I wanted one since I had seen one of those in some police/military catalog many years ago but it was always out of reach, too expensive for me and generally not in the priority list.
At one point I managed to get a Marathon Navigator, the one with the tritium vials and the plastic case. Nice looking but rather small for my wrist and kind of flimsy feeling. I could have made it work since the tritium was kind of nice, but the size was just too small. So off it went.
Then the Baltic Shield came out, I figured that maybe this would be a good one. Of course the timing was all wrong and I never had enough cash to afford one, but at one point, thanks to a kind WIS, I was able to trade another watch for this. I had some parts coming including a 3-6-9-12 dial that always liked a lot, since the movement is from Seiko, it meant that I could use Seiko parts. I had some Seiko hands that I could use and put them together.
These are hands similar or the same as the SPORK. I am happy with the result. I like the style and the case of course. It is a little wider then the SKX diver and fills my wrist a little better. It has drilled through holes for ease of strap changing which is good. I wish it had a bracelet or that the lugs were shaped so that a bracelet could be added even with straight ends, but overall the watch works and wears well on a Zulu/Nato strap.
Lume is pretty good, the hands are a little brighter then the aftermarket dial but not much and overall they both last through the night. The crystal is sapphire and it is domed. The curvature reflects the light at times but thanks to the matt color of the dial and hands it is not an issue.
If I had to compare it I would say that it is similar to an SKX007 and family, Monster maybe too, or even better the SRP043, the SPORK. It seems to me that the quality and feel is close between them. The movement being Seiko helps in feeling the connection and similarity.
Overall I am pretty happy with it and in fact I would like to get another one and do a second project... and just to clarify I actually like the stock design, meaning the dial and hands are actually nice and well made. But my goal was to get something different...
Here are a few quick pics:
Here is a wrist shot showing the watch size and shape on my wrist. This is the earlier combination, I had installed a set of SNZH55 (Seiko FFF) hands. It was actually not bad but the reflection from the dome combined with the reflection from the polished chrome frame of the hands was driving me crazy… anyway, these are just to show how it fits on my wrist.
