The Grey Nato - EP 20 - "Seiko"

Published on Tue, 25 Oct 2016 08:57:24 -0400

Synopsis

The podcast discusses the hosts' love for the Seiko watch brand and their personal experiences with various Seiko models throughout their lives. They talk about how Seiko straddles the line between an affordable, entry-level brand and a luxury watchmaker with their higher-end Grand Seiko line. They share stories about their first Seiko watches and some of their favorite models, including the Marine Master 300, the "Turtle" SRP777, and vintage pieces like the 6117-6400 world timer. They also touch on Seiko's pursuit of precision through various technologies like quartz and Spring Drive, and how the brand doesn't seem to be too concerned with outward marketing perceptions.

Links

• episode page
• episode MP3
• episode webpage snapshot
• episode MP3 - local mirror

Transcript

Speaker
Jason Heaton	Welcome to episode 20 of the Graynado, a loose discussion of travel, adventure, diving, gear, and most certainly watches. I'm Jason Heaton.
James Stacy	And I'm James Stacy. Today's topic is Seiko. That's right. We're dedicating an entire episode, or at least our main topic, to one brand. And it's a brand that Jason and I just genuinely love as watch enthusiasts. And Jason, would you say it's probably the brand you've had the most material experience with in terms of ownership of watches? Yeah, definitely. And it's because it definitely is for me. If you divide it into one brand, I've owned more Seiko.
Jason Heaton	It's kind of the brand I feel most comfortable kind of talking about, too. You know, it's it's just I think there's kind of this universal common language of Seiko as well that that just makes it appealing to almost anybody that's into watches, which is I think a reason why it kind of works well for us as kind of a sole brand to talk about today, you know?
James Stacy	It's an interesting company and product because it does sit at the heart of watch enthusiasm, but not at the heart of luxury watches.
Jason Heaton	Right, but yet it kind of straddles though, I mean you can get luxury guys that like low-end, if you call it that, Seiko. Oh, for sure. But you also get high-end Seikos, you know, so it's like, I'm not sure that there's another brand that even matches what Seiko does actually, now that I think about it.
James Stacy	No, they've found like a magic position where they're able to produce watches that would be quote-unquote of a lower value without hindering their ability to make it clear that they're very serious about watchmaking. Right. Across their entire level. Right. So, I mean, that's a brand that competes at its lowest level with Fossil and I don't know, whatever else is in department stores. I mean, Citizen's the national competition, but Citizen's an amazing brand. Yeah. That's watch focused, whereas there's a lot of these other designer brands. Sure. That are just there because you can make a watch so cheaply in Asia, put your name on it and make a bunch of money. Yeah.
Jason Heaton	Seiko's kind of that default brand that when you talk to a person that isn't into watches, but they're like, yeah, you know, I found this really cool fossil for 200 bucks. And you're like, Seiko is the brand that you reply and say, but, you know, you could have bought a Seiko or you should get a Seiko, you know? Yeah, I agree. And it's so often the first watch that it's the entry watch, you know, it's so often the watch that, that everybody starts out with. And, uh, and oddly enough, I think you're a case like that. And so am I. where these people still have like their first Seiko or one of their early Seikos and they've kept it through their entire arc of their watch collecting, um, you know, sort of experience.
James Stacy	Yeah, no, I completely agree. Now for you, where did it start? What were the first few that kind of kicked off and where do they kind of land in your love of watches? Were they actually at the start or were they after you learned a little bit? How did it work for you?
Jason Heaton	Well, It's funny because I mean, I've, I've kind of written about this before and I think we've even talked about it. We had an origin stories, um, way back in the beginning. Um, but for anybody that maybe hasn't heard this, I, you know, the very first kind of true watch that I bought was a Seiko and it was back in the late eighties when I was in high school, uh, in Milwaukee. And, you know, I used to wander around the mall with my buddies and we'd kind of just window shop cause we didn't have any money. And I remember coming across this jeweler that had watches in the window and one of them was this real chunky dive watch with the red and blue bezel and of course it was a Seiko. And I remember I walked into the store and I asked if I could see it and they gave it to me and it had the long Z22 rubber strap on it and it was just heavier than everything else I'd seen. The second hand was a sweep hand which all of this was very novel to me because the watches I'd seen before that were digital Casio's or little, you know, armatrons or whatever they had. And, um, I just had to have that watch. So I, I remember saving up, you know, all summer I painted garages and cut grass and stuff like that. And I think the watch was 80 or 90 bucks, which was a lot of money for me back then. And I got the watch and I remember wearing it and I wore it in high school and nobody else was really wearing a watch and much less like a big steel dive watch. And I just felt so cool. It was like, it almost transformed my life. It really kind of kicked off or set this little kernel in my brain That, you know, after years it kind of went dormant and I was kind of out of watches and was kind of into Suntos and Timex Iron Man and things like that for a while. But, you know, that Seiko just kind of lodged in my brain. And that was kind of the, I would call it kind of the genesis of my watch nerdery, so to speak, and one that I consistently come back to. And I think that watch was a, it was the reference 7002, I think, which was kind of between the 6309 and the SKX models. Um, but it was, you know, it was one of those kind of classic shaped Seiko dive watches, but that was my, that was my origin with Seiko. Um, what was kind of your first one? You had an SKX for your first one, didn't you?
James Stacy	Uh, my first Seiko was actually, um, the SNA411. Um, it's, I would call it like their Navitimer.
Unknown	Huh. Okay.
