Seiko SARB031 Automatic Mechanical Update
Post by: b_andersen
Seiko SARB031 today just seconds after removing the caseback sticker
One of the pleasures of getting a new Seiko sent from overseas is peeling the protective plastic sticker off the caseback. It’s the same feeling as unwrapping a present. Now you own it, now it’s yours. After a week of wear, today was like … um … my birthday, and I got around to removing the one from mine.
I recently did a week-long timing test on my Seiko SKX007 and its 7S26 21-jewel automatic movement (read the article here). I was pleased that watch only gained +24 seconds in a 7 days of use. I’m thrilled to report my Seiko SARB031’s 6R15 23-jewel automatic mechanical movement only gained +4 seconds in its first week!
A standout feature of this watch is the domed Hardlex crystal. As others have noted, it’s designed to look like the old acrylic crystals used in the 1950s and early 1960s. Sometimes Seiko enthusiasts feel a Hardlex crystal is a compromise — not in this case.
There’s Japanese writing on the protective caseback sticker. Every wonder what it says? It reads:
Goshiyo no saiwa ko
no shiru wo kanarazu
hagashite kudasa
i.
That means:
Please make sure to peel this sticker off when you use.
Now that my watch has been ticking along for a week and the sticker is peeled off, my next goal is to see how many consecutive days I can keep it running. That basically means wearing it every day for a long time, although with the movement’s handwinding feature it shouldn’t be hard to keep the mainspring wound. Check back for future updates.
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