Caliber 8L35 : SBDX023 & SBDX031

I am a Seiko fan, and I don't apologise for that. While my typical fanfare seemed to be Rolex and Omega watches, which also made good investment pieces for selected models; the ways to pick good watches seemed to be thrown out of the window when it came to buying a Seiko. 

With Seiko, the rule of the thumb seemed to be the following :

1) Caliber type;

2) Japan Domestic Model;

3) Colour, colour, colour.

For automatic hand-winding movements, Caliber 8L35 of Grand Seiko fame, would be the preferred movement. A step below would be the Caliber 6R15 that was used for mid-tier Seiko models such as Sumo and 62MAS. Another step below would then be the Caliber NH35/4R35 and Caliber NH36/4R36, which I loved to use in my Franken Mod pieces. Then, the most basic of all movements would go to the Caliber 7S26, which was non-hacking and non-handwinding.

Let's talk about the highly-regarded Caliber 8L35. 2 of the best models that one could buy from Seiko these days utilising this Caliber, were the following :

1) SBDX023 aka MM300

2) SBDX031 aka 6105 Turtle Re-issue

Both these models were Japan-made and sold intentionally. If these were meant for Japan Domestic Market only, then their collectibility would increase yet another notch in the eyes of the collectors. But then again, the Malaysian RRP was beginning from RM15,050 ono; so any further desirability would only push the prices further north and making them even harder to buy for the typical fanboy.

And coming in the classic black colour, these were watches that you could easily wear alongside any clothes in the wardrobe- no matter formal or casual.

I already have the SBDX023, and am building up a Franken Mod of the SBDX031. For the latter, I already have the homage case; and once the discontinued SBDX017 dial and handset got installed in that case, I dare say that we would have a winner here!