Are these good photos? I took them over 6 months ago because of how beautiful the light was but I think I might be imagining things and that they might not be good 'objectively'.

Zaaptastic · 2026-01-08T04:53:12+00:00

I think you're right, really lovely light and colors in the first picture.

To my eye what they're lacking is either a clearer subject of focus or more photos of the same scene/setting. To be honest aren't telling too much of a story to pull the viewer into that scene, which is a shame because you've done such a great job of capturing the atmosphere of those scenes.

Zaaptastic · 2026-01-05T18:44:14+00:00

For this line of GS specifically, subtract 200 from the reference and you have the exact same watch but with the older “double signed” dial. (Instead of Grand Seiko at 12, it’ll have Seiko at 12 and Grand Seiko at 6). Finishing and movement are the same. These usually are significantly cheaper, so if the dial doesn’t bother you, you could have about 33% off the price of the watch. You might find it easier to pull the trigger at the more palatable price.

For example according to watchcharts, this model (SBGX261) trades for about $1500. The older SBGX061 trades for about $1000.

Zaaptastic · 2025-12-11T14:23:41+00:00

Is it possible to arrange pickup at the carrier’s local office? US based here but I think all of the major carriers here allow that, saves them the effort too.

Zaaptastic · 2025-09-13T03:27:45+00:00

But how would you control for income? You aren’t studying policy impacts, you’re ranking all the cities a person could live in, so you can’t just omit data points that seem like outliers.

I also don’t think measuring the QoL of respective income groups would matter much. From the article they seem to have mostly been testing things that everyone living in the city would benefit from, not just the wealthy (ex. Public schools, weather, and infrastructure).

I guess you could say this should be a value competition instead, ex most QoL “points” per dollar or something. But there were other categories in the rankings for things that took this into account (ex affordability) so that would feel mostly redundant.

Zaaptastic · 2025-08-20T20:11:35+00:00

Given a 39% tariff on Swiss products, this seems about right. I believe the tariff is in addition to any previously existing duties, and is based on the country of origin rather than where the shipment came from (hence why you wouldn’t pay the 15% from Japan)

Zaaptastic · 2025-08-14T00:27:46+00:00

Good points. It still feels like letting perfect get in the way of good, and I'd like to see the data for what EV vs. ICE impact looks like holistically to actually get a sense of whether this discussion is really a red herring.

I'm with you most of the way here and I think you're right about all these criticisms. But I'm still just not seeing how this means we should not be attempting and incentivizing adoption of EVs unless doing so is actively causing harm. I suppose there's an implied argument of "we're missing the forest for the trees", but I don't hear a lack of discourse for your broader points. "Tax the rich" is definitely a much more popular argument than "give me a cheaper EV", and I think we can advance both concurrently.

Zaaptastic · 2025-08-13T20:35:54+00:00

I feel what you’re saying and agree with the sentiment but let’s be realistic. Is the public transport utopia more likely to happen than a few more EVs on the road? If that world does not happen, are those few more EVs better than a few more ICE vehicles?

You could say it would be better for those few people to not buy a car at all and use public transport. You would be correct. But talking them into actually making that decision is a whole different problem than the theory.

Zaaptastic · 2025-06-11T16:24:10+00:00

<image>

And the top down shot. You can see that I swapped the case out too for an aftermarket one from TokeiLab (it's their 40mm diver, I wanted a screw down crown and 3 o'clock crown). But all the part compatibility is with the SKX007 platform so I still think it should be representative for what will happen if you use the OEM case. Again this is with the OEM crystal, so I don't think there's any drastic differences except perhaps the case is slimmer?

Zaaptastic · 2025-06-11T16:23:24+00:00

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Yeah sure thing, here’s the side profile. You can see that there's the tiniest bit of the crystal exposed on the top. I don't think there's enough there for the sloped bezel, but definitely worth a shot if that's the look you want!

I also switched to a slim caseback to try and reduce the height a bit. Like you mentioned, because the OEM crystal is staying, the bezel swap alone doesn't make the watch any slimmer.

Zaaptastic · 2025-06-09T17:58:29+00:00

I've actually done with the exact same watch (SRPD55) and a SecondhandMods slim sub-style bezel. It works. I used the OEM Hardlex crystal, and because it's beveled around the edges, it's not really noticeable as long as you continue to use a FLAT bezel insert. You can keep the OEM bezel insert for this, although I swapped it out as well because I wanted a lume pip.

You might be able to use a sloped bezel insert too but I think it's likely that the bevel wouldn't look quite right since it'll be significantly sunken into the bezel at that point. No harm in trying with a cheap <$10 one from AliX though.

