It feels like it's been a long time coming, but here is the review for the new Save The Ocean Glacier Marine Master Reduced... Also, check out the Antarctica Monster: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-DALX39LtKKE.html AKA: Happy Feet Monster, Ice Chicken Monster
Great review as usual, Shane. I think you know I'm a big Seiko fan, owning a bunch of them and also a bunch of Seiko homages. One of those is a MM300 homage by Heimdallr. After getting that, I told myself I really want a Marine Master. I knew you were going to review this one, so I was curious to find out if this smaller one would be the one to get. In one way this ticks all the boxes such as the sapphire crystal and - low and behold - a milled clasp. But then there are those disappointments like the bezel alignment/insert material, unsigned crown and the lume that is a total let down... At that price... 🤔 So yeah, I wonder if we'll see some homages that are actually better bang for buck... Still: it gives me that Seiko itch..
Wife just bought this for me for my birthday. It is a beautiful watch. With my small wrist, this case design is fabulous! I didn’t notice the two tone hands until watching this video (have had the watch for 3 hours!). I love the readability of this, and the glacial color face is a nice difference from my other blue divers
If it was $650usd - I'd buy it, but pressed indices, printed not filled lume, chunky clasp, bad alignment and +/- 25 seconds per day makes that my top. The dial is a beauty. It would feel good explaining that "It's just a Seiko" with that Glacier dial.
The last great diver from Seiko was King Turtle and Samurai, with ceramic bezel, sapphire crystal and ISO-rated 200m just under 400$. It was on strap but with a Strapcode bracelet it looks at least double the price or more.
I've been looking at the 62mas style watches for a while but couldn't decided which one to buy, but as soon as I saw this model I bought it, and to be honest I think it's fantastic, I haven't taken it off since I got it.
I bought the SBDC143 Willard a couple of months ago, and I absolutely love that watch. The one you’ve reviewed here is in the same tier. They are great watches. Thanks for the great review and beautiful macros.
@@RelativeTime I should add that the seichu straps that it comes with are absolutely beautiful. The best natos ever. I did buy the OEM bracelet too, which is also fantastic.
Love that dial and bezel combo. It's strong. In the end i decided to go with the king samurai with the white dial, as i had just recently bought a blue dial Farer Charlton. For me the king samurai bests this one in every aspect(case shape, ceramic bezel, lume) except the movement and i couldn't ascribe another 400 bucks for a 4R to 6R upgrade. Huge competition once you hit a grand from just soooo many companies.
Great review as always Shane. I get the value proposition, but that dial is spectacular... and that's why people will ultimately buy it. Nobody does dials like Seiko...
Very true. Seiko is a master. Plus another side to the value proposition is resale. There are exceptions, but Seiko usually has pretty good resale if you happen to buy one and don't like it. Unlike a lot of Ali watches.
Ordered one from the AD. It was perfect - great fit to wrist, great feel of the weight, everything aligned. And had a huge spec of dust on mirror finished side of the hour hand :D . So I returned it and demanded a new clean one. They sent me one. As perfect as the first one, without the dust. So, I fully wind it to see the accuracy with watchcheck app. After one hour the watch halts. I thought that ... well lets wind it again and check - same thing, dead after an hour. Tried third time - ran great for 70 hours. I wound it again and again got great 72 hours. So, I wind it third time and this time wear it on the hand. And... halts after a short time. Returned this junk to AD. I don`t know what is wrong with their QA procedures but they are really not up to the standards.
The reason the lume doesn't last as long nowadays is because it isn't deep filled. The hour markers are raised and Seiko only uses a tiny amount of lume on them. If you check one of the older MM200 models they glow brighter and for longer too because they actually have applied markers as opposed to raised.
