This video is a good starting point for those interested in jumping into the wonderful world of Seiko modding. I would be doing the inverse of this mod and converting an SKX or it’s successor into a turtle but different strokes for different folks. Lume Shot makes it look easy. It’s not super hard but you have to accept that you will make mistakes and you will break things. It’s worth it though. It’s incredibly satisfying once you finish a project and it turns out just as you had hoped. This is one of the easier mods to attempt since it shows how you can remove the entire movement, dial, hands and all and swap it into a different case. As long as the crown location is the same you should be able to swap it into the case of your liking, SKX, Turtle & Sumo are all compatible. (I think the baby Marine Master 200 is too) You might have to change case backs depending on the movement/ spacer but many of the conversion cases & case backs Crystal Times sells makes this process fairly straight forward.



Here is a slightly more involved build detailing a VERY nice Seiko mod basically being built from scratch. The end product is perfect!



This is another good video to watch before you start to mod Seiko watches. This is especially good for the Samurai fans and those curious about upgrading to a sapphire crystal and dealing with chapter ring misalignments. This guy has a pretty good sense of humor.

Do you mind emailing me the number or email address of that Seiko retailer? Im interested on this Seiko Monster. I purchased couple of Monster from Gnomon warches this past few months. They dont have thia one listed yet. Thanks.

quote:

Originally posted by vthoky:
I called a not-too-far-away Seiko retailer today to ask about a couple of "Monster" variants. A moment later I got a flurry of text, telling me which models I requested were in stock there and offering an alternative.

The alternative offered was Seiko's SRPG57K1 -- the "Prospex Save The Ocean Special Edition Diver’s 'Antarctica'" Monster.


(Image from Fratello Watches)
Bigger pic here.

It's not something I think I'd buy, but I can't deny the coolness of the tiny "penguin prints" on the face.
Fratello article here.

Certainly.
I'll email you this evening.

International Watch Service Center got my Glycine a week and a day ago. It was $38 to start a warranty claim and send it in, plus shipping and insurance. I just got an email from them saying that as soon as I provide payment in the amount due of $49, they can begin "Movement Timing and Regulation."

Should I be irritated? The watch worked great for about six months, then it started running really slow. Now I'm about a hundred bucks into getting it regulated. Is this just part of the deal with automatic watches?

I just paid the fee and got an email saying it would be ten to fourteen business days. So, up a month for service. I need to find someone local or learn how to do this shit myself. Probably the latter.

quote:

warranty claim

Yeah, I'd be irritated. Definitely worth a phone call I'd say.

quote:

Originally posted by P220 Smudge:
International Watch Service Center got my Glycine a week and a day ago. It was $38 to start a warranty claim and send it in, plus shipping and insurance. I just got an email from them saying that as soon as I provide payment in the amount due of $49, they can begin "Movement Timing and Regulation."

Should I be irritated? The watch worked great for about six months, then it started running really slow. Now I'm about a hundred bucks into getting it regulated. Is this just part of the deal with automatic watches?

Is it new? Is this warranty service? If it is, I don't think the fee is justified.

quote:

Originally posted by jhe888:
Is it new? Is this warranty service? If it is, I don't think the fee is justified.

Bought it brand new at the end of last September.

I've got a gun transaction about to happen, so I don't have time this minute, but right after, I'm going to call their number. This is horseshit.

Annnnd their office hours are 10am to 3pm, mountain time. I guess I'll raise hell tomorrow.

I’ve only had a warranty claim with Zelos, which they handled brilliantly and two claims with Le Jour (via Gnomon twice) and on all those occasions the watch was fixed hassle free and on the manufacturer’s/ dealers dime 100%.

I broke the calendar (day) function in my Sinn, so I emailed them and told them what I did and offered to pay to regulate it while it was open.

I figured I was on the hook for breaking it, why not have it regulated at the same time.

They repaired and regulated it - no charge.

And paid shipping to and from Germany.

Since Glycine is part of Swatch group now, they have the funds to warranty a watch within the warranty period.

Push them.

My uncle found out I am a huge fan of Seiko and beginning to show an interest in fixing watches on my own. He gave me this yesterday. It’s going to need a new movement but I love the character this watch has acquired from years of being worn. What a cool watch!!! If I can find a new kinetic movement that all I am going to replace other than gaskets. I’m going to leave everything else alone.

Well. The warranty only covers the dial, hands, and movement and -20 is apparently within acceptable standards for this movement, whatever the hell it is. So they would have to charge me to regulate it. I got a manager on the phone, told him to refund me the $50 and ship it back to me. It'll go out Monday and I'll have it back later in the week.

I'm too irritated to think straight right now, but I know I no longer want anything to do with Invicta group. Maybe I'll calm down and buy a timegrapher and tackle it myself. Maybe I'll stay mad and sell the fucking thing with full disclosure and never buy another Invicta group Glycine. Not sure yet.

Picked up this all ceramic in May. My first Tudor. The movement is as accurate as I have ever owned. Very impressive offering.

quote:

Originally posted by stickman428:
My uncle {snip} gave me this yesterday.

That looks great! Lots of old-school character there.

- - - - - -

Thanks to fiber optic and stickman, the SRPD25 Monster bit me this week.



(Crummy pic, I know....)

quote:

Originally posted by 453030:
Picked up this all ceramic in May. My first Tudor. The movement is as accurate as I have ever owned. Very impressive offering.

That black, all ceramic Tudor is very cool! I've got a Black Bay and it's, by far, the most accurate automatic I have. It's consistently within a couple of seconds a month.

Congrats vthoky! That’s a great looking watch! Good call on the blue dial. When you get a chance post up a lume shot.

I’ll be going into the AD you visited next week if/when they get in that black Samurai I’ve had my eye on.

Thank you, stickman. I'll get a lume shot this evening.

The AD there has an SRPF79, too. That was mighty tempting.



[Poking the bear:] There's an SRPB55 (black Samurai) on eBay right now....

That lume looks different from the standard greenish lume found on most Seiko divers. Nice!


My grail Seiko is going to be all but impossible to locate. They were only sold in Germany and in very limited numbers. I love that they put “Marine Master” back on the dial and oh what a dial it is!!! Reference: SLA015




This is more likely to happen. Seiko only made 600 of these blacked out Marine Masters. I have a lead on one in the mid three hundreds out of the run of 600. For the money I am tempted to consider a Tudor Black Bay but this is an interesting Seiko.

quote:

Originally posted by stickman428:
That lume looks different from the standard greenish lume found on most Seiko divers. Nice!

That's the thing that attracted me to this model -- the lume is more blue than green.
Interesting trivia: on this model (SRPD25), the lume is all blue. On the PADI model (SRPE27), the markers are all blue, but the minute hand and the pip are green.

As a post-purchase afterthought: it baffles me that the Monster crown is not a screw-down.
I guess I simply believed it would be, given it's got a 200m rating. As often before, "boy, was I wrong!"

Squirrel moment: If I could build up a Samurai with the DLC case and a face like the SRPF79 shown above, I'd be mighty tempted.