James Stacy	So it's on a bracelet and it's quartz powered. It comes in a few different versions. And I remember, um, I remember being, My late teens and seeing it on a cruise, a gold one, a full gold one, you know, it's gold, gold plating, I'm sure. Yeah, right. There's maybe 500 bucks, black dial, very busy, you know, like a Navitimer, lots of numbers everywhere and scales and stuff. Yeah. And I remember really liking that. But of course, thinking that gold, as I still kind of do now, that gold isn't for me. And going online and finding out that sure enough, you could buy There are two other versions, one with a black dial with yellow accents and one with kind of, that I would call like a Tommy Hilfiger one, which is a blue and white with red accents. Oh yeah. Both great looking watches, super wearable, nice movement. You know, I was, before I knew anything about watches, I found myself far more drawn to chronographs for whatever reason. Yeah. And I picked up one of those and had it for quite some time, long after I bought other Seikos. That SNA went to my brother. who at some point lost it. Hmm. So someone out there has that. There's no reason it would be dead, really.
Unknown	Yeah.
James Stacy	Someone out there has that watch and they're, they're great. If you, if you'd like kind of a, a Navitimer-esque, you know, complicated looking pilots chronograph, the SNA411 is a pretty cool watch. And like I said, there's also a blue, white, red version and a gold plated version. Yeah. Later on, after I transitioned through, hmm, Some embarrassing stuff, like a couple Invictas. Cause I bought quite quickly, like a Daytona clone and a sub clone. Yeah. And then in the span of like a month or two on poor man's watch forum, realized that these were clones. Sure. So those went and I went and bought, uh, an SKX 007, an SKX 779, the black monster. Yeah. and wore those all the time. Those were essentially just, I just alternated one day in one day out.
Unknown	Yeah.
James Stacy	Now that SKX I bought in, let's see, it would have been March of 07. I still have that. It's in my drawer. I wore it yesterday. I adore that watch. It's probably time for a service. Yeah. Now nine years on and the black monster I really liked for a number of reasons, but I didn't actually like long term.
Jason Heaton	Yeah. I've never warmed up to the monster. Yeah.
James Stacy	I don't really know how to describe it, but it was, I think it was because it on the bracelet was its best way of wearing it.
Unknown	Yeah.
James Stacy	And any other option as far as the strap never seemed quite right. Whereas the SKX is just good on anything. The Jubilee's a great, you know, it's kind of cheap and floppy. It's kind of like poor man's GMT. Yeah, for sure. And I think it looks great. And it's great on a NATO, it's great on a rubber strap, it's great on a leather, whatever you like, it works on the SKX. It doesn't work as well for me on the 779, though I do wish I kept that watch.
Unknown	Oh, yeah.
James Stacy	The loom was amazing. The bezel was outstanding. I never got a chance to dive with it.
Unknown	Yeah.
James Stacy	Which has had me thinking recently that I should go back and buy one, probably the orange one just for fun, which I think is the 781. And those were the two that kind of kicked it off. And they also kind of signaled my kind of progression into what the internet had to offer as far as watch education.
Unknown	Yeah.
James Stacy	So I'd bought a couple Invictas and realized that I didn't really like the watches because they were clones of something else. And then you quickly get pointed, you know, you'll see a discussion on poor man's watch forum. I'm not even sure if poor man's watch forum is still around necessarily. It probably is in some context. You would see discussion of, oh, I bought this Invicta and then two, three lines down, you should have bought an SKX or something like that.
Unknown	Yeah.
James Stacy	And that's how you get to that. And then from there you end up on Watch You Seek and a whole forum is dedicated to Seiko divers. And I mean, that's the pit. And then before you know it, you blink and you're talking on a podcast nine years later about one of those watches. And then that's basically how it's worked out. But.
Jason Heaton	Well, I remember when I first got into heavy back into watches back in, what, 06, 07. And I kind of launched directly into the deep end of the pool by getting an Omega Planet Ocean, which, you know, we've talked about that story before, but I, after, you know, flipping a few watches, I ended up with another, you know, an SKX 009 or 007. And just, you know, I bought it for a couple hundred bucks on the used, you know, sales forum. And I remember writing this post, on the DiveWatch forum on WatchUSeek. And I don't know if it's still there, because I know they had to kind of restart the forum after they had some hacking issues. But if it's still there, it would have been from a long time ago. But my premise of this post was I was comparing a head-to-head the Planet Ocean with an SKX007. And I was saying for whatever the Planet Ocean was at that time, $4,000 or something, and the SKX for $200. There's no difference. You know, I was This was early days. I was naive, but I think the point I was trying to make was it was, it was kind of this like rediscovery of Seiko after all of these years of being away from it. And after kind of jumping in and flipping a bunch of really expensive watches, I came back to this watch and thought, okay, it doesn't keep time very well, but you're getting an in-house movement, good build quality, you know, great water resistance. It looks good. It looks classic. And I thought, why would anyone spend, you know, X amount for this luxury watch when you can get this great, incredible value with this watch. And I remember just getting hammered by, you know, responses and other members of the forum that were just like, you know, you're, you're in over your head. You don't know what you're talking about. And there's all these other elements that, that, you know, you aren't taking into consideration and, but you know, it's, it, it just kind of represented another kind of hash mark in that mile, that series of milestones of my, you know, on and off relationship with Seiko for, I don't know what coming up on you know, 30 plus 40 years, somewhere like that.
James Stacy	So for sure, it's a, I think it's a brand that, that can actually capture you at a certain price point and then just stick with you through what you're willing to spend at the time.
Unknown	Yeah.
James Stacy	For so many years, whether that means having, you know, I know people who wouldn't necessarily spend two, three, four, $5,000 on a GS, but you better believe they've got two, three, $4,000 of Seiko's. Yeah, right. They just have a bunch. Yeah. I love that. I love that. You know, I really, it's interesting that a brand that, you know, exists in display cases at, I don't know, Macy's or Sears or whatever, whatever you've got locally, it can also be an enthusiast brand and one that has a legitimate history in the ranks of dive watches and sport watches and watches and movies and all the things that you might attribute to a Rolex or an Omega. as far as like pop culture.
