Comparing the Seiko Sumo and the Seiko Kinetic Diver 019

I should first say that my fourth Sumo, yes fourth, has finally made me find religion. There is no way I'm selling this Sumo. It is a beautiful and manly watch and its price point is very good for a watch of this quality. I should add that the Sumo, the Kinetic Diver, and my Orient Saturation Diver point to my ultimate watch aesthetic. Throw my Seiko Tuna in the mix, and I feel that I have a very complete collection. 

A very important note: This fourth Sumo, unlike the others, felt gritty during the winding of the crown. When I mentioned this to Gary, he sent me a link that suggested I try waxed dental floss and I used my unwaxed floss (no waxed in the house) and it seems to have gotten rid of most of the gritty feeling. 

I find that comparing the Sumo and the Kinetic Diver makes me appreciate both all the more. They have similar cues but the Sumo is more traditional and elegant while the Kinetic Diver has more boldness, girth, and unique styling. Not surprisingly, the 44mm Sumo sits on the wrist in a way that gives me more comfort than the 48mm Kinetic Diver. 

Both have amazing lume, the best in the business. I feel fortunate to have both and their appeal makes me want less, not more, watches. 

Related articles

Dividing the Watch Collection into 3 Categories: The Diver Lume Torch Is King

Should I Get the Seiko Sumo or the Seiko Kinetic Diver SUN019?

If You Could Only Have One Watch in Your Collection: Seiko SUN019 Kinetic Tuna Diver

Ah, the Simple Life: Just Keep Your Six Favorites and Sell the Rest

Comments

[Gary]

Jeff,

I'm glad the dental floss helped. I guess the idea with the waxed floss is that it can both clean and lubricate the threads. Some people use a small brush to clean the threads.

[Gary]

Areil Adams' Tech Crunch 2014 gift guide for watch lovers.

http://techcrunch.com/2014/11/25/a-gift-guide-for-watch-lovers-the-guys-edition/

[Gary]

Oops. Typo. Ariel Adams.

[jonnybardo]

The OSD, Sumo, and SUN019 offer a nice range of black bezel/dial Japanese divers. Interesting that they all have black bezels - I remember you used to prefer silver bezels.

[Angelo]

Can you post that link (i.e. waxed dental floss)?

[Gary]

Here it is, Angelo.

http://forums.watchuseek.com/f21/sumo-crown-449646.html

BTW, I still think the Sumo is the best looking dive watch under $500. It has a beautiful, classic Japanese diver style.

[Gary]

Here's a real tool watch. The hands look like wrenches, the case and crown look like nuts, and the strap looks like tire tread.

http://www.ablogtowatch.com/greco-hexagonal-nut-watch/

[Paul]

A eulogy for RadioShack
http://www.sbnation.com/2014/11/26/7281129/radioshack-eulogy-stories

[jonnybardo]

That was a fun article, Paul. I had heard Radio Shack was bad but didn't realize how bad.

[Angelo]

I still like Radio Shack, but admit that I rarely pay full price for anything in there----always wait for those red tag deals where they sell things for up to 90% off! And unlike Invicta, it really is 90% off prices that some items actually sold for. Most of the time, it's between 50-75% off, but still, Radio Shack isn't making much on me. But one thing happened that bittered me toward them: I bought a little hand held television set you could bring to the beach or take out in your yard, etc. The problem is that it wasn't holding a charge----I could only use it if it was plugged in, which sort of defeats the purpose of a little television set you hold in your hand. Anyway, twice, they sent it back to their techs to try to fix it. Both times, it came back with the problem not fixed. The second time, it came back without it's telescopic antenna. When I asked where the antenna was---the guy at the counter said, "Didn't it come with a plug-in antenna too, with cord on it?" "Yes," I told him, I have that one at home----but that antenna is detached from the set----with cable----not something to use on the go. His response was that since the battery isn't charging anyway---they just couldn't fix it----I wouldn't be using it on the go anyway, and the corded antenna is "better." He told me there was nothing else he could/would do for me. So they fixed nothing and took a part from me. Oh, and he told me since that TV was no longer made, they couldn't even order me the stationary antenna. This is why some retailers make it---and some don't.

[jonnybardo]

Awful, Angelo. Did they not offer to refund the whole thing?