Reply With QuoteWhat a wonderful post Paul. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it and almost felt the glee you had when you found the watch that is perfect for you.
A long time ago, I owned a titanium Citizen Eco-Drive watch, with 200m water resistance, one-piece Duratect titanium case, and 24-hour GMT function. I used it and loved it. Took it diving in the Maldives on honeymoon. Climbed mountains in it. Wore it to work. It was my only watch.
Then, after some years, the capacitor or internal battery no longer held a charge. I took it back to the shop, where I was informed that Citizen could repair it for the cost of a full service, which was close to the purchase price of a new one.
A somewhat bitter conversation followed where I may have mentioned that it is hardly 'eco' if it needs an expensive service to replace the capacitor or battery after a few years - might as well just buy a standard battery-powered watch which is cheaper and much less time consuming to maintain.
Well recently I rather missed its simple ruggedness and also the 24 hour hand. I owned a decent GMT Master 16753 which I loved but replaced (after experiencing servicing issues with Rolex) with a simple Orient Excursionist. Little wrong with that model, a bit large for me though, so it went.
I have been GMT-less for some while.
Thinking I ought to be able to find something similar to my original from Seiko or Citizen, I took a look. Surprisingly, not much available. The closest I found was an Attessa model, Duratect Titanium in a simple design with 24 hour hand. I almost bought it, but I noticed the strap attachment design seemed to preclude using "normal" straps, which made me pause. Lots of other choices were eliminated for being too big, too full of features I don't need, too expensive or too, well, naff.
If anyone has any ideas in this area, I'm still open to suggestions. In the meantime, wondering around Ginza, I pop into one of the many watch shops for a browse. Among all the Pateks, IWCs and APs I find ...
A Seiko Landmaster SBCW009 "Transpolar" Mint, full-length titanium bracelet, double-boxed with papers, tags and sales receipt from 1999.
Seiko will not only still service these, they do it for a reasonable price. A little less than 20,000 yen (125 pounds at current exchange rate) for a full Seiko service. This includes upgrading the movement if necessary, to the later version with a longer power reserve.
The Seiko Landmaster has a long history, including design input from adventurers such as Ken Noguchi and others. It has a loyal following but is somewhat overshadowed by the Marinemaster series online. This particular model was issued to commemorate Mitsuro Ohba's trans-polar (Siberia to Canada, over the North Pole) expedition in 1997, which he undertook solo.
Three previous attempts had failed. Ohba subsequently commented he felt lucky to have merely lost toes and fingers.
He wore a Landmaster during the trip.
Later he traversed the South Pole solo, again wearing a Landmaster, modified to have the 24 hour hand rotating anti-clockwise. This allowed him to navigate the same way as he did in the northern hemisphere. This watch was released as the SBCW023.
The blue dial on this Transpolar version features a map of the Artic with the North Pole at the centre and the departure (Cape Arktichesky) and arrival (Ellesmere Island) points noted in small yellow text. From a distance, these look like dial imperfections. From the photo, you can see that the text and markings are in fact, superbly executed.
The entire watch is matt titanium. Case (including case-back - it is all one piece), bezel and bracelet. The movement is kinetic, a fairly noisy rotor charging the internal battery, which powers a Quartz movement. The hour hand is independently adjustable in one hour steps forward or backwards, and the date follows this, forwards or backwards.
The 24 hour hand is slaved to the minute hand. As is usual with Landmasters, the bezel is a compass one, bi-directional. On this model, there is no ratchet. The bezel moves with the assured smoothness of a Leica lens barrel. A button at 2 o'clock shows how much charge is left.
As a simple, tested, rugged and reliable watch I am very happy with it.
My quest is thus complete. I give the final words to Ohba:
Three times I was defeated by nature trying to reach the Pole. I went feeling too sure of myself, and going to the North Pole with the attitude that “I can take on anything” is dangerous. I was lucky to only lose some fingers and toes.
Others have died.
When you fail three times, no matter how stupid you are, you realize that fear, humility and gratitude are important. After finally figuring that out, I was able to successfully complete my solo trek on the fourth attempt.
If I were to express in a few words what adventure has given me, it would be the simple realization of how wonderful it is just to be alive.
I have learned how precious life is, and how fleeting. On my treks I felt like I was living in the ice age, having arrived from the present. If I had to decide which time is better I would choose this one.
Living with others in harmony and friendship, and at the end, dying at home surrounded by the ones you love - I think that’s a good way to live.
Last edited by Tokyo Tokei; 19th June 2021 at 16:48. Reason: images recovered
What a wonderful post Paul. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it and almost felt the glee you had when you found the watch that is perfect for you.