Unknown	Yeah.
James Stacy	Seiko sits with them.
Unknown	Right.
James Stacy	And yet you can still go get an SKX or the 777, which we've talked probably way too much about on the great NATO, but you can still get them for an amount of money that's less than going to buy some Armani quartz watch or, you know, something, it's not so much that there's anything wrong with an Armani quartz watch, except that it's, it's expendable. Yeah, right. Whereas the Seikos aren't. They're designed and made with the intent that somebody would buy them and then just wear them, you know, like indefinitely.
Unknown	Yeah.
James Stacy	They'll require a service at some point, but you're not just going to toss it out because the crystal's broken or because the battery's dead.
Jason Heaton	Right. And it's, it's, it's one of these very egalitarian watches that transcends socioeconomic levels, which I think is different than say, you know, like, like for instance, you take a Rolex Submariner, which is a highly respected watch. on many different levels from, you know, Wall Street banker to, you know, grizzled old, you know, Navy seal from the Vietnam era. You know, every, everybody's has that as kind of a reference point and, and it's respected for different reasons by different people, but there's still sort of stigma attached to it. Um, whereas, you know, I've got this example of the guy who delivers my FedEx packages, uh, at home and they come with some frequency because I'm reviewing watches or whatever I'm ordering, you know, backpacks or whatever we get. And, um, I've kind of grown to know this guy and I only know him through him ringing the doorbell and handing me a package and signing for stuff. And it turns out that he was a, uh, he served in the Navy, um, back in the Vietnam era. And one time he was delivering a watch and we just got to talking about what I do and we got to chatting and lo and behold, maybe it's because I noticed he was wearing like an old Seiko dive watch. And, you know, we kind of bonded over this. I mean, you know, it's just, So every time he comes now, he's always asking what watch I'm wearing. I've ordered, you know, new rubber straps for him and helped him change them. You know, I've shown him the Seikos that I've gotten over the years. And it's just one of these things where we have nothing else in common. He's not a watch nerd, but he remembered he had this watch. It wasn't the same watch he wore when he was serving in the Navy, but there was something embedded in him from those days that said, If you want a durable watch, you get a Seiko dive watch and he still wears it. And then he talks about how he beats it up and he loves it. But the guy has no interest in watches other than that. And I just love that about it. You know, you see dive masters on boats in the Caribbean. There's a guy that when we go to Sri Lanka, you know, he's the thing is just so faded and, you know, looks scratched up and everything. Um, and he just bought it because it was probably cheap and it lasts. I love that about Seiko. You see them everywhere. And for so many different reasons.
James Stacy	Yeah, no, I fully agree. Like I said, it's an interesting brand because it does kind of transcend a lot of the fences that the watch world kind of builds up between Swiss brands and price points and things like that. So since you're 7002, what have you had that kind of stands out? You know, it's quite a few years for you. Yeah. So there must be a handful, but what would you stand out? What would you probably buy and keep or have bought and keep?
Jason Heaton	Well, um, so currently, so I've got a few currently, but you know, if I had to kind of come up with a handful of really memorable ones that I would either keep the ones I have or buy new ones. Um, one of them that really stands out was the Marine Master 300, which I think we might've talked about in a past episode as, as a candidate that I have as kind of a one watch. Um, you know, I, I don't have it anymore, which is ironic because I sing its praises all the time. But it's just one of those great looking watches that's styled after one of their watches from the late 60s. It's kind of dressy, yet tool watch like. It's got 20 millimeter lugs. It's not oversized. It takes a good number of straps. Just a really handsome, classic style Seiko dive watch. And it's kind of like one of those step up watches from you know, you get an SKX or you get like the SRP, you know, triple seven, like we've talked about many times, it's kind of that next level up. It kind of is in the thousand dollar range used. Um, it's got a nice, you know, good movement in it, sort of a detuned or, or undecorated grand Seiko movement in it. It's a watch that I would I will get again, because I just love that watch.
James Stacy	Currently, you don't find it. Do you find the the Marine Master 300 kind of top heavy on your wrist? Or is that depending on the strap? I've tried it on before. Yeah. At Basel or you know, at a red bar, and I always found it to be just kind of top heavy. It is a little top heavy. It's very high.
Jason Heaton	Yeah. So it comes on a bracelet, which a lot of people don't like. A lot of people don't like the clasp. But I actually think it's quite a good clasp. But the bracelet itself Because it's 20-millimeter lugs, it's kind of narrow, which I think gives it sort of this retro appeal, but it balances the watch nicely on the bracelet, and I think it looks really good. The rubber strap that comes with it, although it's a little stiff, it also is really quite a nice strap. I've tried it on like a kind of a vintage-style two-stitch leather strap, and that didn't work quite as well. The watch is a little bit top-heavy. It's not enough strap for the watch. It's not enough strap. I think your reference a while ago was it looks like the watch skipped leg day. And I, I, uh, I think that goes, that, that, that, uh, kind of stands to reason with that watch. So yeah, you have to be a little careful with straps. I never did try it on a NATO, so I'd be curious to see how it would wear on a NATO, but, um, great watch. I, I see it in pictures now and it's like, I just, I swoon every time. I just think it's such a beautiful watch for sure. And strangely enough, I mean, the reason I parted with that watch was it was around the time that I got my SRP 777, the so-called turtle that everybody's been gaga over this year. And. that SRP is just, to me, it was, it's, it was like my favorite watch released in 2016, hands down, just to, you know, I think you love it too. I mean, it's just such a great, great versatile watch. It doesn't do anything wrong. It looks good. It wears well on a number of wrist sizes. Um, you know, hard to believe that that's like a four or $500 watch. Um, it should be, you know, four or five times that, in my opinion, it's just such a great great piece. So I got that watch and I just wore it to death, wore it like daily for months straight. And at that point I just thought, the Marine Master's got to go. I probably won't wear this much anymore because I just love the SRP so much. So I parted with the Marine Master and now, you know, I've kind of rethinking that decision. Not that I don't like the SRP as much, but you know, the Marine Master was just a different enough watch, just a slightly more refined watch that You've got room for both in your heart? I've got, I think I've got room for both in my heart. Yeah. That's good. What about you? What's, what'd you kick off some of your favorites?
