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On 4/5/2018 at 5:46 PM, henrisan said:

edwin denim at the lower right corner to fit this thread

image.thumb.png.fddfe65636a77cbf45fcb802dda743df.png

Hell yeah! Love the creamy color of the lume. This era of Mulgauss is definitely my favorite - I know some prefer the 50s ones with the lightning seconds hand but these just looks so sleek for the time period they were made (even among Rolexes).

Edited by STINGER93
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Watch game too strong on sufu...Always impressed!

Despite saying #nonewwatches2018, I've been contemplating the next buy :/

Almost put down a pre-order on the upcoming Green MM300, but they're all sold out across the US:
seiko-1968-diver-le-wrist.jpg

For the unfamiliar, the MM300 is a legendary Seiko diver based off the 6159. It's being "discontinued" (or at least in SBDX017 form) and will likely be reintroduced with all the attributes of the above green beast, namely, with a ceramic lumed bezel and sapphire glass. Many are dismayed over the removal of the "MARINEMASTER" text on the dial, which will be replaced with the Prospex "X" (really a P and an S), but somehow my eyes have already adjusted and I honestly don't mind it. Given that any 017's out there that are still available are going for almost full retail ($2750-2900 USD) when they were going for $1800 just last November, it's been hard for me to stomach and making me think it's worth it to just wait til the new standard black model is announced. First world problems, truly...

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I dropped a deposit on the SLA019. I figure I’ll have no problem selling it if it’s toobig.

I actually like the cheaper, unlimited, smaller models better (the blue on rubber & black on bracelet, can’t recall the numbers right now).

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^Ah the modern re-interpretations right? My concern on those is the lug to lug since 50-51mm is about my max tolerance; Also I consider them more as pretty desk divers with professional specs rather than a straight up professional tool with functional design heritage. Nothing against them of course, I'd love to own one, but the MM300 is a saturation diver with a monobloc case (so helium can't get in; no need for helium escape valve) with a sub-Grand Seiko level movement, vs. an air diver with adequate specs. Of course I won't be using it as a tool, but it's that beastly functionality that attracts me to it most.

I think you'll be surprised at how small it'll actually wear though, congrats on pre-ordering! It's like a beefed up SKX (similar wear visually), just taller and slightly longer lug to lug. Nice that it comes with the newer silicone straps, which are ultra comfortable in my opinion.

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Yes, the specs are clearly one step below. I've been lusting over a hulk Rolex for a long time. This gives me a chance to get a different professional grade diver in green, with a more rugged image than a Sub. If I find that I can wear it when not diving, even better.

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Nice choice on the SM300 Flash. I remember wanting to pull the trigger on a WatchCo SM300 when they were coming out years back (watchco was building his own SM300's out of NOS genuine Omega parts). Was giving serious thought to buying a nodate model but in the end didnt go for it. Thought they were pretty cool, definitely like the look of it.

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So.......damn.........One of the trusted Japanese proxies got his final two SBDX017 MM300's in stock on a whim, and I had to jump on it. My logic being that even at $2300 this is among the lowest I'll find one at this point new, and if I wait for the replacement model it'll take at least a year/two years+ for it to release and for prices to settle down on it, if they ever do. I'm thinking the replacement will be a worldwide release, not JDM/boutique limited, so prices will probably be stable close to MSRP. 

It was now or never, but it'll be interesting to know I have one of the last produced old dials :) 

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Have been off sufu for a bit, but I got my MM300 and enjoying every minute of it despite its size on my wrist. Nice enough to wear proudly, but not nice enough where you're afraid to wear it, it's a good balance for me and I'm out of the watch game until GS releases a new diver:

 

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This is a bit of rant... admittedly I'm not  much of a watch guy. I find watches fascinating on many levels and the design and engineering aspects, but I don't own anything significant. I've been following a few YT watch channel guys, and enjoy their content very much. My issue is with the current trend among most watch guys about watches being too big. It seems anything over 40mm is shunned, and somehow 38mm has become a magic size. A 42mm is viewed as being gargantuan! I get that in the midst of the unwashed gen-pop masses there's a fashion trend for men to wear HUGE obnoxious watches - I've noticed many guys in my area, mostly tourists and city folk, wearing giant 50-55mm+ "things" that look just ridiculous. And I get that based on your stature, some watches will fit more appropriately than others, and different styles of watches are appropriate in different sizes. I just don't like the current watch-guy trend for small-ish watches. 