A fantastic post thanks for sharing. I love the polar explorers and tales of adventures in far off places. A great testament to the watch and helps prove that watches don't have to be overly expensive to be interesting.
Steve
I stand in awe!
Fabulous piece.
Great Watch.
I spent a long time looking for a Seiko GMT, as I like the genuine GMT function.
I had all but plumped for a used Flightmaster (SBCW005), because I have a pet hate of compass bezels and wanted a moving 24hr bezel, and the one on the Flightmaster looked great.
However, I then realised I could get an almost new SUN019 for about half the price of the Flightmaster, which has started accumulating collector value.
So I got one of those instead, and despite its large size, I like it very much indeed.
Good old Seiko GMTs, we'd have to buy Rolexes otherwise.
D
Good read & good find.
What a satisfying read and a handsome watch - just the kind of thing I like finding on TZ-UK.
With such a backstory, do you ever find your mind wandering when you look at the dial?
Thats a lovely looking watch. I had the "normal" version of this a couple of years ago and can confirm it was fully serviced by Seiko UK where it was given a new movement (apparently they changed the type of capacitor at some stage and mine was the old one) and it was pennies over £100
Great thread and a fantastic watch.
Great post and great watch - it looks to be in stunning condition.
I had the standard model for a while and it is really a very nicely made thing. I moved it on as I found a kinetic didn't fit so well in my collection (too much hassle for me to keep it charged) but would otherwise have kept it.
Interestingly yours looks to have a simple clasp whereas mine had the ratcheting clasp from the MM300 in full Ti.
Thanks all, yes a simple pleasure this one. Clasp on this version is indeed without the ratchet, just the micro adjust. It fits very well, and of course weighs very little. It doesn't feel insubstantial, just kind of "right". Still surprised there is nothing really similar currently available.
Bonus pic, still hitting the markers after 16 years :
Paul
Enjoyed reading that and a very cool and robust looking watch with a nice back story.
Pedantic mode on: the Russian bit doesn't say Arktichevski, but Arkticheskiy.
Thanks ! Not pedantic at all, I appreciate the correction.Originally Posted by 50kopek
Paul
Superb find and a great write-up.
Worth mentioning the Landmaster line is still going, the slightly bonkers SBDB005 being a current incarnation.
Personally I've always been a bit drooly over the SBDW003 Sagarmatha as well:
Fantastic post.
Thank you.
I love the map on the dial. Here's to another 15 years!
I like the Sagarmatha version ( design input from Ken Noguchi, whose LE IWC Ingenieur I own and wrote about in the Reviews section ) but it is quite expensive now. As another little bit of history, I found this elsewhere on Ohba's input to Seiko. He'd already requested the lightest possible watch, hence the titanium construction, and further ...
The Landmasters were designed by Ikuo Tokunaga ( of Seiko dive watch fame ). He was serious about them and has stated that these watches are “worth entrusting your life to”Ohba explained that since the Magnetic Pole is not the exact location of the North Pole, compasses became useless navigation instruments as he neared the Pole. Mr. Ohba wanted to use the sun as a compass and he asked Seiko to provide a function on the watch to allow him to do so. This is the origin of the 24 hour hand on the Landmaster dial.
Paul
Last edited by Tokyo Tokei; 16th September 2015 at 21:45.
You rang?
And Tokyo Tokei - great catch. I had the non-LE version some years ago - I wore it for my PADI course in Thailand, and it was a great watch. Yes, the rotor is a little noise, and I found the hollow end-links a bit rattly, but that was easily solved by using a NATO! But it was accurate, and light. The one-piece case was a joy, and it's good to hear that Seiko will still service it!
If you find another, please let me know!
I really like the Spring Drive version. I wonder if the choice not to use solar and preference for mechanical charging ( battery or spring ) is due to the prolonged lack of sunlight during the Artic winter ? Whatever, it seems all Landmasters have passed real-world tests far beyond my own capabilities.
On Mt Asama, above, it was so cold at the summit that my water supply froze as did my "cold resistant" camera. I couldn't move my fingers. The hiking poles are just looped over my wrists. I wore a Seiko monster, on the outside of my jacket open to the elements, and it was absolutely fine. I will try the Landmaster next time. I don't think I could possibly punish it as much as others have.
Re finding another. It's a limited edition but not that limited. I think to 1800~ pieces, in commemoration of the 1800~ Km polar expedition. Which makes me rather wish Ohba had found a shorter route. Still, they do pop up from time to time. Try Rakuten. Even a beaten up one can be serviced back to good condition.
Paul
Thanks for the reply!
I think I'm going to keep my eye open for this LE Landmaster. It's really appeals to me!
