Reply With QuoteLook great thanks for sharing
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These are being mentioned in threads about other watches but I thought they might have a post of their own.
SBDC125 and SBDC127
SBDC129 and SBDC131
These are titanium, slightly larger than the steel SBDC125/127, and have a cyclops.
All four have Seiko's Diashield case treatment, sapphire crystal with internal anti-reflective coating, and feature the 6R35 movement.
Prospex catalogue pictures:
(Model refs may be different outside Japan)
Last edited by Tokyo Tokei; 3rd November 2020 at 04:13.
Look great thanks for sharing
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the 192 looks much nicer to me
I like the mm200 with updated hands. I assume more colors will follow.
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Why ruin the titanium one with a cyclops...WHY!?!?!
The mm200 is just 12.5mm? Would be great if Seiko finally introduce thinner divers.
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Does anyone else feel like the bezels should be switched between the SBDC125 and SBDC127?
And put the hands from the 125/7 onto the 131? I've been a Seiko fan for 30+ years but I'm getting a bit bored of their stuff now.
Originally Posted by JimSclavunos
At least it's not a double-length day date cyclops
And they have matched the dial colour to the date disc on the titanium ones. I got used to the cyclops on my 6R15 Monster, also with matched date disc:
The Prospex X I was never too pleased about. The place for that, should it have to be anywhere, would be the crown.
Seiko's Diashield works well. My Astron has it, and I'm impressed by its endurance. And everything else to be honest. Detail, quality and finishing is Grand Seiko comparable. A WIS secret at the moment.
Minus the Prospex X, and one of Seiko's excellent quartz movements, I'd probably be all over these latest divers. I get the Prospex branding as an idea (everyone wants a line like "G shock", where the brand carries frequent updates) but the execution is a little off for me.
But considering the pedigree of Seiko with respect to dive watches, the overall quality on offer, and in-house everything, these autos still appear very reasonable compared to other offerings from other major competitors.
Thanks for posting those, OP - as a big fan of the MM200 I am especially keen on the 125 and 127, so it will be interesting to see them in the flesh when they are available.
At least it's not a double-length day date cyclops
And they have matched the dial colour to the date disc on the titanium ones. I got used to the cyclops on my 6R15 Monster, also with matched date disc:
The Prospex X I was never too pleased about. The place for that, should it have to be anywhere, would be the crown.
Seiko's Diashield works well. My Astron has it, and I'm impressed by its endurance. And everything else to be honest. Detail, quality and finishing is Grand Seiko comparable. A WIS secret at the moment.
Minus the Prospex X, and one of Seiko's excellent quartz movements, I'd probably be all over these latest divers. I get the Prospex branding as an idea (everyone wants a line like "G shock", where the brand carries frequent updates) but the execution is a little off for me.
But considering the pedigree of Seiko with respect to dive watches, the overall quality on offer, and in-house everything, these autos still appear very reasonable compared to other offerings from other major competitors.
Aaah TT, a good time to rekindle our discussion/derision of the "Prospex" logo - we did like to bash it prior to your little hiatus!
I have a Turtle with it, it's not bad, but I still don't have to like it. None of my other Seikos have it and personally I'm sworn off new Seikos - the QA/QC issues makes me rather hesitant.
And, yes, at least the cyclops isn't that dastardly elongated thingy and as has been shown by a few, easily removable so that is an option.
I do fancy trying an Astron at some point - as you point out, there is nothing obviously wrong with it, the design seems pretty good. A bit pricey, but I'm sure discounts to be had. How are the bracelet on these?
Bracelet is good, also Diashield treated. Probably better than the GS ones I have used. At least, comparable. It remains unmarked, like the case.
Poor picture:
I've also used it on the "correct" Seiko fitted rubber strap with deployant. The strap is fine, but the deployant is the most uncomfortable thing I have ever used, regardless of which way around it is configured. Awful. Expensive too. A cheap 22mm generic rubber strap was much better:
My only negative on the Astron, and it may not be an issue for some, is the size. Mine is the 8x variant, which is smaller than the preceding 7x original, but still fairly large. Seiko developed their own GPS receiver, of course, rather than buying one from Sony like the smartwatch vendors, presumably to suit the solar power / 6+ months power reserve needs. And the antenna, a challenge for a steel watch, is a ring beneath the ceramic bezel, also a Seiko patent.
The latest Astrons, the 5x, are smaller still. I'd look there if buying today. The progress of the autonomous GPS watch (not smartwatch) is seemingly following the progress of the original quartz watch, in finding lower power, smaller, bespoke solutions. A post on a mechanical watch with an innovative (?) green dial or bezel will rack up 1100+ replies, but the real horological innovation today remains with the Japanese quartz manufacturers.
Anyway, this is notionally a Prospex thread so enough on that here! I should probably add the Astron to the moribund Interesting Quartz thread at some point. I think it is the current state of the art, and as I said, a viable alternative to a Grand Seiko.
