Category: Seiko

A Seiko SJE093 62MAS Reissue Kicks Two Vintage Rolex Submariners Out of the Watch Box

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Seiko 62MAS and Vacheron Platinum Dress Watch

While I was away from BTD, I acquired two neo-vintage Rolex Subs. One is a two-tone 16803 from 1984 I got in a bizarre cash deal. It doesn’t glow, as the tritium has burnt through it’s half life a couple times. 1984 was the first year of the two-tone Sub, so eventually this will be a significant watch for collectors. The other Rolex Sub is a perfectly ghosted 16800 from 1981, making it a “transitional Sub,” which has a sapphire crystal and the quick-set date, but the old-school matte dial of the earlier 1680s. As my colleague, friend and well-known Sub-fanatic Greg Bredosian says, “That’s peak Sub right there.”

Field Report – The Turtle That Crawled Through Chernobyl – A Destroyed Seiko 6309-7040

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Seiko 6309-7040, The Turtle That Crawled Through Chernobyl

I take a look down at the Seiko 6309 Turtle, the lume long since faded. I turn the Seiko towards a window. I am almost in complete darkness, my camera seeing more than I can. The Seiko’s bezel indicates that my hour is almost up. I retrace my steps from empty room to empty room and find our fixer and our driver smoking cigarettes at the entrance to the hospital. 

Curating the Collection – A Vintage Seiko Speedtimer 6139 Pogue Chronograph Ousts a Ceramic Daytona From a Rolex Collection

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Seiko Speedtimer 6139

Where I once thought of my Seiko Speedtimer 6139 as the anomaly in my Rolex-centric collection, I’ve since started to see that it actually plays an important role somewhere near center stage. The 6139 has somehow managed to work its way through my tangle of collecting rules and straight onto my wrist with nearly the frequency of any other watch I own.

Restoration Workbench Seiko Liner 14090 – How Resistant to Water were Seiko’s Earliest Waterproof Watches?

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Seiko will claim that waterproof watch production started in earnest in 1965 with the 150M 62MAS, however in the years prior to the 62MAS, Seiko did experiment with water proofing other models. Many collectors will agree that Seiko’s first waterproof watch was the manually-wound Seiko Cronos ‘Sea horse’ from the Daini factory, released in December… Read more »

Hands-On Seiko Shogun Titanium Dive Watch SPB191 SBCD131

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The Skinny Extending Seiko’s Heritage (Not Regurgitating It) I’m done with Seiko’s reissued dive watches. They’re never just like the original, the large Prospex logo announces that fact, and I’ve just grown bored with the whole enterprise. Seiko was always a forward-looking brand, and I think advanced design and technology celebrates Seiko’s heritage more than… Read more »

Hands-On Seiko Speedtimer SSC819P1 – A Disappointing Chronograph

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The Skinny Reference: SSC819P1 Dimensions: 39 x 45.5 x 13.3mm Material: Stainless Steel Water Resistance: 100m Movement: V192 Strap: Steel Bracelet  Price: $675 USD Seiko, like many other watch brands recently, has been busy releasing fresh takes on their classic, historical designs. I was excited to hear in 2021 that the Speedtimer branding was returning… Read more »

Collector Guide The Short-Lived Seiko Liner

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In 1960, Seiko’s Suwa factory launched a brand of luxury dress watches known as the Liner. The Liner range was to fit just below the newly launched Grand Seiko range, providing much of the style and luxury without the high precision of the Chronometer-rated Grand Seiko model. However, by 1964, the brand was no more,… Read more »