Seiko Prospex Marine Master 600m Spring Drive Tuna Can SBDB009

Seiko Prospex Marine Master Spring Drive Tuna Can SBDB009

At one point and time, many had hoped to see one of Seiko’s greatest innovations in one of their most coveted dive watches.  The thought of a Spring Drive movement in a Tuna Can body came to reality in a limited edition model labeled the SBDB008 in 2013.  Sadly, this piece was limited to only 300 pieces for the world and was sold out incredibly fast.  There were rumors that the SBDB008 was going to be the one and only Spring Drive Tuna, but thankfully those rumors turned out to be false.  For 2014, Seiko introduced the SBDB009 an all black version of the LE Spring Drive Tuna.

Seiko Prospex Marine Master Spring Drive Tuna Can SBDB009

The dial of the SBDB009 is deeply recessed, with the center of the dial deeper then the outer ring for the indexes and the chapter ring on an impressive deep slope.  This allows for a very thick sapphire crystal to help in its 600m water resistance.  The crystal has Seiko’s proprietary 99% clarity coating for anti-reflective purposes and the large hands and indexes on this piece offer incredible legibility.  The minute and second hand reach out far to the seconds/minutes track on the chapter ring adding even more quick glance visibility.  All hands and indexes are applied heavily with Seiko’s LumiBright luminescent material with the exception of the whole seconds hand.  It does make up for it however, by having a luminescent dot for the tail.

Seiko Prospex Marine Master Spring Drive Tuna Can SBDB009

The outer case or shroud on this model is DLC (Diamond Like Carbon) coated titanium.  This shrouded design was actually inspired by a letter Seiko received in 1968.  The letter was from a professional diver who lived in Kure, a coastal city near Hiroshima.  This diver worked in depths as deep as 350m and needed a watch that could resist not only the depths, but also the strong shock of being beaten against rocks on the ocean floor.  Seiko’s team was shocked, and went to work on creating a piece that could survive these harsh conditions.  After 7 years, Seiko introduced their first 600m diver watch, the 6159 in 1975.  This watch was the first to use a titanium shroud, which added greater shock resistance as well as being light weight and corrosion proof.  Most importantly, the watch could not be penetrated by helium and the new accordion style strap that remained tight on the wrist, even when the wet suit shrinks due to the pressure at great depths.  This new SBDB009 utilizes the same design elements as found on the model from 1975.

Seiko Prospex Marine Master Spring Drive Tuna Can SBDB009

The bezel has some very special features to create a beautiful feel when in operation.  This “Triple Safety Rotating Bezel” is achieved by a special lubricating material between the case and bezel, the shrouds design that protects the bezel leaving it only slightly open from the 12:00-3:00 and 6:00-9:00 area that also allows for easy turning, and a special structure that allows the bezel to only rotate counter clockwise, ensuring the bezel will not move clockwise at all.  The shroud is made of Seiko’s proprietary Bright Titanium with DLC coating, while the inner case does contain some stainless steel.  The possibility of achieving a 600m dive watch with no helium release is reached by utilizing a special rubberized material called “L-Shaped Packing Material” in the case structure, giving it complete air and water tightness. The result is a 50.7mm wide by 16.2mm thick Professional Specifications piece, that sits great on the wrist due to its virtually non-existent lugs making the lug to lug length only 49.6mm.  A piece of this size only weighing 126g certainly adds to its comfort.

Seiko Prospex Marine Master Spring Drive Tuna Can SBDB009

I mentioned the design of the strap and its use on the 1975 diver the 6159.  This is still adopted in the Tuna’s design today.  Many may remember last years SBDB008 coming with the same polyurethane strap as most of Seiko’s divers.  While this was some what of a disappointment, it was still very functional for diving.  The SBDB009 however did feature an upgrade on the strap, now utilizing Seiko’s Extra-Strength Silicone material providing about four times greater tear resistance, superb flexibility and an ultra smooth and soft feel.  The accordion style design is still there, providing the same functionality on the polyurethane with the inside of the strap gripped to hold onto your wrist.

Seiko Prospex Marine Master Spring Drive Tuna Can SBDB009

Inside this insanely sealed case lies one of Seiko’s most innovative movements, the Spring Drive 5R65 caliber.  This unique mechanism uses a mainspring as its sole power source with both hand-winding and self-winding capabilities.  The energy from the mainspring not only moves your traditional gear train, but also powers an electronic regulating system that would replace a traditional escapement.  The frequency from a quartz crystal (of which Seiko grows in-house), is almost 8,200 times faster then that of a common escapement, making it of course substantially more precise.  The frequency from these crystals goes to an integrated circuit (also developed in-house) that translates that frequency to an electromagnet.  The electromagnet basically regulates a wheel that turns freely in one only direction (unlike a balance wheel that rocks back and forth on a hairspring) telling the wheel to only turn 8 times per second.  This makes the mainspring unwind at an unbelievably precise pace and move as fluid as time itself, creating a second hand that glides as opposed to a sweep.  This smooth uni-directional motion allows for the smooth gliding second hand, incredible accuracy and a significant reduction in stress on the movement.  Seiko’s proprietary alloy Spron 510 that is used for the mainspring material also provides a 72 hour power reserve off only one mainspring, which can be monitored on the dial.  The display of the power reserve will reflect tightness of the mainspring, with a full power reserve expressed with the hand all the way down showing tightness, and all the way up in the red section meaning it is near fully expanded.

