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| Joined: | Sat Apr 11th, 2009 |
| Location: | Auckland, New Zealand |
| Posts: | 7504 |
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This is the packaging after Customs inspection.
These are the components of the entire package. The watch came with surprises for free: a Bergeon strap changing tool and a Zulu in black.
This was how it looked like all alone and my heart rate rising.
This is a portrait shot of the Marine Master
The caseback in DLC
The PVD'd or DLC'd buckle (hard to tell).
This is the ceramic shroud that protects the PVD'd titanium bezel and monocoqued titanium case. The shroud is further coated with a blackened steel/PVD type material thus all these provide the watch with lots of protection. This cocktail of materials gives the watch a fortress of strength. Between the movement's top plate and the "floor" of the watch case is a thin sheet of lead --- for anti-magnetic properties. Size of each of the 4 hexscrew heads is 5mm. The screws are blackened with a PVD type of coating
Here's another shot of the watch's profile with the shroud.
This is a better shot of the watch showing it as almost totally black. The dial is flat black and everything else is black except for the dial markings and indeces. Date disc is white with black numerals. There is no HEV needed because the watch simply doesn't need one. With the use of a proprietary L-shaped gasket, Seiko has totally eradicated the need for the HEV.
Here are a few wrist shots. I discovered that my small wrist at 6.75 inches does not take a liking to the watch's strap, and vice versa. Although the watch presents itself very well by rising from the wrist via lugs that are UNDER --- and not outside the case's edge, somehow the rubber strap with its wet suit fold extensions foils an otherwise excellent wrist presentation. The watch just doesn't stay put. I guess if I had bigger wrists of at least 7.25 inches, this would a perfect fit. Check out the below wrists shots and see what I mean.
Check out how thick and tall the watch is....if only it would stay on my wrist better
. But I can't complain, the profile on the wrist is just top-rate. Note where the lugs are located on th below shot. They are right under the case itself thus "elevating" the watch on the wrist.
Let's move on to size comparisons just so you'll get a rough idea of how substantial a watch this is. I put some text on the pix.
This is my Rolex DSSD beside the MM
My Panerai Daylight on the right.
Now see the MM on the right bully the 2 others. Check out the thickness of the case.
The mandatory lume shot taken inside the hotel's cabinet. Note this lume was a result of only about 2 ours of hotel room daylight. As many of us know, Seiko's Lumibrite is legendary and is still the industry standard for lume.
Here are some things you might want to know. Most of the below and above technical info were culled from the internet, ablogtoread and from lurking other forums. There's so little info out there because this MM was released only in March/April 2009 and is destined only for the Japanese domestic market.
Movement: Seiko 8L35, automatic, hackable, windable, 26 jewels and 28,800 bph. Anti-magnetic and rated for 1000m. Somebody at another forum with the same MM discovered that the 8L35 is actually an UNELABORATED Grand Seiko. Thus this MM is the poor man's Grand Seiko.
Seiko claims the watch is +/- 10 to 15 seconds a day but as is mostly the case, Seiko's accuracy is better. In an Aug 2008 article by Ariel Adams, he said Seiko's high-end Prospex line has been better than even chronometer ratings with accuracy clocking in at +/- 10 to 15 seconds a MONTH. Somehow I believe him because my Seiko Sumo SBDC 003, a member of the Prospex line, gives really surprising accuracy and based on my experience is about +12 this month.
Case Info and Dimensions: cocktail of components ranging from stainless steel, to titanium and ceramic with a play on PVD and DLC for sme surface coatings.
crystal diameter 30mm case diameter (bottom) 52mm
case bottom w/ crown 58mm watch height 18mm
bezel diameter 43mm lug width 22mm
lug to lug (lugs are bottom of case, not edge) 40mm
top of shroud at widest 46mm
Overall rating on this watch on a scale of 1 to 10? It's an 11. Should have been a 12 if not for the rubber strap, which by the way is 3mm thick and tapers to 20mm at the buckle end. I would have preferred a strap at 24mm though.
This is the marquee Seiko diver and I think will never disappoint me with its accuracy, ruggedness and reliability, quality, immense value given all the technology loaded into it by the Japanese, rarity, substantial build quality that the Prospex line is known for and "kick ass" looks. To me, this is what dreams are made of.
Thanks for looking:):):)
Last edited on Sat Feb 27th, 2010 01:55 pm by bigrustypig