did you decide on it for your first Luxury watch?
Great review Shane. Am I the only one that prefers the simplicity of an unsigned crown? Just curious.
@Tony Boros I don't mind it ..I think with these they are trying to keep in line with historical references..They didn't have the signed crowns back in the day..
im with you. i like the unsigned crown. i like simple. sometimes, put too much on something, it ruins the item as a whole. besides, we dont look at the crown to tell time, we look at the dial.
The whole time I watched that, I kept thinking why would I pay 1200? Maybe 600. Compared to the Seastar 2000, with the ceramic, and the rhodium hands and the even prettier and also pretty unique dial, with 3x the water resistance... I'll give the seiko a win on the case and band though, those are pretty great. The seastar 2000 case is as overtly utilitarian as any watch ever gets, and I replace the band with a miltat hexad on the second day, but from the top down, it's spectacular at the price point, and on my wrist has only lost several seconds over the course of as many months.
I'll have to check that one out. In fact I need to pay more attention to Tissot in general.
The bezel is the same as on the 62MAS 140th anniversary model - Aluminum but with a shinier coating
Now that you mention it, it does look to be the same. Thanks for pointing it out.
62mas bezel insert is actually coated steel, on all their versions, including the shiny ones
I really liked your video. I've been wearing my SBDC047 for a few days again, and I like it just as much as this watch. You helped me put off the urge to "spring" for a Spring Drive diver.
20:16 / 22:03 Really, that NATO with a Pepsi Bezel. Should've gone to Specsavers 😂😂
Excellent. A blue birch diver💚
Glad to see you kept the Helm Miyako! I have it on the same blue strap! Its my daily now!
That’s a real pretty watch. We need to protect our environment.
Interesting about the lume. I have an all steel MM200 and the lume is great on my example. It holds up against my King Turtle, dress kx and even my Oris Aquis.
Is that the 44mm version?
@@RelativeTime no it’s the current version
@@warrioroh58d interesting. Maybe it's just the glacier version.
Not the biggest fan of this kind of watches, still this dial is nice, plus i love the hands trick, is one of my favorites in any watch i'd say. Lume looks weak though and price is on the other side, so not a winner for me here, let aside the style i'm not fond of.
Thanks for the review Shane, be well mate, cheers.
PS "...i'm done with Seiko divers"...... no, you're not! As we say here "Eat a big bite but don’t say big statement"! 😜
PS2 I'm sure you already know what's happening with the other channels i mentioned in your community tab, still i responced over there too. Woke up this morning to check for more and it seems like lots know who the "bad" guy is...
Great video. May I can ask, what kind of is this watch on your desk with a green dial and brown leather strap?
That might of been the SWC Hyper-G. th-cam.com/video/L62t0joAfZo/w-d-xo.html
I usually shoot watches in batches, and I think I was working on it at the same time. Otherwise, do you have a time code?
@@RelativeTime that is the one! many thanks for your fast response!
Such a nice dial. Man I just want an mechanical watch.I wish I got into watches before I got into knives I have a bunch of high end knives and I still just carry the same benchmade griptilian. I don’t know how you decide what to wear man it would give me agida
Unless you are a Seiko lover. For this price, I can get a Mido, Ball, and many more options.
Which Balls come in around $1000?
That's another brand I want to check out
The handset seems to be the same (or very similar) to the SPB143.
Excellent video. I have been stewing over my next watch, and Seiko has been in the mix. this video has helped me very much, thank you.
Glad I could help. 👍
Good, comprehensive review Shane. Very pretty dial, but for that money I'd expect more. Ceramic and proper lume at least. And that's where the slippery slope begins (hello SNR029, you gorgeous thing).
You're right Shane, ally bezel insert at this price is poor. My Islander diver has a lumed sapphire insert for less than $400. And a high beat movement. I'm really over Seiko.
Maybe someday they will get it, but unlikely.
I would like it a little bigger. Something between this size and the mm300. I own a great blue hole, i love it and i hate it for the bracelet and the bezel not being ceramic. Nowadays watches in half price come with ceramic bezel. I hate the bracelet not only fot the colar and pins but it is only 20mm and it gets narrou very close to the case tapering to only 16mm, algo the 1st link to the lugs make the case longer. should be buying a strapcode bracelet.
Great choice! 😺 Looks like a sapphire bezel!
It has that glossy sheen. Hopefully I hear back from Seiko at some point on what exactly it is.
Great video.. great review. Thanks!
Thanks for watching!
Love the review. The way you shot the video, the lighting really brings out the beauty of that ice blue dial.
Gorgeous dial. 😍🤩
It really is!
Hello from France, i like your video , i would like to ask you where did you find and which is the brand of the dark blue strap on a rubber basis? It looks like canvas on the top but rubber on beneath?
I bought the watch last week…
Thank you!
I usually try to link the straps in the description, so you can check there. Otherwise I had two straps like that in the video, both hybrids. One was from Barton, the other is from a brand called Strapseeker. Strapseeker is on Amazon here in the US, but not sure about france.
Hope you are enjoying the watch... I love mine.
@@RelativeTime thank you for the answer, i will look for some straps. In May i bought the black series SPB255J1 and i was soooo happy with it and especially with the 70 h power reserve that i thaught have one in silver would be great too - and than i saw this one… i snapped :)… too bad that they did not offer a blue seichu strap with it… that would be a perfect match!
Thanks for the thorough review! I'll stick with the MM300 San Martin NH35A. Lume is definitely a disappointment as you stated. In this price tier, and considering its a Seiko, it's completely unacceptable. Who would pay $800 for a SKX007 that doesn't even hand wind?