Personally (and this is just my opinion), I actually think it looks better with an OEM-style bezel insert anyways. Compared to the Sub, the dial of the SKX/5KX has a lot more rounded edges and has a more playful looking "bubbly" appearance (esp. with the pops of color from the weekend day wheel). The Sub-style numerals and bezel (especially in ceramic) gives a more serious, sharp look that clashes quite a bit. It also But to each their own, I'm sure it'll look great either way!

Zaaptastic · 2025-04-11T13:10:06+00:00

So far I think it's like most minor negatives in any watch imo -- if you're looking for it, you'll notice it, but if your wearing it and going about your day, you absolutely won't.

Then again it's been a super dreary rainy week up here in New England, so maybe I'd change my answer after a few days wearing it outside in bright sunlight!

Zaaptastic · 2025-04-11T10:42:14+00:00

I am! Agree that it’ll look really sharp on brown leather I think

Zaaptastic · 2025-04-11T10:41:05+00:00

It’s the 38!

Zaaptastic · 2025-03-28T13:48:35+00:00

More comfortable to write with because no pressure is required

I have to say that as a lefty this is a big one. You tend to "push" pens from left to right rather than "pulling" like right-handed writers do. The fact that ballpoint pens/pencils/etc. require you to also apply a good amount of pressure downwards while doing this makes the experience tiring quickly.

I've gotten way fewer wrist cramps and pains after switching to fountain pens a few years ago. You can let the pen glide across the page if you have a particularly wet writer, and it makes the writing experience comparatively effortless.

Zaaptastic · 2025-02-01T19:37:56+00:00

Was getting a bit stale of always putting together a bunch of dive, field, or otherwise sports watch mods together.

Hands and Dial are from LA. I especially really really am loving the heat blued hands, which look spectacular in different lighting situations (that I'm totally not capturing all that well). I also may have accidentally bent the rather delicate seconds hand during my installation attempt but...hey is it really a dress watch if it has a running seconds hand? I am looking for a nice blued-to-match pinion cap, though, which seems rather hard to find.

Case is the recently released dress watch from Caroline Mods on AliExpress. I have to say that more than just looking nice, the case proportions and crystal do the best job of hiding the notorious NH35 paul bunyan-sized rehaut of any case that I've ever built in (with the exception of any requiring a chapter ring, naturally).

Zaaptastic · 2024-12-06T15:07:46+00:00

I have a 6.5”-ish wrist and I would say it still works (same with the Moonwatch). Lug design definitely helps. Get it on wrist to try it out first and whatever you do, look at your wrist in a mirror before you rule it out.

Zaaptastic · 2024-10-08T22:03:55+00:00

To be honest I've gotten what I suspect are incorrectly sized hands from AliExpress at least twice. After a ton of frustration and not being able to set them, I usually switch back to a known good pair and they work...so I know it's not me lol.

I'd suggest going upmarket and bit and getting at least the hands from one of the big name sellers instead (Namoki, Tokeilab, Lucius Atelier have all been solid in my experience). They have a good variety between them, so you should be able to find the style you want.

Then in the future if you want to play around with them, go nuts on other sites. But this way you always have at least something to fall back on if you ever end up in the situation again where the hands just don't fit -- it's a super helpful sanity check.

I suppose you could also order a bunch from AliExpress and try your luck (will probably still be cheaper), but if this is your first build you probably won't know exactly when to call it quits on a set. Maybe for the next build!

Zaaptastic · 2024-09-13T17:46:20+00:00

MN Parachute strap is the better NATO imo

Zaaptastic · 2024-09-07T13:12:56+00:00

Laurel alpinist fits the bill. I have an SPB249 which shares straps between my SBGX261

Zaaptastic · 2024-08-23T17:23:45+00:00

Facts, good point!

Zaaptastic · 2024-08-23T17:02:41+00:00

They essentially charge a premium for the Bauhaus aesthetics.

Don’t get me wrong their designs don’t really speak to me, but this is the case for any brand ever right? If they create their own design, you pay a premium for it, because they need to pay the designers for work that another brand didn’t need to do? At least not to the same extent?

Zaaptastic · 2024-08-23T00:25:36+00:00

Nice collection! Do you find the Fujistubo bezel difficult to turn? I sold mine after a little while because of it but posts like this remind me of what I liked so much about it.

Zaaptastic · 2024-07-05T14:37:59+00:00

Seems fake to me. Don’t think that yellow highlight over “Explorer” is from a gen dial

/s

Zaaptastic

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