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Seiko Diver’s 1965 Modern Re-Interpretation SPB143J1 / SPB145J1 / SPB147J1 / SPB149J1

1381878 Views 7818 Replies 736 Participants Last post by  jlatassa
SPB143J1 / 145J1 / 147J1 / 149J1



Just saw this getting posted about here and thought it may be worth getting it's own thread going.













https://www.seikowatches.com/ca-en/products/prospex/spb149j1

https://www.seikowatches.com/us-en/products/prospex/special/55th-anniversary-limited/

It looks like an LE of 5,500 and a price of 140,000 yen.

Sapphire crystal

200m

Diashield

6R35

40.5mm diameter

47.6mm lug to lug

13.2mm thick

For my part I love the size and the dial, case and hands. No chapter ring.

I have been looking for awhile and I think It is almost my perfect seiko diver dare I say it.

There are also some non limited editions with grey and brown dials.

SPB143J1



SPB145J1



SPB147J1



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Re: Seiko Diver's 1965 Modern Re-Interpretation SPB143J1 / SPB147J1 / SPB149J1

How do you check your watch accuracy?

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I don't think I answered your question. I check for accuracy by going to time.gov. I was referring to how I check for accuracy after I've regulated the movements. Sorry if that was confusing.
Saw the Instagram pic of the blue dial with black bezel. I’m hoping it’s fake, because the black bezel with the printing is pretty thick. It makes the dimensions look off and not well proportioned.
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Really like the look of these. Perfect size for me and some proper heritage in their dna plus a brushed ceramic bezel insert sounds intriguing. Not impressed with the 6r15 in my sarb033 so hoping the 6r35 is going to prove to be more consistent?

I'm liking the blue and grey versions....possibly the grey one even a little more for its sombre tones and even more direct lineage (believe the original was grey?) I wonder what price they will settle at. At 800 dollars I would snap one up.

What are these watches competing with at this price point? Longines hydroconquest? Oris aquis/65? I have to say other than movement, this is looking a lot more appealing to me personally.
Really like the look of these. Perfect size for me and some proper heritage in their dna plus a brushed ceramic bezel insert sounds intriguing. Not impressed with the 6r15 in my sarb033 so hoping the 6r35 is going to prove to be more consistent?

I'm liking the blue and grey versions....possibly the grey one even a little more for its sombre tones and even more direct lineage (believe the original was grey?) I wonder what price they will settle at. At 800 dollars I would snap one up.

What are these watches competing with at this price point? Longines hydroconquest? Oris aquis/65? I have to say other than movement, this is looking a lot more appealing to me personally.
Comparing retail to retail (not retail to GM), the Aquis and 65 are closer to $2000 (I think the RRP on the Aquis on bracelet is up to $2200 now), so a fair bit higher. You can find them for less. I think Gnomon sells the Aquis on bracelet for like $1700 and I'm pretty sure they're an AD. Still a bit more than RRP on the Seiko. The Hydroconquest is around $1600, so a bit higher but closer.

Tissot Seastars are comfortably under $1000, including the newest ones with the silicon hairspring. ($850 on bracelet for the Silicium movement)
Hamilton Khaki Scuba is just under $800
CWard C60 Tridents are like $950 on bracelet
Mido Oceanstar is around $930 and the retro "Tribute" version is $1,150
Steinhart Ocean One is around $500
Squale 20 Atmos is around $600

Lots of good watches for considerably less money.
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I extracted these from the Seiko catalog. Here are all four the models. :-d

View attachment 14934735

View attachment 14934737

View attachment 14934739

View attachment 14934741
Looks like they have ceramic bezels on the non-limited editions as well.
Re: Seiko Diver's 1965 Modern Re-Interpretation SPB143J1 / SPB147J1 / SPB149J1

I don't think I answered your question. I check for accuracy by going to time.gov. I was referring to how I check for accuracy after I've regulated the movements. Sorry if that was confusing.
Haha, I understand. Yeah it looks like you have some accuracy problem with your Seiko. I've been really lucky with my Seiko, I have 13 of them.

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Looks like they have ceramic bezels on the non-limited editions as well.
Yes, I think I read somewhere they are brushed ceramic bezels. :)
Haha, I understand. Yeah it looks like you have some accuracy problem with your Seiko. I've been really lucky with my Seiko, I have 13 of them.

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I've probably owned 50 or so and I'd say that overall, maybe 5 were reliable and consistent. But somehow, someway, I keep buying them lol. Something something "definition of insanity", or something like that ;)
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Really like the look of these. Perfect size for me and some proper heritage in their dna plus a brushed ceramic bezel insert sounds intriguing. Not impressed with the 6r15 in my sarb033 so hoping the 6r35 is going to prove to be more consistent?

I'm liking the blue and grey versions....possibly the grey one even a little more for its sombre tones and even more direct lineage (believe the original was grey?) I wonder what price they will settle at. At 800 dollars I would snap one up.

What are these watches competing with at this price point? Longines hydroconquest? Oris aquis/65? I have to say other than movement, this is looking a lot more appealing to me personally.
Comparing retail to retail (not retail to GM), the Aquis and 65 are closer to $2000 (I think the RRP on the Aquis on bracelet is up to $2200 now), so a fair bit higher. You can find them for less. I think Gnomon sells the Aquis on bracelet for like $1700 and I'm pretty sure they're an AD. Still a bit more than RRP on the Seiko. The Hydroconquest is around $1600, so a bit higher but closer.

