3,137 articles · 26 videos found · page 64 of 106
Teddy Baldassarre
Teddy Baldassarre is an authorized luxury watch retailer of brands like TUDOR, OMEGA, IWC, Grand Seiko, Breitling, Blancpain, Glashütte Original, Zenith, Longines, ORIS, MIDO, Tissot, Hamilton, NOMOS Glashütte, Baume & Mercier, and more.
Teddy Baldassarre
We never really know how – or when – it happens, but some watches manage to achieve an iconic status that gives them a certain immortality long after discontinuation. We know the types, from the Speedmaster to the Submariner to the Royal Oak. But not all icons are pricey and they’re certainly not all Swiss. Enter the Seiko SKX007, a watch without a nickname, whose reference number is as recognizable as any of the aforementioned icons I just listed. The SKX, as we call it shorthand, is the value king in all of horology because of its capability from top to bottom, literally. Today we are going to be examining the SKX007, a watch that Seiko has since moved on from and never truly replaced. We will look at it at face value (as well as current secondary market value), for the watch’s impact on collector culture, and for its staying power even in the face of no longer remaining in production. Seiko SKX007 History And Specs In order to properly contextualize the SKX007, we must go back in time to the 1970s, when Seiko made its first impactful dive watch. Notice how I say "impactful," as the lot of you ready yourselves to remind me not to discount the 62MAS. For the record, I am not – at least not entirely. The 62MAS has proven to be a classic for Seiko, but the diver that really put the brand on the map in terms of culturally relevant tool watches was the Ref. 6105 which was worn by Martin Sheen in the film Apocalypse Now. It has since gone on to take the name of his c...
Teddy Baldassarre
The Grand Seiko “Snowflake” is not just a watch that helped define Grand Seiko as a luxury brand to be reckoned with in the 21st Century: it is also at the vanguard of an industry-wide movement toward making dials more beautiful, enticing, and unique - not only with the bold use of color, but with textures that play with the concept of 3D space and the interplay of light and shadow. Nearly every Grand Seiko model of note can claim a dial (and often a nickname) with a distinctly eye-catching motif, usually inspired by the breathtaking natural wonders of the company’s native Japan. Other luxury watch brands have noticed and followed suit - from luxury leaders like Rolex, Patek Philippe, and Audemars Piguet, to attainable brands like little-brother Seiko and its main competitor, Citizen. The “Snowflake,” Grand Seiko’s first and still most famous textured dial, is arguably the OG of this trend; here is the story of how it came to be and where it stands today. As success stories for new watch brands go, it’s hard to find a better case study in the past decade than Grand Seiko. The Japanese high-luxury watchmaker has, in its relatively short stint in the international market, elevated itself in the eyes of many collectors to the upper echelon of watchmaking prestige and collectibility, competing for connoisseur attention and dollars with well-established maisons from Switzerland and Germany. This plaudit, of course, comes with a caveat: Grand Seiko is not ...
Teddy Baldassarre
Before getting into the Seiko "Arnie," I must discuss the man who made it an icon on the big screen. Arnold Schwarzenegger is a guy who knows watches. Or he is at least a guy who is very clear and consistent about the types of watches that he likes. In terms of impact on the watch industry, few celebrity enthusiasts have been as huge (pun intended) as Schwarzenegger, the former “Mr. Universe” from Austria who dominated the big screen during the 1980s and ‘90s in high-testosterone blockbusters like Conan the Barbarian, Predator, Commando, Total Recall, End of Days, and the Terminator series. Along with his fellow iconic action star, Sylvester Stallone, Schwarzenegger helped bring Panerai and its hypermasculine, military style to the attention of millions, kicking off a fascination with large, bulky watches that more or less defined the early 2000s. He also played a significant role in taking Audemars Piguet’s boldly styled Royal Oak Offshore out from under the shadow of the original Royal Oak and into a pop-cultural milieu all its own, famously donning a specially tailored model for his 1999 thriller, End of Days. From this, one can make the assumption that Arnold, who also went on to become the governor of California, loves big watches with mechanical movements from historic Swiss maisons. But in at least two of the movies listed above, he turned instead to a Japanese watch with an analog-digital display - still plenty big, but at the time priced in a range tha...
