It's a Sumo, it's a GMT, it's Green! A (relatively) In-Depth Review.

A #christmas present to myself, or a late Graduation present, to myself, on the occasion of becoming a PhD, I can't get enough of the #seiko SFK003.

Let's talk about the #sumo for a minute.

Actually, let's talk about my love of Seiko in general. By far and away the most represented manufacturer in my collection (followed by #vostok), I have some iconic (modern) Seiko timepieces - A #kingturtle, a #nemo, a #tuna, an #arnie (technically a Tuna), the solar Prospect diver (we need a nickname)...and a Sumo would be a natural inclusion. However, I've never been able to pull the trigger. My preference is usually an #automatic movement, so the price has always been a factor, with the Sumo floating around AUD$900.⁰⁰ - $1000.⁰⁰ Dollarie-doos mark. But beyond that, the Sumo is a big fella. The watch itself is not terrible relative to its measurements, big Seikos always wear smaller thanks to their proportions.

Let's talk about Seiko's #gmts for a minute.

I work with people in different time zones and, perhaps more importantly, My wife works as a first-class Cabin Crew for our beleaguered national airline, so it is legitimately useful to have a GMT on my wrist. My phone, laptop, tablet, Google Nest Mini etc. are all capable of telling me the time across the world, but as a watch enthusiast, a GMT is a no-brainer (while a #worldtimer would also be a fairly good solution as well I suppose). While I was definitely on the Seiko5 #nh38 #hypetrain earlier this year (or was it 2022?) I philosophically oppose the #skx styling of the "new" #seiko5 line. The original blue, black, and orange triumvirate doesn't float my boat. The yellow SSK017 released in the North American market is stunning, however. And what do you know... No sooner had the SFK003 arrived on my wrist, than Seiko went and did this:

The Seiko5 SSK023, or what I like to think is a #spb411 on a budget.

The #prospex SPB411

There may be an early birthday/late Christmas present in the near future. Especially in light of the SBSC009 JDM version:

Very #rolex #explorer2.

Let's talk about the quality/build.

There isn't much to say. Seiko is the epitome of quality Japanese engineering commoditised. Here, the 45mm stainless steel case is covered in Seiko's proprietary hard coating. The almost 52mm lug-to-lug seems big but as noted, it wears small and this is, in part, due to the 13.2mm height of the case and the 20mm lug width. An interesting design consequence of the case height is that the #bezel sits within the case only just peaking above the sides. In profile view, you only see the full bezel at the top and bottom of the case meaning you will only be turning it by placing thumb and forefinger at 6 and 12 o'clock. The bezel itself turns reasonably smoothly despite being a bit stiff at first. We'll put that down to being new. And, despite the usual complaints from Seiko detractors, everything on the bezel and dial lines up accurately. This isn't always the case:

Taken from here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kfaSMWu-Vt0

Let's talk about the #dial & Bezel

Because it's a #diver as well as a GMT, the hour set-up takes a minute to get used to. Rather than a 24-hour bezel, the SFK003 has a 60-minute dive bezel in green while the dial is a complementary darker green almost teal with applied hour #indices with the 12 o'clock marker being in the shape of a sumo wrestler's mawashi. Between each marker sit odd-numbered hours 1 - 23 for the GMT hand. The date complication at three o'clock is as you would expect The Seiko logo appears at the 12 o'clock position while at six the Prospex 'X' Logo, GMT in orange, matching the orange GMT hand, and Diver's 200 appears. The chapter ring surrounds the dial with 60 one-second intervals. The lower half of the chapter ring, from 0600 to 1800hrs, is a lighter green indicating daylight hours for the GMT. Numerous people have mentioned online that the bezel would have been better for indicating the other #timezone.

Let's talk about the movement.

Seiko has been on a bit of a tear over the last 12 to 18 months with GMT #movements, and while I've already noted that I would usually be in favour of an automatic, Seiko's #solar movements are always up for the challenge. In a #tool or dive watch as well, you'd have to concede that a solar/#quartz movement is also going to be more durable than an automatic over several years. Here I have nothing but praise for the new 5K65 #calibre. Accurate to 15 seconds a month, I haven't been more than about 2 seconds fast in a week or so I have had it on the wrist - now that it has fallen out of rotation and will be in a watch box for a bit, it will be interesting to see how it stands up. Needless to say, it will see the light of day (which is pretty important for a solar movement) within its 9-month power reserve.

That said, setting the GMT hand is not as intuitive if you are used to automatic or true GMTs. Here you pull the crown out to the second position (which, incidentally stops the second hand, meaning the watch hacks), and set the GMT and minute #hands. Then, you push the #crown into its normal position before pulling. it out again and setting the date and hour. It took me a while to figure all of this out because I'm a bit slow despite holding a PhD, and who reads the instructions anyway?

We should also talk about wearability.

My biggest issue with the biggest Seiko's is their use of the biggest and most unwieldy #bracelets that invariably leave me with a bald patch on my arm... and this was a considerable consideration going into the purchase of the SFK003. Despite an updated bracelet with solid #endlinks, the standard Seiko bracelet is still not that great. And so it was to our friends at Seiko whom I went to directly after purchasing the watch to pick up a new, first-party strap. As a diver, it required something in #rubber/#silicon. I settled on the dark green silicone option that Seiko offered with the limited edition SAL047 and it is a great match, being a green somewhere between that of the bezel and the teal of the dial. It also shaves off some of the weight of what is, let's not forget, a big boy on the wrist.

Finally, and to outline the ultimate reason for this purchase, the SFK003 retails for AUD$1200.00 from the Seiko Boutique here in Sydney. While this has come down considerably since its April 2023 release, currently sitting at or around the AUD$850.00 mark, I got this one on clearance (I believe it was the last one in stock) from my friends at StarBuy for AUD$499.00. Hence, it was a no-brainer. (Not affiliated with StarBuy in any way, but they have great service, and even better prices, especially if you are purchasing in USD) and they ship internationally (if a bit slowly).

Japan Domestic Market

Notwithstanding all of the above - note that there are three Japanese models available that are all the same except that, there is no blue model that we in the West get:

Seiko SFK001 in Blue.

Instead, there is the green (SBPK001), a Pepsi (SBPK005), and an all-black colourway (SPBK003):

Each retailing for a hair over JPY70,000