Tissot Seastars are comfortably under $1000, including the newest ones with the silicon hairspring. ($850 on bracelet for the Silicium movement)
Hamilton Khaki Scuba is just under $800
CWard C60 Tridents are like $950 on bracelet
Mido Oceanstar is around $930 and the retro "Tribute" version is $1,150
Steinhart Ocean One is around $500
Squale 20 Atmos is around $600

Lots of good watches for considerably less money.
True, a lot of nice watches, but I think in terms of size, case shape, dial etc I prefer the seiko. Swatch do a nice job on basic automatic movements though.
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Re: Seiko Diver's 1965 Modern Re-Interpretation SPB143J1 / SPB147J1 / SPB149J1

Hmmmmm, firstly we'll have to disagree on Armida's quality. The Armida was, for the price point especially, well finished and robust. Not shoddy in any way.

Secondly you're missing my point, which was about geometry and proportions. The point I'm making is that small changes in the proportions, such as the bezel width in relation to the case size and dial size can significantly alter the look and feel of a design. Seiko seem to have changed the proportions/geometry here and that's what is concerning me.

Look at the slew of 62mas homages there were and how these all looked subtly different depending on how the interpretation of the original dimensions.......
Looking at the A12 I was always held back by the lug proportions. They appeared slightly too long for the case design to my eye and I believe also left a gap between the case and strap.

Like the original this case style benefits from short lugs I think.

For the 14x series the lugs appear to be short and proportional to the case for my tastes and the additional bevelling to smooth things out looks great.
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Re: Seiko Diver's 1965 Modern Re-Interpretation SPB143J1 / SPB147J1 / SPB149J1

Ok fair enough. I also see what him mean about the lugs on the Armida and don't think it'll apply to these seikos
One would hope they'd not screw it up, but who knows. Either way this and the price have dampened my enthusiasm. I'm still keen but will check back in June to see what the reviews say.........
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I've probably owned 50 or so and I'd say that overall, maybe 5 were reliable and consistent. But somehow, someway, I keep buying them lol. Something something "definition of insanity", or something like that ;)
It's because you really like watches and Seiko as a brand ; just like me.
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Re: Seiko Diver's 1965 Modern Re-Interpretation SPB143J1 / SPB147J1 / SPB149J1

Looking at the A12 I was always held back by the lug proportions. They appeared slightly too long for the case design to my eye and I believe also left a gap between the case and strap.

Like the original this case style benefits from short lugs I think.

For the 14x series the lugs appear to be short and proportional to the case for my tastes and the additional bevelling to smooth things out looks great.
I'd agree, but I remember poring over images of the various 62mas homages (no way was I forking out for the SLA017......) and they all had subtle differences that changed their looks, so hence my concern here with the bezel width.......
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Saw the Instagram pic of the blue dial with black bezel. I'm hoping it's fake, because the black bezel with the printing is pretty thick. It makes the dimensions look off and not well proportioned.
It's not fake, the bezel is that thick/wide - the steel blue dial Limited Edition model is official: https://wornandwound.com/introducin...ern-reinterpretation-of-the-62mas-done-right/

I guess the extra bezel width accounts for the size increase over the SLA017.

The other 3 non-Limited Edition models will be officially announced on Friday 20th March.

The thickness of the watch itself at 13.2 mm is thinner than the 6RMAS at 13.8 mm and the SLA017 at 14.1 mm, but 0.1 mm thicker than the MM200 at 13.1 mm.

and even more direct lineage (believe the original was grey?)
Yes, the original was charcoal grey with hints of brown.
It's not fake, the bezel is that thick/wide - the steel blue dial Limited Edition model is official: https://wornandwound.com/introducin...ern-reinterpretation-of-the-62mas-done-right/

I guess the extra bezel width accounts for the size increase over the SLA017.

The other 3 non-Limited Edition models will be officially announced on Friday 20th March.

The thickness of the watch itself at 13.2 mm is thinner than the 6RMAS at 13.8 mm and the SLA017 at 14.1 mm, but 0.1 mm thicker than the MM200 at 13.1 mm.

Yes, the original was charcoal grey with hints of brown.
6RMAS. Nice

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6RMAS. Nice
Surely these new ones should be the 35MASes in order to distinguish them from the larger 6RMASes (SPB051/SPB053/SBDC051/SBBDC053 etc.) from 3 years ago?
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How much will this one be? - SPB147J1
That's the one we don't know the price of yet, but I'm guessing it will be somewhere around 110,000 - 120,000 JPY, since the models which come on silicone straps are usually 20,000 JPY less than the models which come on stainless steel bracelets.
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Re: Seiko Diver's 1965 Modern Re-Interpretation SPB143J1 / SPB147J1 / SPB149J1

I'd agree, but I remember poring over images of the various 62mas homages (no way was I forking out for the SLA017......) and they all had subtle differences that changed their looks, so hence my concern here with the bezel width.......
I totally appreciate and respect that details impact how we each view any design. Little changes that one person loves another may hate.

In the case of these the details are working for me. But I fully understand and respect if something like the bezel width or any other aspect turn someone off.

I understand that seiko would do something like change the bezel width and indices so that it is different than the more direct (and expensive) SLA 62MAS versions.

Right now I'm still pumped and will remain cautiously optimistic until we see some more real life pics to confirm what they really look like.
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