My five favorite Seikos…

On this chilly #strapsaturday morning I wonder… Is there a more ubiquitous watch/aftermarket strap combo than the Seiko SBDC003 “Blumo” and a Crafter Blue Rubber strap? Seems almost like they came with them from the factory. I know I bought mine used and the previous owner already had one and threw it in.

I have like... A lot of Seikos. Somewhere just south of twenty. It's an issue. Someday, I'll catalog the entire collection here, but for now, these are my five favorites. Not necessarily the BEST ones, but my personal faves at the moment. Of course, this list can and will change with my mood, seasons, lunar cycles, etc.. (Close-ups at the end of my scree…)

Sumo "Blumo" SBDC033 on a Crafter Blue rubber strap- I got this somewhat early in my Seiko collecting journey. (Meaning about three-ish years ago.) I like dive watches. I like blue. I wanted a blue dive watch. I wanted it to be a Seiko, naturally. I was also thinking of stepping up a level. A friend of mine offered this Blumo up for the best price one could attain one without the use of a weapon and strong language and I jumped on it. It came with two stock bracelets (one unused) and the Crafter Blue rubber strap it usually resides on. Honestly wasn't sure it would be a long-termer, but it's still hear. I even tried to replace it with a JDM limited edition Sumo earlier this year, but both are still here. It's ALMOST too big for me, but it just works. Seiko did an amazing job with the contrasting brushing and polishing on the Sumo and it looks much more expensive than it is. The strap STILL smells like vanilla, but I've come to accept it. The stock bracelet actually isn't bad and I've kept it on my other Sumo. That said, I think this one will spend 90% of it's time on the strap. There's a reason you see the Blumo on a Crafter Blue almost as often as you do on the stock bracelet. It just works.

Alpinist SPB117 on a Strapcode Super-O bracelet - I've often said that if I could only own one watch, it would be this one. This doesn't mean it's my FAVORITE watch exactly, but it just ticks so many boxes. I also own the 121 green and gilt variant on a Strapcode Jubilee sytle bracelet and that one's just a bit "dressier" looking. This black one on the Super-O still looks fancy enough for nicer clothes, but also plenty sporty enough for a Star Wars tee shirt and jeans. When I want to dress it up just a bit, a black leather or alligator strap works nicely. It also fits my skinny wrists the best of any of the watches here, so it easily makes the list. Lastly, this was purchased from a good friend who I don't interact with as much as I used to. So there's that.

King Turtle PADI SRPG19 on a Strapcode Super-O bracelet - Fatherly influence... My dad didn't serve in Viet Nam but was in the Air Force at the same time. Like many servicemen of that era, he also bought a Seiko at the PX and wore them ever since. Before he got into flying and Flightmasters, he wore a Seiko dive watch for many years. In retrospect, it was probably a 6309 of some sort. He always said that Seikos were good enough and Rolexes were a waste of time. (And to always buy GM cars and Ford Trucks but I didn't listen to that part. Always drove foreign cars and Chevy trucks, myself.) So to me, the quintessential steel dive watch in my head was always a turtle and not a Submariner. This is just my favorite varient. I alway say to get a "King" varient of the Seiko diver you want unless you just NEED a particular colorway. When this newer PADI varient came out a couple years ago, I loved it. I already had a gilt-dial turtle but one is never enough. A sale popped up at Macy's and I got one. Never regretted it for a second. So comfortable, just the right amount of reassuring weight and beautiful to look at. Always in the running for my most-worn watch.

Flightmaster SNA411 on an Uncle Straps President bracelet - Okay this one has an unfair advantage. Nostalgia. From my father again... My dad was flight instructor and taught me to fly and the last watch I remember him wearing a lot was a Flightmaster. Something that predated the SNA411, but similar. I remember him teaching me how to use the slide rule and what not. Whatever it was, it was long gone when he passed away. My sister remembers it also and we agreed that this was as close as I was going to get. So to me, it's the watch my dad wore. And I love the look of it. Someone of Facebook called the dial "busier than a Bishop's hat" and that is shockingly accurate. And it's quartz which is very handy. It also ticks the chronograph box very nicely. The Uncle Straps bracelet makes it a whole new watch and really kicks the quality level up a notch or three.

SSK03 GMT on a Strapcode Super-O bracelet - To put it bluntly and to borrow and over-used phrase... I wear the hell out of this thing. I went against my own watch-buying rules to get it. I went out and paid full boat the second they became available after just looking at the pics. I don't regret it a bit. As an SKX owner, the regular 5 Sports dive-style watches never appealed to me. But the GMT is a entirely different story. It's a GMT. GMT's aren't really divers in my mind so I didn't mind the 100m water resistance as much. I used to live overseas and travel a bit so I like a good GMT and don't really mind that it's not a "true" GMT. It works fine for my uses. And it looks the business! The stock Jubilee style bracelet was fine (and actually adorns my SKX009 now) but I thought the Oyster-style would look a bit sportier. And it does.

Flightmaster SNA411 on an Uncle Straps President bracelet - Okay this one has an unfair advantage. Nostalgia. My dad was flight instructor and taught me to fly and the last watch I remember him wearing a lot was a Flightmaster. Something that predated the SNA411, but similar. I remember him teaching me how to use the slide rule and what not. Whatever it was, it was long gone when he passed away. My sister remembers it also and we agreed that this was as close as I was going to get. So to me, it's the watch my dad wore. And I love the look of it. Someone of Facebook called the dial "busier than a Bishop's hat" and that is shockingly accurate. And it's quartz which is very handy. It also ticks the chronograph box very nicely. The Uncle Straps bracelet makes it a whole new watch and really kicks the quality level up a notch or three.