This post will focus on the SNR033 GMT. See the first post for overall shots. I'll present specific aspects in this detail thread.

Here is a closeup of the lower portion of the dial. All looks pretty good. It's a new macro lens so please bear with me as I work out the kinks. I'm not a "loupe" guy and don't agonize over microscopic details. The markers have a very nice, delicate beveling on the long edges which gives a sparkly effect in the light. The top surfaces have a uniform grooving which is quite sophisticated.

Here you see all the lumed hands on this watch. The lume is uniformly blobby on all surfaces including the hands. Doesn't really bother me. However, I will say the the lume intensity is nothing like on the diver cousin, the SNR029. Not as bright initial charge and doesn't last as long into the night.

Here is a closeup of the power reserve meter. It's applied as opposed to the printed meter on the '029. It also covers a larger angular sweep of about 95 degrees as compared to 90 degrees from full to empty. Nice to see the capped center spindle as a finishing touch. You might have noticed that the "SEIKO" logo is also applied. This, coupled with the bright red "GMT" really jazzes up the dial. The overall effect is brilliant, dynamic, and engaging.

Here's the numeral on the date wheel. Strangely blobby. Nice construction and detailing around the frame though. The white background of the date wheel actually works well because it gives the impression of the marker at "3."

The crown is smaller in length and diameter as compared to the '029 as more suited to a general purpose watch. The coining on the edge of the bezel is interesting. It looks like it would be tough to get a good grip but this is not the case. If you grip the bezel edge lightly, the large flats convey a smooth surface. However, apply a little pinch pressure and the crisp edges of the coining lock up against your finger resulting in contact for turning the stiff, friction bezel.

The overall case construction and finish is excellent. The lugs are sharp and the Zaratsu polish is as expected on titanium grade 2, micro-smooth but with noticeable orange peel effect. The brushing is fine and well executed. I see no imperfections anywhere.

Although the bracelets on the '033 and '029 are structurally identical, the finishing is different. The GMT links' center sections have a polished bevel edge that the diver's bracelet does not. But it should have. I understand the utilitarian bent, but some shine is really needed to balance the similar effect on the polished surfaces on the case. The polished bevels really amp up the sparkle power of the '033 in bright sun. It's just gorgeous.

The signed clasp buckle is crisply done. I'm guessing laser engraving. No issues here. The hardware has "TITANIUM-B" engraved into it but no country of origin.

Here are a few shots of the clasp in action. First, at its SHORTEST of three settings, all the way in. The overall range of toolless adjustment is 7mm. Link spacing, pin-to-pin is 10.5mm so, there is potentially a range of 3.5mm where you might not be able to find the perfect fit. For me, it's just right. And if I'm feeling sporty, I'd just swap in the ratchet clasp from the '029.

The middle setting. The clasp can be let out without unlocking it, but it's clumsy to shorten it without doing so.

And, finally, fully extended.

Here are the inner workings. Quite simple and straightforward. Two side-pushers move to retract teeth that engage in one of three sets of notches in the underside of the clasp.

And so there you have it. The SNR033 GMT!

PS. I 'd like to acknowledge Steve at Little Treasury Jewelers in Maryland. He was a genuine pleasure to deal with and as the only Grand Seiko/Seiko salon/ boutique even close to local for me, I can't wait to actually visit in person after this crazy C19 fades to a memory. No consideration, monetary or of any other value was offered or accepted for this acknowledgement.

 

This post focuses on the SNR029 300m saturation diver.

Here's the face of the watch. It's serious and purpose-built. No added frills or fancy stuff. Clarity and visibility are the goals in this design and in this, it succeeds immensely well. Frankly, I'd put this face up against any that the crown produces and it would do favorably.

One detail that is noticeable for the difference between these two watches are the hands. They are completely different, not just in the shape but in the fact that the '033's big hands carry no ballast. The hour, minute, and GMT hands terminate at the central spindle. Only the second hand has ballast and it serves as the lume marker. However, on the diver, all hands are ballasted. I think it's a good design decision. Ballasted hands carry more presence, while the handset on the GMT is more "refined." And the fact that there is an extra hand (GMT) the dial could have gotten quite crowded at the center.

This is a nice choice that further differentiates the cosmopolitan GMT from the tool diver.

