Watch Reviews
Honest watch opinions about watches we love, hate, and all those in-between.
Seiko Marinemaster: Is It The Quintessential Seiko Dive Watch?
I need to set the stage on what this dive watch means to me and how it has shaped my collecting journey. The Seiko Marinemaster 300’s legendary shadow has always loomed over me. I am a rampant Seikoholic – Seiko is easily my favorite brand and has been since nearly the origin of my watch collecting obsession. Jump To: Wearing Experience | Bracelet | Case | Bezel | Dial | Movement | Overall When I first got into horology, the Seiko SKX007 was my grail watch. I loved its specs, uncompromised tool watch style, and I loved what Seiko watches offered and stood for. I got an SKX and loved it (and I still do), and grew to love the iconic Japanese brand even more. As I learned more about Seiko and other dive watch models they offered like the Tuna, Turtle, and the Samurai, I was introduced eventually to the Marinemaster. It appeared to be, and quite frankly is, the ultimate expression of the Seiko diver ethos that I loved so much. So I have always put the Marinemaster on a pedestal, at the forefront of what I was searching for but always just out of reach for a myriad of reasons. The Marinemaster was too expensive, too big, too thick, too hard to service, and too luxurious to occupy a tool watch slot in my collection. It was just a little too much in too many ways on the wrong side of the scale, so I held off purchasing one for nearly 10 years. Seiko Marinemaster 300 Specs Case Dimensions44mm x 50.5mm x 15.4mmLug Width20mmMaterialStainless Steel Case With Ceramic Insert BezelCrystalSapphire CrystalWater Resistance300mMovementSeiko 8L35 (Automatic Movement)Power Reserve50 HoursAccuracy+15 / -10 seconds per dayManual WindingYesHackingYesPrice:$3,100 I went through perhaps 7 or 8 SKXs and some Seiko 5 series divers….
TBWS Watch Reviews: What To Expect
What are our watch reviews all about? Honesty and real-world insights. We’re watch lovers first which means we always try and conduct reviews from the viewpoint of an actual normal person’s wearing perspective. We generally don’t cover watches that are ridiculously overpriced or just not accessible to real, down to earth watch folk like us. We specifically focus on affordable watch reviews because that’s what we’ve always wanted more of in the watch blog world.
Watch reviews are generally conducted and broken down into focusing on 4 parts of a timepiece.
Watch Reviews in 4 Parts:
- The Case
- The Dial
- The Strap/Bracelet
- The Movement
After-which we round out our review with an overall perspective on the watch. Please check out the sections below detailing how we approach each section of the review.
The Case:
Design and real-world wearability are huge factors for us in how we conduct watch reviews. That’s why we start with the case. We always try and focus on the intersection (and sometimes the divergence) between how a watch case looks and how it actually wears on the wrist. We also critique the overall quality of finishing, which is becoming something watch folks are looking for more of in affordable watch reviews.
The Dial:
This is traditionally where the visual impact of the watch occurs. But what makes a watch dial aesthetically and functionally successful? That’s one of the main things we explore with out watch reviews. A dial isn’t just about the colors – it’s about how the brand decided to balance all the interior dial elements in relation to each other. Our watch reviews tend to focus on digging deep into the symmetry and asymmetry of what makes a dial visually successful (whether the aim of the watch is to be aesthetically pleasing, functional, or both).
The Strap/Bracelet:
As watch blogs have evolved scrutiny of straps and bracelets has increased. That’s because traditionally pulling back on quality in this area has been a cost-cutting measure which inevitably impacts the consumer in most circumstances. That’s why TBWS focuses so heavily on straps/bracelets in our watch reviews. Breaking down the materials, construction, changeability, and overall aesthetics, a TBWS watch review will offer a holistic perspective on what to expect with a timepiece’s strap/bracelet.
The Movement:
Rarely seen but impossible to live without. In traditional watch reviews movements never received too much attention. But as consumers begin to become more and more curious about every aspect of what they’re spending their hard earned money on, attention on what makes a watch tick has increased. That’s why we dedicated an appropriate portion of our watch reviews to focusing on a timepiece’s movement. Whether it’s a mechanical or quartz mechanism, the TBWS watch blog appreciates all movement types and is dedicated to offering an authentic opinion on both the movement itself and how it’s actually utilized and featured by the watch brand. Plus, we’re movement geeks. So we love talking about this stuff.
If you have any questions about how we conduct watch reviews please feel free to contact us at [email protected]. And be sure to check out our weekly watch podcast!