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a Seiko MM300 homage... the Proxima MM300

179K views 733 replies 109 participants last post by  Tokyo321 
#1 · (Edited)
I am not one to take the time write any fancy reviews. When I acquire a new timepiece, it is either destined to be worn for specific occasions only, as a daily wearer, as a beater or to sit in the safe awaiting something special or who knows what.

In this write up, I will be looking at a homage to one of the heavy weights, a titan of the dive watch world. This titan I am referring to is the incredible Seiko SBDX001. Case design, lume, hand shape, legibility that many others wish they could claim as their own. If you want to read about the SBDX001 further, I encourage you to do so as you will find dozens of reviews, photos and posts regarding this heavy weight as it is an absolutely phenomenal timepiece. I did have the pleasure of seeing one in the flesh approximately 10-11 years ago in a dive shop while in Vancouver. Since that time, I have wanted to include the venerable MM300 in the collection, unfortunately for me, when the funds were more readily accessible, there were other watches that for some reason nudged ahead of the MM300 for one reason of another due to something feature, quality, design cue I liked or appreciated more at the given time. With time, life happens, there are changes which occur and those changes can affect ones (my) ability to make specific purchases. I realized the likelihood of me ever acquiring a Seiko MM300 in the near future is not an option as I have far more important priorities for the next 20 years. This led me to do what I could to scratch the MM300 itch, thus I began searching for a homage.

I know the discussion of homages can become a sensitive topic amongst some members, and I fully get why, regardless the purpose of this short review is not to spark any debate as to who agrees, disagrees, supports or does not support homage watches. Homages have a niche for many and they fill that niche very well. I personally do not care whether you are for or against, and it should not matter to anyone if a homage makes it into ones collection. I'll be honest when I say that for many years I was very much against the idea of companies who made these watches as I felt it went against the morals, values and original idea of the company who originally designed the timepiece to begin with. Over time my ideas on homage watches changed. I am not sure the exactly why I have become accepting of homages, whether this is due to homages becoming so common place in this hobby, whether it is because so many of them are incredibly well made for the money making them far more attainable to the average guy, or what the reason is exactly.

There are several companies making these Seiko MM300 homage watches. We have HIMQ and Heimdallr with their Sharkmaster, the Merkur Oceanmaster, the Uroboros Marinemaster, the Leviathan MM300 and the FIFTYFOUR Divemaster, the Anko Tactico and last, but not least the Proxima Scubamaster. Are there others I have missed, there probably is, but these are the most common variants I am currently aware of. Of the companies mentioned, there are some which are not easily available unless you can find someone selling one on the used market. The easily attainable brands at the moment are HIMQ, Heimdallr, Fiftyfour and Proxima.

After a great deal of reading, searching, some more reading I contacted a Proxima dealer, WRwatches.com - I am not in any way affiliated with WRwatches or the Proxima brand. After spending a fair amount of time via the live chat with a representative of WRwatch (their name is Wei), I decided to purchase the Proxima MM300 with full lumed bezel, with BGW9 lume on both the dial and the bezel. This specific model has the Japanese NH35 movement which is accurate within +45/-35 seconds a day, not all that impressive for any watch collector. The glass consists of an AR coated sapphire glass sitting over top a black dial with polished indices with a date located at the 3 o'clock position.

Watch specification as per the WRwatches page are as follows:
Case Materal : 316L Stainless Steel Monoblock Case
Diameter : 44mm
Case Thickness : 15.8mm
Lug width : 20mm
Bezel : Ceramic / Sapphire
Bezel Luminous : Swiss C3 Super-Luminova / BGW9 Super-Luminova
Glass : Sapphire Glass with AR Coating
Dial Luminous : Swiss C3 Super-Luminova (Gold Indices) / BGW9 Super-Luminova (Silver Indices)
Dial colour : Black
Movement : Japan NH35
WR : 300 Meters*
Please note that there will be slight upgrade for the coming batch of MM300 which will be: BGW9 lume second hand with a dot in red