Monochrome
Since its return in its current form back in 2019, the Seiko 5 Sports collection has become an inescapable option when it comes to acquiring an accessible, robust, dive-inspired automatic watch from an established brand, even though Citizen is also hitting hard in this market. Today, we’ll be talking specifically about the most emblematic version of […]
Hodinkee
A bright white Seiko diver GMT, just in time for summer.
Teddy Baldassarre
Before I get into my owner's review of the Seiko Baby Alpinist, I want to talk about field watches as a category. What makes a field watch? Is an explorers' watch the same as a field watch? Is a mountaineering watch? I wouldn’t necessarily call this, or rather these, age-old questions. Instead they illustrate an intellectual conundrum I’ve personally faced, being a fan of a certain format of watches. Many who know me will also be sure to know I have a certain proclivity toward Rolex watches. I once wrote some of a definite treatise on the Rolex Explorer Ref. 14270 - the now neo-vintage version of the watch that was born right at the start of the 1990s and which has since served as the template for all Explorers to come. Its 36mm size, legible dial, and overall no-nonsense field-watch format have made it one of the best watch designs of all time. But it’s also not really a field watch, is it? It was born as a marketing exercise in the wake of Sir Edmund Hilary’s summiting of Everest alongside Tenzig Norgay. It’s an explorers watch, one with alpine roots. The Seiko Baby Alpinist SPB155 Speaking of alpine, we cannot mention the word without invoking one of the most well-known attainable icons of the 1990s and 2000s: The Seiko Alpinist. But let’s go back even further, to the late 1950s and early ‘60s, when Seiko launched the small, 35mm Laurel Alpinist – a design that was revived by the brand in 2021. Fast-forward to 1995, when Seiko released a familiar forma...
Teddy Baldassarre
I love when Seiko gets niche, quirky, or just straight-up weird. There was the Egg-Boiling watch for, well, boiling eggs. And then there was even a “Vampire-Exclusive” watch for those who choose to live that lifestyle. But the Seiko Metronome from 2022 is special because it really has a practical purpose and is a little extra nifty because it was made by Seiko Instruments, which is the brand’s division responsible for electric components, printers, and - you guessed it - metronomes. There were several versions of the watch produced in different colors but the Seiko Metronome SMW006A seen here is definitely one of the cleaner and better-looking models. A basic primer for those unfamiliar with this instrument: a metronome is a device that creates a steady beat (either audibly or visually) measured by BPM (Beats Per Minute) to help musicians stay on rhythm. Design: Before getting into the functionality and novelty of the Seiko Metronome, I want to talk about how well designed it is. It would be easy to relegate this watch into the "technical instrument" bucket that so often leads to the “function over form” thinking that results in such obscure and, for lack of a better word, “nerdy” designs that can be really quite off-putting. The Seiko Metronome, and more specifically the reference SMW006A, avoids falling into that trap by leaning into a minimalist, almost-Bauhaus design that belies the data-heavy display of its functionality. The matte white dial is arra...
Teddy Baldassarre
If there’s one thing Grand Seiko is known for, it is its textured dials….and Spring Drive…and Zaratsu polishing... Okay, one of the things Grand Seiko is known for is its textured dials. Often inspired by the beauty of the natural landscape surrounding Grand Seiko's manufacture in Japan, these dials are now often imitated but never truly replicated. We asked our editorial team here at Teddy to choose their favorite GS dial and, unsurprisingly, we got some really stunning picks here. So, without further ado, here are our Editors’ Picks for favorite Grand Seiko dials. Bilal Khan: SBGA011/SBGA211 "Snowflake" The Grand Seiko SBGA211 (originally the SBGA011), aka the Snowflake, is where it all began. Back in 2004, the watchmakers at the dial workshop in the Shinshu watch studio were given a novel task: create a dial that would capture the beauty of the natural surroundings of where the Spring Drive movement was born. The answer was in front of their eyes when they gazed at the snow-capped mountains that commanded their views for half the year. Creating this dial was a challenge but they found inspiration from an old 56GS watch dating back to 1971, which had a texture similar to what the team wanted to achieve. It took some trial and error but they found success through a silver plating method that would go on to birth the now-iconic "Snowflake" dial. It might look somewhat demure and less dramatic than more recent textured dials, but this is the quintessential Grand Sei...