I've noticed that most of the guys that are of this opinion are smaller in stature. I get that someone with a small wrist may prefer a small watch. But as @aho has just shown with his MM300 above, I think that diver looks just fine. As an example, I think divers that are 40mm and under look kinda silly. Watch makers are like any other industry, and will make products to meet the demands and tastes trends of their market, and I feel we are seeing more and more smaller watches from nearly all brands. 

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I think it's mostly a backlash against the fashion watches which tend to be too large. I agree with you and I don't really understand why 38mm is suddenly the perfect size. Even bigger dudes are saying this and honestly, I think their 38mm watches look small on them. My GS is 39.1mm and I do like the size as its a dress watch and I have small wrists. However, I don't think a 42mm or even a 44mm would look bad on me. Divers that are 40 and under do look silly to me as well, but to each their own.

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Really depends on the type of watch for me but I think we can all agree that the 50+ Nixons are pretty awful for a number of reasons! Divers, I expect to be big, and Seiko has a tendency to be masters of lug curvature to make their watches wear smaller than numbers would apply. A diver SHOULD be big out of necessity (visibility underwater + durability), but I can't say that a 36mm watch doesn't look best on my six inch wrist in terms of proportion and no overhang. 

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^Much appreciated! Didn't realize I'm almost at one full month of wear but it's been a fun ride so far. Decided to recap some thoughts so far:

People say it wears small for it's size, and while I agree, I'm pretty aware of the size, and don't think it fits similar physically or visually to the SKX which people often say it does. Not a deal breaker for me, and I don't find it top heavy or anything, I seem to have lucked out with bracelet sizing despite my smaller wrist.

While this is my third watch with the Seiko extension clasp I have to say it's by far hands down the best feature for me of the watch as my wrist swells with frequency with the change of temperature/humidity these warmer months. Unfortunately my GS SBGR053 is just a tad tight now, and therefore can't get anywhere due to lack of micro adjustment.

And while the clasp is entirely useful, the bracelet (I hate to say) is probably the weakest link for the watch overall, though entirely adequate for this price range. I'm being picky, but in hand it feels closer to say mid-high range Prospex Seiko, rather than Grand Seiko. People tend to swap out for rubber, but the extension clasp is so much a part of the experience that I'm keeping it on bracelet.

The case work as well is not as crisp as a GS diver, but I wasn't expecting as much. Diashield is doing it's job as I've not yet received nary a scratch or hairline scratch in the time I've worn it, and I don't baby as much as I could. Crown action is smooth (but nowhere near Rolex levels of course), and the rotating bezel is nice, but still a notch below GS.

One thing to note is that the original MM300 debuted in 2000/2001. While the SBDX017 is still relatively new, spec wise not much has changed since then outside of MEMS technology (finer production of parts), diashield (anti scratch coating), and new lume. Any "complaints" or ratings against the MM300 have to be taken with this consideration (it's an 18 year old watch design) and therefore isn't exactly apples to apples with a Pelagos, though it still holds it's own. 

Overall impressions remain the same; An imperfect (due to dated tech specs) but enjoyable daily beater that's nice enough to get the job done, but not so nice that you're afraid to wear it. Totally worth the price of entry, and with enough history/technical cred that it's still unique and a cool experience to see one in person, and even more a pleasure to own. I won't be selling or flipping it, and it's my dedicated daily wearer for the foreseeable future. 
 

 

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