Seiko Superior Limited Edition Dive Watch SRP453 Baby Tuna Review

Nicknamed Baby Tuna coz it looks like a tuna can? well coz of the shrouded case design... i think it looks better than a tuna can but it ain't no slice of tuna either :) 

Pricing & Limited Edition-ness: Singapore retail for this watch was S$555.40 for the SRP453K (Not made in Japan version sold to rest of the world but no significant difference in terms of quality but without the added 'Japan' text on dial and case back found in the J version) but i managed to snag a SRP453J (assembled and cased in Japan version) for around S$450. when it first launched I think folks got it for even less but i was hunting for it when it was a bit 'hot' already so was happy with the price. 

i've read in places that this is limited to 1000 pieces but i believe there isn't an official word on the number it is limited to. eg it may have been limited to a certain number for one market and another number for another market. no definite view on numbers out there. Seiko also came out with 3 other models including a monster SRP455(bottom left in the pic below) but i prefer the baby tuna to it. checking amazon.com, they are selling k version for US$399. SRP455 is selling for US$443.90. i never really took to the look of the old monsters and the new style is an improvement but there are other watches ahead of it for me.

Seiko lower end so called limited edition watch prices can be a bit rocky as they aren't numbered and you don't really know how much are out there so they don't really appreciate much and may dip when retailers want to move stock(i saw some online etailers moving it at ~US$250 range) so don't go into these watches with any investment potential in mind. My advice is don't go into most watches with that mindset and just enjoy your timepieces but i digress.

Face: Lovely sunburst blue dial which catches the light really well with faux yellow gold hands and accents on the dial with lumibrite hands and markers. day date display at 3 o'clock... date wheel is black arabics on white but on saturday the 'SAT' is in blue and on sunday the 'SUN' is in red.
Nice metallic blue bezel and chunky arabic numerals which i didn't like too much initially but the whole comes together well. 

i love the blue 'SAT'... maybe its the reason why i keep on wearing it on the weekend :) and uhm it won't wear too well with office attire. 
it's more a weekend beater watch for me

Lume: IT GLOWS BABY! this reminds me i haven't taken a lume shot in ages... 

Case: generous size of 47mm(excluding crown) stainless steel with a composite blue shroud. the shroud case design style is a first for me and gives the case added protection. ~14mm thick. faux gold crown at 3.50 position. 55mm lug to lug but it sounds bigger than it looks and wears, as the lugs curve downward
Lug width: 22mm for those who want to switch out the strap it comes on.
Strap: originally comes with a blue polyurethane resin trap that i'm not crazy about so swapped it out to this nato which suits it better impo [note the NATO strap is purchased after market]

Movement: In-house 4R36 24 jewels with 21,600 bph and 41hr Power Reserve... automatic, manual wind, with hacking seconds, meaning the seconds will stop when you pull out the crown to the end for time setting. and u can't see the movement coz when you flip it on it's back all u see is the solid caseback(pic below)... seiko logo of tsunami representing a 200m dive watch and words... time keeping is fine, couple of seconds a day territory

Other details: 

• Water resistance as noted is 200m
• hardlex crystal(which is stregthened mineral that is purportedly tougher than regular mineral glass but nowhere as tough as sapphire of course)
• unidirectional rotating bezel that clicks as you turn it, the dot can turn to align at 12 just fine
• Good heft to it(~120gms) and the head has a durable, rugged feel about it. 
• Comes with 1 year international warranty

A wristshot s'il vous plait... on my ~7" wrist

and a comparo size wise with ol' faithful 

Verdict: it's another great sporty watch from Seiko and a wonderful beater. Seikos make many some of the best mechanical bang for buck watches below S$500 and there's a wide range to choose from below S$200 as well in the seiko 5 range. for this piece, the style of it may take some growing to but after seeing/handling the watch in the metal, it's a winner in my books. go out and get some seikos if you haven't any, they're fun and cool watches.

my only other seiko review can be found here LINK but that is about to change soon i think as there a lot great lookin, value for money seikos out there. hope u enjoyed the post and have a great Good Friday, Easter Sunday holiday weekend! cheers, raph