Psycho About Seiko, Part Deux

I would apologise for the lack of entry over the last 2 weeks as I had been busy travelling again. Despite the hectic travels, I had been busy clicking here and there for online purchases; so I do have quite a few in-coming pieces though.

And the recent purchases were in some ways connected to the entry @ https://andywristwatches.blogspot.com/2018/11/psycho-about-seiko.html. There were watches, movements, and parts; and I can't wait to see the ensemble ready for the partake.

1) Seiko "MM300" SBDX023/SLA021

This Japan-made SBDX023 was the latest addition to wear the MM300 designation. Now improved over the previous itineration i.e. SBDX017, the SBDX023 received the long-awaited sapphire crystal and lumed ceramic bezel. The second hand and 300m print were now given the gold treatment, and Marinemaster print on dial was replaced with the Prospex logo. I had previously handled the SBDX001 and SBDX017, and was eagerly-awaiting this SBDX023.

2) Seiko "Sumo" SBDC031-MM300

This Japan-made SBDX031 was still under-going the transformation from Sumo to MM300. The parts that had arrived included the original dial, hands, and strap from the SBDX017, which were rather rare and costly. Ditto arrived was Crystaltimes' double dome sapphire crystal with clear AR. The watchsmith had modded the parts accordingly, and still pending receipt was LCBI's fully-lumed ceramic bezel insert. Once the last part of the puzzle was done, then I would have a pretty cool Sumo-MM300 added to my collection.

Point to note was that this has been a rather costly mod project given that the parts were not cheap, but I supposed spending RM4,152 to get a watch that was 90% akin to the MM300, was still a feasible option given that the SBDX017 was already discontinued and its NOS price was closer to RM8,500 these days. And our Sumo-MM300 version was actually closer to the upgraded SBDX023 in that it had the lumed ceramic bezel and sapphire crystal. If you were interested in undergoing a similar project, here was the breakdown of the cost :

- SBDC031 watch (RM1,899)
- SBDX017 dial, hands, and strap (RM1,527)
- Crystaltimes sapphire crystal (RM289)
- LCBI MM300 bezel (RM247)
- Labour cost (RM190)

3) Seiko "Blumo" SBDC033-MM300

This was a simple mod job, which would see the Blumo receiving a pair of after-market MM300 hands with blue lume.

4) Seiko SKX007J1

This was another mod job which would see the classic piece getting an upgrade in movement (from non-hacking and non-winding 7S26, to hacking and winding NH35), crystal (hardlex to sapphire), bezel insert (aluminium to ceramic), and a change of Dagaz hands.

This was how it might turned out to be.

5) Seiko SKX009J1

This was another mod job involving a change of after-market MM300 dial, Dagaz hands, and ceramic bezel insert.

6) Seiko Tuna SBBN015 Re-Craft

There were also a pair of Seiko Tuna mods in the pipeline, which would see NH35 movements fitted into after-market stainless steel and bronze Tuna cases accordingly. The dials and hands would be taken from Seiko and Dagaz accordingly, and this would be a rather mad-hatter project really.

SOLD : Rolex Submariner 16610LV Kermit (2nd piece)

Okay collectors, after the previous Kermit advert @ https://andywristwatches.blogspot.com/2018/10/wts-2006-rolex-submariner-kermit-16610lv.html, I have received requests to hunt for this piece. The good news is that a collector has agreed to release this model from his collection. From the preliminary pictures sent to me, it was yet another safe queen that had seen very little wrist action, if any, over the years. 

The collector informed that he purchased it as an investment piece given it's 50th anniversary status; and with the prices that this model was fetching in the collector's secondary market, I would say that he did well adding this piece into his collection. After all, I would have to pass him a brand new Hulk with accessories, to redeem this Kermit from his collection.

So, any collectors keen to add a Kermit into their collection, keep your eyes posted on this blog.

Psycho About Seiko

Readers would know that I've drifted out of the Seiko scene for a while now, and recently started adding up a couple of Sumo pieces to go alongside the SKX classics. You might remember the phase when I was modding 'em Turtles when it was newly-released, and bought a whole collection of them just to mod 'em with parts from Crystaltimes, Dagaz, DLW, Dr. Seikostein, Strapcode, and the likes. 

Well, I am also interested in modding the Sumo pieces. I started off with the Blumo receiving a double dome clear AR sapphire crystal and it made the piece looked so much better. 

Credit to Martin Weiand for an outstanding shot!

Then, I thought about adding a MM300 in the form of the SBDX017. I mean like, just take a look at the shot from the Seikoholic fan above and who could possibly blame me for converting to MM300, right?

I spread the word around and an AD located a brand new piece for me at his associate's store. The only catch was the store was not based in KL and I have to find a day to travel north to get it. And time was a luxury that I don't really have at the interim period, with all the overseas business travels and family time.

So I thought, how about if I got the dial, hands, and waffle straps for the SBDX017, and got that modded into the SBDC031 instead? Hunting for the parts ain't too hard, but hunting them at the right prices were a bit of a chore.

So watch out for this space as the Sumo gets sent off for the necessary parts to be installed.

And while we were still on Seiko, the brand understood that many of its diver fans were actually desk divers so it has just released a Prospex Street series categorised under the Baby Tuna range. I rather liked the models, especially the military green series, but it would be more of my style if it had an automatic winding movement rather than the solar-powered movement.

And that reminds me, I'd have to contact the modder working on my Tuna piece. It has been quite a few months and the Tuna's still lost in the ocean, so to speak.

Let the Games continue...

SOLD : Tudor Black Bay GMT Pepsi model no. M79830RB

Available 2 pieces of the infamous Black Bay GMT Pepsi- Malaysian AD, brand new full boxed set, unnamed warranty card, current dated. First come first served basis. Get yours today, minus the long waiting list.

Seiko Diver Duo, Make That Trio

I'd earlier thought about flipping 2 of my Seiko divers to make place for another few pieces of in-coming watches; but then again I felt that I'd have more fun having these pieces in my collection; so I might have to add another Pelican watch case hereafter.

The watches that I had in mind consists of twin classics in Seiko's ammunition i.e.

1) 2018 Seiko Sumo SBDC033 aka Blumo;

2) 2017 Seiko SKX009J1 aka Pepsi.

Both watches were the J-variant i.e. made-in-Japan, came with their respective manuals and warranty cards, and had extras as per the following :

1) Blumo (RM1,961) + Double Dome Clear AR sapphire crystal (RM287) + Workmanship (RM130) = RM2,378

As you could see from the pictures, the double dome clear AR sapphire crystal truly changed the outlook of the whole watch. The dial could now be seen clearly at the right angle, akin to the feel of the Planet Ocean. Whereas the watch used to be at the middle tier with its 6R15 movement, it feels more premium now with the upgraded crystal.

Some of you readers might be interested to know how different the Sumo looked with the original hardlex crystal vs the double dome sapphire crystal. Well, you could check out the differences between the SBDC031 (original) vs SBDC033 (double dome). The double dome added depth to the dial and colour, and there's a slight distortion depending on the angle that one was looking at.

2) Pepsi (RM1,103) + Strapcode Super Jubilee (RM316) = RM1,419

The Pepsi, on the other hand, was stock original except for the Strapcode Super Jubilee bracelet. The original Seiko bracelet was a let-down, as could be read in watch forums all over the world; so the bracelet upgrade was a necessity really.