Teddy Baldassarre
Join us for an unforgettable day celebrating the artistry and innovation of Grand Seiko, hosted by Teddy Baldassarre. This special event will feature a curated presentation led by Joe Kirk, Grand Seiko Brand Curator, alongside a master watchmaker from the Shinshu Watch Studio, offering a rare glimpse into the craftsman
Hodinkee
In the second installment of our three-part series in partnership with Grand Seiko, we go in-depth on the history and development of Spring Drive.
Hodinkee
It takes the skill of many craftsman to produce a complete Grand Seiko Spring Drive – and the dedication and talent of a single watchmaker.
Hodinkee
With textured dials, delicate colors and curved surfaces, the newest Presage models embody the timelessness of Japanese design
Hodinkee
The newest Seiko 1965 Heritage Diver’s watch blends the legendary style of the original with a host of performance, aesthetic and ergonomic upgrades.
Hodinkee
Combining Grand Seiko's technical bona fides with Taro Tanaka's "Grammar of Design" ideals
Hodinkee
Three stylish new Seiko diver’s watches salute 60 years of underwater innovation.
Teddy Baldassarre
Japan’s Seiko has never been shy about going bold and unconventional with its designs, especially when it comes to its divers’ watches, a genre in which the brand has been an undisputed industry pioneer since the 1960s. One of its most off-the-wall and yet most enduringly popular designs is the so-called Turtle, which made its debut in the 1970s and has undergone a successful renaissance here in the 21st Century as part of Seiko’s rugged and sport-centric Prospex line. At the pinnacle of the Turtle sub-family, in terms of luxurious finishing and dominant wrist presence, is the grandly named King Turtle, best represented by the Refs. SRPE03 and SRPE05 released in 2019. Here’s what you should know about them. By the time this watch’s ancestors made their debut, Seiko had already produced some highly unusual, unexpectedly iconic, and cleverly nicknamed dive watches, like the Ref. 6159 “Tuna” (for its chunky tuna-can-like case shape) and the Ref. 6105 “Captain Willard” (thanks to its being famously worn by Martin Sheen’s character in Apocalypse Now.) The “Turtle” nickname first surfaced in 1976, applied to the References 6306 and 6309 - the former, made for the Japanese market, and the latter, for international customers. These watches were notable for their cushion-shaped cases with softly rounded lugs, which brought to mind the silhouette of a turtle when viewed from above. The Turtle gained a modicum of pop-culture visibility when actor Ed Harri...
SJX Watches
To celebrate 60 years of dive watches, Seiko is diving into the deep end with three additions to the Prospex range: the 60th Anniversary Marinemaster Professional (SLA081), 1968 Heritage Diver GMT (SPB509), and 1965 Heritage Diver (SPB511). Whether you’re a die-hard Seiko collector or simply a looking for an affordable, high quality diver, all three are distinct enough from their stablemates to be worth a look. But as exciting as the watches are, they’re arguably overshadowed by something simple yet significant, a feature Seiko enthusiasts have been requesting for a long time. The SPB509 and SPB511 are both equipped with a steel bracelet incorporating a micro-adjustment clasp that can be resized on the go by up to 15 mm, as opposed to the less practical diving extension found in preceding models. The 1968 Heritage Diver GMT SPB509 (left), and 1965 Heritage Diver SPB511 Initial thoughts In Western culture, significant anniversaries like the 25th, 50th, and 100th tend to be celebrated with great fanfare. In contrast, Japanese culture (and also widely East Asian culture) emphasises the 60th birthday – kanreki in Japanese – which also coincides with the completion of the traditional 12-year zodiac cycle. In this context, it’s worth looking closely at how Seiko is choosing to celebrate this milestone. The 1965 and 1968 Heritage models are powered by the well-known cal. 6R-series movements, which offer a 72-hour power reserve. While the pair are essentially variants o...
