OMEGA Seamaster Diver 300M NEKTON Edition

Once again Omega involves itself in some serious deep sea exploration; only this TIME around you can actually get your hands on one of the mission watches and potentially play your part in protecting of the world’s oceans.



This is Omega’s new Seamaster Diver 300M Nekton Edition: a Seamaster on a mission to save the seas!

In keeping with its pledge to make time for the planet, Omega is now a proud partner of Nekton, a not-for-profit research foundation committed to protecting the oceans.



That means, they get to proudly plaster the Omega Seamaster name all over the Nekton submersible – how cool is that; I’d give my right kidney to see an OceanicTime branded submarine.



But enough of my pipe dreams; this also means that we the landlubbing (mostly, not me I’m always exploring the depths of my bathtub) public get a special edition watch with the Nekton submersible on its case-back to live vicariously through.



Vital work is apparently already underway with the First Descent, a series of missions to explore and conserve the Indian Ocean, which began in 2019.



This will resume next year with Omega in a strong supporting role. Each mission combines state of the art technology along with inspirational public engagement.



Nekton is protecting the ocean with the global goal of 30% protection by 2030. As a pioneering brand with a long history of pushing the boundaries of what is possible, Omega was only too happy to get onboard.



Omega say of the Diver 300M, that is the most appropriate watch to represent the partnership as the famous Seamaster has played a key role in Omega’s ocean story.



However, my personal preference would have been for Omega’s ugly duckling, the PLOPROF as for me it is far more evocative of ocean exploration than anything else in the SM lineup.



Special features Nekton Edition include a laser ablated (etched) black ceramic [ZrO2] dial, matt finished with polished waves in positive relief, and unidirectional rotational diver’s bezel in Titanium Grade 5 also with laser etched diving scale in positive relief.



As a tribute to the hard-working foundation, the oriented case-back features an embossed Nekton submarine medallion and is engraved with NAIADLOCK, DIVER 300M and the watch’s water resistance.



Powering the Nekton Edition is the Master Chronometer Caliber 8806 with a special finish that includes; Geneva waves in arabesque and rhodium-plated rotor and bridges. The Cal. 8806 has been certified by METAS; it can resist magnetic fields of up to 15,000 gauss.



Two models are available; one with an integrated black rubber diver’s strap with a polished-brushed buckle to complement the black ceramic dial and one with a Stainless steel bracelet.



A legacy acknowledged by the team at Nekton, who dubbed their research submersible Seamaster 2, in tribute to the boat skippered by the late Sir.

Peter Blake. The legendary round-the-world yachtsman was a passionate advocate of ocean conservation and a close friend of Omega.



Btw, NEKTON comes from the Greek word used to describe aquatic animals that are able to swim and move independently of ocean currents.



Thoughts? Like I said, I think the Ploprof would have been a way cooler choice but the SM 300M is less hardcore and so going to have more mass appeal.



It’s still a pretty damn cool watch, though and anyone /anything involved in ocean conservation gets my vote. What do you think?

SEIKO 5 Sports Vs STREET FIGHTER V Limited Edition COLLECTION

Hadouken! Shoryuken! Cyber uppercut! Sonic boom! Hyakuretsukyaku!

Remember ferociously tapping the kick button to unleash Chun Li’s lightning kick? Perhaps you still give your thumbs the occasional workout, but me, I’m done, I’ve run out of special moves,

but that’s okay cos’ we can continue to relive our misspent youth every time we look down at one of the new Seiko 5 Sport watches.

And that’s because Seiko has just teamed up with Capcom, the creators of the Street Fighter series to create the new Seiko 5 x Streetfighter V Limited Edition watch collection.

The collection consists of 6 models; one for each of the six handpicked characters from the sixteen or so from the OG series.



These include: Ryu, Chun Li, Ken, Guile, Blanka and Zangief. Sorry, there’s no watch from Dhalsim, Sagat or M. Bison who are conspicuously absent from the lineup.

Ryu’s model is said to represent his philosophy and dedication to relentless training, aiming to become a "true fighter”.

Inspired by the do-gi (Karate uniform), special features of Ryu’s watch include: scratch marks on the bezel, Hanji symbol from his gloves - Furinkazan meaning “as swift as the wind, as gentle as the forest, as fierce as the fire, as unshakable as the mountain”.



Meanwhile the case-back includes the Street Fighter V logo along with the control commands for his, Hadouken, special move.

