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Origins of the Prospex Kinetic GMT Diver? SUN 019/021/023/043/045/065

4K views 9 replies 7 participants last post by  pokpok 
#1 ·
Often called the "Kinetic Tuna," it clearly does not belong to the famed Tuna series. It has a shroud, yes, but the shroud is much more like the retired Sawtooth, and VERY similar to the new sky-series of prospex watches from Seiko. The dial on these new gmt kinetic divers are also similar to the tunas, but just as similar to the sawtooth, while ultimately departing from all others with the elevated loom reservoirs (that, by the way, do last longer than my super-bright monster lume).

I would be thrilled to have a tuna. To wear a tuna on my wrist and contemplate the history and engineering innovations made, on demand, to solve real problems; to test at greater and greater depths to maintain function during saturation diving, not to impress upon a community of collectors who do not dive a sense of quality by bumping up the WR numbers - incidentally, in a time when "dive watches" rarely have a place in a scuba diving expedition anyway.

I like my kinetic diver a lot, and because I wanted the GMT feature it is the watch I need now, but I can't kid myself into thinking its on the same level as a tuna. Hell, I bought mine for 1/4 the price of a used darth tuna sold for on eBay just a few days ago. It's a very nice kinetic gmt diver, with a lot of wrist presence, and now, an amazing bargain for the price, but no tuna.

I'd like to ask others with more knowledge about the Seiko divers and the changes through different series, where does this watch draw from? Is the sawtooth the direct precursor or are there others? How unique is this watch with its deep dial features? And, what would be a more historically-accurate name for this watch than kinetic tuna?

Cheers.

CD
 
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#2 · (Edited)
True GMT divers with a rotating bezel are actually rather unusual, having a quickset (12) hour hand and a power reserve measured in weeks.

Many other brands (except Rolex and Omega and a few other very expensive non-affordables) have the ETA-2893 movement, which is not really a true GMT due to the quickset GMT hand. It has a 42 hour power reserve.

To my knowledge, the SUN series Seiko are the only affordable true GMT divers.
 
#4 ·
Eh, I call them Kinetic Tunas...

Although this Kinetic is definitely more Tuna-ish...

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#5 ·
I'd be fine if it were called something else from day one. By convention and precedent it's been established as the Kinetic Tuna. Why change it now?

Seiko could surely sell these for much more given the features, some of which aren't even featured on the traditional Tunas; SS bracelet, machined clasp, GMT, 3D dial markers, 4:30 date position, and a sapphire crystal.

If you have a large collection or don't wear it regularly it's probably not the watch for you.
 
#6 · (Edited)
Seiko could surely sell these for much more given the features, some of which aren't even featured on the traditional Tunas; SS bracelet, machined clasp, GMT, 3D dial markers, 4:30 date position, and a sapphire crystal.

If you have a large collection or don't wear it regularly it's probably not the watch for you.
I've pondered whether there is one designer somewhere at Seiko, crossing his/her fingers as the sales numbers come in after he/she pushed to include all these features that are so uncommon together. The fact that the mix is so "unusual", as one other commenter phrased it, is why I am hoping that someone who is more savvy about seiko history can enlighten me(us?) about this new model's inspiration. I wonder if it might be the beginning or a one off for these features. I wish it were a solar or auto, maybe that will come next.

Regarding your second comment - With a power reserve of weeks or months, I'm not sure why you wouldn't have it in a collection if it gets one day a month at least, but I'm not really a collector and lack insight into the process of rotating through a large collection. For me, I only have three watches so it will never be an issue.
 
#8 ·
This thread needs some pics...

SUN023



SUN043 GMT Seiko 50th Anniversary



A different animal is the SUN025, which not a diver with its non-rotating bezel.

 
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