Earlier this week I got my latest watch, a Seiko SNZE95K1.  It is a beautiful watch:

Overview:  This is a first in a few ways, it is my first full lume faced watch, it is my first Seiko 5 Sports, and my first compass bezel and 7S36 movement watch.  The 7S36 is very similar to the 7S26, except it has 2 more jewels.

Features:
Case: 42mm diameter, stainless steel, 100m water resistance.
Back: Hardlex exhibition back, screw down.
Crystal: Hardlex, flat.
Movement: Automatic, 7S36B, Seiko in-house design. No handwind or hacking.
Complications: Day of week, Date
Other: Luminous faces, Lumibrite.

The watch really exceeds my expectations.  The bracelet is very solid and high quality.  I see why the sports models command a higher price than regular 5’s.  The watch is a nice size, big but not too big.  The full luminous face is a very nice and useful feature.  It looks like a little lighthouse when it is dark.   The compass bezel is very well done with tremendous workmanship.  The lettering is as sharp as any Rolex as I have seen.  It does not have detents, which is good for a compass bezel.  Just line up South half way between the hour hand and noon and point the hour hand at the sun and you now know what direction you are facing.  The hands really make the watch.  The hands almost look mission style and the red tipped second hand jumps out against the face.  The hour markers are very reflective and almost look like jewels.  Overall it is a great watch and well worth the money.

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I had to part with my old Timex Expedition.  The wear through on the plating made the watch react with my skin and unwearable.  The last time I wore it, my skin broke out around where the crown and lugs came in contact with my skin.  Whatever ‘base metal’ is, my skin chemistry does not agree with it.   As as tribute to the designers, it was still mostly working when retired it.  Still told time and the Indiglo worked.  The hacking feature did not work anymore and the quickset date was almost non functional as well.  The leather band is now on the Speedmaster, they both have 20mm lugs.  It was a simple watch for a simpler time of my life.  As a happy note, I asked for and will be receiving a white/cream faced watch for Christmas.  All I know is that is a Seiko and an Automatic.  Check back in a little less than two months to see what I got.  I am sure it will be a fine replacement for this tired workhorse.  In the end, it is just a piece of machinery that could no longer be used for its original purpose.  From now on, all of my watches are all stainless or titanium.

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In this day and age of affordable, reliable quarz watches, why would you want to wear a mechanical?  Because they are cool!  Before Seiko came out with the the Astron in 1969, nearly all watches were mechanical, with a few electrics and tuning fork watches.  Seiko and the quartz revolution changed everything.  Mechanical watches have made quite a comeback lately, as people realize no matter how neat quartz watches are, a mechanical has properties that an electronic watch does not have.  Sadly, most mechanical watches are only sold online or very expensive.  Here are a few you can go to the local mall and pick up without breaking the bank:

Tommy Hilfiger:

There about a dozen or so automatic models available from Hilfiger.  I have tried a few on.  Decent quality, they have a 10 year warranty.  They tend to run a little thick for my tastes, and the open front is something people love or hate.  I think it was pretty tastefully done, in this case.  About $125 5o $135.  Available only at Macy’s.

Swatch:

It may surprise some that Swatch makes automatics, but they do own many high end brands which do, and own ETA.   For this season, there are few for sale and they tend to be open faced like the one above.  It looks cool, but it makes it very hard to read the face.  It is Swiss made and should be reliable.  This steel cased one is $175, but I have seen them as low as $125.  I am sure the spring collection will have more.   Your best best is to visit a Swatch store, but other retailers do sell Swatch watches.

Fossil:

Fossil currently has 30 aut-o-matics for sale right now.  They tend to run very large, over 47mm in some cases.  If you like living large, they are the watch for you.  If you have small wrists, buy a Seiko online 🙂

Can be found at Fossil stores or many other retailers.  Prices are usually around $175 and they have a 11 year warranty.

That’s the roundup for now.  There are more out the and I will add to this list the next time I take a trip to the mall.