The Proxima is not expensive by any means and currently resales for $190 US. I made payment on July 20, and after a long wait, I received the parcel 12 days later on August 2, 2019. The watch had landed in Canada on August 1[SUP]st[/SUP], and at 12:55pm it was scanned for the first time since leaving China. From there, Candapost had it delivered to my door and in my possession less than 24 hours later. Fairly impressive this time around. It was on the 27[SUP]th[/SUP] of July, I contacted WRwatches and asked them if the watch was shipped by boat or plane, and was told it was sent by plane and would arrive shortly. I am not sure the reason as to why there was such a delay for the parcel to get to Canada, or whether it had arrived and sat for several days in customs waiting to be scanned and for inspection. Anyways, the parcel finally arrived and it was very well packaged. Upon opening the outer cardboard box, there was a smaller bubble wrapped package inside to absorb any bumps, drops or falls during its travels. I unwrapped this outer bubble wrap to have a hard clam shell style case with a fold over hinge on each side and two on the front. This case is acceptable, but keep in mind it is not a nice solid, high quality case you'd get with brands such as UTS, BaliHa'I, H20/Helberg, Tacitco or Bathy's for example, but it does get the job done as there is a fairly decent layer of foam trapping the watch from moving around.







Upon opening the hard shell case, I was greeted by a sparkling, shiny, sharp looking watch, the Proxima MM300. Prior to this moment, I was feeling uneasy, unsure, nervous about this purchase for multiple reasons. One, it is at a price point I have now moved away from, but also because it is a homage. I just didn't know what to expect, even with all the positive reviews of these different MM300's. Let me say that all the uneasiness disappeared from the moment I laid eyes on the Proxima. The Proxima was carefully unwrapped and this is where my delight exploded. I felt like a child in a candy store… all over a $200 timepiece.



The crystal is a sapphire glass with a nicely blue hue'd AR coating which looks absolutely stunning. The indices on the dial have beautiful polished silver exteriors containing the gorgeous BWG9 lume which after being outside and walking indoors, glows a wonderful blue. I have not yet checked to see how long the lume lasts, but this watch was not purchased for the lume unlike some other timepieces I own. All I can say is it glows very nicely and the lume is very evenly applied with no areas appearing to be missing any lume whatsoever.

The dial is a nice matte black, with the nicely sized Proxima name written in a clear, easy to read white font just below the 12 o'clock indices, and the scubamaster professional 300m written between the 4 and 8 o'clock indices (just above the 6 o'clock). Just like the Proxima name, this was written in a clear easily legible white font. Between the Proxima name and the writing on the bottom half of the dial, I feel there is just the right amount of writing without creating a mess, whereas some other makes and models try to put too large of a name/logo, or too much writing all over the dial taking away from the watch. Proxima did it right in my opinion.

The bracelet is one area which could use some refining, as a higher end bracelet would make the end user want to wear it on steel, rather than changing it out to rubber, leather or a nato. It is not that the bracelet is badly made, or appears it will fall apart, it is just not built to a high standard of 'solid'. The bracelet clasp is plain with nothing to make it stand out among other brands with their company name or logos on them, whereas a simple anything would have dressed it up a great deal. The bracelet is a 3 link style, with the outer edges of the center links having a narrow polished edge. The end links are cut fairly well, but lack the refinement found on other watches like the Helm Vanuatu (very well made bracelet). If I had a spare SBDC061 bracelet, I'd see if it fit the Proxima, and if so I'd be set to wear this little gem on steel. Regardless, I had no intentions of using the bracelet from day one, so the bracelet quality was not an issue for me at whatsoever. At the time of writing this, I am still waiting for a strap I have on order to arrive - the watch gecko zulu tropic. I feel this strap will flow beautifully on the Proxima MM300 due to the mostly polished watch case with the brushed sections running lengthwise up the sides of the case from top to bottom lug, as the strap buckle has both polished and brushed sections to compliment the watch. I will post photos in the thread once it has arrived and is on the watch.





Next we have the bezel, which is nicely crafted and consists of an evenly engraved ceramic bezel insert with clean edges on all of the numerals. The bezel clicks very smoothly, but I wish it was a tad ore firm when turning. There is also the slightest hint at some back play in the bezel, and when I say a hint, I mean just that, but again not a concern for me. These are both mild issues, but I felt they should be noted for potential buyers.

The bezel insert appears to be a well-crafted piece of ceramic fitted perfectly into the bezel with easily legible lume filled numerals. The numerals are a clean bright white when not glowing, and when glowed up the BWG9 lumed insert glows the same shade of blue as the dial with no discernible differences whatsoever in the colour which to me is always nice.



