Welcome back, readers of The Watch Post. Before anything, I'd like to thank Dr. Strangelove and the team behind for the inspiration of today's title. I haven't watched Dr. Strangelove before but it was famous enough that I knew of its existence. But today's post isn't at all about movies, in fact we here at The Watch Post know exactly why we come here; to read quality reviews on timepieces (mostly).
Right off the bat, if you're here today wondering about where is the promised review of the Marathon GSAR, I'm afraid I have to let you down. My apologies, as that review will not be happening anytime soon. As has happened in the past, this kind of situations mostly occurs when you get a catch and release (in WIS speak, a catch and release represents a situation where you acquire a watch and almost immediately intend to let go). Now just what was wrong with the Marathon GSAR? I'm about to get to that.
The Marathon GSAR was nice. It was solidly built - the bezel action was one of the best I have ever came across. Build quality wasn't a problem, but somehow the watch just didn't click with me. Perhaps it was the dial; which was rather too busy for me. Especially, I thought that the divisions between the seconds
markers were far too excessive. Or perhaps it was the illumination. Oh boy, was I unused to the tritium tubes,
which I initially held high (and probably unrealistic) hopes in. My GSAR was dated July 2013, which meant it probably lost some brightness over the course of two and a half years. Still, I wasn't really feeling this piece. Naturally, I considered flipping it after having it in my hand for no more than five minutes. Such is the life of a (self-proclaimed) WIS.
My decision to flip the GSAR was also further exacerbated by the fact that the Marathon GSAR costs more than I was comfortable with in terms of money sunk into a watch. Now, I realize this is somewhat of an unfair judgement placed on a watch whose makers probably stand proudly behind it. With that said, I'm glad to be free of having sunk over a grand on a watch, a luxury that I'm afraid I am not in a position to undertake at the moment.
That brings us to the story of the Seiko SBDN025. I've been coveting this piece ever since I saw Seiko make the announcement on the SBDN series, a little brother to the SBBN family. Having just unburdened myself from the monies sank into the Marathon GSAR, and having the SeiyaJapan website open on my computer, the inevitable was bound to happen. Thus, a few clicks later, a Seiko SBDN025 was on its way to me. Per The Watch Post tradition, let's welcome the SBDN025 to the family in signature yellow.
By the way, I have nothing but good things to say about SeiyaJapan. If you're ever looking to buy a JDM watch or Seiko watches in general, you will not go wrong with SeiyaJapan. Their response was lightning quick and the watch reached me in just five days from clicking 'Buy'. They opted for EMS and I took delivery of the watch on a Saturday (perhaps I'm new to priority mail but I've never had any of my packages delivered to me on a weekend) so that was a real pleasant surprise. Thumbs up Seiya-san.
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| Clockwise from top left: SBDN023, SBDN021, SBDN026, SBDN029, SBDN028, SBDN025 |
The SBDN series comes in a number of colorways, six to be precise. So, naturally I went for the Pepsi colorway, reminded of the SKX009 which I possessed during my happy and carefree university days. I originally chose the SKX009 over the 007 originally because I thought that the splash of color made the watch look nicer and more interesting and this still holds true with the SBDN025. Of course, there are more colorways to choose from with the SBDN and it was a really close fight between the SBDN028 and SBDN025. As you can see from the pictures, the SBDN025 did it for me ultimately, winning the battle to one of the most highly contested fights in horological history.
I think it would be fair to say that most seasoned WIS out there will know that decisions about whether you'll have this watch in your collection (at least for a couple months) or flipped within the week can be made in about five minutes of handling the watch. So, my first minute with the SBDN025, I'm happy to report, has been most positive.
First things first, I cannot enjoy a quartz analog if the second hand isn't hitting the seconds markers accurately, I would be trying to flip this piece right now if this criteria wasn't met. Luckily, there is no need to do any of that. I have been most satisfied with the way the second hands and the seconds markers are aligned on my piece. Unfortunately, this is largely a luck of the draw issue so I always advocate buying a quartz analog watch at a brick and mortar store when possible.
On to the actual watch then. The Tuna (so named because it resembles a tuna can) is a design which Seiko pioneered and unveiled to the world in 1975, so as you might expect there is quite a bit of history behind the Tunas 41 year history. Famous people have worn it, one of them being the Governator himself in the movie Predator. I'd say that the key design elements found in the Tuna are the lugless design and the protective shroud. The SBDN series, designed in conjunction with LOWERCASE, does not stay completely faithful to the Tuna design as it does have lugs, but they are diminutive as compared to some watches. The signature shroud, although plastic, is there.
There are many things to cover regarding the case of the SBDN025. Let's start from the outside and work our way in. Albeit being made from plastic, I have been really satisfied with the shroud. It is solid and firm and does not give in any way. While Tunas have traditionally came with metal or even ceramic shrouds (their Spring Drive Tunas), the plastic shroud on the SBDN025 is not at all bad. Besides serving as a protective casing for the watch, the shroud also gives the Tuna series their signature look. It is secured to the case by means of three bolts which are prominently visible from the side, which nicely spices things up when you look at the SBDN from the side.
Make no mistake, the SBDN is a large watch (weighing in with a diameter of 45.9mm), but with a lug to lug of only 45.5mm, this makes it supremely wearable. The SBDN series largely follows the key design elements that the Tuna has, with some differences in the lugs. The design has grown on me since I got it and continues to do so by the moment, I'm pretty much a devout Tuna convert at this point.