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One of my favorite watches is my Orange Bullet, a Diver’s watch.  What does it mean to have Diver’s indicated on your watch:  You have to meet ISO 6425 standards:

• The presence of a unidirectional bezel with at least at every 5 minutes elapsed minute markings and a pre-select marker to mark a specific minute marking.
• The presence of clearly distinguishable minute markings on the watch face.
• Adequate readability/visibility at 25 cm (9.84 in) in total darkness.
• The presence of an indication that the watch is running in total darkness. This is usually indicated by a running second hand with a luminous tip or tail.
• Magnetic resistance. This is tested by 3 expositions to a direct current magnetic field of 4,800 A/m. The watch must keeps its accuracy to +/- 30 seconds/day as measured before the test despite the magnetic field.
• Shock resistance. This is tested by two shocks (one on the 9 o’clock side, and one to the crystal and perpendicular to the face). The shock is usually delivered by a hard plastic hammer mounted as a pendulum, so as to deliver a measured amount of energy, specifically, a 3 kg hammer with an impact velocity of 4.43 m/sec. The change in rate allowed is +/- 60 seconds/day.
• Chemical resistance. This is tested by immersion in a 30 g/l NaCl solution for 24 hours to test its rust resistance. This test water solution has a salinity comparable to normal seawater.
• Strap/band solidity. This is tested by applying a force of 200 N to each springbar (or attaching point) in opposite directions with no damage to the watch of attachment point.
• The presence of an End Of Life (EOL) indicator on battery powered watches.

When you add it all up, you really need a tough watch.  I didn’t know about the shock and magnetic resistance.  I now have even more respect for my Diver’s watch.  These are all very tough standards that most watches would roll over and die if they were subjected to these conditions.  I guess it really matters if your life depends on it.  And I thought the cool second hand markers was just for show, it is a real standard.  By the way, 200N is 45Pounds!

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Here are some possible combinations for watches that I own.

That watch:

My Seiko “Pepsi”.  It is a Rolex Submariner inspired watch, so it should look great on a NATO “Bond, James Bond” strap:

This is the traditional Black and Grey version.  There is also a red striped version as well:

I think it would bring out the red of the Bezel.  About $20 on eBay or web retailers.  The Pepsi is a 22mm lug width watch, so it is pretty common.

The next watch, my Orange Bullet, currently on Italian Leather with deployant clasp:

Lets start simple, genuine Seiko Diver’s strap:

Hard to see in the photo, but the end tang has the Seiko Tsunami stamped into it.  Rated to 200 meters with pressure venting.  $24.95 on Amazon.  22mm, so it can also fit the “Pepsi”.

How bout some Carbon Fiber?

Pretty cool look, would go well with the Orange Bullet or Pepsi.  About $20 on ebay.

The next watch, my first Automatic, my Seiko Green Military, currently on the original nylon strap:

For this one, something wild, a Bund strap:

What the heck is a bund?  Well, it is a watch strap design the German’s came up with in WWII.  It keeps the metal of the watch from directly touching the skin.  As always, it is shown with a Submariner attached.  So, it would work with the Pepsi or my Green Seiko.  Though, the little green Seiko is only 18mm lugs.   Goes from $20 to $45 depending on the color and quality of leather.

That’s it for now, I am still looking for something for the Two Tone  Kinetic and Speedmaster.

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Here is an original Panerai Luminor Marina:

This is the homage Marina Militare:

And again, in the really cool blue:

The original is about $5100, the homage goes for about $80 to $120 on ebay for the Asian (read, Chinese) made version.  Considering how nice my “Speedmaster” is, I am sure the quality is very nice as well.  What is also nice is that these watches are homages, not fakes.  It’s a fine line, to some, but not to me.  As long as it does not claim to be the real thing, you can look as close as you want to the real thing and not be a fake in my book.  I have tried on the black Panerai in person, and it is an ugly yet cool watch.  Large, but not crazy huge and works on my wrist.  I really like the blue version.

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Been thinking about what my next watch should be.  I saw a nice Bulova hand wind in an antique store, for only $45!  It was decent looking, but the bracelet was awful (twist-o-flex), also known as a hair grabber.  It was a little small, but very thin.  It was a hand wind, only, with no claim of jewel count on the face.  Small seconds dial, which is pretty neat.  I still can’t find a picture of one.  Personally, I kinda of like automatics, you don’t have to really think about winding them.  With that in mind, I think I found a vintage one I like:

It is a Seiko 6139 based chronograph, ‘white helmet’ design.

It meets several criteria I really want in my next watch:

• White or cream faced.
• It’s a Seiko.
• It is a vintage, but not too old, late 70’s.
• It has day and date.
• It is an automatic.
• It is a chronograph WITH a Tachymeter scale.  (I really like Tachymeters)
• It is not too big, about 40mm diameter.
• I think it looks cool.
• Prices are reasonable, but really good examples are not the easiest to find.  Price seems to be in the $100 to $150 range for clean examples.

This would be my first foray into a vintage watch, but considering a NEW Seiko mechanical chronograph is upwards of $2000, this is a steal.  The cheapest Swiss chronos are usually over $1,000.  The other alternative is Russian (Poljot) chronographs as well.  Not sure which way to go, but I think I like the thought of a vintage watch.

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