A few more pictures before this thread sinks below the ice...
Paul
Last edited by Tokyo Tokei; 17th September 2015 at 16:11.
nice score on the Landmaster. a lot of people don't know about them...some interesting history in there for the reading. i never bought a kinetic model prefering an auto movement (SBDX009) that i wear on occasion.
Cracking story Paul and enjoy the watch. That Sagarmatha is lovely too!
Excellent post, a really enjoyable read and I love the watch it looks brilliant.
Cheers
Simon
Ralph Waldo Emerson: We ask for long life, but 'tis deep life, or noble moments that signify. Let the measure of time be spiritual, not mechanical.
Great post Paul, proper old school wis topic!
Thanks again gents, it's certainly an oldie but the whole Landmaster series gets relatively little attention so perhaps worth airing one from time to time. Certainly seems to me that Seiko's Tokunaga spent at least as much effort in the design of these as the more well-known Marinemasters. The titanium, 24hr hand, and ( later ) removal of the minute markers ( after Ken Noguchi's input that they were distracting when at altitude on Everest ) and use of ceramics all arising from actual explorer feedback.
So a picture of the designer, Mr Ikuo Tokunaga, in appreciation:
I wonder if there is another watch series with as much real-world feedback incorporated ? Perhaps the Marinemasters, I am not sure. It's one thing to call your watch "Landmaster" ( or dare I say it, "Explorer" or any other rugged-sounding name ) but another to keep iterating the design according to professional user feedback. So although Ken Noguchi took an IWC on a later Everest expedition, I don't believe the design owes anything to his feedback. It's no worse for that, just making the point that proving your watch works in the cold is easy ( my Monster passes ... ) but not the same as improving your watch. I doubt Noguchi begged IWC to change the dial colour to brown. I'm sure he would have much rather it weighed less
And so back to Mitsuro Ohba, wearing his Landmaster in the Arctic as intended but much more interested in enjoying a chocolate roll:
The Flightmaster, mentioned earlier, is one I'd like to find. Seems to be the same watch but with a 24 hour bezel :
Seiko or Citizen could really do with making something similar today. Not too big. Proper GMT movement. Rugged enough. Will keep looking but I can't fault the old Land/Flightmasters in their many guises. A bit of history often often overlooked by all us armchair divers.
Paul
Any idea if the GMT hand is independent adjustable? If yes, how to do it?
The GMT hand is slaved to the minute hand. The hour hand is independently adjustable, in one hour jumps, without the minute or seconds hand stopping, and the date follows it. So the local time ( and date - it follows the hour hand both forwards and backwards ) is always shown with the main hands. The GMT hand always tracks whatever timezone you synched it to when setting the minutes.
Paul
A very enjoyable read, thanks.
Hi Paul, thanks for the reply. If the GMT hand tracks with the minute hand then GMT is always shown the local time. To track the other time zone one need to use the bezel?
You can track any time zone with the GMT hand. Just rotate the minute hand around until he GMT hand is on the timezone you wish to follow. Then set the hour hand to local time.
Not true. But then of course both the hour hand and the GMT hand move with the minutes. What discerns the "local" and "home" is the setting.
In this case (as with Rolex, but not ETA GMT movements), the GMT hand is set to "home time" and when you are home you have the normal hour hand to that time too. The GMT hand rotates once every 24 hrs, the Hour hand, twice.
When you hop on a plane, you pull out the crown and adjust the main hour hand (not the GMT hand) in one hour increments to the new local time, leaving the mins and secs carrying on, unhacked.
So the GMT hand remains on "home" time and the hour hand displays "local" time wherever you have flown to.
Dave
Perfect. Now, i know.
How to use the compass bezel for navigation from the Seiko instruction booklet. Assuming the 24 hour hand is set to local time, it's very simple ...
Paul
This is really interesting stuff. Thank you for sharing.
Thank you Tony ! There's some interest to be had in the various avenues Seiko traversed in their watchmaking history. Kinetic was probably a good idea prior to 10-year lithium batteries and efficient solar cells. There's not much need now, but I read somewhere that Seiko has sold millions and millions of Kinetics, so it was by no means a failure. I sheepishly admit I like charging the watch by swinging it to and fro as I peruse TZ-UK, listening to the ratchety rotor. It is somewhat soothing. This is an activity best performed alone.
Of course I have to wear other watches from time to time, so another method of charging needed to be found. I tried the "put it on the electric toothbrush charger" method, to no avail. The dedicated Seiko kinetic induction charger is hard to find and expensive. So I have employed another bit of thoughtful, well-executed but doomed Japanese technology ...
Paul
That's a great find Paul!
