SLA077 matte white: a Marinemaster that wears like an SKX, and my doubts about calling it one
Unboxing the new Marinemaster
A real bonanza, courtesy of the wonderful Seiko Steve. This is the SLA077, the fairly new, non-limited Marinemaster 300 from Seiko. These new SLAs all come in this kind of box. A top box with a couple of warranty cards, an internal box, all cardboard, the invoice, and then a nice cushion and your tags. You don't get any secondary straps with these new ones, as you did with the old ones. List price is £2,580 according to Seiko. It's a 1968 heritage divers watch with 8L35 inside, 4 Hz, 50 hours of power reserve, 26 jewels, hacking and hand winding, quick-set date. The tolerance is plus 15 to minus 10, which is quite loose, but these watches usually run within it.
Is it a Marinemaster?
How do we define Marinemasters? I've always said, and everyone thinks, it's 300 metres of water resistance and the monocoque case, which we no longer have. I think we have to accept that Seiko has evolved the Marinemaster name into basically any top-of-the-line SLA Seiko dive watch. I'm learning to accept things as I get older in life for just what they are.
It wears like an SKX
Stainless steel case, 42.6 mm in diameter, nearly 2 mm narrower than its old brother. You'd never know, because the dial is so much bigger. 13.4 mm thick, so considerably slimmer than the predecessor at 15.3. Lug to lug of 49.3, 20 mm lugs. Double-domed sapphire. It's more wearable and comfortable, I have to admit.
The dial is matte white with a pebble-like texture. You don't notice the finish. It just looks flat white, but get close and there's lovely texturing. The square date window sits between four and five. Do we like that? Not really, but the trade-off is a full lume plot at three. On the wrist: I would say it wears like an SKX. If you could think of a Marinemaster that wears like an SKX, this is what it is. The undercut bevelled midcase makes it hug the wrist.
Verdict
I think they're very nice, but I don't think they're for me. There's something about them that feels a little bit off. I can't deny the quality: it's a high-quality watch without a shadow of a doubt. And that clasp is garbage on a watch at this price. Tell me what you think, bros.