Teddy Baldassarre
Seiko is releasing a new Vanac collection this week, and with it, a new automatic movement. The Vanac made its first appearance in the King Seiko catalog back in 1972, complete with all the funky design details you’d expect of a watch of this era. A large, prism-like case with flat surfaces, faceted crystals, and highly dynamic dial textures and colors left a big impression, and that’s exactly what Seiko is looking to recapture in modern guise with the new King Seiko Vanac. It’s not a re-issue, but it is a throwback, and one that will look to set a modern foundation, and if it’s anything like its predecessor, we can look forward to plenty of variety to come. The original Vanac was short lived, but its flame burned brightly, with a wide range of references released, most of which featured bright dials and integrated bracelet designs. Seiko says that the original meaning of the word "Vanac" has been lost to time, so they’ve come up with a modern acronym to suit the modern personality of the new collection: Vibrant; Active; Novel; Alternative; and Comfortable. The message Seiko is trying to convey with this watch is one of innovation, and breaking barriers, and the brand views buyers of this watch as trailblazers and visionary types. Make of that what you will. The new Vanac picks up where the original left off, with a sharp, angular case boasting large flat surfaces that transition between brushed and polished finishes. This is set to an integrated bracelet tha...
Teddy Baldassarre
Choosing a favorite Grand Seiko was bound to be one of the more difficult prompts we could give to the Teddy editorial team. One of the most beloved watch brands out there, Grand Seiko has been around since 1960 but only began distributing internationally in 2010 and didn’t become a truly independent brand until 2017. Old-timers will recall the days when it was truly difficult to get your hands on what is now the Japanese luxury watch giant. Ironically the SBGA211, aka the "Snowflake," didn’t make the list here, which actually says a lot about the sheer volume of excellent pieces Grand Seiko has released over the years. So let us get to our editors’ picks for their favorite Grand Seiko of all time and, as usual, make sure to share your own pick. Oh, and for the first time since we started doing these editors' picks, two team members individually landed on the same watch... Mark Bernardo: Godzilla 65th Anniversary Limited Edition Unlike many other choices for these Editor’s Picks lists, my favorite Grand Seiko timepiece was relatively easy to identify - because it is the watch with the most intriguing backstory as well as the type of pop-cultural, collaborative piece that the luxury brand is unlikely to ever make again. The Grand Seiko Godzilla 65th Anniversary Limited Edition, released in 2019, commemorated a pair of seemingly unrelated anniversaries that occurred that year: 65 years since the release of the original, iconic Godzilla movie by Toho Ltd. in 1954, a...
Teddy Baldassarre
After a relatively short time in the international market — and an even shorter time as a truly independent brand rather than an elevated product family — Grand Seiko has indisputably come into its own as a top-tier luxury watchmaker. Despite the inescapable fact that it still shares ownership and an industrial base with the parent Seiko brand, Grand Seiko has successfully put distance between its high-end output and Seiko’s more accessible, mass-market offerings. In fact, one could argue that enthusiasts and collectors have largely pigeonholed Grand Seiko as the luxurious, elegant dress watch brand and “Regular” Seiko as the sports- and tool-watch brand. But this perception would not be entirely accurate. Grand Seiko makes its own fair share of sporty timepieces with robustly built cases, less-than-modest case dimensions, and practical functions and complications, despite packaging all of these attributes into timepieces that are distinctly more luxurious — and accordingly more pricey — than their Seiko counterparts. Most of these watches fall within the aptly named Sport collection, which made its official debut in 2017, the same year that Grand Seiko established itself as its own brand. The roots of the Sport family DNA reach back significantly further — starting in 1998, with the launch of the Caliber 9S5 inside the first automatic Grand Seiko in more than 20 years, and continuing through the introduction of the first Grand Seiko model with a GMT func...
