Dampened Seiko perfection, with a clasp that eats itself
Gen 4.5, bros
Uncle Geth is here for the beeeech, and today it's the HBF001 Marinemaster, courtesy of Seiko Steve. This is the Gen 4.5 Marinemaster, the 1968 heritage diver, based on the 1968 300-metre Hi-Beat professional diver. A sight to be seen. Unreal scenario, bros, in the face.
The specs: 42.6 mm across, 49.3 mm lug to lug, 20 mm at the lugs tapering to 18 mm at the newly designed clasp. Hold that thought on the clasp. This one was made in March 2026.
The 8L45
Inside you'll treasure the 8L45: 35 jewels, plus 10 to minus 5 seconds a day, 72 hours of power reserve. A simple three-hander with date. It's meant to be the upgrade from the 8L35 in the SLA079, but really you get a strung-out power reserve with no real difference in accuracy. That's a lot of zlotties. But we must get bigger, better and stronger with every iteration, or die. We'll put these two head to head in an upcoming video.
Seiko perfection
Feel that bezel. Muted, dampened Seiko perfection. It overhangs the case, and the deep-cut cogwheel teeth are exceptionally easy to grip and turn. Top-tier clock. The ceramic insert has unlumed debossed numerals, and the 12 o'clock pip is shrouded and protected. Marvellous.
The case is ruggedly angular, robust, beautiful and precise. A Zaratsu-polished bevel, mirror polished by Japanese artisans, a midcase brushed with exceptional precision and a scalloped undercut. All three meet with geometric perfection, forming a comfortability matrix that transcends the thunderdome. On the back, a screw-down caseback with a stylised tsunami in relief inside a debossed disc: the best of both worlds without raising the case. Absolutely proper.
The dial
Deep black, fine-grain texture, beautiful. You get five lines of text, and you get the dreaded X. Get rid of it, bro, there's no need for that. The 3 o'clock date has black text on a silver-white disc, and look at that texturing. Unreal scenario.
The handset speaks for itself. I prefer the blunter tips on the SLA023, which is my favourite handset of all time. This one's pointier, almost the same but not quite. Not far behind.
A bracelet for days, a clasp for the bin
The bracelet does everything a bracelet should. It drapes for days. Male end links, drilled lugs, pin and collar, three-piece links with satin-brushed tops and high-polish shoulders on the centre link. No one can complain about this bracelet. Rad.
The clasp is another story. A milled swing arm, a milled shell, lovely twin-trigger release, and a toolless micro-adjust: 16 mm of adjustment in eight 2 mm steps, with links coming out rather than a slab of metal. It looks very nice until you dissect it. Inside it's sharp and looks unfinished. And it hurts itself: the links rub on the shell and mark. This is a brand-new, 3,300 twerp that Seiko Steve had for about two weeks, and it's already marring its own links. That's not acceptable.
Every other channel is saying this clasp is the greatest thing since hot toast. It isn't. As much as I love Seiko, and this twerp is for the beeeech, the clasp is an absolute massive fail. I'm extremely disappointed. Stay freaky, bros. I love you bros.