As mentioned in an earlier post, the power reserve indicator is (pad) printed instead of applied and I feel it works well here as all other textual and sign elements are printed as well. The dial is a texturized black and is glare-free. All markers and hands are jam-packed with Lumibrite. Perfect.

The crown is substantial. The largest on any watch I own. Still, it harmonizes with the overall design very well. It doesn't dig into the wrist and is easy to adjust. The level of finishing on the bezel crenelations is crisp and high and engages the pads of your finger tips readily. It's easy to grip and turn with confidence.

The case, end links, and bracelet are all finished to the same quality as on the '033. Meaning really well done. In contrast to the bracelet on the '033, the center section bevels are not polished. However, I feel that they should have been. The current effect is of a bracelet that is overly subdued relative to the case which has polished surfaces as accents.

In the right lighting, even very light scratches can look horrific. Contrast this with the previous picture of the lower left lug. Personally, I don't mind at all. I buy my watches to wear and the only watch in the safety deposit box is the banged up Rolex OP I inherited from my father. So, as you can see, Diashield is perhaps of marginal benefit.

The signed buckle on the '029 clasp is executed in the same fashion as the '033, laser engraved. Desk diving scuffs and scratches abound!

And, finally, here's a series of photos of the ratchet clasp in action. The first is closed in the fully-retracted position. This is how I usually wear it.

And here it is fully extended.

This is a shot of the internals with the extension partially deployed. The flip-over safety cover is the release for the ratchet. Gently pull it past vertical to let out additional length. Simply push the extension back in with gentle pressure. As I've mentioned elsewhere, the flip-over/release is too sensitive. Often I bump it while donning or removing the watch and inadvertently let out the extension.

And there you have it! The Seiko Prospex LX SNR029 saturation diver.
It is one serious piece of wristwatch.

Cheers!

 

I'd also like to attach two short videos of the magical bezel in action. It is absolutely chameleon-like in its ability to exhibit a range of color effects as the watch moves. Simply stunning and not something I've seen in any other watch.

In the shade.

In the sun, showing the sunray effect of the dial as well.

 

Very thorough and well done comparison. Thank you for sharing. I’d be all over these if they were a touch smaller. So close to perfection.

 

Very impressive!

 

Just noticed something worth reporting. The crystals are different on the two watches. On the SNR033, the crystal is flat and sits about .2mm above the front face of the bezel. On the SNR029, the crystal is internally domed and the front of the crystal sits below the bezel surface.

 

I'd like to link to a few posts that I found informative as I was researching the SNR029.

The first is a review of the '029 by member mattmartin. Unfortunately, this older thread did not convert well from the old forum platform and the text doesn't show well in dark mode and the pictures are thumbnail sized.
SNR029 - 300m springdrive Marinemaster - a review

The second link is to a post by member Clint Pockets. In that post, he visits a dealer and compares the SNR029 and MM60 or SBDB011. Again, inline pictures are tiny.
Comparing the SBDB011 and SNR029

The third is a post by vendor and forum sponsor Timeless Luxury Watches. This thread covers all the new Seiko releases from Baselworld 2019 including the LXs.
Every New Prospex from Baselworld 2019

 

Can I just say Ginseng that even though I don’t own one and so aren’t really entitled to post here these are very handsome watches.

 

Thanks for the great review and information.
Seriously nice watches .

Spring Drive is so special.


Sent from my SM-A715F using Tapatalk

 

love mine after 6 months of measuring its precision is no less than amazing!!!!!!! +.3spd....everyday.......!!! and I wear it like I stole it!!!

 

Which model do you have? That timekeeping is very good indeed. Spring Drive is truly a fantastic piece of tech.

 

 

Oooh, SNR035. Rare bird indeed! Congratulations!

 

since I wear in without restriction I put the isofrane band on knowing the leather would not handle the swimming, shower....excessive summer sweat....my only concern is how well the black finish will hold up.... so far no visible chips or scratches....lets see how it "weathers" wear... I tried to see if I could find some others out there with well worn seiko "black" coating but did not see any....

 

That's the only way to wear it, in my book. The SeikoLuxe website doesn't say, but for a watch of this caliber, I'd hope it is DLC. If it is, it's going to hold up really well. I have some DLC-coated blades that are several years old and well-used and they appear almost brand new.

