If you really want your mind blown do an internet search on the price of some “Zimbe Seiko” limited edition watches. They are all about 2-3x the cost of a normal Prospex diver from Seiko. The Zimbe Marine Master is I believe their most expensive watch. It’s held it’s value better than the other MM300s released at the same time.

Seiko Zimbe watches were all made exclusively for the Thailand market. They are individually numbered and also all have a very unique and detailed engraving, typically an aquatic animal and usually unique to each watch.



You will see the most wild and stylistically creative color ways and dials on Sumos, Shoguns, Samurai’s, Mini Turtles and Monsters.

Crazy thing is that many of them have only gone up in value since being released.

Here is a pic of some Zimbe examples. The collection is large so there are lots of other Zimbe variants. Some of Seiko’s most beautiful, unique and exotic dials are only available on the Zimbe line and because of the limited numbers some have become quite desirable among the hardcore Seiko enthusiasts and collectors.

Strapcode made a great resource for info on the first Zimbe watches.

Link to Seiko Zimbe info

Top row far right has been tempting me a long time. Its dial very closely resembles a 1st Gen Omega Seamaster wavy dial. With a dark blue Sumo bezel insert or maybe a black ceramic aftermarket mod insert it would look superb.

Bottom row, 2nd right is the only one that does anything for me.
VT's SRPH43 submission would still be my choice.

quote:

Originally posted by P250UA5:
Bottom row, 2nd right is the only one that does anything for me.

Color scheme reminds me of Citizen's "Captain America" Titanium ProMaster:



Or Seiko's PADI Solar:

quote:

Originally posted by P250UA5:
Bottom row, 2nd right is the only one that does anything for me.
VT's SRPH43 submission would still be my choice.

Go ahead and admit it, man: you're a Monster addict. (Not that a fella couldn't call me a Samurai addict....)

That red & blue MM300 does sort of resemble the PADI line a little.



The blue Zimbe Marine Master 300 is my favorite if cost isn’t a factor.

I LOVE that this one retains the “Marine Master” text on the dial. If I ever get a MM300 it will probably be one of the earlier examples with Marine Master written on the dial.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: stickman428,

I ended up purchasing two blue microbrand divers, with the intention of selling whichever one I liked less. But now I'm actually going to keep both. Because it turns out, they're two totally different shades of blue, and two fairly different styles.

The first one was the Phoibos Wave Master PY010B I mentioned earlier. This one is a deep royal blue. It's a tall, chunky, heavy watch. It came with an even chunkier steel engineer-style strap, and put together, they feel like they weigh several pounds on my wrist. I took off the steel strap, and installed a gray-edged blue NATO, which dropped the weight down to a much nicer level.

https://longislandwatch.com/ph...py010b-watch-py010b/



The other one is an Islander Bayport ISL-120. It's a smaller watch overall, and it's in a shade of... Aqua Blue? Dark Teal? Ocean Spray Cyan? Whatever. Greenish-blue. (I'm a dude... All I know is primary colors! ) It's smaller and lighter, and paired nicely with a thin and almost dressy gray NATO that I found.

https://longislandwatch.com/is...h-blue-dial-isl-120/



So now I have a big and bold deep blue dive watch, and a smaller greenish-blue dive watch.

Overall, I'm pretty impressed with these microbrand dive watches. The specs on paper seem to blow my Seikos, Casios, and Citizens out of the water, and the quality in-hand appears to do the same. I guess the only remaining thing to see is how well they hold up over time compared to the name-brand watches.

(Though I'm sure if I were a serious scuba diver, I'd want a name brand dive watch with actual verified waterproofness at pressure, backed up by a major corporation, rather than just some claims by the microbrand and their Chinese factories. But for my purposes for these casual watches, even basic water resistance is enough.)

This message has been edited. Last edited by: RogueJSK,

Welcome to the world of micro brand watches…tread carefully. Micro brands can be addictive but even more dangerous is how they can foster a love of Swiss made automatic watch brands such as Omega, Tissot, Hamilton, Oris, Doxa, Longines, Breitling, Mido, and my personal favorite Sinn, though they are German made with Swiss made components/movements if you really want to nitpick.

What kind of NATO strap is that on your Islander? It looks really nice.

Great looking watches BTW. I love the Phoibos Wavemaster for the money it is such a fantastic watch. Design elements of the Omega Seamaster and Tudor Black Bay make for a heck of a good looking watch.

quote:

Originally posted by stickman428:
Micro brands can be addictive but even more dangerous is how they can foster a love of Swiss made automatic watch brands such as Omega, Tissot, Hamilton, Oris, Doxa, Longines, Breitling, Mido, and my personal favorite Sinn

Very unlikely. $150ish watches are more my style. I could never justify paying several grand for a watch.

quote:

Originally posted by stickman428:
What kind of NATO strap is that on your Islander? It looks really nice.

It's a Chinese-made NATO strap, of course. Gotta matchy-matchy the Chinese-made watch!

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09T...t_details&th=1&psc=1

Kinda like the watches themselves, the strap is surprisingly high quality, especially compared to some of the utterly crappy cheap NATOs I've encountered before. Nice fabric, good stitching, and a robust buckle.

(I had initially purchased a pricey blue Crown & Buckle strap for it. But when the Islander arrived and I realized that it wasn't a normal blue but rather a green/blue, that got sent back since the blue and green/blue didn't work together. And naturally, the smaller Islander is 20mm and the larger Phoibos is 22mm, so I couldn't just use it on the Phoibos...)