The underside of his watch strap has more Hanji symbols for; wind, forest, fire and mountain.



Interpol officer, Chun Li’s model is inspired by her signature uniform design, based on a Chinese qipao (dress).

Special features include: the same collar design found on her qipao which can be found at 12 o’clock on the dial and spikes at 6 and 9 o’clock inspired by her spiked bracelet.



Meanwhile the case-back includes the Street Fighter V logo along with the control commands for her, Spinning Bird kick.

The underside of the watch strap boasts a beautiful Chinese dragon pattern.



Ken’s model is also inspired by his do-gi and (you gotta’ love the Japanese) his golden hair!

The main watch case is black, but plenty of red can be found on the dial, bezel markers and the strap (also based on his gi) while gold surrounds the bezel.



Meanwhile the case-back includes the Street Fighter V logo along with the control commands for his, Shoryuken special move.

The underside of the watch strap features Ken’s Masters Founders company logo.



Guile’s model takes its inspiration from his military background. Guile if you didn’t know was a Major in the US Air Force.

There is a green camo pattern on the dial as well as the insignia from his military patch realized in gold at 6 o’clock.



Meanwhile at 9 o’clock on the dial is a mini replica of Guile’ s best buddy, Charlie Nash’s dog tag which he wears around his neck to give him strength and help him stay sharp while fighting.

Guile’s case-back includes the Street Fighter V logo along with the control commands for his, Sonic Boom special move.



Feral man, Brazilian and Capoeira exponent with electric abilities, Blanka’s model is inspired by his unique style.

The green bezel is with its yellow lightning effects comes from his special, Electric Thunder move; while the dial with its spiral design reflects his rolling attacks.



Meanwhile the case-back includes the Street Fighter V logo along with the control commands for his, Electric Thunder, special move.

The underside of the watch’s NATO strap features a Blanka Chan doll motif.



Finally Soviet-era pro-wrestler, Zangief’s model takes its inspiration from his red costume which includes his gold belt.

The dial features a circular effect which is supposed reflect his Cyclone Lariat, special move. This model also comes with Zangief-sized Arabic numerals!



Meanwhile the case-back includes the Street Fighter V logo along with the control commands for his, Screw Pile Driver, special move.

The watch’s NATO strap is based on Zangief’s yellow and red wristband.



Basic spec. for each of the watches is as per the regular Seiko 5 Sport, so 42.5mm, Cal. 4R36, LumiBrite, 100m. Each of the models is a numbered Limited Edition of 9’999 pieces.

Thoughts? This actually a pretty fun collection; I wouldn’t say that it’s for me but I do appreciate the thought that has gone into each of the models.

If I had to choose one, of course it would be Guile’s watch but I can’t help thinking what M. Bison’s models would be like. What do you think?



STOP WHALING in JAPAN

Seiko PROSPEX LX line Limited Edition SPRING DRIVE

Dive into a mysterious, green, aquatic world with Seiko’s Limited Edition (Spring Drive-powered) diver, the newest edition to join their premium sports watch, LX line.



With its dial inspired by an underwater forest found in the depths of an icy green lake near Skarvsnes Foreland in Antarctica, the Prospex LX line LE ref. SNR045 (JDM ref. SBDB039) –

exhibits all the same design features that were first introduced when the LX line debuted in 2019.



Historically Seiko has handed out watches to researchers and explorers who were venturing into harsh and challenging environments such as the Skarvsnes Foreland in order to get valuable feedback on how particular models performed there.



The Skarvsnes Foreland is located approximately 55 kilometers from Showa station, a Japanese research station in Antarctica. It is in this area where Japanese researchers discovered a mysterious underwater forest of moss pillars covering the bottom of a nearby lake.



The unique moss pillars take several hundred years to form underwater. When discovered by Japanese researchers, they were affectionately named, Kokebozu, a Japanese word that combines koke (moss) and bouzu (young boy), so Moss Boy or Moss Lad?

It is known today that the kokebozu is not made from one type of plant life alone, but from moss and various algae and bacteria that coexist.



While the dial of the Limited Edition echoes these aquatic moss pillars stood at the bottom of an Antarctic lake, its green ceramic bezel inlay is said to represent; “the breath of life cultivated over a long period in the Antarctic ground”.

Tbh, I’m not sure wtf that means but yes, green inlays do go very nicely with green dials.



As to the watch’s design, like its LX line siblings, this is based on the historic 1968 Diver’s, Seiko’s first diver’s watch that had 300m of water-resistance as well as a high-beat movement.