Ginseng108: how is your GMT hand alignment? my only "OCD" issue would be that it is ~8min ahead of the minute hand....

When I set it, my recollection was that it was spot on. But then this is my first time setting a true traveler's GMT. It's substantially more complicated than the yoked-GMT watches that are much more common. Like the ETA variants, I mean. I'll check it at the top of the next hour and see how it turns out.

 

Ginseng108: how is your GMT hand alignment? my only "OCD" issue would be that it is ~8min ahead of the minute hand....

 

I just checked and it's hard to see in the photo but by eye on the watch, it looks like:

• second hand, right on (doesn't really matter but I like to see it)
• minute hand, right on
• GMT hand, right on (though it looks ahead due to parallax effects)
• local hour hand, lags 1.5 minutes behind.

The important thing is that the minute and GMT hands are spot on because they are yoked unlike on a regular 3-hander movement where the hour and minute are yoked. The local hour on a traveler GMT has a different setting mechanism so I guess I just didn't get that dialed in. I'm not inclined to mess with it though. 90 seconds is good enough.

All in all, certainly acceptable to me.

 

yes, it was a hard call between your blue/black model and this blacked out one....I am quiet surprised that both seem to be rare out there "in the wild" as they say...Im glad you started this topic....lets see if more SNR owners show up

 

Ginseng - thanks so much for this - really excellent contribution - should be made into a Seiko Forum Sticky
awesome post, awesome watches - only a bit jealous

 

btw one benefit of these "under the radar" SEIKO's is that when it catches someones eye and they notice "SEIKO"....it typically gets the "muh" follow through....unless its a fellow watch nut..they pass it off as a department store fashion commodity....little do they know...what we paid. :0 !!!!
...and thats a good thing!

 

btw one benefit of these "under the radar" SEIKO's is that when it catches someones eye and they notice "SEIKO"....it typically gets the "muh" follow through....unless its a fellow watch nut..they pass it off as a department store fashion commodity....little do they know...what we paid. :0 !!!!
...and thats a good thing!

So true! I've gotten two (kinds) of responses so far.

• Oooh, is that a Rolex...because every sparkling, expensive-looking watch is a Rolex, naturally
• Seiko? Oh, you get that at the mall? That's where I got my Invicta/Fossil/Michal Kors because every sparking, expensive-looking watch is an I/F/MK, naturally

 

...nice....I'll snap mine when it rolls around if I remember...

 

 

If you line up the tip of the 24-hour hand with a line marker (48 min) where does the minute hand fall? 8 minutes till the 12-noon marker?

 

yes, that's how I'm registering my GMT hand is about 8min fast to the minute hand

 

Hmmm, that's tough. If it were my '033, I would probably think about considering a service. On a watch of this level, 8 minutes is not acceptable I think.
I assume you've set the 24-hour and minute hands several times by now and on a full power reserve?

 

Seems pretty much spot on to me. The GMT hand is dead on. Hard to see at the angle I took this though.

 

Looks great!
Hey pwrflpete and trhall, have you guys played around with the GMT function much? I'm asking because learning to set it and use it has been an experience for me and I'm considering writing it up for post in this thread. Did you have any observations and lessons to share?

 

Hey pwrflpete and trhall, have you guys played around with the GMT function much?

Pretty much like any "True" GMT for setting. I am used to True GMTs (local jumping hour) and ETA-style (jumping GMT), so I feel both are easy once you understand them.

For this, I simply:

1. Hack watch (pull out two crown steps) when seconds hand is at 12
2. Set GMT hand for hours and minutes hand for minutes, then push in the crown
3. Pull out crown one step. Set the date and local hour.

I use the GMT set to my local time, so it always references home time when traveling. At home, they're "in sync".

 

Holy cow. Looking at trhall's picture in post, I turned to look at the watch wrist and tried to figure out how they get that multi-blue effect. But I couldn't make it happen and I was like whisky-tango-hotel?!
Then I realized I was wearing the '029.

 

 

7min ahead of GMT hand... yes it bothers me a little, but to send it in, have it opened for alignment is not worth it to me. The accuracy and precision it has shown over the last 6months is more important to me.. .maybe in 10 or so years when it heads in for service I will request it be addressed.

 

Well reasoned! I concur.