James Stacy	You know, I had a Sumo, the SBDC 005, the orange Sumo. Oh yeah. And that one, not unlike the Marine Master 300, had 20 millimeter lugs on a fairly large case. And I'd never found that watch to feel right on any strap. It's really nicely made very similar in quality to the SRP. So it's a step up from an SKX in terms of kind of finishing and dial and that sort of thing. But it just never really worked lug to lug. It's very long. It's a very tall watch that way. Yeah. I've also tried two of the new monsters. So the SRP 313, which is an actual new monster. And that's the one with the red accenting around the markers. You know, I've seen it called the vampire because the new markers are kind of tooth shape. Oh, sure. And I also tried an SNZF45, the baby monster with the white dial. It's called a baby monster because it's a Seiko 5. It's quite cost effective. Yeah. It's under $200. Wow. Canadian. So, you know. Wow. It could be really cheap. Yeah. U.S. Geez. And that was a really great watch. I just didn't take to the dial color. But I have recommended that watch in other dial colors or the white to certain people looking for a watch at a certain price point, you know, under that of an SKX. Yeah. And it's a great watch. I have a couple of buddies that have them and they're great. They, you know, nice bracelet. It's more than you expect for what you pay. Yeah. It's not as nice as something like a 777. So that's how I'd weigh that out.
Jason Heaton	I've just never warmed up to the Monster. I just, I never warmed up to the, um, the bezel. Oh, okay.
James Stacy	I mean, it's kind of a love or hate sort of just aesthetic preference, but... Yeah, for me, the Monster, you kind of have to see it in its whole, especially on the bracelet, because the bracelet tapers and there's no watch that looks like the Monster. Yeah. It's because of that bezel and the weird kind of... the grip points, the jimping on the edge of the bezel that's set, you know, there's two or three points at each kind of pinch point. Yeah. It's a very strange design, and then I really love the 779 and the 781 with the original design, basically. On wrist, it's just so charming, and it feels remarkably different from an SKX-007. If you imagine that all watches, to some extent, always seem to be gaming a sub to some degree, the Monster really takes it in a different direction. And then the lume is ludicrous. Um, and it feels even when I had one, I don't know, six, seven years ago, they feel like an older watch. Like it feels like you're appreciating and kind of an older design, not unlike the, uh, SKX. Yeah. And I also had a, um, I dove, I borrowed and dove with a SUN 023, the kinetic GMT. Oh, I like that one. And that's what the big black case. I'm going to get this wrong. I want to say it's about 47 millimeters. It's kind of shrouded, right? Yep. Yeah. So the case, the black version, the, uh, the 023 is the case being black makes it wear quite a bit smaller. And if you want to see a comparison, you can go to YouTube, go to the blog to watch channel on YouTube. And I have a video review of the SUN 023. And in that I have a shot of the watch next to my SKX. And you'll get an idea that it really just visually doesn't look that much bigger. It is quite a bit larger. It's a huge watch. That watch has awesome functionality, a great price point, and it's kinetic. So if you wanted a watch, if you're the type of guy that maybe wears dress watches more often or non-sport watches more often, but you wanted something for the weekend or maybe when you do go diving or you go out into the woods or whatever, it's got huge lume. Um, a nicely protected kind of case. It works on a variety of straps, a killer movement. You know, it's a kinetic movement. You're not going to worry about it. And it has a jumping hour GMT, like a proper, proper GMT. It's great. I think aesthetically it's blue and orange on black.
Jason Heaton	It's gorgeous. Yeah. Very sporty looking. That's the one they, they made a Patty version of as well, right?
James Stacy	Yeah. Just this year they made a Patty version of that. So I think there's four versions in total. The Patty one I saw at Basel, and it's really cool. But again, the silver case just makes it wear quite a bit larger. Yeah. If that movement, and maybe it's the movement is actually the limitation for the case size, but if they could make that in 42 millimeters, I would, that would be like a, a watch I would consider wearing daily. Yeah. It's just such a cool design. It's modern, but somehow has certain elements of their, you know, kind of legacy dive watch design. I like the movement quite a bit. I love the jumping hour hand. It would make a perfect travel watch. It's just a little bit big. And I think that at 47 millimeters, not unlike what they've done with the Astron. Yeah. There's so many things that a watch nerd would want in a travel watch or a knock around watch. Yeah. But then this giant case.
Jason Heaton	Yeah. There's one of our listeners is a friend of mine, Adam Morelli. He's a photographer in New York and he's, uh, he's kind of a, he likes his, you know, Panerais and JLCs and stuff, but, um, he swears by, he's got one of these, uh, kinetic GMTs that he wears and he's a surfer. And so he's like, That's what he takes, you know, that's his travel watch.