Great video and review of an awesome looking Seiko . I agree that such a great dial deserves stronger lume . I’ve noticed quite a lume difference between models and years of Seiko divers , with surprisingly some from a few years back stronger than some newer ones. Keep up the good work 👍
It’s very pretty. It’s probably not really for me but I can certainly appreciate that it’s got a lot going for it. You did an amazing job photographing and filming it. 👍
I love my 62 mas version! It’s great and I love the time reserve. But I will say I get as much joy from my spinnaker or Farer! It’s all about what you like. Seiko is still my fav overall brand!!👍
It's a beautiful watch, but when I looked at the MM reduced series in the boutique in London, I have to say, I wished that Seiko hadn't reduced the size. The dial is beautiful, but the watch doesn't have the presence that I enjoy so much. I see a lot of comment on social media calling for smaller watches, but I personally don't get it and especially I don't get it for dive watches. I own and love the original blue Sumo, a Save the ocean Samurai, an SBDC077 Green Sea (the large 62 MAS) and my smallest Seiko at 42mm, a black Fifty five fathoms. After looking at all the Seiko Boutique had to offer, I was left feeling that the only watches I was drawn to were the special editions around the £2500 mark, but I really didn't feel that they were worth that price. I ended up buying my first non Seiko watch for many years, a Tissot Seastar 2000. It's big, at 46mm and 16mm thick, its beautifully finished and has a gorgeous fumee dial in aquamarine blue with waves a domed sapphire crystal and ceramic bezel. Looking through the domed crystal, I love the depth of the case and the layers of detail, with the hands, indices, chapter ring and textured dial all having very much their own plane to inhabit. Still keeping a close eye on new releases from Seiko of course.
Came for the first hand review on the seiko, stayed and subscribed. I think it's a great review, where one does not need to read between lines. Value on this piece is low, however pretty it looks from afar. Thanks for the vid
That's a coincidence - I am, too, waiting for that exact model to get to me... And yesterday I had the Antarctica Monster on my hand, oh, I LOVE that watch!
Hope you enjoy this one when you get it. I love both of them for different reasons. I can't help but smile when I wear the Antarctica Monster. Whereas I'm always in awe when I wear this one.
The flatter case of the 62mas (and originals) is what I’d prefer. On its own, I can appreciate how all the small details come together on this model. The only quibble for me would be the 5KS/DressKS crown.
Thanks for the great review Shane. I have an older SBDC053 with a similar looking bezel that shifts between royal blue to black depending on the light. It is apparently it is made from coated stainless steel
I really liked your video. I've been wearing my SBDC047 for a few days again, and I like it just as much as this watch. You helped me put off the urge to "spring" for a Spring Drive diver.
I picked up the spb187 this year and on the whole it's a great piece. The lume is disappointing, my old skx with printed lume is far brighter and longer lasting. I could live without the divers extension but I understand it's there because it's a prospex.
Seiko are in a really interesting place atm. They’re more “budget” line are punching way above they’re waste line to the degree that their watches that cost twice as much really aren’t giving you much more in a lot of cases imho.
Wow, what a stunner! After seiko started increasing price for new models, seiko is now my secondary brand, where I will selectively buy, like the 5kx gmt. And maybe this one if I can ever get past that price. Orient was my primary brand, till they behave worse than seiko, they raise price for both current and new models in MY and SG. So now I don't have any primary brand. Haha
Good review. This is very good looking watch when I last handled it in an AD. I still prefer the MM300 only because I prefer their builds and the heft. I know that it is not a fair comparison due to costs differences. Thanks for upload.
@Another Watch if only the mm300 came in at this size or even 40mm ..It would be an instant buy for me..This is the next best thing and I'm cool with it ..I do believe eventually, that Seiko will come out with a smaller higher end mm300..It's only a matter of time..
@@anotherwatch I'm with ya 💯.. With the current trends of smaller case sizes, you'd think Seikos marketing team would be all over this...Take my money!
Good, comprehensive review Shane. Very pretty dial, but for that money I'd expect more. Ceramic and proper lume at least. And that's where the slippery slope begins (hello SNR029, you gorgeous thing).
The 6 million dollar question 😀Yeah, even on advertisement pictures, some are off by half a mark. For a +1000$ watch? I have a sub 400$ Manta ray turtle... of course it's off. And it makes me crazy. A sub 300 Tissot is perfectly aligned.
I love this ⌚!! In regards to the lume my thought is they didn't want the white lume to turn green as it does due to sheer strength. Low light transition markers stay white keep the color balanced with the dial.
You know what? I actually don't mind that the crown is not signed. I can engrave it myself with initials etc. and make it more personal. Is that allowed?
Thanks! When I started this whole thing, I did it with the idea of providing good quality images so you can really see what the watch is like. As well good audio so you fully hear what I'm saying. I started out at a good place, but I've steadily improved the quality of things as I've gone on.
Seiko's "Save The Ocean" line donate a little something to organisations studying and helping to preserve one of our most precious biological resources. That probably justifies the marketing and the price and buying this piece, but not it's flaws - quite the contrary. Great review! Thx.
