Aftermath of the Seiko Prospex Kinetic Tuna Diver SUN019

After reading an article Gary sent me, I realized the Seiko SUN019 is already being called the "Kinetic Tuna." Here are some thoughts in the aftermath of acquiring this Kinetic Tuna yesterday.

One. It feels like a real Holy Grail. I want to give it a lot of wrist time, which means I also want to sell a lot of watches.

Two. I want to use this Kinetic Tuna as a punctuation point like I did with the SBBN017 Tuna to go on hiatus. Granted, I pre-ordered a Benarus Megalodon. This pre-order reinforces my desire to do a "sell-off" and trim the collection.

 

Three. The watch obsession feels like it got the best of the me the last two months. Eight weeks ago or so, I wrote a short story, one of my best in my non-objective appraisal. While crafting the story, my watch obsession waned, but when I was finished with the story, the watch madness came back with even more power. I think I had better write an epic novel requiring a decade to write.

Four. I may post fewer watches here. I feel like I'm beating the consumer drum of desire and I become my own victim.

Time to enjoy my Kinetic Tuna and sell several others. And look at an idea for a novel.

Related articles

Manly Watch Grail: Seiko SBBN013 Darth Tuna

My Seiko Tuna SBBN017 Is in Limbo

Dividing the Collection into Two Tiers: State of the Collection, August 2014

Manly Watch Wish List (A Year from Now): Seiko SBBN023 Golgo Marinemaster

First Look: Seiko SBBN017 Tuna

Comments

[Ulysses]

Are you sure you're not enamored with this watch just because it's new? I admit that I like it too but it's one of those designs where, once the honeymoon period is over, would start to get on my nerves with some of the features I find less than ideal. Of course, that's down to individual tastes. When I first saw these new releases I was a real fan, but on successive viewings found that the open structure of the watch bothered me, with that shroud grub-screwed (set-screws for those in the US) to the actual body of the watch. There are other things that I think would grow to annoy me, but that's just one of them.

It's a curious thing, watch-monogamy. You get so used to a familiar face that you bond with it, and for a while something new doesn't feel "right". You compare it with your trusted partner of so many years and inevitably find some things missing that you loved about your old watch. I find it difficult to wear my few other watches for very long before switching back. For example, I think a lot of the watches we lust after have some particularly eye-catching trait that hooks us, and makes us desire it because it's novel. These features are often a bit avante-garde, but that also makes them risky choices. The "shock of the new" (thanks Robert Hughes) can become fatiguing after a while. This may be why I am often drawn to watches that are quite minimalist in their design. I like chronographs that are clear and easy to read and am not too crazy about bulkier designs. The watch maker Georg Jensen produces a lot of watches that I think I could live with, because they are relatively pure and devoid of the kind of ornamentation I might grow to despise. Some might say they are sparse, but that that also makes them inoffensive. The one thing I really don't enjoy is buyer's remorse, and I think the more you pare down a design to its elements (at least the ones that matter to you most), the less likely you are to suffer from that.

[herculodge]

Ulysses, a new watch always enjoys a honeymoon. That's a good point. But I've always loved the styling, an amalgam of Tuna shroud, Sawtooth bezel, and turtle shell case of the 3K SBDB009. The Seiko Kinetic Tuna really sings on my wrist.

[jonnybardo]

Ulysses, my experience of late with my black Seamaster is very much along the lines of what you're talking about. I mix in my blue Seamaster for a more striking variation, but whenever I wear another watch I start missing one of the two Omegas, particularly the black one.

But I think what you are talking about is the difference between a "classic" and "high concept" design. The SUN019 is definitely "high concept," but that doesn't mean Jeff can't form a lasting affinity for it. I feel that way about my Orient Revolver.

Out of curiosity, what is the watch you keep coming back to?

[herculodge]

Not all high concepts are alike. Some are better executed than others. Also I forgot to add the SUN019 has deep dish 3D dial and Lumibrite pro level lume. For me it's a winner on all counts. Let's just see how charged it stays with wear at 2 two 3 days a week.

[jonnybardo]

"Not all high concepts are alike." I agree. For me that's the difference between my Orient Revolver and various Invicta designs.

I just noticed that has a GMT function?

[Ulysses]

Jonny, it's a cheap (relatively speaking) Seiko chrono with a simple blue dial, bought on sale when I was still a teenager. Had it for fifteen years now, which doesn't sound like long but it feels like it. I've been through a lot with that thing, so maybe I see it more like a wingman than a watch now. Maybe i'm sentimental, but it is the one constant in my life; as I age, it remains resolutely the same. It keeps on ticking relentlessly. I think I actually admire it. Hell, once it was damaged by an idiot watchmaker during a battery changed and I paid through the nose to get it fixed, probably twice what it was worth new. Of course i'm always looking at other watches and have several arguably nicer ones, but the part of me that is a creature of habit keeps coming back to this one.

I'm not saying he can't fall for that particular design. As I said, everyone has different preferences. I'm just pointing out that we tend to like the exotic, but that the feeling doesn't always last. It seems to combine all the features he likes though so maybe this one will be a keeper. I'd just say that I would keep a hold of those other watches for a while yet, just in case those feelings change.

[jonnybardo]

That sounds like a true keeper, Ulysses. I just talked to a friend who has an 80-year old Breitling that his grandfather gave him. Watches with personal history and/or family legacy are in another category. I actually still have an old Pulsar that was the last watch I owned before I got into collecting, which I keep for nostalgia's sake.

I agree, as a member of Jeff's Advisory I think he should hold off on selling some of those - certainly the OSD, which has a similar but more classic look, and probably the Benarus and Citizen Grant Touring. Maybe we should hear from others of the Advisory - Gary? Angelo?

[Gary]

I agree, Jonny. After buying a new grail, I think it would make sense to wait a month or two before making any impulsive decisions regarding selling other watches in the stable that the new grail is intended to replace.

[herculodge]

Good point about no compulsive sales. Even with the Benarus coming in 2015, if I didn't sell any watches on eBay, I'd have 16 watches, which isn't unmanageable. I'm going to chill. However, I'm going to give myself a challenge to buy no more watches for the next 6 months. It's on record here, so you can call me on it.

[jonnybardo]

We'll be watching, Jeff, although will love you still if you "fall." Brothers in madness.

I think the point I was trying to make, though, is you don't know how the stable is going to configure itself until after a month or two, so I think that's a good instinct. You might find your new Seiko makes the older Benarus and/or CGT and/or OSD superfluous. Or you might find that you like the Tuna-OSD combo better. The bottom line: give it a month at least and see how things shake out. Probably another month just to be sure.

[Angelo]

As I read Ulysses' post, I was reminded of something I once heard Howard Stern say (Ulysses and Howard Stern on the same page here!). He said that sometimes when you date a new woman and fall for the "exotic" like a great accent to her voice----the very thing that hooked you when the relationship was new, becomes the thing that drives you the most crazy when the relationship begins to go bad.