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| #77 - The Seiko SBDX001 Marine Master. |
The SBDX001 looks so good. It’s big (44mm) and thick and the proportions
might be a little off but who cares. I bought mine in late April 2011 and it
was delivered on the bracelet. I really didn’t like the look of it on the
bracelet and it wasn’t very comfortable to wear. Too heavy. The rubber strap
looks quite unique. Some love it, some hate it. I think it looks awesome! In
the beginning it was quite hard and stiff but it softened up over time. I know
some people who put their rubber straps in a coffee mug and then fill it up
with boiling water to give it a rounder shape but I have never tried that. The
details and the finish of the SBDX001 are great. The bezel is lovely to turn
and the 8L35 movement runs so accurate and smooth. The sweeping of the hands are
not far from behaving as smooth as on a Spring Drive Seiko. One other thing I
really love about the watch is the one piece monocoque watch case. For me
that’s a sign of a true diver’s watch. Also it has amazing lume!
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| From left to right: Seiko SKX011J (modified), SKXA35 and SBDX001. |
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| An arm shot. |
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| A lume comparison between the three. |
I sold it because it was too big for me to wear as an everyday watch and to
have it sitting around in the drawer waiting for summer vacation didn’t feel
good. A watch like this should be worn with love every single day. But it was
just one of those that I had to try. It does cost a little more than the more
common SKX-divers but the extra money spent does make a big difference when it
comes down to all the details.
The SBDX001 was recently replaced by the SBDX017 which looks pretty much
the same but has got some upgrades on the movement and has also got the new
dia-shield treatment on the watch case and bracelet. There are also two limited
editions of the Marine Master, the SBDX003 and SBDX012 with nice gold details,
which are tributes to the original Seiko 6159-7001. The SBDX003 is my favorite
and it has a given place in my future collection of keepers to come.
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Flipper's Diary unless noted.