As a hobby collector I'd rather go with the Citizen Orca. The "quality" diver market is saturated with big hitters, Swiss names and outstanding value (if you take the time to look). This is an amazing watch, but only for casual wearers needing one watch or perhaps folks who want to build a specific Seiko collection. For general collectors, shelf space is limited, so actual (sub $1,000) Swiss made divers keep their crown and novelty Japanese items are better served with ones offerings the Orca etc.
I have a blue face n bezel 300MM From Squire , I mean Steeldive.Its unbelievably fantastic . Has a etched signed crown , sapphire crystal, NH35a movement. Fender, i mean Seiko remain the star and cover the whole market . Maybe .
Great looking watch and thanks for a very well done review. The dial color is awesome. But it’s too bad that the price in save the ocean Seiko’s is now north of a grand.
At least for the "Modern Re-Interpretation" line. I think you can get some of the Save The Ocean Monster and Baby tunas for $500. Still expensive for what they are though.
Love my Monster Pinguin because it has an awsome dial. This one to, but for a lot more money. Compared to other (micro) brands, only a movement upgrade and a saphire crystalcannot justify the amount of money for me. Maybe a Zelos, Phoibos or Audaz next time? The Seestern MAS62 with MOP dial and lumed datewheel is better bang for the bug. Hope Seiko makes Save The Ocean models still with a 4R35 movement.
I was contemplating getting myself a similar Seiko, but because of the rubbish movement (6R35) I decided retro fitting the watch with the cheaper but superior 4R35 wouldn't really be a good move. I looked at several homages as the monocoque MM300 and regular MM200 case really speak to me, found one which is monocoque and has a Sellita SW200 movement. Very happy with my +2 SPD which would never be possible (not without some serious orientation management anyway) with the 6R35. I would have loved it to have been a Seiko but what a dog of a movement. C'mon Seiko get your act together while there's still love for you.
@@RelativeTime I was lucky to have a look at a few Mm300's before choosing a couple of Proxima both with SW200 movements ( although nh35a would be arguably better value. I like the nh35a because with the exception of a 4R35 in a Samurai and one other the rest of then run superbly, all gain less 7 secs per day on wrist., Most without any adjustment from me. I'd rather a MM 200 with a nh35a than the 6435 because of the greater consistency. I'm not a Seiko hater, they gave so much to horology. Unfortunately finances dictate and the Seiko vfm doesn't hold up for me.
Nice dial but too heavy for me at 175 grams on the bracelet . Also $1250 is too much cash for what you get .At that price point I would rather get a Laco Atlantik diver ( about $150 less) on rubber strap or a Damasko 42 ( about $ 250 more ) both German made using Swiss movements . Both in my option have better specs are better value for money , and will be more comfortable to wear for every day use than this “ clunker “. Seiko bracelets are also not that great in my opinion. On a bracelet I would get a Glycine Combat Sub 42 mm for about half the price, or a Yema Superman 41 mm for about $250 less. Both use Swiss automatic movements and again are better value in my opinion. I love Seiko but they have gotten a bit greedy when it comes to price .
I have no source, and I do not know what the bezel insert is actually made of for this watch, but my "feeling" of Seiko's in this price range, is that normally the bezel inserts are made of steel
You're right Shane, ally bezel insert at this price is poor. My Islander diver has a lumed sapphire insert for less than $400. And a high beat movement. I'm really over Seiko.
I was seriously considering this one. But, as far as the more premium Prospex line of "vintage reissues" are concerned with 6R35 movement, I ended up getting a green Willard recently. Btw, I also like that light blue dot on the second hand. I'm very particular with my blue colors.. I held out on this one cause I wasn't sure if maybe some green, perhaps too much of it, may be seen in this type of blue dial. Idk? Overall, I think it is probably sufficiently more blue enough. Great buy!
There is also the 62mas version that's more of a traditional darker blue. One reason I decided to get this was that the blue was so different. I didn't want it to match any of my other blue divers, or ones I might want to get in the future. It's almost like a metallic electrified tiffany blue.
@@RelativeTime I think I do like the darker blue of the 62mas version. But, I prefer the mm200 case. Idk?.. I think the mm200 would still be the best one to get out of the 3 they made.
Hi Shane. Great video as usual. Overall the watch looks good. But I can't help but feel that the line plots and hands are a touch small when compared to the dial size. Compared to other Seiko divers it doesn't really stand out. The mini Turtle I think would be a comparable option for less money.
I think they are a little small, but in line with the Marine Master 300 / 200 line. Funny you should mention the Mini Turtle. The first time I put it on it reminded me a little of how the Mini-Turtle felt on the wrist.