James Stacy	Killer surf watch for sure. Yeah, yeah. And beyond that, you know, I bought a little while ago, just actually because of a photo that Adam Moore put on Instagram a while back. I bought one of these Seiko SCVE-003s, the Spirit. Yeah. And it's kind of a strange watch, faux wire lugs, a box crystal, brushed silver dial with like either, I'm going to get the colors wrong, but I think red, yellow, orange, or blue. 12 hour, uh, 24 hour dial. I know the one. Yeah. Yeah. And I saw Adam's picture of it and I was just blown away. I had to have this watch. It took forever to figure out what it was. And I think I was right in the wave of people who also wanted it because of this picture. Yeah. And I ended up buying it from, you know, like a gray market retailer in Asia and I got it or I bought it on, uh, on, on eBay, but you know, I think it was out of Taiwan. I didn't know you had one of those. Yeah, I got it in. I wore it a lot for a little while, and then it just didn't stick. Yeah. I couldn't find a strap that worked with the wire lugs really well. Yeah. And the crystal was not hardlex.
Unknown	Oh, yeah.
James Stacy	So it got a scratch in it. Oh. It's a silver dial, so you don't see the scratch, but it was there. And I flipped the watch maybe after three or four months. Oh. I really like it, but It's just not one that I that I held on to and they've made a couple other versions since so It's called the spirit, but I think there's a handful of Seikos called the spirit So it's the SCVE and then OO something sure and they come in a few different colors The red I think is really cool. People were calling it kind of the rising Sun It bears some similarity to the Japanese flag.
Jason Heaton	Yeah, it has a surprisingly, you know, a lot of Seiko designs are borderline I don't want to say garish, but sort of bold visually. And that watch, it almost, I mean, it's not a Max Bill design, but it has that really minimalist retro look to it.
James Stacy	I always thought it was kind of like Seiko's attempt at going for Nomos. Yeah. So it had a splash of color, kind of like the Metro.
Jason Heaton	Yeah, exactly.
James Stacy	And you had these really thin hands, legibility was excellent. It didn't look like a new watch, but it also didn't look old, which is, in my opinion, a secret to the Nomos appeal. Right, right. How do you know how old the Nomos is? Yeah. It's tough to say with that. And then with the Spear, with these SCVEs, it was a compelling design. The case size is really nice. Very wearable, but I lean towards sport watches. I mean, like you can't really necessarily fight what's in your heart, right?
Unknown	Yeah, I agree.
James Stacy	the watch was too far from a sport watch. And when I got that scratch on the crystal, I kind of thought like, this isn't going to work for me. I'm going to destroy, I'm going to destroy this poor little watch. Right. Right. And, uh, somebody was more than happy to pick it up on, uh, on a forum.
Jason Heaton	Yeah. I mean, so it's, I mean, just, uh, I'll jump in too with a dress watch. I mean, I, the one dress watch, the one dress watch period that I own is a Grand Seiko. And it's one that I bought when I went to Japan last year. And it's the, uh, it's a Grand Seiko. It's the SBGM 021.
James Stacy	It's just one of their best Grand Seikos.
Jason Heaton	It really is. It's got the ivory dial. It's 38 millimeters, thin case, beautiful lugs, clear case back. You can see that nicely decorated movement. The only flaw with the watch was the strap, which quickly went for something different, which is no big deal.
James Stacy	Yeah, you had it on a high tan strap at SIHH, and I thought it looked just awesome.
Jason Heaton	Yeah, it was this Hermes style. Uh, sort of textured leather, sort of honey color, beautiful on the Grand Seiko deployant clasp. Um, just a wonderful watch. It's very versatile. It's, it's, um, you know, there's no loom, but it's got these faceted hands and applied markers that are just, they just brilliant. They just catch the light. So, you know, really highly visible. The dial is just broad and beautiful color wears really well. I mean, when I first got that watch last, whatever it was fall, I mean, I wore that thing. non-stop for weeks, which is unheard of for me, because I'm like you, I'm definitely a sports watch guy, but the watch is... It has some sporting intentions, though. It does, but it does and doesn't, you know? I mean, there's no loom. It definitely looks dressy. It looks dressy.
James Stacy	Yeah, no loom, no bezel, exposed crystal.
Jason Heaton	Yeah, but you're right, though. It's versatile. Like, if you could put it on, like, a rally strap or something a little bit more rustic... For sure.
James Stacy	You could pull it off with... I think it would look really cool in that Autodromo strap I've mentioned before.
Jason Heaton	Yeah. Like a sweater and jeans, you know, it, it could be like, if you weren't like a hardcore gray NATO kind of camper hiker diver guy, you could, you could make that your everyday watch and just use it for anything. Sure. Great office watch. Great great office watch. Great travel watch. Yeah. And since I got that watch, I mean, a couple of friends have really kind of got turned on to, to Grand Seiko and gotten similar pieces, which I, I find kind of humorous, but it's kind of the way it goes with Grand Seiko. It really kind of It's almost like you don't get it, you don't get it, you don't get it. And then you see one and you're like, that's the coolest thing ever.
