Mean Ugly Monster

SEIKO Black Monster 200m Diver's

Caliber 7S26-0350 Twenty-one jewels

It took me a while to warm up to the Monster look. Initially I hated this chunky heavy piece of stainless steel especially her non-conventional Divers bezel. As I grow wiser in my Seiko quest, I hear the praises Seiko collectors sing of the Black Monster and see the stunning photos captured by lovers of the Monster tradition.

Finally I pulled the trigger on my first Black Monster and am I impressed by the quality and make as I hold the heavy beast in my hands. One attractive feature is the design and substance of the solid stainless steel bracelet.

The bold-looking hands, the generous use of lume on the indices, the jet black dial, my favourite black day-date wheel and the mean looking bezel add to the inherent charm of this divers, which in my opinion, has attained "cult" status.

SEIKO Titanium Sports 200

SEIKO Titanium Sports 200 (NOS)
Caliber 7N42-F100
Titanium case 200m Water Resistant

I earlier have had reservations on a Titanium watch due to the feather-weight feel on the wrist, sometimes I wonder if I am wearing a plastic toy watch! However having wore her for two weeks to the office, the overall feel is a balanced watch on my small wrist.

The gun-metal matt finish on the case and bracelet matches the matt grey dial. The white hands and indices, although having lost their lume power, make reading the time very easy. The 7N42 is an entry level quartz with a black date wheel which I particularly like. I always feel that the color of the date wheel should be similar to the dial color. One unique feature on this 12-year old Seiko is the beads of shiny stainless steel among the matt Titanium links, giving this rugged looking Seiko a touch of class, suitable for business and sports alike!


As seen on the caseback, sapphlex is used for the crystal and Titanium for the bezel and case. I do not think this is a ISO-certified diver watch as the "wave" pattern is not the Diver "tsunami" wave as found on other ISO-certified Seiko divers e.g. SKX007, 009 etc although the crown is screw type.


Marked "Titanium Stainless Steel-G" on the inside of the double locked clasp.

The Last (Seiko) Samurai

SEIKO Prospex 200m Scuba Diver
Caliber 7S25-00D0
Air Diver's 200M Titanium

I seldom buy watches over the internet but this purchase is crucial.

Seiko has recently ceased the production the Japan-made 200M Titanium Diver, also known as the "Samurai" in the watch world. In Singapore, I can only find the stainless steel version which is not as "Samurai-y" as her Japan counterpart. Fortunately, I found one on Seiko5ers at a good price - Thank you, Mr. Boris Leung, a respected seller so buy with confidence!

The parcel came promptly via EMS from Hong Kong and here was the full suite:



This is my first Titanium watch and I intend to keep her as a collection piece.

Titanium feels real light and takes some getting use to the weight. It also feels warm to the human skin due to the low thermal conductivity. The lacklustre appearance gives her a stealth gun-metal look. Titanium is also highly resistant to corrosion, non-reactive and durable (with the highest strength-to-weight ratio of all metals).




Overall a watch built like a tank to withstand the merciless elements of Nature!

This Seiko didn't quite warm up to me...

SEIKO Quartz Chronograph
Caliber 7T92-0CF0
1/20 second
Pilot's sliderule bezel

One hasty purchase in Nov 2008 and finally sold just a few days ago. My initial thought was to have a daily office wearing watch and decided to go quartz. I loved the oyster bracelet, the screw crown and the sliderule bezel but somehow, the dial layout did not grow on me even though I wore her daily to work. This is a no-nonsense watch but somehow, somewhere, something is "lacking" in me in this daily wearer.



I still baby her and kept her in as-new mint condition. Well, fortunately, she has found a new home in Denmark with an eager owner waiting. Now what do I wear to work?

SUS Chronograph

SEIKO SUS Chrono (NOS)
Caliber 7T52-6B00
1/100 second

Although not a true quartz fan myself, I was fascinated by the super-fast spinning 1/100 sec hand at the 12 o'clock dial! You can view an ultra slow-motion video on Youtube here. To my understanding, the 7T52 is a discontinued caliber and this line belongs to the SUS series (note the "S" at 3 o'clock).




Note the "Made In Japan" on the steel caseback. This watch is one "fully made and assembled in Japan" which are getting hard to find these days. The blue wordings contrast perfectly against the white dial.



Thanks to the watch maker who has keep this watch carefully in his safe, I am able to have it NOS with faded brown manual and hang tag.