The Definition of "Special" Can Change
Seiko Samurai JARE49 Antarctic Expeditions
Credits: Photo Courtesy of Belmont Watches
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A watch popped up on my radar recently that caused some reflection and ultimately led to realizing my growth in the hobby. The culprit? The Limited Edition JARE Antarctic Special Edition Seiko Samurai Reference number SBDA00E was released in 2009. Early in my watch enthusiast, I became a Samurai fanboy. I love the case shape, the dials, the Save the Ocean variants, and the knurled crown. At one point, I had upwards of six Samurais. I quickly realized I did not need that many and either gave away or sold most of them, leaving me with my SRPB09, The Blue Lagoon. Seeing the JARE model almost made me pull the trigger, that is, until I asked myself if this model, while limited, was that special to me.
L-R: SPRD23K1 "Great White," SRPC93 "Blue Whale," SPRB53 Mod w/ Stainless Bezel, and SRPB09 "Blue Lagoon"
Credits: Photo Courtesy of WatchRolling.com
Owning the Blue Lagoon has been a memorable experience. It is flat-out beautiful. The dial plays with the light like shallow water in the Caribbean does. Differing lighting conditions produce a wide array of blues, yellows, grays, and silvers. It is stunning. It is also a limited edition, 6000 pieces to be exact. The JARE model is gray with various shades of gray throughout, and for those of you that know me, that look is my weakness. The JARE is also limited to 250 pieces. The limited availability of both models, coupled with Seiko’s ability to create beautiful dials, makes both pieces unique. Back in the day, the aesthetics of the JARE Samurai would have been enough for me to pick it up, which would have caused me some issues in the long run. Now I have enough experience with watches to know that there are serious differences between the JARE and the Blue Lagoon.
Seiko SRPB09 Blue Lagoon
Credits: Photo Courtesy of WatchRolling.com
The most apparent difference between the two models is tactile vice visible, and that is the metals. The JARE is titanium, and my Blue Lagoon is stainless steel. I own a titanium Seiko Shogun and Helm Vanuatu, and both wear experiences are great. The only issue I have ever had with a stainless steel timepiece is whether the case is balanced. The lighter weight of titanium compared to the stainless steel timepieces I own took some getting used to but became a non-issue over time. On some days, I look forward to the lighter weight of titanium, but more is needed to ditch stainless steel wholesale.
One not-so-obvious difference is the movements. The heart of the JARE is the Seiko 7S25, while the 6R15 powers the Blue Lagoon. The 7S25 is a 21-jewel movement, and the 6R15 is 23 jewels. Both movements are listed at 21,600 BPH with around 41 hours of power reserve. Pretty standard stuff with one glaring difference: the 7S25 does not hack or hand wind (even though it does have some cool internal features.) After owning a Seiko SNM035 Land Monster, which did not hand wind but also came with cool interior features, I learned I like hand-winding watches. Being unable to hand wind a watch within a collection is a deal breaker for me, regardless of the extras.
Seiko SNM035 “Land Monster”
Credits: Photo Courtesy of WatchRolling.com
My advice to the newer watch enthusiast is simple: experience as many timepieces as possible and use that data to define what "special" means to you. It is an almost subjective term, and nobody else will wear the watch but you. Also, remember that this is a deductive process, and the sum of the parts might not always be the same. As cool as Samurais and titanium are, I know enough now that I could not get past the non-hand winding feature. Understanding this about myself saved me money and a less-than-great experience with a fantastic timepiece and was only made possible by familiarity. Taking time will help you define what "special" means to you.
Seiko SRPB09 Lume Just Because You Read the Whole Article
Credits: Video Courtesy of WatchRolling.com
