What time is it? Watches and horology

I love my SLA017… it has its minor foibles, one being the blobby lume that you can see in some pictures (usually only really noticeable in bright light when it casts a shadow). The rubber strap is great but the bracelet the 017 also comes with is an insult, they shouldn’t have bothered.

There is also the big criticism that came from Seiko enthusiasts when it was first shown, that they chose not to use applied hour markers (as per the original 62MAS). Instead they have used a version of the technique they use on all their divers watches right down to the Seiko 5: namely, stamping the markers from the rear of the dial and then machining/polishing them flat. You end up with softer corners to the markers and you can see where the dial curves up to the marker as a result of the stamping process.

Having said that, they are machined and polished extremely nicely on the SLAs, it is a different level of finishing to the Prospex / MM models and the effect is very different. It clearly looks like a more expensive watch with much greater attention to detail.

So a great case, great bezel, nice domed crystal, very nice hands, nice sunburst dial and the overall effect is that it works unbelievably well. It really hangs together. Perfect size at 40mm too.

Main criticism is the price I suppose. Despite using undecorated GS movements they still don’t properly adjust them, which is a real dick move, frankly. Mine is very accurate but I know I got lucky.

For me it actually is an exit diver, I’m not looking to get drawn into vintage so there’s nothing else I’d rather own. Does it compare poorly to a modern Rolex Sub, objectively? Yep. Does it have the quality of design and overall vibe for me to prefer it to a Sub? Definitely.