James Stacy	The finishing is just unbelievable. Yeah. Yeah. I have a buddy who I consider to be kind of my go-to expert, specifically like the fine details, like the background details for watches. And his name is Paul Hubbard. And Paul is on Instagram at P.F. Hubbard. H-U-B-B-A-R-D. He's definitely worth a follow. He's had some unbelievably cool sports watches. Yeah. And recently got a GS, the spring drive GMT. I love that. Which has loom, a little bit more of a sport watch than yours. And that watch is just... It's beautiful. It's just something else. I mean, you get the sapphire bezel and you get the loom, unbelievable case, beautiful finishing, just like the dial on yours, the hands, all of that. But I'm always blown away at Basel when you get a chance to handle the latest GS stuff and you put a macro lens at them and the quality of the finishing on the dial is better than anything you come across short of, I don't know, Patek maybe? Yeah. Yeah. It's just razor sharp. There's so much care taken in those fine details. And the difference is in the way that they catch the light. And I know this is like essentially cliche if you're online and reading people's write-ups about their GS. Yeah. But they managed to make metal operate like a gem. Yeah. In a really appealing way. And the GS stuff is really fantastic. And if you're listening to this, and you haven't had a chance to handle a GS model, they span a wide range of styles and aesthetics and uses, but try and get to your nearest offering retailer and check them out for yourself because they are one of these few watches which genuinely have to be seen with your eyes on your wrist to fully appreciate what Seiko's achieved at the price point that they sell them at. Are they expensive? No question. Yeah. These are luxury watches. You are, in some cases, pushing into Rolex territory. You're certainly in the range of many excellent used luxury watches for what you would pay for a GS. But if what you're after is craftsmanship and attention to detail and fine finishing in a sport, generally a sporty design or a sporty intention and everyday intention. Yeah. It's going to be really hard to beat, uh, to beat GS. And I, you know, I've met a number of people who know a lot about watches and have owned some watches that you would consider to be very highly finished and well-made. And then they get a GS and this is, this is what they point to when somebody asks like, what's the best craftsman, you know, As far as the craft, what's the best watch that you own?
Jason Heaton	So the funny, you know, a funny thing is a little anecdote is last year I was, um, had the privilege of going on the Seiko media experience. Uh, they invited me over to Japan for a week to visit a couple of their facilities. And the first place we went to was, um, up in a Northern city called Morioka. And that's where they, they have this, um, workshop that they call the Shizuku Ishii workshop. And it's where they have this group of craftsmen that sit and work, you know, on assembling and decorating all the Grand Seiko pieces, in addition to some other non Grand Seiko pieces. And, you know, we were kind of brought in with much ceremony and everybody's quietly sitting at their custom built Japanese wood workbenches in their white coats and hairnets and whatever. And we quietly walked in and observed them working. And then after a little while, we were let out. just down the hallway, they said, okay, now we're going to show you something else. So we walked down the hallway and we look through this window and there's this room that's, you know, the size of like a, I don't know, like a baseball stadium or, you know, just massive. Oh, wow. Okay. And then that maybe not quite that big, but huge room with this entirely mechanized, um, assembly line that is just cranking out. And they told us like some insane number, like half a million quarts movements a day, just completely mechanized and automated. This thing's just like, you know, spinning the coils, you know, for the, uh, the transistors and, and assembling the circuit boards. And it's just spitting the stuff out like, wow, by the thousands. And what was really struck me by that whole visit to Seiko was that they just don't care about outward perceptions of what is right and wrong or how to market a watch maybe to a fault, but at times I think equally proud of this incredible workshop that would be like at any of the top Swiss brands with these people, you know, sitting and hand assembling and decorating these beautiful Grand Seiko watches. And literally within sight, just down the hall, is this room full of robots, you know, machines that are assembling these, these extremely cheap, you know, quartz movements by the hundreds of thousands. And you would never get that if you visited JLC or Omega. They would, if they even had that, they would keep it hidden, you know, in some bunker in the Swiss mountains and would never show you that. And I was just, I was really struck by that. I think it, it kind of works. It made me appreciate Seiko a little bit more, but I think it also kind of works against them to some degree. It's kind of like by mass producing and coming up with the, the courts movement back in the late sixties and mass producing it and driving kind of the Swiss to the brink of doom, um, in the so-called courts crisis, Seiko sort of turned themselves into, you know, or became synonymous with cheap, accurate, durable watches, almost to their detriment, because now people see Grand Seiko and they're like, eh, I don't think I could own that. I don't want to own something that says Seiko on the dial. You know?
James Stacy	Yeah. It's a, it's an interesting thing because they really don't carry out business the way that the Swiss do.
Unknown	Yeah.
James Stacy	They're operating entirely on their own terms, controlling their production from the ground up. And they're kind of like about 10 brands in one. Maybe even more than that. Yeah. So, I mean, have you picked up anything recently? What's your most recent Seiko experience? Is it the 777?
Jason Heaton	Yeah, that's my most recent. You know, I've also got the so-called Emperor Tuna, which is... Oh, right, right, right. ...the 1000-meter Marine Master with the, you know, the monoblock black titanium case and the black ceramic shroud. It's the... To me, it's probably the ultimate dive watch ever. I mean, it's so purpose-built. It's so just... clunky it's like wearing a compass on your wrist you know it just sits tall it's indestructible um but i never wear it i mean i literally never wear it it's it's it's not that it's unwearable it's just it doesn't go with clothing very well it's really tall it catches on stuff i'm never i've never really latched on to all black watches anyway but for some reason i keep holding on to it and it's it it sits there and i pull it out i look at it And it's, it's just a cool watch. And ironically enough, that watch is actually built in this again, in that same workshop where they're building the Grand Seikos, you know, so it's like this weird mix of stuff coming out of that workshop and it was neat to see where they made it. But like I said, I just, I just don't wear that watch.
James Stacy	Yeah. Well, I mean, kind of like with some cars, sometimes the, the really cool, or in some ways the most iconic stuff just isn't usable. Yeah. It's, it's flawed. merely by its overall design, or maybe by how focused its design is. You wouldn't drive a race car on the street. That's generally terrible experience. Yeah. And with a really legitimately hardcore dive watch, it's not necessarily that great day to day.
Jason Heaton	Yeah. And I've, I've taken it diving. I dove with it in Japan, which I thought was really kind of a neat experience, but, and it makes for a great dive watch, but for sure, outside of, you know, wear with a wetsuit, um, just, you know, it's cool. It wasn't designed for that. It wasn't designed for me to be wearing, you know, to the office or anything like that. So. I'm okay with it. It's a cool watch. You have picked up a Seiko recently and a really cool one. Why don't you tell us a little bit about that one?
