Review of the Seiko Prospex Diver 6R15 Automatic SBDC005 --- The Orange Sumo

So my impetus for starting this blog was that when I initially got into watches there wasn't enough available stuff out there on the watches I was interested in---photos, reviews and whatever.  Or maybe I was just too stupid and lazy to find what I was looking for.  So here is my blog on the watches that interest me and hopefully they interest you too.  I must admit though that my motives aren't entirely altruistic, and I am a little reticent to admit this, but I also need some writing to put on my resume.  I'm sorry.

Okay, so here is my inaugural post on the Seiko Prospex Diver 6R15 Automatic SBDC005 or Orange Sumo, as some watch enthusiasts call it and that is what I will call it hereafter because Seiko Prospex Diver 6R15 Automatic SBDC005 is too long.

I decided on purchasing the Orange Sumo because I always wanted an orange faced DOXA but I couldn't afford a DOXA (at this time I was still fixated on Swiss watches).  So after scanning the forums and discovering the Orange Sumo I was sold, not only on the watch but on the value and quality of Japanese watches in general.  

I purchased from Katsu-san at Higuchi-inc and in a week I had my watch.  What a pleasure it was to open up that parcel and open up that yellow and black SEIKO Prospex box to discover this. 

The novelty of the Prospex box wears off quickly though.  It's just a cheap cardboard box and is not befitting of such a fine piece of machinery.  From my understanding even the $2000+ Prospex Marinemaster comes in that same cheap box, albeit a slightly larger one (edit: I saw later in DougFNJ's YouTube vid that the box is wood).  Maybe some people think that the cheap box is a good idea so as to keep the cost of the watch low.  But I would like to store and display my watch in something other than a hobo's jewelry box.

So let's get down to brass tacks yes?  The Orange Sumo is a 200m diver's watch with a plethora of salient features including a solid stainless steel screw back case design which is visible here in the photo below.  Also visible in the same photo is the nicely textured rubber strap and a Sega Dreamcast.  The watch also has a Hardlex crystal, which is SEIKO's proprietary crystal material---supposedly it is not quite as scratch resistant as Sapphire but more shatter resistant.  Quid pro quo.  

Also unique to SEIKO watches is the lume used which is called Lumibrite. Lumibrite appears to be as bright and as long lasting as Superluminova (a staple of Swiss watches) and for all I know they could be the exact same compound but with different names

---honestly I don't know.   

The diver's bezel is unidirectional so that people don't kill themselves while diving---a very serious issue which I don't mean to understate.  If you are diving with a dive watch that features a bidirectional bezel then please send me your prayer requests and I will pray for your safety.  

All these things are well and good but what I think interests prospective buyers most about this watch is that it is made in Japan---some people care about this, the movement is a 6R15 which means that the second hand stops when you pull the crown out and that you can manually wind the watch using the nicely signed crown.  

Speaking of nice signing, one should note that the tsunami logo is deeply embossed on the case back as well as the rubber strap.  In contrast, one thing that irks me about the SEIKO Monster is that the tsunami logo on the case back appears to be laser etched and not nearly as sharp looking.  

Finally, let me make some totally unqualified statements about the watch.  It is very large and has a dominating wrist presence especially if one chooses to purchase the orange faced version of this watch instead of the black or blue versions.  I would give you some weight, watch face and wrist size measurements so you can get a good perspective on the watch size but I am an English major and I don't do numbers.  Sorry.  The fit and finish is superb and indicative 
of the higher quality of the watches in the SEIKO Prospex line versus a SEIKO 5 or maybe a Monster.  I don't mean to sully the Monster in any way but the Prospex watches are just that much nicer.  

In conclusion let me wrap things up with a couple obligatory wrist shots (I am very skinny, if that helps you).  And let me also say that if you noticed any of my factual statements to be erroneous then please comment with a scathing, vitriolic diatribe about how stupid I am and how I should double check my facts.  I am a big boy and I can handle the pain.  Take care and I hope this write up helped you in some way.