# Seiko SBDC053 a.k.a. SBP053



## trinux (Mar 3, 2007)

Hi,

as I read tons of reviews on WUS I thought I give it a try and give something back to the community. This is my very first review, so please keep that in mind. I choose this particular watch despite of many others, because I always felt a little distance from Seiko. I bought an MM300, and after 3 months I sold it, because compared to my other watches it just didn't feel right for it's price class. A stamped clasp, a hardlex crystal, and so on... This particular watch felt right from the beginning. The right size, saphire crystal, and an unbeatable price. But let's dig into the details!

Case: Stainless Steel with Hard Coating
Diameter: 42.6mm
Thickness: 13.8mm
Water Resistance: 200 meters
Magnetic Resistance: 4,800 A/m
Caliber: 6R15
Driving System: Self-Winding with Hand Wind Capability
Accuracy: -10/+15 seconds per day (when static)
Vibrations: 21,600 bph (6 beats per second)
Power Reserve: 50 Hours
Jewels: 23
Lug with: 20mm
Other: Silicone Strap
Price: $800 USD

*The dial:*

First of all, look at that lovely blue sunburst dial. What a beauty! I love the dial, and in real life it even looks better. No numerals, no nonsense. The date window is white, which in my opinion could be blue or black, but I like the overall design, it's simple, it's readable and reminds me a bit of the Omega Seamaster design. The hands are also amazing, especially the hour hand. They are might not polished as the GS Seikos, but I really like the toolish finish. The lume is applied evenly (not like on the MM300), and on the lume shot you can see the lumibrite just works amazing. I mean my PO doesn't glow like that. Overall I can't really find a downside on the dial, probably my only complaint would be the date window.
*
The case:

*The case is also just right. It's not too big, it's not too small, the built quality is just as good or even better than the MM300. The watch wears rather small, especially at ~13mm it's really flat (compared to my other divers)! Polished and brushed with diashield coating. I had the SBDX001 which didn't have the coating and it was a scratch magnet. I don't have experience with diashield, all I know that you can't polish it, which I wouldn't do anyway. I just like to keep it as it is. The 316L steel is well known. Interestingly *the lug with is 20mm* despite what you can read online. Before I bought the watch this was almost a deal killer, as I like to change the straps (mostly NATO), and 19mm is a rare bird. I would even like 22mm better as with Omega PO or Sinn U2, 20mm almost feels to small for the size. WR 200m should be enough for most people. The back has the tsunami logo of Seiko, and to be honest it looks much, much better that the back of the SBDX001 or even the 62MAS SLA017, which costs about four times more. I mean a 3k watch with a laser engraved back? Seriously?

*The crown:*

A very important part, as you operate it the most often. I'm very picky on this one. The threads engage nicely, and it hast just a little more play than I would like. It is not worse than the MM300, but it's also not as nice as higher end swiss watches. It's not signed, but that's ok for me as I don't like the prospex logo that much (at least on the crown), which was also a reason to choose the SBDX001 instead of the SBDX017. Although the 3 o'clock position works, the crown position would be perfect at 4 o'clock.

*The bezel*:

Look at the bezel closely. It has a blueish finish, and it looks really scratch resistant. As the crystal and the bezel gets the most beating I always pay special attention to this parts on the watch. The bezel turns nicely with 120 clicks, just as good or even better than the MM300. It has the same precise feeling, and has only a barely noticeable play. It's of course uni directional, and has a very high quality feel. The pip is perfectly aligned (not like the turtles) and glows amazingly in the dark. The grip could be a bit better, but what is more important, once you set it it wont turn accidentally.

*The crystal:*

Finally! Finally! The biggest downer in the MM300, and many many Seiko dive watches. I hate scratches on my watches, especially on the crystal. Despite the ******** Seiko is trying to sell I never understood why they put in a 2000$ MM300 a cheap ...... hardlex. Seiko finally heard the voices of millions of customers and put a decent sapphire crystal into an affordable dive watch. It doesn't have a AR coating, at least on the outside, which is a plus in my opinion. Why put a scratch prone surface on a scratch resistant crystal? The first thing I do on my watches is to remove it. There is always an aftermarket option, but now you don't have to bother. Just enjoy!
*
The movement:*

Well, what can I say. As this is my only non swiss watch I'm just getting used to it. It hacks, it winds, and it's regulated from factory better than the highly praised 8L35. It can be services by anyone, and it has a proven track record. I read a lot of comparisons with the ETA 2824-2, and they seem to be more or less equal. It's a manufacture calibre, which is a big plus in my opinion. On the timegrapher however it doesn't have the nice straight line I was expecting. Perhaps it's new, it needs to worn in, I don't know. It keeps great time, but the daily rate changes from +1 to +4 seconds. It's still COSC, what more could you want?

