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TimeTechTalk.com > Time Tech Talk > New Arrivals > Seiko SBCM023 (and some thoughts about long term ownership) |
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TimeTechTalk.com > Time Tech Talk > New Arrivals > Seiko SBCM023 (and some thoughts about long term ownership) |
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| Seiko SBCM023 (and some thoughts about long term ownership) | Rate Topic |
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| Posted: Sun Apr 24th, 2016 04:44 pm |
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1st Post |
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OldeCrow 3T WIS 
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So I finally let this watch get the better of me and bought one in decent condition with box and papers for a really good price. After a little hassle over shipping a watch with a Lithium coin cell battery it was shipped without a battery and arrived at my door.  My first observation is that this watch is long out of production and even Seiko Japan probalby won't be able to do much more than change the battery and set the time. Since this was a JDM (Japan Domestic Model) it was made in very small production numbers and the movement and it's variants also were not used in very many models and also in very small production numbers so what I really have here is completely disposable watch that frequently fetches absurdly high prices 400-500 dollar range. I do like the idea that that it will keep track of the date without adjustment but setting the year, month, date also is very difficult even with proper instructions the movement is moody and difficult to prod in the right direction. The movement is also very fragile and easy to damage by amateur hands so even though the battery is good for eight years it may not survive the next battery change, I have opted to send it in to Seiko for the battery installation and calendar reset since all I have been able to do is verify it works I have been unsuccessful in properly reseting it and setting the calendar. It is also slightly smaller than the skx models, the sbcm0023 sports 20mm lugs and a slightly smaller case too meaning the factory 29mm crystal is also not very common and sapphire nonexistent, the crown is also unique to this model series so replacement crowns will be impossible to find too. All in all I am sorry I let myself get suckered into this watch, it may have been remarkable in it's day but it's just a glorified quartz diver and nothing but a problem waiting to happen now. On the plus side now I know this smaller sized Seiko diver wears really well so I am on the hunt for a nice midsize Seiko automatic diver to try!
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| Posted: Mon Apr 25th, 2016 11:04 am |
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2nd Post |
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oagaspar Site Founder 
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Congrats,nice snag Chris... I'm kinda sorry I passed on these about 3-5 years ago when they were popping up on the sales forums in the $350.-$500. range as you say and in mint/new condition.The 8F35 Quartz movement, at 196 kHz,with perpetual calendar was not on my radar back then and wish it was! 
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| Posted: Mon Apr 25th, 2016 11:39 am |
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3rd Post |
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OldeCrow 3T WIS
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Ya this one was worn but not bad and it cleaned up nicely, I have a NOS crystal coming for it and It needs a new crown though it's still grabbing some threads it should grab twice as much as it does. It's a likable watch and the technology is impressive. I'm just disappointed I couldn't put in on and wear it, hopefully I'll have it back properly set soon! I tried to reset it with a new battery myself but all I could do was verify it would work, never got it to reset like the instructions describe, there are five contacts on the back of the movement that get shorted to the battery to reset the movement and then set the year month and date accordingly and there is some combination of pulling the crown out too... It's about as simple as learning to line dance on rollerskates...  I figured I better stop before I mess it up or break something! I was really surprised at how nice it wears, has a very rolex feel about it in the smaller size I could easily wear a midsize as a daily wear watch! Last edited on Mon Apr 25th, 2016 11:49 am by OldeCrow |
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| Posted: Mon Apr 25th, 2016 05:14 pm |
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4th Post |
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stew77 Admin 
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Thanks for the nice new arrival writeup Chris!   Your writeup has been an education for me, as the Perpetual Calendar JDM models from Seiko have not been on my radar at all (past or present for that matter). Like you said, the perpetual calendar concept is a cool one once the proper year, month, date get set up. I hope they are able to get yours properly set up and running great. I consider you an expert on Seikos, especially the JDM models both past and present. I'm always impressed with the reconditioning and rebuilds that you do so often with a bunch of cool Seikos. Maybe you won't feel quite so suckered once the watch gets set up and you have some time to enjoy the perpetual calendar feature a bit. The ULTIMATE grab-and-go, right?...pretty cool if you ask me. 
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| Posted: Mon Apr 25th, 2016 06:33 pm |
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5th Post |
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OldeCrow 3T WIS
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Thanks Chris, it really is a great watch! I wanted to write something about it while I was unhappy. My observations about serviceability are valid points to consider when buying and I would have been far more forgiving if I had been happy about it! Seiko does still have a perpetual calendar they offer in a dress kinetic which is kind of even better on paper than a plain quartz perpetual but the kinetic's have about a 10 year lifespan so it's not really a gain over an 8 year LI coin cell. and the non kinetics have the potential to be thinner so I don't know that a kinetic perpetual is an improvement... Last edited on Mon Apr 25th, 2016 06:34 pm by OldeCrow |
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| Posted: Wed Apr 27th, 2016 05:27 am |
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6th Post |
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Joe94128 3T WIS 
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what kind of bezel is used there and give the information about crown also and for me watch is very stylish.
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