Teddy Baldassarre
Seiko’s Alpinist collection is welcoming a new member this week with the release of a new GMT reference featuring a dial inspired by the hornbill, a tropical bird of Southeast Asia. The watch is a Land Alpinist using the brand’s 6R54 caliber, and while this is an existing configuration released back in 2023, there are a few unique details here worth noting - from dial textures and colors to the black bezel piece. This watch is not only a celebration of the majestic hornbill, but also an expansion of the Alpinist platform that goes beyond the existing framework, hopefully opening the door to more expressive variations moving ahead. The Alpinist GMT was released in 2023 in what felt like a very natural move for the collection. As part of the Prospex Land family, the new Alpinist references utilized a fixed, 24-hour steel bezel and an internally rotating compass bezel. Use of the 6R54 allowed the addition of a 24-hour hand into the mix; however this is the so-called “caller” style of GMT hand, meaning the hour hand cannot be set independently on the go. Still, it’s a welcome addition to the modern series carrying forth Seiko’s historic Alpinist name, and retains the charming design of the original. This newest reference to the collection is the SPB493J, and it mixes up the formula just enough to stand apart from the rest. This watch uses base blacks set against the steel 39.5mm case and bracelet, with the inclusion of a deep green color used for the rotating inn...
Hodinkee
The President and the Senior VP of Seiko Watch Corp join Ben for a candid chat about their histories with Seiko, bringing Grand Seiko to the US, and much more.
Teddy Baldassarre
Since its high-profile revival in 2012, the Seiko Astron has continuously evolved in both its technical capabilities and in its size and overall aesthetics. As I explore in greater detail in this little treatise on the Astron models and their esteemed history, the founding member of this modern, solar-powered, GPS-equipped Astron family debuted in an imposing 47mm case in steel, with one dial option, in matte black. Since then, Seiko has refined the elements that necessitated the large dimensions and limited colorways — i.e., reducing the size of the quartz movement’s GPS-reception antenna and improving the efficiency of the dial’s solar cell — and the result has been a plethora of intriguing interpretations. The latest and perhaps most distinguished in terms of colorway dropped just recently. The Astron GPS Solar SSJ029 and Astron GPS Solar Chronograph SSH171, both limited editions of 1,500 pieces, feature glittering, violet-hued dials that Seiko says are inspired by “cherry blossoms blooming under the stars.” Both of the new watches have cases and bracelets made from titanium and treated with an extra-hard, scratch-resistant black coating that emphasizes the night-sky motif that these models are shooting for aesthetically. The cases are 42mm in diameter, 12.4mm thick, and 47.9mm lug to lug — the result of the aforementioned streamlining since the oversized original’s debut. The dials’ gradient purple colors are enhanced by a sprinkle of starry glitter...
Teddy Baldassarre
Just announced by Seiko is a pair of limited-edition Prospex watches done in collaboration with Los Angeles Dodgers phenomenon Shohei Ohtani. The SBEJ023 and SBEJ025 are both takes on the 1968 Heritage Diver’s GMT, which was released back in 2023 as the first mechanical GMT in the Prospex collection. These two diver GMT watches will come in the iconic Dodger Blue colorway, with the SBEJ023 having a blue bezel with black dial and the SBEJ025 sporting a blue bezel with contrasting white dial. While not totally on theme here, I recall Ohtani wore a Grand Seiko SBGJ217 back in 2023 when he signed with the Dodgers. For a little context, these aren’t the first Seiko watches done in collaboration with Ohtani. The first was the Prospex Diver SBDC191, which came in out in 2023, while he still played for L.A.'s other baseball team, the Angels of the American League. That watch had the red seconds hand and dial text as well as Ohtani’s signature on the clasp. These new watches have the Ohtani’s number 17 highlighted in red on the GMT rehaut and his signature engraved on the bracelet clasp. The SBEJ023 and SBEJ025 share the same basics as the standard 1968 Heritage Diver’s GMT, recognizable for its vintage-inspired, Marine Master-esque design. Measuring 42mm wide, 12.9mm thick, and with a 48.6mm lug-to-lug measurement, these watches are water-resistant to 200 meters and boast a very well-made ceramic bezel. The real GMT nerds will be a little disappointed with the lack of ...