The Proxima case back is nothing to write home about as it is plain with zero markings, writing, designs whatsoever on it. I feel some image, design, some writing, anything would add some life to an otherwise boring case back.



The watchcase is a monoblock, therefor there is no removable case back which is of no concern to me. I only have positives regarding the case shape as it looks to me to be exactly like the MM300, which is what I wanted and it delivered. The polishing is fantastic and gleams beautifully, not a zaratsu polish by any means, but mighty sharp looking regardless. A wonderful addition adding to the ease of removing the bracelet and changing to a strap are the drilled lugs. There are many higher end watch brands out there which do not do this, and it is always an added bonus, especially for those who like to change their straps often.





The cut outs for the end links are very well done, cut out evenly with no rough edges or burrs left behind.



The crown works and functions just as it should. It screws and unscrews very smoothly with no worries of cross threading. When winding the watch manually, the crown winds the NH35 movement with ease and is extremely smooth, with no grittiness felt at all. If I had to be picky, I would suggest that all Proxima watches come with an engraved crown as mine did not. I did come across photos online of the Proxima/HIMQ models with an engraved logo on the crown, but I am not sure whether this is by chance, or only a small batch that had this done. The crowns location matches that of the MM300, which is at the 4 o'clock position - would not be a good homage it they changed the location. This is a nice as there is far less contact with the wearers wrist as some can find a 3 o'clock crown bothersome.



Lastly I will mention the movement. This model comes with Seiko's non branded Seiko movement, the NH35. This is not a high end movement by any means, but it is a solid workhorse. WRwatches included a photo of the watch on a timegrapher to show the accuracy and it was running at +1spd. Since it's arrival on August 2, and today is August 6, it is running at +2 seconds. For a movement with such a wide range of + and -, I am beyond impressed.

For anyone wanting to fill the Seiko MM300 niche, but does not want to spend multiple thousands, this just may take away that itch, or it may leave you saving up every penny until you can get the real deal.

On a closing note, I am more than happy with my purchase and plan on wearing this one a great deal once the rubber tropic arrives.

Final photo

 
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#496 ·
I finally got my two MM300 homages last night. The Proxima Titanium gilt version came from Shenzen (in less than a week to Florida) and the Uroborus came from a WUS member in CONUS. Since I live in Nicaragua and shipping down here is a nightmare (customs mafia) both were sent to Hawaii to a friend who took a 22 hour trip down here and brought them with him.
So this morning - very early - I took some comparison shots ( please excuse any smudges, I was maybe a bit too excited :)



I installed a gen Seiko MM300 strap on the Proxima (I do have the titanium bracelet, it's a shade darker than the steel one)





Side view ( as you can see the case and bezel shapes are slightly different and then Uroborus crystal sits a lot lower, but has no or clear AR which I prefer). The case finish on the Uroborus feels crisper, maybe the titanium is hard to polish:





On the wrist:





Lume shot (not the best - sorry):



Final conclusion:
I feel they are both great watches in their own right and wear surprisingly small and comfortable for their size (my 44mm Panerai Submersible looks like a dinner plate in comparison), but due to the titanium the Proxima is much more comfortable to wear. On the rubber strap you almost don't feel it. Personally I also prefer the gilt dial with less writing on it. I do prefer the bezel insert of the Uroborus though and I think - after carefully measuring - I will try do swap the bezel inserts (and create my personal SBDX003 homage :)
If you are thinking about one of these, don't hesitate. They both are a great bang for the buck, are solidly built and I think anybody with a +6.5" wrist can wear them (mine is 7")
 
#500 ·
Beautiful Watch...Looks like a Very High End Machining of Case etc..

Do agree..As Many Bracelets are where likely Cuts are made..But still usable and looks good..Bracelets are Easy replacements..So many alternatives from Straps to Mesh that would make for interesting additions

Thanks
for Review..
 
#504 ·
I noticed the Heimdallr bronze doesn't have a stainless steel back plate like most other bronze watches. Does the watch give you any discolouration on the wrist?
 
#507 ·
The question on the stem removal came up earlier .. same here .. looking into regulating my MM300 homage which has a NH35A, stem is solid, unlike the smart split stem solution Proxima is using. I think I saw some #hook# style tool when looking into this earlier to acess the stem removal button from the front, not sure anymore I dreamt about it tho. Anyone has some idea on how to adress this issue.