*The Strap:*

I always buy my watches with a bracelet, because a rubber/leather/NATO can always be purchased afterwards cheaper. As I wrote already I like to play with different mounting options, because they give the watch many other faces. For a diver I like NATO the best, as if one spring bar fails, the watch still stays. Also NATO is the most comfortable in any situation. To be honest I don't like Seiko bracelets at all. They feel cheap, and don't wear well. The rubber which came with this watch feels nice, but in the summer I just can't get used to it. I will definitely wear this watch on NATO, but that's me. For my PO for example both the bracelet and other options feel right.

*Final thoughts:*

I was looking for such a Seiko diver since a very long time. It has a nice blue dial, a very nice bezel a sapphire crystal a manufacture calibre (!) and it's well below 1000$. For this price it don't know any other watch which could match up. It's got character, and it's a divers tool. What more could someone possibly want? After all the talks have also a good look on the pics.

Thanks for reading and please give me some feedback if you liked the review.


----------



## pruppert (Feb 25, 2011)

Nice review. Just so happens that I bought one yesterday. Should be arriving within ten days. I've got 12 swiss watches--Omega is my preference--and couldn't relate to Seiko. Saw this in the Basil coverage, and thought, "that's the one." Nice review. Similar views to mine...awaiting delivery!
Thanks.


----------



## Degr8n8 (Nov 28, 2012)

Great honest review. Now I'm really tempted.Thank you.


----------



## maysatanong (Oct 10, 2016)

thank you for review, love this model , very nice

Sent from my Redmi Note 3 using Tapatalk


----------



## Spring-Diver (Jan 26, 2009)

Nice review:-!

I'll be ordering one in a few months- or sooner:-d

Cheers
Shannon


----------



## nicksi (Dec 27, 2014)

Great review. Great Photos, really shows off that sunburst!!!!


----------



## Ipromise (Jan 14, 2013)

Thanks for the great review. I've been obsessing over these lately...


----------



## ThaWatcher (Feb 20, 2016)

Good review and nice pictures. Really shows the watch in all it's beauty! Wanted a Shogun for quite some time, but this is a real competitor.


----------



## olli_tr (Dec 31, 2016)

Nice review. Hoping to get one soon as well. Thanks.


----------



## jimbizzle (Jun 7, 2011)

Great write up on a great watch


----------



## colter (Aug 11, 2017)

How'd the thickness of the watch end up feeling to you? The stats make it sound tall, but all the photos I've seen make it look fairly sleek.

How's it feel?


----------



## Triton9 (Sep 30, 2011)

I don't like the arrow hand. Everything is perfect except the arrow hour hand.


----------



## trinux (Mar 3, 2007)

colter said:


> How'd the thickness of the watch end up feeling to you? The stats make it sound tall, but all the photos I've seen make it look fairly sleek.
> 
> How's it feel?


It's one of the sleekest watches I have, it wears 
rather small.

Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk


----------



## trinux (Mar 3, 2007)

Triton9 said:


> I don't like the arrow hand. Everything is perfect except the arrow hour hand.


Well this is a matter of taste. I really like it, kind of reminds me of the seamaster 300 design or planet ocean. I read that some people mod this watch, which I generally dislike.

Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk


----------



## AndrewFromTexas (May 16, 2015)

Excellent review and pictures, thank you.

I have a question for you or anyone else who knows: what's the bezel made out of?

It looks like it _might_ be ceramic from the pictures I've seen but I can't be sure. At that price point I could see Seiko going either way.


----------



## trinux (Mar 3, 2007)

AndrewFromTexas said:


> Excellent review and pictures, thank you.
> 
> I have a question for you or anyone else who knows: what's the bezel made out of?
> 
> It looks like it _might_ be ceramic from the pictures I've seen but I can't be sure. At that price point I could see Seiko going either way.


Hi, I don't know either, but it's very scratch resistant for sure. My Omega PO has ceramic and I managed to scratch it within the first month...

Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk


----------



## Expo (Aug 14, 2017)

Seiko is such a reliable brand, god love them!


----------



## wctah (Nov 9, 2016)

Pictures are very lovely, thanks for sharing.


----------



## PKC (Jun 1, 2013)

Thanks for the review and the pictures. I have the SBDC051 but I will add the blue brother very very soon. I think they should come in a pair because once you have one, you need the other one as well.


----------



## seikholic094 (Aug 13, 2017)

Great review and what a nice watch!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## binhpham1985 (Aug 27, 2017)

Nice watch 

Gửi từ SM-G950F của tôi bằng cách sử dụng Tapatalk


----------



## rollyme (Jun 15, 2016)

I love this watch, one of my favorite watch.


----------



## JDM8 (Jul 10, 2016)

Wow, that has got to be one of the best Seiko divers I've seen. Wish they had a mid size version!!


----------



## Mr.TD (Apr 3, 2017)

Thank you for the great review and photos.


----------



## gullwinggt (Jun 27, 2016)

This is a great writeup, this is in contention for my blue diver. But does the bezel blue vary as compared to the dial? The picture shows that way and I think it may bother me or may be not since I haven't seen one in person. Is that noticeable and does it bother anyone who owns it?


----------



## donnytron (Feb 12, 2017)

Nice review and great pics. Curious, though, if you have ever handled a Samurai or Turtle? There is a pretty big price difference - other than the sapphire I'm wondering if it's worth it.


----------



## BuyIndioOates (Jan 31, 2017)

I just received my 053 and the bezel/chapter ring is not aligned! I have the same problem with my SKX but can't accept it on an a $700 watch. Does anyone know the mechanism inside the bezel. I have a watchmaker friend that says certain are easy to fix, but if it's plastic inside it's best sent back to Seiko


----------



## Cafe-Noir (Dec 12, 2012)

Hadn't really considered this one until checking out your review. Nice work.


----------



## AJ82 (Jan 1, 2018)

Maybe a stupid question, but why is this watch called both spdc053 and spd053?

A.J.


----------



## BigSeikoFan (Feb 15, 2010)

AJ82 said:


> Maybe a stupid question, but why is this watch called both spdc053 and spd053?
> 
> A.J.


It's called SPDC053 in Japan and SPB053 elsewhere. Same watch.


----------



## burns78 (Feb 10, 2015)




----------



## BurnSurvivor (Nov 28, 2017)

The size of the dial makes the watch look big. Wish it kind of like the skx007. Would’ve been perfect


----------



## Xiaohai (Feb 21, 2018)

Thanks for sharing. Finally have sapphire crystal.. will consider buy this when travel to Japan. 

Mind sharing how much to add for the bracelet ? 
Thanks!


----------



## ard1285 (Jun 24, 2015)

shouldn't have read this because now I want one.

Great job on the structure and simplicity (while being thorough) of your review


----------



## Jonnydiver (Feb 3, 2018)

I've had mine for two weeks and I like it better everyday that I wear it. No pics do it justice. The way the color changes on the dial and bezel are amazing. I have mine on the 51 bracelet and the dia shield is amazing. No desk driving marks. Incredible value for the money.


----------



## WatchEnthusiast (Aug 29, 2010)

Thanks for the detailed information. I am thinking about getting an SKX007.


----------



## farquha (Mar 3, 2018)

Very nice review! I would love a follow up to see how you feel about the watch after some time has gone past. Is there still a spark after the honeymoon? 
I've been on the fence about getting one for months now but I think you've just sealed the deal for me. 



Sent from my SM-G950W using Tapatalk


----------



## dimsoug (Apr 12, 2017)

Thanks, great review and pics


----------



## andreas_mw (May 2, 2018)

good review, thank you...


----------



## Nmishkin (Aug 12, 2018)

Great review! I'm torn between getting this or the squale 1521. Both are very similar, such a hard choice!


----------



## 773badger (Jul 24, 2018)

Beauty!!! And great review!

I am considering this or the 051. I also wear on different natos - navy, bond grey and olive, black and brown leather. I would also pickup a black waffle rubber/silicone strap, which I think would be lovely on this watch. Do you think this colorway is versatile enough as the black dial for sealing in natos? Have you found the bezel durable from scratches?

I suppose I could pickup the bracelet separately if I ever really wanted it. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## rayrayhey (Feb 19, 2020)

Awesome watch!


----------