I would like it a little bigger. Something between this size and the mm300. I own a great blue hole, i love it and i hate it for the bracelet and the bezel not being ceramic. Nowadays watches in half price come with ceramic bezel. I hate the bracelet not only fot the colar and pins but it is only 20mm and it gets narrou very close to the case tapering to only 16mm, algo the 1st link to the lugs make the case longer. should be buying a strapcode bracelet.
Such a nice dial. Man I just want an mechanical watch.I wish I got into watches before I got into knives I have a bunch of high end knives and I still just carry the same benchmade griptilian. I don’t know how you decide what to wear man it would give me agida
The whole time I watched that, I kept thinking why would I pay 1200? Maybe 600. Compared to the Seastar 2000, with the ceramic, and the rhodium hands and the even prettier and also pretty unique dial, with 3x the water resistance... I'll give the seiko a win on the case and band though, those are pretty great. The seastar 2000 case is as overtly utilitarian as any watch ever gets, and I replace the band with a miltat hexad on the second day, but from the top down, it's spectacular at the price point, and on my wrist has only lost several seconds over the course of as many months.
I just bought my 1st “Luxury” watch. Dropped North of $2.2K for a VJ 7750 in a Fortis Classic Cosmonaut AM. Gorgeous and although I did not borrow my children’s college fund for this watch…..I thought about it 🤣. Very (like microscopic) small defects in detail can be seen if you are (OCD?) looking for them. No “perfect” watch has ever been made….@ least not for regular dudes that buy Seiko and Hamilton and Zelos…..No perfection for us. But….DANG…..(wtf Seiko???????)
Interesting about the lume. I have an all steel MM200 and the lume is great on my example. It holds up against my King Turtle, dress kx and even my Oris Aquis.
Not the biggest fan of this kind of watches, still this dial is nice, plus i love the hands trick, is one of my favorites in any watch i'd say. Lume looks weak though and price is on the other side, so not a winner for me here, let aside the style i'm not fond of. Thanks for the review Shane, be well mate, cheers. PS "...i'm done with Seiko divers"...... no, you're not! As we say here "Eat a big bite but don’t say big statement"! 😜 PS2 I'm sure you already know what's happening with the other channels i mentioned in your community tab, still i responced over there too. Woke up this morning to check for more and it seems like lots know who the "bad" guy is...
It's a beautiful watch, BUT I can't help but feel, Seiko never give you more than they have too, & the ongoing saga of bezel alignment is symptomatic of QC that should have been addressed a long time ago. I vote with my wallet & now choose to buy something other than Seiko.
With all the nicknames the Seiko family tree gets confusing. So I thought it was a good idea to go over all that. Some people have also started calling these the new MM200. Which doesn't really explain what it is.
@Tony Boros I don't mind it ..I think with these they are trying to keep in line with historical references..They didn't have the signed crowns back in the day..
im with you. i like the unsigned crown. i like simple. sometimes, put too much on something, it ruins the item as a whole. besides, we dont look at the crown to tell time, we look at the dial.
Am always lost with the Seiko ref models......bought a similar watch, spb187j1 (had to look it up) wears the same as the sbdc101, slightly larger. The 101 wears like a compact 39mm. However, comparing these 2 with the sbdc053 which is 42.6mm, the sbdc053 wears better, more comfortable and am glad I didn't buy the Seiko bracelet for it, the strapcode is great. Not at all impressed by the accuracy of the sbdc101 aka spb143j1 nor of the spb187j1 (similar to this one in the vid) as the 6r35 isn't much better than the 6r15. Some more PR and better mainspring but that's just about it. The sbdc053 replaced mainspring, regulated and it's at -1 sec @ 24h. The other two are 1 month old and are at +20 sec @ 24h !!!! That, altho for Seiko is within specs, for me is unacceptable. Despite the fact that the mm300 is in many folks a Grail, I do regret buying it. Far too bulky, a very slim (and flimsy) bracelet with a tin can clasp and to access the mechanism, only via crystal. Won't get into GS now but in the range of this model in vid along with a few others that I've bought, would have been better off with say +$200 and have, ceramic insert, better bracelet/clasp and better QC. But....like you said, it's Seiko we're talking about. Great review as always, many thanks and stay safe.
![Seiko Glacier Marine Master Reduced: Almost Perfect! SBDC167 / SPB299 [ SBDC167J1 / SPB299J1] MM200](/img/logo.svg){kind=logo}
