Modern Vintage Divers...my last Seiko...for a while

I have been amassing watches pretty quickly this year to be perfectly honest. It's been alot of experimenting with DIY builds, homages, microbrands and ofcourse, Seiko. To be fair to myself, I have also been selling and gifting pieces, but still have quite a few to unload.

A big part of my journey this year has been in deciding on an SPB series Seiko diver. I started with a MAS62 style then pivoted to the MAS68 style aka MM200. I finally landed on the SPB381 after seeing and trying on multiple models multiple times. I gotta say, it did not disappoint.

Now as far as vintage looks go, this more modern and eye catching. Only the case shape speaks to its 1968 roots. The rest of it from finishing and specs is very much modern Seiko.

And honestly, I can't say enough about the finishing. It is coming close to Grand Seiko, in fact it's the watch size I wish Grand Seiko made. Believe me, I know I am a biased fan boy. But owning this now, and contrasting it with my GS I can say this watch is well worth its price. More so than the other SPB models and certainly more value than the SLA models. All of this ofcourse IMO and based on what I look for in dive watches.

This represents the top of the Seiko dive watch mountain for me. The balance of price and product for this model are the best the brand has to offer as far as I'm concerned. It's not so plain I consider it a "beater" but also not so expensive I can't stomach buying it.

All that said, as the title suggests this will be my last Seiko for some time. As much as I love the brand with all its whimsy and all its flaws, I feel my obsession with Seiko has stopped me from getting into other brands I've been eyeing for a long time. Amongst others I want to explore are Marathon, Hamilton, Squale and Longines. So for now I think I have enough great Seiko pieces in my collection to admire. It's time to save up for next year and keep the purge of old pieces going.

Keep it crunchy folks!