Seiko SBDC053 a.k.a. SBP053

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trinux
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Joined: Mon Jul 31, 2017 12:09 pm

Seiko SBDC053 a.k.a. SBP053

Post by trinux » Sun Aug 06, 2017 3:01 pm

Hi,
as I read tons of reviews here I thought I give it a try and give something back to the community. This is my very first review, so please keep that in mind. I choose this particular watch despite of many others, because I always felt a little distance from Seiko. I bought an MM300, and after 3 months I sold it, because compared to my other watches it just didn't feel right for it's price class. A stamped clasp, a hardlex crystal, and so on... This particular watch felt right from the beginning. The right size, sapphire crystal, and an unbeatable price. But let's dig into the details!

Case: Stainless Steel with Hard Coating
Diameter: 42.6mm
Thickness: 13.8mm
Water Resistance: 200 meters
Magnetic Resistance: 4,800 A/m
Caliber: 6R15
Driving System: Self-Winding with Hand Wind Capability
Accuracy: -10/+15 seconds per day (when static)
Vibrations: 21,600 bph (6 beats per second)
Power Reserve: 50 Hours
Jewels: 23
Lug with: 20mm
Other: Silicone Strap
Price: $800 USD

The dial:

First of all, look at that lovely blue sunburst dial. What a beauty! I love the dial, and in real life it even looks better. No numerals, no nonsense. The date window is white, which in my opinion could be blue or black, but I like the overall design, it's simple, it's readable and reminds me a bit of the Omega Seamaster design. The hands are also amazing, especially the hour hand. They are might not polished as the GS Seikos, but I really like the toolish finish. The lume is applied evenly (not like on the MM300), and on the lume shot you can see the lumibrite just works amazing. I mean my PO doesn't glow like that. Overall I can't really find a downside on the dial, probably my only complaint would be the date window.

The case:

The case is also just right. It's not too big, it's not too small, the built quality is just as good or even better than the MM300. The watch wears rather small, especially at ~13mm it's really flat (compared to my other divers)! Polished and brushed with diashield coating. I had the SBDX001 which didn't have the coating and it was a scratch magnet. I don't have experience with diashield, all I know that you can't polish it, which I wouldn't do anyway. I just like to keep it as it is. The 316L steel is well known. Interestingly the lug with is 20mm despite what you can read online. Before I bought the watch this was almost a deal killer, as I like to change the straps (mostly NATO), and 19mm is a rare bird. I would even like 22mm better as with Omega PO or Sinn U2, 20mm almost feels to small for the size. WR 200m should be enough for most people. The back has the tsunami logo of Seiko, and to be honest it looks much, much better that the back of the SBDX001 or even the 62MAS SLA017, which costs about four times more. I mean a 3k watch with a laser engraved back? Seriously?

The crown:

A very important part, as you operate it the most often. I'm very picky on this one. The threads engage nicely, and it hast just a little more play than I would like. It is not worse than the MM300, but it's also not as nice as higher end swiss watches. It's not signed, but that's ok for me as I don't like the prospex logo that much (at least on the crown), which was also a reason to choose the SBDX001 instead of the SBDX017. Although the 3 o'clock position works, the crown position would be perfect at 4 o'clock.

The bezel:

Look at the bezel closely. It has a blueish finish, and it looks really scratch resistant. As the crystal and the bezel gets the most beating I always pay special attention to this parts on the watch. The bezel turns nicely with 120 clicks, just as good or even better than the MM300. It has the same precise feeling, and has only a barely noticeable play. It's of course uni directional, and has a very high quality feel. The pip is perfectly aligned (not like the turtles) and glows amazingly in the dark. The grip could be a bit better, but what is more important, once you set it it wont turn accidentally.

