Slim, handsome, overpriced, and a clasp that scratches itself: I don't like it, but I still love it
Contentious, bros
Another SLA-ish Seiko from Seiko Steve, and this is my least favourite out of the watches I've borrowed from Big Steve. This is the SJE119. This is a contentious piece and it is not my favourite. But even though I don't like it, I still love it, if that makes any sense, because it's a Seiko. Don't be offended if you have one or love it, because I also like it. I just think it's rubbish.
The price, the price
The main thing I didn't like is the ridiculous list price of £2,930. That's more expensive than my SLA023 was and it is inferior in many ways. Seiko Steve bought this in mint used condition for £1,630. That's a fair price. I would pay that myself. But it is not worth three grand. Two thousand nine hundred and thirty quid for a 6L37 movement and 200 m of water resistance? They're taking the piss.
Slim, small, wears so well
The 6L37 super-slim calibre is apparently 3.7 mm thick. Plus 15 to minus 10, 26 jewels, 45 hours of power reserve instead of 50. At this price accuracy should be guaranteed. My mate George hates his 6R35 because its accuracy is terrible. This one offers far better accuracy at the same thickness.
It's a skin diver case, the 62MAS kind of: 39.5 mm, 12.3 thick, 47.2 lug to lug, 20 mm lugs. That's joint slimmest Seiko dive watch with the SPB317 Slim Turtle. Sometimes it is nice to have a non-behemoth on the wrist. It wears so well. Big zaratsu bevels, sharp lug ends. Brilliant. The bezel is a steel one in a greeny blue, overhanging, with a nice grip and a great action.
What they got wrong
They call the crystal boxed sapphire. Single dome, slight dome, does that look boxed to you? Not once. The crown is a tiny unsigned thing I fumble for in the dark with my crusty hooves, and the overhanging bezel doesn't help. The display caseback is a first for Seiko divers, showing off a rather unimpressive 6L37, with a wave graphic that looks rubbish. And the dial: stamped horizontal lines, massive rectangular indices that look fantastic, but they put a round date window in it and it isn't even colour matched. Finally, get rid of it.
The bracelet has improved, but the end link integration is absolutely terrible, and the clasp, again, is a stamped mil swing arm with two micro adjusts and no on-the-fly adjustment. I've been going on about this for years. Fine on a 4R or 6R watch, not on a three grand one. And it scratches itself when you open it. All four of Seiko Steve's do it. Major flaw. They've never done anything about it.
Verdict
It's handsome. Don't really like the dial. Don't like the price. It's very comfortable and wears well, but I'm not liking this bracelet, the end link or the clasp. The watch head is nice. Do we get rid of him or keep him in the rotation? I'm not sure. It's definitely not a Marinemaster to me. But Seiko says it is, and they make the rules, so we'll follow along like good boys. Never give up.