Time+Tide
Hamilton Murph 38 or Seiko Alpinist SPB121? Which of the two field watches walks away the winner?The post VERSUS: The Hamilton Murph 38 comes up against the Seiko Alpinist SPB121 appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Fratello
Welcome back to our weekly Sunday Morning Showdown series. Every Sunday morning, two writers go head to head in a battle of the ages. Mike and Jorg will go at it this week with a pair of value-driven dive watches. Both are fairly recent releases from popular brands on the more affordable side of the […] Visit Sunday Morning Showdown: Seiko Prospex SPB483 Vs. Tissot Seastar 1000 Powermatic 80 to read the full article.
Teddy Baldassarre
The Seiko SSK GMT line has slowly taken the watch world by storm, and Seiko took the SKX-style format this year and updated it with a trio of new dial formats. Earlier this year, I wrote a story on what – at the time – was every single existing SKX-style Seiko SSK GMT on the market, but that story is officially out of date. Before I get any further into this, it makes sense to establish a few things about these watches. First, they were released in 2022, creating a new wave of GMT affordability in the watch world. Why do I keep calling them SKX-style watches? Well, because the case profile is nearly identical to that of the now-discontinued icon, the Seiko SKX. The Seiko SSK001 and 003 models (the blue- and black-dial versions) are watches that I often suggest to anyone looking for a true "everyday" attainable watch. I even chose it in a video I did with Teddy where we both were tasked with building a collection under $7,000 ( let me know if you think I won). But enough lede-burying. Let’s get to the newness. In total there were three new variations released: The SSK033 with a blue and black bezel, the SSK035 with a green dial and bezel format, and the SSK036, which brings a black/brown aesthetic to the mix with a leather strap (the other two come on Jubilee-style bracelets). So let’s start with the SSK033. As an owner of the Rolex GMT-Master II with the blue-and-black bezel, I immediately zeroed in on this one. But where this clearly differs from the Rolex in term...
Teddy Baldassarre
One of the most iconic and beloved watch brands in history, Seiko is ubiquitous among newcomers, seasoned watch collectors, and everyone in between. Choosing one watch from a brand which has a catalog with such breadth and depth is not an easy task but the team here at Teddy was asked to do just that. Unsurprisingly, the answers ranged from contemporary dress watches to niche limited editions paying tribute to Sci-Fi classics. So, without further ado, here are our picks for our favorite Seiko watches. Let us know what you think and share your own in the comments. Mark Bernardo: Seiko Prospex SBDY025 "Save the Ocean" Edition How does one choose a “favorite” Seiko? As someone who writes about watches for an audience that appreciates all different kinds of watches, I’ve always found superlatives like “favorite” and “best” to be daunting. At the watch-industry trade shows I’ve attended over the years, I have often been posed with the question of what were my favorite new releases. My responses, invariably, have tracked not necessarily with my personal tastes but with the watches that made for the most interesting stories for my watch-savvy readers. And when it comes to Seiko, its history is chock full of interesting stories — the first Japanese-made chronograph watch in 1964 and first Japanese divers’ watch in 1965; the original Seiko Astron, the first quartz watch, in 1969, and its successor, the Astron GPS model, in 2012, to name just a handful. There has...
Hodinkee
From the mechanical watchmaking center of Studio Shizukuishi to the Seiko Museum back in Ginza, Tokyo, we finish our tour of Grand Seiko in Japan.
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