I was eyeing one on Rakuten (maybe yours?) and couldn't make a decision, that one was serviced and all.
Great pics of a very rare and good looking watch.
Daddel.
Got a new watch, divers watch it is, had to drown the bastard to get it!
Quite possibly. I bought it in person from the shop in Ginza ( http://www.rasin.co.jp ) but like most of these places they advertise on Rakuten too.
Thanks for the kind comments,
Paul
Very stylish and yet rugged design. I have a slight problem with kinetics, but your version is lovely!
Enjoy it :)
From during the week, catching the autumn sunset :
... enjoying it, and could not resist picking up a SBDW005 today as a companion:
Straight onto a Timefactors olive canvas and ready for the weekend:
Paul
Another landmaster transpolar,great watches;well built,light ,great attention to detail in the dial and link to moving story of Mitsuro Ohba.
The ' one watch ' thought a dangerous road to go down.
Our cat rather camera shy.
And another one,the SBBW 005,from 1995.This one dosnt have gmt hand.
The black one in my previous post (model ref: SBDW005) started to lose its battery capacity. I like the watch and generally use it on a BC rubber strap:
However I have a few watches so cannot keep this one worn constantly. It would work for a week or two without issue, but not the full 6 months. It doesn't charge on my winder, like most kinetics, and I have never had any luck with this one on the toothbrush charger. The blue one (model ref: SBCW009) posted earlier in this thread uses the older capacitor and charges without issue by induction. But not this newer version. Also, the rotor was sounding rough and the bezel action was not quite consistent. I decided to drop in to Seiko's original shop in Ginza:
Servicing was recommended, not surprisingly, and is fixed price from a menu. A full service for this model is ¥19,000 + tax (8%) or about £135 in today's devalued pounds. The original list price of this watch was ¥130,000 for reference. I left the watch with them and they called about 2 weeks later to say it was complete. Picking it up earlier this week, I was told the entire movement had been replaced, along with new seals, pusher and crown. It was tested and guaranteed for a year.
It has noticeably smoother and more "willing" rotor winding and it shows a full 6-month charge. The bezel is very tight, with a consistent resistance. There is no ratchet as it is a compass bezel. Doesn't look a whole lot different on the outside except for the crown and pusher which are currently a little shinier than the old ones. Some pictures...
On the wrist:
Lume is typical Seiko:
Solid titanium bezel. designed for outdoor pursuits. Very hard to damage and the compass markings can be used with the 24-hour hand to get your bearing:
One piece titanium case:
Sapphire glass on these Landmasters, unlike the contemporary Marinemasters of the time:
One of Seiko's best sports watch dials in my opinion:
Very happy with this no-fuss, reasonably priced and quick maintenance from Seiko. Must be good for another 20 years now.
Paul
Last edited by Tokyo Tokei; 13th July 2016 at 00:35.
I'm a big fan of the Landmaster. Particularly the SBDW005, I had looked at getting one before but something else caught my eye at the time.
Every now and then I do a search online for one but they don't come up for sale that often. What sort of money are these at now ? I only ask as you have two and clearly know the market better than I.
I've never heard of this model before. What a wonderful watch and some great pics.
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The landmaster is a lovely watch. There appear to be a few on ebay right now. But they are all from abroad unfortunately. More expensive than it used to be 🙁...
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Really nice to see and I admire your dedication.
Just seen this thread. This reminds me of the Omega Seamaster GMT, would love to see one for real. Love the texture of the bottom half of the bezel.
The Flightmaster, mentioned earlier, is one I'd like to find. Seems to be the same watch but with a 24 hour bezel :
Seiko or Citizen could really do with making something similar today. Not too big. Proper GMT movement. Rugged enough. Will keep looking but I can't fault the old Land/Flightmasters in their many guises. A bit of history often often overlooked by all us armchair divers.
Paul
I always wanted a Sagarmatha but they are very limited and were too expensive for me at the time. Would they also be the 19,000 yen to service, do you know?
I would expect so as the second Sagarmartha uses the same movement. The earlier one uses the older movement with the capacitor, but at service would likely be replaced with the more modern movement. It is a drop-in replacement. Some of the other limited edition Landmasters make use of ceramics so may be more expansive to service if case work is required, but these are incredibly well-built watches and I think stand up to a lot of hard use.
The limited editions vary from about ¥80,000 and up. The "standard" black one with the 6 month reserve can sometimes be found for ¥40,000~ on Yahoo Auctions, depending on condition, age and whether the bracelet is included. The bracelet is full grade 5 titanium and available as a replacement part from Seiko still, but costs ¥40,000 by itself...
There is an excellent history of the various Landmasters here https://musingsofawatchaddict.wordpr...mited-edition/
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