Coming in at just 12.1mm in thick, the SBDN is certainly one of the slimmer watches that I've owned. You really start to appreciate the benefits of a thin watch when you handle one in person; it rarely gets in the way of things, be they shirt sleeves or doorways. Overall, I think it's very impressive how Seiko has managed to achieve having a chapter ring that has good depth yet manage to keep the whole package at just little over a centimeter thick.
When it comes to lume performance, Seiko is at the top of the game. Using their proprietary LumiBrite, Seiko's dive watches are among the best in lume performance and can easily stand toe to toe with anything else that you may pair it up against. However, the right luminous paint alone will not get you the best results, much of it also lies in the application. Rest assured then that Seiko has this down to a science. Underlying the LumiBrite markers are white surfaces, which I've read that is a prerequisite for luminous material to perform at their best. The SBDN is one of the few watches that has such strong lume performance that you can see the bloom when you walk into a shaded area after the watch face has been exposed to the sun. The only other watch I've ever had that was capable of this was the SKX009. This goes out to all the lume junkies out there, the SBDN will not disappoint.
I don't have any quartz to benchmark the SBDN against, so let me just share how the timekeeping performance has been like. Since taking delivery of this watch five days ago and setting the time, it has gained just one second as of writing this post. So yes, it's been very good, far beyond anything mechanical obviously. I'm pretty confident that this watch will actually perform better than the deviation of fifteen seconds per month that Seiko officially declares on the V147 solar movements.
The SBDN025 also comes with an update to the venerable Z22 rubber straps, with what I believe to be a silicon strap. I am unsure if this strap is going to replace all of the Z22s going forward, but I think it absolutely should after having spent some time with it. The strap has a satin finish to it and is really soft right out the box; a huge departure from the Z22s of yesteryear. You don't have to break-in these straps anymore like you did the Z22s (some people actually placed the Z22s in boiling water to soften them) and they feel much less plasticky than the Z22s.
Seiko has done a commendable job on these Z22 replacements. They are remarkably comfortable, fitting like seasoned straps from the get-go. However, the comfort and lovely satin finish come at a price; in just five days, I have already noticed scuffs on these straps. Naturally, this is a game of trade-offs. You either have the hard-wearing durability that the Z22s offer but suffer the almost cable-like stiffness or you enjoy the comfort and texture of the Z22 replacements but it's not going to look pristine for long. For me, I really appreciate the comfort that these Z22 successors have and they are a most welcome addition, making one's experience in owning an SBDN a whole much more pleasant.
Seiko seems to have made strides in crown action; I feel considerably more confident in the durability of the crown on the SBDN than I did back then with the SKX009. Compared with the Kemmner Turtle (which case was produced by Fullswing Industrial) that I had back in university though, Seiko has quite some ways to improve in this aspect before they're on the level of confidence that the Kemmner Turtle instilled in me. The threads on the Turtles crown tube were simply monstrous and you could basically put your mind at ease as cross-threading would really require you to go out of your way to make it happen.
Crown action aside, I would really have liked to see a signed crown on the SBDN, which I don't think is an unreasonable request at this price range. Overall, the crown on the SBDN is a decent, if simple one, but it's not going to leave you with a strong impression of it like you would on watches which have a lot of engineering on the crowns such as a Damasko or a Sinn.
The bezel action is largely similar to the one on the SKX series. It's quite good, but again pales out to watches which specifically put more engineering into the area. Now in this regard, the Marathon GSAR was really good; every click was precise, well defined and snaps into the next click without any mushiness in between. There was no backplay to mention of as well on the GSAR. The SBDN does have some measure of mushiness in between clicks, and while there isn't any backplay when you lock into a click firmly, the clicks aren't as well defined and so sometimes the bezel will go back a click as it hasn't been engaged into the next click yet, even though it feels like you already have. As with the crown, this bezel is far from bad, it is decent. If you are to compare it to a watch which excels in this regard however, you'll quickly spot the differences.
The SBDN is a limited edition, with 3,000 of each colorway except for the SBDN029, which is limited to just 400. Now, 3,000 is hardly limited given the number of colorways they are available in, but if you're keen on a specific colorway then I'd act sooner than later. If you're fine with any SBDN then really there's no rush in acquiring one.
Gracing the front of the watch, a very slightly domed Hardlex makes itself home between the dial and the outside environment. Again, sapphire with AR coating would have been nice, but if even the SBDX001 (aka MM300) still uses Hardlex then sapphire is pretty much a pipe dream on a Seiko watch of this price point. Since I tend to care for my timepieces and don't roll around in sand all day, Hardlex should be mostly sufficient for me (except for the times when you most need it, such as when you scrape the watch against a doorframe, Murphy's law at work).
So, my overall thoughts on this watch have been mostly favorable. I am in love with the Tuna design; it is unique, makes for a supremely wearable size in spite of the large diameter and is aesthetically pleasing. The quality that one can come to expect of this piece is perhaps a little notch up from the SKX line. There's a nicer strap than can be found in the SKX, and I felt the crown was also a step up from the SKX. Ultimately though, you may not feel like you are getting as much value as you are from the SKX series as many things on the SBDN are largely on the same level as the SKX (the hands, case build quality, bezel action and lume performance) but the price isn't.
Granted, the SBDN would be far nicer if they were priced at the same level as the SKX, but after paying USD 351 for it (at SeiyaJapan, the cheapest I've found it for so far), I'm still largely happy with the watch! In closing, I think the SBDN025 has made a welcome addition to the family at The Watch Post. On that note, thank you for reading and stay tuned for the next happening!