I've clearly missed discussion on the Prospex X during my time out. It just seems that long ago, Seiko divers were easy enough to understand: The cheapies, the SKX, perfectly functional and reliable ISO-rated tools. The serious tunas. And the higher-end MM300 and GS divers for that end of the market.
Now, it's impossible to sustain a massive global watch business selling £100-£2000 watches that last decades and are cheap to service (if they need servicing at all). So I suspect the G Shock branding idea is the model. Have a range, many different prices and styles, limited editions and re-issues, all under one banner. Casio have managed it well with G Shock, where a mad range of very different watches are available, with new ones released literally every month. I suspect Seiko hope to emulate this with Prospex. The logo on the dial somehow tying it all together.
We shall see! Regardless, the new ones posted here seem pretty good on their own terms. The titanium one with a quartz movement would be a decent return to those days, 20 years ago, when you could get a solid Seiko titanium diver for £1000 or thereabouts. I can live with the 6R35 though. It's reliable, not very needy, and is cheap to service (here, at least) if necessary.
Paul
Seiko’s collections feel so bloated, bland and overpriced these days. They discontinued all their best watches and replaced them with inferior versions. There are Chinese firms and micro brands offering NH35 or ETA powered watches with sapphire, ceramic and better bracelets for half of what Seiko are now charging.
They knocked it out of the park with the SPB143, that should be their flagship diver but it gets lost among all the other guff.
Whilst I agree with some of that, I’m not sure it all holds water.
I’m not a fan of tunas, turtles, sumos, samurais, shoguns, Willards or any of the presage line but I recognise that others are. Ditto, some of the use of colour (I’m looking at you zimbe) seem awful to me but so long as there are options, it’s no bad thing. I recognise it might be seen as bloated but I certainly wouldn’t call any of it bland!
Microbrands have flooded the sub £1k space and seiko has wisely (in my view) positioned themselves a little higher on the price ladder. They’re no longer competing as great value watches, they’re an established brand with a legacy, offering great watches at a lower price than European competitors. Given their reputation as a great value / under priced watch, they had room to do this and have tried to justify it by updating lines with ceramic bezels, sapphire crystals etc..even if, as we all know, they don’t raise the cost of production that much, they have at least addressed prior complaints about aluminium bezels and hardlex in the process.
I like the white-faced titanium model. I like the sapphire crystal and Diashield. And I could probably (just) live with the cyclops on this model.
But I couldn’t live with the price (poor bang for Seiko buck).
Not a challenge but just interested, is there a comparable in-house movement, ISO certified diver in scratch-resistant titanium from an established maker with global distribution and support and history of dive watch innovation, for less?
The issue is TT that in recent times, Seiko's own QA/QC has dipped somewhat and thus the feeling of 'rock solid value' has diminished somewhat. This is amplified by the upward creep of their retail pricing (though this is pretty much across most brands).
And with a dive watches you tend to get buyers falling into two camps at the moment - those who want the re-imagining/re-interpretations of old designs and those who want something a bit different. So though your comment is potentially correct (my biggest issue with what you say is Seiko's in house movements are a bit erratic and not really better than a 2824), unfortunately, these watches are a bit boring.
Definitely agree with those combinations!
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I mean, those are the obvious, traditional combinations. Seiko must have wanted to go against the grain with their design, which is fine but the wrong choice here IMO.
A re-designed Shogun with sapphire and 6r35 for nearly double the price of the old?
I'm just glad I have my Zimbe, I've always been a great fan of the Shogun, but at 1550,- Euro's?, No.
Got a new watch, divers watch it is, had to drown the bastard to get it!
Love the Shogun. Hopefully under £2k
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Love the Shogun. Hopefully under £2k
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See my above post Ryan.
Got a new watch, divers watch it is, had to drown the bastard to get it!
Only Seiko could make buying a Rolex look cheap.
I really like the look of the black dial/metal bezel SPB185. Time to see if anyone is taking pre-orders yet, I fancy a Christmas present that I know I'll like...
Ah 1550 Euros. That's awesome. I assumed it would be nearer £2k. Wow, I'm up for that :)
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I wonder what this will do to the prices on the old model? I've seen them go fairly cheap the last year or so, but maybe this will put that reference back in the spotlight?Love the Shogun. Hopefully under £2k
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I can't think of one. Maybe Omega can compete with the Seikos that cost £4k or so - I'm thinking perhaps a SM300 would be on par with the more expensive SLAs and Spring Drive Seikos. Nothing to compete with Seiko in the Sub £1.5k arena though using your benchmarks.
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Last edited by ryanb741; 12th November 2020 at 21:17.
Spot on. I'd buy this.
So ... Is the SBDC127 the same as the SPB187?