Seiko Prospex Marine Master Spring Drive Tuna Can SBDB009

As a great dive watch should, the SBDB009 provides excellent legibility in the dark.  LumiBright’s glow can last up to 10 times longer then conventional luminous paints, has a stronger glow intensity, is non-radioactive (so safe for people and the environment),the quality of glow can be sustained over a long period of time.

Seiko Prospex Marine Master Spring Drive Tuna Can SBDB009

The Seiko Prospex Marine Master Professional 600m Spring Drive Tuna Can SBDB009 retails for $4,200.    It can be viewed on the AZ Fine Time site HERE and can be ordered by calling us at 1-800-486-3996.

 

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Seiko Prospex Marine Master 600m Spring Drive Tuna Can SBDB008

Seiko Prospex Marine Master 600m Spring Drive Tuna Can SBDB008The 100th Anniversary of watchmaking for Seiko has brought forth a variety of new limited edition models inspired by Seiko’s most iconic watches.  Today, we introduce the very first model of the Seiko Prospex series to be introduced to the US market, the Marine Master Professional 600m SBDB008, or the highly anticipated, Spring Drive Tuna Can.

Seiko Prospex Marine Master 600m Spring Drive Tuna Can SBDB008This limited edition of 300 pieces pays tribute to a diver design Seiko first introduced in 1975.  The first shrouded “Tuna Can” was an automatic 600m diver that used a titanium shroud to not only offer shock resistance to the inner case, but was also used because of its light weight, as well as the corrosion and abrasion resistance.  Three years later, Seiko introduced the 1st quartz 600m diver which had similar black and gold accents.  The combination of the two models is apparent in the design, but also in the sense of the movement.  The mainspring driven, quartz regulated Spring Drive movement offers the best of both worlds, all in the same timepiece.

Seiko Prospex Marine Master 600m Spring Drive Tuna Can SBDB008The 5R65 Spring Drive movement utilized derives all its power from the mainspring, with no battery supplying any power.  The Tri-Synchro Regulator replaces the escapement, allowing for quartz like precision in the unwinding of the mainspring.  Due to its low energy consumption, the use of a quartz crystal, integrated circuit, and electro-magnetic brake are possible.  As the mainspring unwinds, the mechanical energy is  converted to electricity allowing the quartz crystals frequency to be translated through the IC, and tells the brake to allow the “glide wheel” 8 rotations per second.  The glide wheel rotates in only one direction, providing the ultra smooth motion of the gliding second hand on top of the quartz like accuracy in a mechanically driven watch.

Seiko Prospex Marine Master 600m Spring Drive Tuna Can SBDB008The new DLC coated titanium shroud offers great scratch resistance and hardness. The total width of the case not including crown is just over 50mm, and is also 16.2mm thick.  The DLC has a dark gray finish with vertically brushed finish and some high polished accents on the front edge.  The torque control uni-directional rotating bezel moves very smooth and has an incredible feel.  The gold highlight accents on the bezel are exposed from 12:00-3:00 and 6:00-9:00 allowing for easy grip, but also contributing a nice detail.  The gold plated crown  is located at 4:00, allowing for comfort and security, but also looks great.

Seiko Prospex Marine Master 600m Spring Drive Tuna Can SBDB008The use of an L shaped packing material within the case contributes greatly to its 600m water-resistance.  This air-tight and water-tight timepiece has a thick sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating which is also useful in withstanding the pressure at extreme depths.  The strap is polyurethane, which was also found on the original from 1975.  They use the PU strap because of its elasticity which again, proves very helpful accommodating to changes in wrist size at different pressures.

Seiko Prospex Marine Master 600m Spring Drive Tuna Can SBDB008Seiko’s in house developed Lumibrite is put to effect in full force with the SBDB008.  It is applied incredibly thick on both the hour and minute hand, the tail of the second hand, each index, and the 60 minute mark on the bezel.  This is honestly one of the strongest glowing pieces I have seen, with very little light bringing out its incredible luminescence.

Seiko Prospex Marine Master 600m Spring Drive Tuna Can SBDB008The size of the watch is large in width and thickness, but the lug to lug width is short, giving a great appearance on the wrist.  Though the shroud is titanium, there are still steel components which add to its weight.  The total weight on this piece is 118g, which is still not incredibly heavy considering its size.

Seiko Prospex Marine Master 600m Spring Drive Tuna Can SBDB008The MSRP on the Seiko Prospex Spring Drive Tuna Can SBDB008 is $4,500.  This is a limited edition with only 300 pieces for the entire world and is not only the 1st Spring Drive movement to appear in the Tuna, but most likely the last.  As always, if you have any questions, please feel free to call us at 1-800-486-3996 or submit an inquiry through AZFineTime.com.

Seiko Prospex Marine Master 600m Spring Drive Tuna Can SBDB008

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