The crystal:

Finally! Finally! The biggest downer in the MM300, and many many Seiko dive watches. I hate scratches on my watches, especially on the crystal. Despite the bullshit Seiko is trying to sell I never understood why they put in a 2000$ MM300 a cheap ...... hardlex. Seiko finally heard the voices of millions of customers and put a decent sapphire crystal into an affordable dive watch. It doesn't have a AR coating, at least on the outside, which is a plus in my opinion. Why put a scratch prone surface on a scratch resistant crystal? The first thing I do on my watches is to remove it. There is always an aftermarket option, but now you don't have to bother. Just enjoy!

The movement:

Well, what can I say. As this is my only non swiss watch I'm just getting used to it. It hacks, it winds, and it's regulated from factory better than the highly praised 8L35. It can be services by anyone, and it has a proven track record. I read a lot of comparisons with the ETA 2824-2, and they seem to be more or less equal. It's a manufacture calibre, which is a big plus in my opinion. On the timegrapher however it doesn't have the nice straight line I was expecting. Perhaps it's new, it needs to worn in, I don't know. It keeps great time, but the daily rate changes from +1 to +4 seconds. It's still COSC, what more could you want?

The Strap:

I always buy my watches with a bracelet, because a rubber/leather/NATO can always be purchased afterwards cheaper. As I wrote already I like to play with different mounting options, because they give the watch many other faces. For a diver I like NATO the best, as if one spring bar fails, the watch still stays. Also NATO is the most comfortable in any situation. To be honest I don't like Seiko bracelets at all. They feel cheap, and don't wear well. The rubber which came with this watch feels nice, but in the summer I just can't get used to it. I will definitely wear this watch on NATO, but that's me. For my PO for example both the bracelet and other options feel right.

Final thoughts:

I was looking for such a Seiko diver since a very long time. It has a nice blue dial, a very nice bezel a sapphire crystal a manufacture calibre (!) and it's well below 1000$. For this price it don't know any other watch which could match up. It's got character, and it's a divers tool. What more could someone possibly want? After all the talks have also a good look on the pics. (Sorry for the bad quality, but I couldn't upload the high res pics)

I would also like to know what the community will call these. I mean there is sumo, tuna, samurai, turtle. This one also deserves a cool name :)

Thanks for reading and please give me some feedback if you liked the review.
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HapaHapa
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Re: Seiko SBDC053 a.k.a. SBP053

Post by HapaHapa » Sun Aug 06, 2017 3:12 pm

Nice review and I like the watch you chose to review. Thanks!
The Hapa

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CGSshorty
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Re: Seiko SBDC053 a.k.a. SBP053

Post by CGSshorty » Sun Aug 06, 2017 6:12 pm

Nice review. I need one.
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BSears
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Re: Seiko SBDC053 a.k.a. SBP053

Post by BSears » Mon Aug 07, 2017 7:26 am

Excellent review and nice pics. Thanks for posting that up here, too. :thumbsup:
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dinexus
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Re: Seiko SBDC053 a.k.a. SBP053

Post by dinexus » Tue Aug 08, 2017 4:00 pm

What's the L2L on this guy? Nice review!

trinux
Posts: 8
Joined: Mon Jul 31, 2017 12:09 pm

Re: Seiko SBDC053 a.k.a. SBP053

Post by trinux » Tue Aug 08, 2017 10:44 pm

dinexus wrote:What's the L2L on this guy? Nice review!
50mm

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sierra11b
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Re: Seiko SBDC053 a.k.a. SBP053

Post by sierra11b » Sun Aug 20, 2017 11:04 am

Nice review.

Give the 6R15 some time to disappoint.

trinux
Posts: 8
Joined: Mon Jul 31, 2017 12:09 pm

Re: Seiko SBDC053 a.k.a. SBP053

Post by trinux » Sun Aug 20, 2017 11:26 am

sierra11b wrote:Nice review.

Give the 6R15 some time to disappoint.
I already wrote that the timegrapher results were kinda underwhelming, but up till now it has a relatively constant daily rate.

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