I didn't know San Martin had one, but I guess I shouldn't be suprised. Have you tried it?
@@RelativeTime I just purchased it during the Summer Sale last month on Ali Express. Got a tremendously good deal on it, and it has everything - sapphire w/AR coating, ceramic bezel with awesome edge to it, killer lume, MM300 case, NH35A workhorse reliable movement, sweet caseback, amazing hexad brushed bracelet, 6 micro adjustment clasp, 300M - you HAVE to buy it and review it! Get the black color, not blue or green!!!!! You always show the coolest assortment of straps in your videos!
It's a dive watch did you take it down 18 or 20 meters?
Do you even dive in a pool?
I haven't dove in a while, but this one has been in the ocean a few times.
Why are you asking?
hey Shane, you're the best watch reviewer seriously
Thanks!
Beautiful. I, personally, am not paying that kind of money for a Seiko that isn't Grand. Still a beauty, though.
I hear yah. I'm curious what most people conisder to be too much for a Seiko. Maybe I should do a poll.
Nice dial but too heavy for me at 175 grams on the bracelet . Also $1250 is too much cash for what you get .At that price point I would rather get a Laco Atlantik diver ( about $150 less) on rubber strap or a Damasko 42 ( about $ 250 more ) both German made using Swiss movements . Both in my option have better specs are better value for money , and will be more comfortable to wear for every day use than this “ clunker “. Seiko bracelets are also not that great in my opinion. On a bracelet I would get a Glycine Combat Sub 42 mm for about half the price, or a Yema Superman 41 mm for about $250 less. Both use Swiss automatic movements and again are better value in my opinion. I love Seiko but they have gotten a bit greedy when it comes to price .
great video thank you, I only wish if nomos tangente s could be around this price range
Very true. Some point I'd love to check them out, but the price is kept me from doing so.
Wonderful comprehensive review. Many thanks. Gorgeous watch!
Why always automatics? I understand the inner workings are more involved. Is this A snobbery thing? Auto over, Kinetic, Quartz, etc.
Personally i wear both, but as for channel, generally speaking there are more interst in Automatics. Part of it is due to snobbery in the community, but I think a lot of it is also becaue most of the "nicer" watches are Autos. Most companies don't put as much attention into their quartz watches.
There are some exceptions of course.... and some of those videos perfom fairly well.
As for kinetic watches... they are kind of dead. Seiko doesn't seem to care much about them anymore, and there is more of a focus on Solar. And this is coming from someone who was a fan of their kinetic watches.
@@RelativeTime Thank you. I bought an Invicta with the Miyota internals. Not impressed. The actuator (Pendulum) seems, well, stiff. My first and probable last auto purchase. Thank you again. I have asked the same question to quite a few sites and received nothing back. Good luck with all you do.
Am always lost with the Seiko ref models......bought a similar watch, spb187j1 (had to look it up) wears the same as the sbdc101, slightly larger. The 101 wears like a compact 39mm. However, comparing these 2 with the sbdc053 which is 42.6mm, the sbdc053 wears better, more comfortable and am glad I didn't buy the Seiko bracelet for it, the strapcode is great. Not at all impressed by the accuracy of the sbdc101 aka spb143j1 nor of the spb187j1 (similar to this one in the vid) as the 6r35 isn't much better than the 6r15. Some more PR and better mainspring but that's just about it. The sbdc053 replaced mainspring, regulated and it's at -1 sec @ 24h. The other two are 1 month old and are at +20 sec @ 24h !!!! That, altho for Seiko is within specs, for me is unacceptable. Despite the fact that the mm300 is in many folks a Grail, I do regret buying it. Far too bulky, a very slim (and flimsy) bracelet with a tin can clasp and to access the mechanism, only via crystal. Won't get into GS now but in the range of this model in vid along with a few others that I've bought, would have been better off with say +$200 and have, ceramic insert, better bracelet/clasp and better QC. But....like you said, it's Seiko we're talking about. Great review as always, many thanks and stay safe.
Beautiful watch.
I'm not a diver watch guy but this one peaked my interest and I almost made it through the entire video. But, you lost me at the lume commentary. Man, too bad about the lume quality. Bet you were bummed out too. That watch looked great on the brown leather strap though. Nice job
Shane, sorry to pinpoint that, but on a second viewing of the video, I noticed that you show the image of 6159 while talking about 6215.
Which part? Was it the still image or what was on Chrono24?
@@RelativeTime The still image one, Chrono24 was correct.
Interesting. I grabbed that off seiko's promo for the new models. It had it listed as the 1968 inspiration. I thought they were referring to the 6215. Maybe I got it wrong.
www.seikowatches.com/us-en/products/prospex/special/1965-1968-1970-savetheocean
@@RelativeTime Yeah, I guess they referred to 6159 as the first 300m hi-beat diver, mentioning it being a 10-beat one. Donno why they don't like the 6215 that much😅
I got that watch, amazing, worth well the price 👍🏻
It really is!
Terrific review. Love your lighting and macro photography. Gorgeous dial. Many thanks 🙏 😊
Glad you enjoyed it!
thank you!
It's a beautiful watch, BUT I can't help but feel, Seiko never give you more than they have too, & the ongoing saga of bezel alignment is symptomatic of QC that should have been addressed a long time ago. I vote with my wallet & now choose to buy something other than Seiko.
As a MM300 fan, that's a great content. Unfortunately lume really take me down at that price range.
A couple people have told me that the poor lume is just with this model, and the other mmr watches are better. But I can't confirm until I see it.