James Stacy	Yeah, well, I've talked about it on a past episode, but I mean, I picked up after some hunting and even a little bit of giving up and then having a friend find one for me. I picked up a Seiko 6117-6400 from the early 70s, about 73. And that's a world timer or semi-passive world timer. And I absolutely adore it. I think it's like a perfect complement to my SKX. It's a little bit more everyday. It's obviously not so much a sport watch. It's a great travel watch being a world timer. The basic functionality is that you have a 24-hour hand that's keyed, so it's locked with the normal hour hand.
Unknown	Yeah.
James Stacy	And what you're doing is simply, uh, when the crown is pushed all the way in any rotation on the crown, we'll turn the city dial, which, uh, encircles the main time, time telling dial on the watch. And what you're doing is simply rotating it to where your time zone is and matching your time zone with the 24 hour hand, which then shows you the time in all 24 time zones. That's really cool. So it's not an active world timer, like a JLC geophysic universal time or the new show par that came out this week.
Unknown	Yeah.
James Stacy	the time traveler one, but it's kind of one step off of that. So you, all you have to do is when you want to see what the time is everywhere or, you know, within the confines of 24 hours, uh, of time zones is rotate to match your, your current location with the 24 hour hand. Yeah. And you have a read of everything, which is actually pretty similar to a desk clock that I know you and I both have. Uh, but the desk clock is truly active. It's a full world timer. Sure.
Jason Heaton	You know, like with the SRP, Seiko went into their archives and pulled out a watch that everybody adored from the 70s. That world timer, as far as I know, they don't have a world timer in their current collection other than like an Astron. This seems like one that would be ripe for like a reissue, don't you think?
James Stacy	I fully agree. And the funny thing is, I don't know enough about watchmaking to qualify what I'm about to say. So there's my asterisk on this. In my mind, if you have a 24-hour hand, you could have had a 24-hour dial.
Unknown	Yeah.
James Stacy	Which is all that's really needed to do the world time. So in this case, the movement in the 6117-6400, the two hands are locked. Yeah. Kind of like an early Explorer II. Yeah. But if you had a distinct 24-hour hand that you could set separately, if you turned that into a wheel, you have a world timer. Right. Right. Unless I'm missing something. And please, thegreatnadoatgmail.com, if I'm missing something, this is just, this is where my general understanding of watch functions kind of falters. But what you need is a rotating disc that references a fixed city ring. Right. And then you would simply update that disc and it would advance hour by hour, the same as your hour hand. and let you know the time. And I think that Seiko is the brand that could offer a really cool, beautiful, well-made world timer for like under a grand.
Jason Heaton	Yeah. I mean, well, presumably they've done it before. I mean, they've made the watch that you have and I'm sure they could just dust off the drawings and update it with their newer, you know, technology and make a killer watch. Yeah, whatever movement would fit in there. I mean, man, you know, it's, you're right. There's so many, I get people, you know, and you probably do too, people are like, asking like what's a good world timer to get and either they're too expensive or too big or too busy or whatever but like the one you have sure like you said it's not a true you know fully functional world timer but it's it's it's it's enough i mean it's it's a legitimate great travel watch and you're right Seiko could you know turn something like that out these days for not much money i think i'd love to see it most certainly i would love to see what they would do as far as maybe updating the design a bit or offering a new you know basically taking the same
James Stacy	functionality if they designed a new movement around it and putting that in both a modern watch and something that looks more like the 6117. Yeah. I think there's a lot of kind of options there. But you know, if we're going to be dreaming, what's on your list? What's in your future? Is it another MM300?
Jason Heaton	Yeah, I'd probably, you know, I think I'll probably pick up one of those at some point. But I, you know, I'm pretty happy with with the Seikos I've got, I've got the Grand Seiko, the SRP and the Marine Master. Um, you know, I'm probably, I've had a couple of 6105 vintage divers from the late 60s and I don't know why I keep getting rid of them. I wouldn't mind getting another one of those, but you know, I've got a weird one. I actually think I would like to own a Grand Seiko quartz one day, you know, just after learning about, you know, the, how they make those and what, what goes into that watch and that just insane levels of accuracy. It really kind of makes me want one. And they're so clean. I mean, they've got that Grand Seiko design and finishing. I don't know. They even came out with one last year that's kind of a limited edition with a, you know, the Sapphire case back, which I thought was just such a cool feature for a quartz watch.
James Stacy	Yeah, for sure. Ariel, who, you know, runs blog2watch.com, he bought a GS this past year. He bought the Grand Seiko quartz. Yeah. SPGX093 and I got a chance to see it when I was in LA a while ago. Oh, what a cool watch. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, you, you just never have to set it. Right. It's just, it's just there. It's just going.
Unknown	Yeah.
James Stacy	Yeah. It could be the watch you set your whole collection by. I think it's. Oh yeah. I thought it was such a cool decision, you know, especially for a guy that obviously not only has a lot of watches, but has access to just about anything. That's a pretty cool statement that he went that, you know, to go with quartz. they make such a high-end quartz movement and they're very proud of it, as they should be.
Unknown	Yeah.
James Stacy	It's, you know, the current, kind of the current pinnacle of quartz timekeeping.
Jason Heaton	Well, here's the, I mean, to me, to me, it represents, and this kind of goes back to our world timer discussion, Seiko is one of these brands that they pursue perfection and precision, whether it's, you know, spring drive or quartz or, or Astron, which we haven't even talked about, but kind of above all else, they don't without this, any sort of pretension or they don't have hangups about the marketing or how people are going to perceive it. Are they too modern? Should they stick to the old ways, et cetera, et cetera. They just want accurate, durable, you know, great watches. And, and whether that means getting a satellite signal or growing their own quartz crystals or just making a great automatic movement, it doesn't matter to them. They don't care what people think. They're just going to do that. And I think maybe that's why They, maybe they will never make another automatic world timer because they're, they're focusing on Astron. That's their world timer. You know, it sets by itself when you get off the airplane, you know.