The LX line inherits the original case design of the 1968 Hi-beat Diver’s.

In addition to the Hi-beat engine, it also boasts Zaratsu-polished distortion-free mirror surfaces on the facets of its case. It was also engineered to have a low center of gravity for increased wrist-comfort.



Of the watch’s professional diver’s features is a water-resistance for SAT (saturation) diving to a depth of 300 meters, a unidirectional bezel fitted with a cermet exterior panel, and a clasp with a push-button diver-adjusted mechanism.

The letters “LIMITED EDITION” and the serial number 001/500-500/500 are displayed on the case-back so that you know that this a limited series edition.



Power comes from a Spring Drive Caliber 5R65 with its unique glide motion seconds hand and power-reserve of approximately 72 hours (3 days) from fully wound.

The Seiko Spring Drive highly reliable movement as it features high-resistance to temperature variations and shocks, which are to be expected in active situations such as SCUBA diving.



The 500 piece Prospex LX line Limited Edition ref. SBDB039 / SNR045 has an MSRP of 630,000 JPY excl. tax (approx. 5’945USD).



Thoughts? I keep seeing Christmas trees every time I look at the dial.



STOP WHALING in JAPAN

MING 18.01 H41

This is the new 18.01 H41 (yeah, I know wtf but bear with me while I attempt to decode all the design language gobbledygook, as I’m sure we’ll discover that it’s actually a pretty cool dive watch).

The 18.01 H41 is based on MING’s debut limited series concept diver from 2018, the ABYSS; only with improved engineering mechanics as well as an updated design by way of MING’s “Design Language 2”, debuted earlier this year on their 27.01 Ultra Thin watch.



The 18.01 H41 is say MING; “a maximal, robust piece that demonstrates the versatility of their design language”. Capiche!

It has a 40mm in diameter by 12.9mm thick Grade 5 Titanium case with 1km AKA 1000 meters of water-resistance. It weighs just 65grams.



I partly agree with MING’s statement; “for a dive watch with this depth rating, it is amongst the (if not the) thinnest”.

That it is . . . however the H2O Watch Kalmar SLIM is sub 12mm and with 3000m of water-resistance, so is 1mm slimmer but with 3x the water-resistance. Btw that is powered by an ETA 2824-2.



Getting back to the 18.01 H41, this is said to be slightly thinner than MING’s Abyss Concept, thanks to the use of Ti G5 as well as its bezel construction.

It retains the same functional and security features of the Abyss Concept: a unidirectional rotating bezel with 60 clicks that can be turned easily.



It is equipped with multiple sets of gaskets and seals plus a red indicator to warn the wearer that the crown is unscrewed.

Meanwhile the case-back boasts a high-friction surface allowing for increased grip against a neoprene wetsuit thus preventing the watch from moving around.



Dive-time is instantly and easily legible, thanks to a rotational diver’s bezel with a luminous 15min dive-time-scale, designed so that the lume becomes less prominent as dive-time is counted down.

MING say that they opted for a DLC coated solid steel bezel “so as to eliminate the risk of losing an insert due to pressure changes (not sure that would happen) or impact (this could), and also to maximize contrast for the diving scale”.



As you can see from the eye-scorching lume-shot, a significant amount of luminous material has been applied to ensure visibility under all light conditions: All white elements are loaded with Super-LumiNova X1.



This has been applied as a liquid epoxy to the bezel, a solid block in the hands, and as HyCeram – a sapphire-fused luminous ceramic - on the dial ring.

Powering the watch is a Swiss ETA 2824-2 in Top Grade form. This has been modified to remove the calendar and intermediate hand setting positions.



Finally KL, Malaysia, based MING has partnered with: La Division du Temps, a subsidiary of Manufacture Schwarz-Etienne for production, assembly and testing.

DM Surfaces for the HyCeram on the dial, Jean Rousseau for their waterproof rubber straps and Studio Koji Sato for the new leather travel pouches.

MSRP is 3’250CHF.



Thoughts? I told you that it was a pretty cool dive watch, although I needed a hit of Tylenol after going through the PR.

The spec. which includes: Ti G5, DLC, 1000M, SLN X1 and a 2824 Top Grade are all indicative of a quality diver. MING did their homework on the diver’s features, too.

I would go on to say that this is a diver for MING fans or anyone wanting something a little different. I would have called it the MING Abyss 2, though. What do you think?