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A white dialled Shogun might be of interest but I'm not moved by this. One silly but endearing feature of the old handset was "Rocket Time" at noon and all the hands lined up. With that slimmer minute hand with window (second pip) looks bigger than the body it should sit in (minute hand). Daft, I know...Love the Shogun. Hopefully under £2k
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EDIT - Not a cyclops fan either
Whilst I hate to admit it, my MM200 is better finished/prettier than my Shogun. I'd have hoped a new Shogun would have taken some of that polish and added sapphire.
Still prefer Ti though.
Last edited by usedtobelurch; 12th November 2020 at 20:55. Reason: Cyclops, ugh
https://www.instagram.com/p/CHgMRrhK-Gk/
Hands on with the Shogun on Monochrome - https://monochrome-watches.com/seiko...-review-price/
Despite the nonsense cyclops, I think to say it looks really fab. I have a Titanium Diver already incoming early Feb, so that hole is already filled. Gonna be controversial and say it could be Seiko's best Diver release of 2020.....
White samurai minus cyclops would be superb
It's not bad. Side by side. I don't get why it isn't on bracelet though.
That white looks clean, would want it on the bracelet though and of course Seiko only doing it on the rubber, why Seiko?!
+1, and on the bracelet.
Bracelet and a brushed steel bezel would be my ultimate
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Watcho and AMJ seem to be happy to take pre-orders; Jura have confirmed that their allocation of the 185 is "already spoken for", which seems crazy to me, but there we are. Plenty of hype for these so maybe I shall just wait till the secondary market comes to life after the initial rush...I really like the look of the black dial/metal bezel SPB185. Time to see if anyone is taking pre-orders yet, I fancy a Christmas present that I know I'll like...
Does anyone know if there is an AR coating on the outside yet? Would be keen on the white if the Cyclops can be taken off without leaving a Cyclops sized AR void.
It says anti reflective coating on the inside on the Seiko Japan site
Thank you. let's hope there are discounts.
New shogun and MM200 models showing as in stock AND 15% off here -
https://www.hillierjewellers.co.uk/seiko-prospex-m3
Well that’s very tempting!
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Thanks for the heads up, I've ordered the 187.
These show as in stock, but the delivery date is in the first week of December, good enough for me.
Kind Regards,
Catalin
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Thanks for posting that, Skip - I had an "expression of interest" with Jura and they price matched that offer, so it's saved a good few quid.
I just received the 185... First impressions are good, overall.
The bracelet is standard stuff, nice enough if you like that sort of thing, slightly less annoying implementation of the diver extension, solid, perhaps a tad unremarkable.
The case is lovely - beautiful finishing and the interplay of polished and brushed surfaces is gorgeous. Tsunami case back as usual. I like the reduced diameter although the height remains the same, so proportionately the watch feels a bit taller on the wrist. The case and lug shape continue to hug the wrist well, though. I also find myself missing the way the first MM200’s bezel “sank into” the lugs. The effect is much less pronounced here.
The crystal: this is more like it! Sapphire with a bevelled edge, plenty of refractions at the edges and what seems to be decent AR.
The bezel: I really like it. Wasn’t sure I would, but brushed metal is unusual to me, and it looks great.
The dial: velvety black, nice and matt, and gorgeous applied markers with nice white lume. No fauxtina here. The white date wheel works nicely to balance the dial, too.
The hands: similar to the SPB149, the hands have two finishes - half polished and half brushed, which adds to the interest and makes them look quite substantial. I slightly miss the first MM200’s chisel tips, though. The seconds hand is great - a nice nod to the heritage but doesn’t feel overdone.
So, as I say, first impressions are good. It’s got plenty of vintage appeal from its proportions to its finishing, but it doesn’t amount to pastiche (to my eyes at least). I’m pretty happy with it!
I don’t know if it’s a recent release but I’ve just received a SRPE37K1, white dialled ‘Samurai’ (?) on a black rubber strap and I honestly think it’s the best budget watch I’ve ever owned!
Love the case design, the dial is crystal clear, the rubber strap is supremely comfortable and it’s an incredible amount of watch for the money!!
(Which was £530 but 20% off is available via one of the previous posts which is obviously even better!!)
Also though Gents please could someone more ‘Seiko aware’ than me highlight the differences between the SPB191J1 and my SRPE37K1 please?
I know the SPB191J1 is titanium and the dial is flat rather than textured but other than that, please educate me as to what else I’m missing?
Thank you....
Last edited by spuds; 24th November 2020 at 21:07.
Thought best just to reply on this thread! I have to say I really like it - but I'm also a fan of brushed metal bezels, so I think the whole look is fantastic! I'd definitely have been keen if I didn't have a rather special Diver incoming next week
Here’s a little bump to ask who’s seen a current Shogun in the metal – what’s it like?
Hasn’t Citizen got a Duratect-titanium (i.e. scratch resistant) ISO-certified diver or two?
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