Thanks
Klaus
 
#510 ·
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#515 ·
You can do it but it is a lot of work. A lathe is necessary. I did this with my SBDX001 because the bezel was heavily scratched. Posted this on german Uhr-Forum.

Here you go:

SEIKO MM300 Umbau auf Keramik. Werkstattbericht

Gesendet von iPhone mit Tapatalk Pro
Oh my goodness. Amazing work you did. I am not worthy. Yes, that's exactly the result I need. So sad, I don't have your machine, nor the metal work skill. Going to buy the whole replacement bezel from a homage manufacture. Now waiting them to send me the spec.
Wondering if you had the inner and outer ring diameter of the SBDX001 bezel. If you do, please send them to me. This will be a great help.
Also, was removing the SBDX001 bezel more or less the same as removing bezel from other watches (Turtle, SKX007, Samurai)?
Thanks.
 
#518 ·
This thread made me want to buy a Proxima mm300. I was able to find their store, phone number and facebook. Need to send few questions to them by email. Couldn't find their email anywhere. Anybody had their email ? How did your contact them when there's any problem with your order ?
 
#522 ·
I bought mine from Aliexpress from the store 'proxima Official Store.' I think that the store is run by WRwatches or there is some connection. I also think there is a connection with proximawatches.com. FYI proximawatches.com has recently updated their website and it is still incomplete. I was very happy with the communication I received from the store. They sent me QC photos before shipping and also a copy of the timegrapher reading.

You may have difficulty contacting most Chinese sellers ATM due to Chinese NY holidays. I'm sure when they return to work there'll be a nice pile of emails to read and watches to ship, so you'll have to be patient.

The WRwatches CNY promo ends today or very soon, depending on your time zone. 2021 CNY Promotion

I bought mine from aliexpress during one of their sales, so I got a good discount overall by getting a store discount and collecting Aliexpress coupons.

If you have any questions about colours, which are almost impossible to tell on the ad photos, you should definitely ask. The BGW9 and supaweb's awesome photos are excellent and seem to be a cool white. But if you go for the C3 fully lumed bezel it certainly gives off a greenish tinge, not white, that is hard to capture in photos. This is really obvious during the day because the lumed dial and insert are deadset like the sun. Very bright. I actually didn't wear mine for a month because I didn't know if I liked it. But now I love it and the C3 works great with the C3 gilt dial. Personally, I'm not sure how the C3 gilt dial, being so bright and greenish would go with the gilt bezel insert.

Another thing I will say is that whatever quality watch you think you getting - you are not. The watches are even better! Mine is absolutely flawless. It's solid, well finished and the parts are quality. Definitely no cut corners. I am never one to look for attention with my watches, but the Proxima has received a lot of compliments.

I found it heavy on the bracelet, so I bought an FKM waffle strap which looks the biz. I did have to use thin spring bars with the 1.1mm tips (same as fat bars) from ebay or watchgecko.

15723755

15723757

15723759
 
#536 ·
Welp, just dropped money on a titanium hoping I can do a dial swap! Seems like chapter ring and dial indices position (inboard or outboard from center) will be a big sticking point though, fingers crossed! The lume pip appears to need some love too, color looks off/lume seems low? I picked the non dolphin rear insert for the case too. I can hardly believe this polished finish is Ti... have a look!
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#537 ·
So can someone explain to me what buying a San Martin/Promixa etc homage case and sourcing a Seiko branded or Seiko OEM dial does exactly besides creating a counterfeit? Is there some legit modder reason to do this?

Sent from my BBB100-1 using Tapatalk
 
#538 · (Edited)
It's not about spoofing a Seiko, for me anyway. I'm customizing a sub dial for an SM with my own logo as I write this. What homage cases do is get you almost the very same footprint and aesthetic but with even more options to personalize it to your liking. It also allows people with hard to fit wrists the chance to see if all their grail watches will ever wear nicely on hand without having to bring wheelbarrows of cash. I would personally prefer more variety of logos in AM dials rather than counterfeiting established brands. So I'm supporting SM.

Edit: I guess if top quality lume/indices are your priority then genuine is hard to beat, but it does seem like creating a problem to find a solution doesn't it.
 
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