Posted by RogueJSK,

quote:

Very unlikely. $150ish watches are more my style. I could never justify paying several grand for a watch.

I used to think that too.

It started with Seiko then over the years escalated with micro brands. Before I knew it I had developed a taste for Hamilton and Tissot which eventually led to an interest in Omega.

I just got back from a brief mini-vacation to one of my favorite places on earth.

You guys are pretty dang smart so it shouldn’t take long for a correct answer.

Two days ago where did I take this pic? Yeah I’m a weirdo. I see a gorgeous view and think man I should take a pic of my watch with this view.



Here is a clue (this prob makes it too easy)

Corolla, NC

I decided to give the factory engineer bracelet another chance, and it's growing on me.

The weight is definitely noticeable, but you get used to it after a little bit. (I think I got spoiled by all the lighter NATOs, and the fact that the last metal bracelet watch I owned was titanium.)

The silver bracelet also helps to tone down the blue-on-blue-on-blue-on-blue effect a little. I think the blue NATO was a blue too far. Still a lot of blue, but a bit more balanced now.

The switch from a NATO to the engineer style bracelet is quite noticeable on the Wavemaster.

One benefit I have noticed is the engineer style while heavy tends to stay in place very well on the wrist. It might be the weight of the bracelet or the design of the links or maybe a combo of both but I’ve found them to be great bracelets once you adjust to the weight difference.

quote:

Originally posted by stickman428:
I just got back from a brief mini-vacation to one of my favorite places on earth.

You guys are pretty dang smart so it shouldn’t take long for a correct answer.

Two days ago where did I take this pic? Yeah I’m a weirdo. I see a gorgeous view and think man I should take a pic of my watch with this view.

Stickman: You've got great tastes in watches and vacation spots!!! Love the Sinn Arktis!


This week I added another automatic watch to the herd. I was looking for a reasonably priced Field or Flieger type automatic, that I could use for casual wear and hunting trips. Since my last purchase of a Hamilton Khaki GMT, I found the brand to be a very good option. The Model H70625533 "Officers Field 44mm", is the right size for me, has a very readable dial, 100 meters of water resistance, great lume, and an 80 hour power reserve. Although it's priced at almost $800.00 on the Hamilton website ("Out of Stock" there), I found them selling for about half that price online! How could I resist?

The Hamilton arrived a couple of days ago and although the OEM leather strap was a bit small for my 8" wrist, switching it out for a NATO strap was easily accomplished in five minutes.

Jomashop has been out of stock for a few months on the Hamilton I'm after. Anyone do business with Watchmaxx?

Checking their site they say item will ship in 4 to 8 weeks. Which means they probably don't have it in stock either.

Gorgeous Hamilton Pulicords! What kind of NATO is that?

Thanks! the Sinn is a masterpiece. I wasn’t planning on getting it but I came across a heck of a good deal. I had originally planned on getting the Arktis I which is more affordable as well as slightly smaller. The 206 Arktis II has some legit improvements over 203 Arktis I so when I found that watch basically new with a full kit for about 1/2 what they run new from their online US authorized dealer I had to pull the trigger. .

I sold off nearly a dozen of micro brand divers, three Seiko watches and a two Hamilton watches to fund the Sinn. It was 100% worth the massive hit to my watch collection.

quote:

Originally posted by stickman428:
I sold off nearly a dozen of micro brand divers, three Seiko watches and a two Hamilton watches to fund the Sinn. It was 100% worth the massive hit to my watch collection.

The only reason I haven't worn this strap monster at any given time since I got it from you is because I put my Casioak on for beater or water occasions. 'Tis a fine watch. I've got probably two dozen different NATO straps and I rotate through them all on this one. Very glad I finally picked up a quality field watch. I knew for you to part with it, something epic was in the works, either the Sinn Arktis II or an Omega. Decided not to ask and risk jinxing it.

quote:

Originally posted by stickman428:
What kind of NATO is that?

I believe it's the Olive Drab "HD" (Heavy Duty) NATO offered by Crown and Buckle. Most of my nylon NATOs are from that company and I find them very well made.



https://www.crownandbuckle.com...ballistic-nylon.html

quote:

Originally posted by stickman428:
If you really want your mind blown do an internet search on the price of some “Zimbe Seiko” limited edition watches. They are all about 2-3x the cost of a normal Prospex diver from Seiko. The Zimbe Marine Master is I believe their most expensive watch. It’s held it’s value better than the other MM300s released at the same time.

Seiko Zimbe watches were all made exclusively for the Thailand market. They are individually numbered and also all have a very unique and detailed engraving, typically an aquatic animal and usually unique to each watch.



You will see the most wild and stylistically creative color ways and dials on Sumos, Shoguns, Samurai’s, Mini Turtles and Monsters.

Crazy thing is that many of them have only gone up in value since being released.

Here is a pic of some Zimbe examples. The collection is large so there are lots of other Zimbe variants. Some of Seiko’s most beautiful, unique and exotic dials are only available on the Zimbe line and because of the limited numbers some have become quite desirable among the hardcore Seiko enthusiasts and collectors.

Strapcode made a great resource for info on the first Zimbe watches.

Link to Seiko Zimbe info

Top row far right has been tempting me a long time. Its dial very closely resembles a 1st Gen Omega Seamaster wavy dial. With a dark blue Sumo bezel insert or maybe a black ceramic aftermarket mod insert it would look superb.

Top row. Second from left. That is a cool homage to one of my faves the Rolex Yachtmaster. Me Likey!!!!