James Stacy	I'd really like, like an Astron if I was thinking of what I'd get in the future, but they're just too big. Yeah. When, when they get to the point where the Astron is like 38 to 40 millimeters. Yeah. I could definitely see buying a titanium one and putting it on a NATO and having that be like a really great travel watch. Sure. or a second travel watch. Yeah. Because the functionality is so appealing. Uh, you know, you land somewhere, you click a button and it fixes the time. Right. Right. Aside from that, I definitely think that, uh, you know, I definitely think that I'm going to buy an SRP 779 in the next little while. I have a watch currently for sale and when that goes, I'll probably get an SRP 779, which is the black dial with the three quarter blue, one quarter red bezel. Oh yeah. And I just think that one's really cool. It's the one you don't see it that often on Instagram. Like you see a lot of the 775, the 777. You even see some with the quarter blue. Right. With people, you know, kind of the Batman style one. Yeah. You know, there's just, there's quite a few versions of the watch now. And for whatever reason, I've always wanted an SKX-009. Yeah. So I think this will scratch that itch without making me own two of essentially the exact same watch. know, let's be honest, there's a good chance that if I buy one of those, I'll probably mod the bezel to be a 12 hour bezel. That's what I have on my SKX. Oh, yeah. Yeah. And you know, it's 30 bucks from a guy that goes by Yobokis. Yeah. I'll put a link in the show notes, but it's, you know, online and it's a steel bezel with a 12 hour and it basically turns a watch that I probably wouldn't have taken diving anyways. You know, it's It's been a long time since it was last serviced. And when I go diving, I usually have something specifically to dive with.
Unknown	Yeah.
James Stacy	But it turns a great watch that is very water resistant into a great travel watch because you can just so easily track a second time zone.
Jason Heaton	And he's making those bezels for the SRPs now, huh?
James Stacy	I don't know that, but I think that the world of Seiko's being what it is, the more popular the watch, the more likely you are to find all sorts of mods. So whether Yoboki's does it or not, maybe Degas or somebody else is doing it. Sure. Yeah. And I think that pretty much brings us, you know, to the end of, uh, of where I am these days with Seiko. How about you?
Jason Heaton	Um, yeah, I think that kind of covers Seiko for both of us. You know, great brand. We love it. I'm sure a lot of our listeners love it. Certainly drop us a line at the graynado at gmail.com tag us on Instagram, hashtag the graynado and tell us about your Seiko stories, where you got started, which ones you like. If we missed any cool ones, just let us know and let's move into new business.
James Stacy	Yeah, we'll be back in just a second. And we're back from the main topic. So let's dig right into new business. Jason, you got some cool stuff to talk about this week. You want to kick it off?
Jason Heaton	Yeah, sure. I mean, kind of sticking with the Japanese watch theme. This week I picked up a watch that I've had before. And I think it's one a lot of people will be familiar with. It's the Citizen Aqualand. It's the first generation Aqualand from like the mid 80s. The reference is C0020. And, you know, we're talking a lot about Seiko, but Citizen certainly has a great history with dive watches as well. And the Aqualand is, it's still, I tell people it's like one of my top five favorite dive watches of all time anyway. Yeah, super cool. You know, the Aqualand over the years, the generations, I think, just to be frank, have gotten less appealing in my eyes. I think the original one still stands up really well and it's still really functional. It's got the, I'm not sure the exact case diameter, but it's got, um, you know, it's a reasonably sized watch with, with kind of classic aesthetics for a watch from the mid eighties that, that has some gadgetry to it, but it's, you know, it's got the nice ratcheting, uh, rotating bezel. It's got, you know, big, luminous markers, um, an orange minute hand, you know, it has some of these classic elements, but then on the left side of the case, it's got the kind of that tumor, so to speak, that sticks out from the side. That's actually a depth sensor. And just above the 12 o'clock marker on the watch is a little window with a digital display that shows, you know, it can do second time zone. It can do, um, chronograph, it can do an alarm and then it has some dive functionality. So it'll tell your current depth, your deepest depth. And then there's like an ascent alarm. So if you're ascending too quickly, it'll let you know. Oh, that's pretty cool. I mean, all of this stuff, you know, this is almost dive watch or dive computer territory. Uh, back in the mid eighties, it was actually the first watch to feature, you know, a digital depth sensor and display like this. And I thought it was really groundbreaking at the time. And I remember when they first came out, I wasn't a diver, but I just, every time I see them, I just think they're just, there's something so functional and cool about them. You know, so this one's an old one. It's from the mid eighties. The loom is pretty well shot. Um, but it's otherwise it's in great shape and they do make a more current version of them, which is probably a little bit more, I don't know if I'd say reliable, but the old ones, it's kind of funny because if you flip it over the one I've got the case back is actually the shape of, of the case. You know, it has that elongated section. And so, It has like, uh, I don't know, six, maybe eight little screws that you have to take off. And then you lift this case back off and there are three batteries that you have to replace. Oh, wow. So there's like a battery for the depth sensor, a battery for the digital display and a battery for the analog display. And that was kind of the Achilles heel of this particular model because the newer one, which is called the JP 2000, it looks identical from the front. You couldn't tell the difference, but when you flip it over, it has a standard screw off round case back. And I think it's just one battery in that one. So it's a little bit more friendly, um, you know, just for modern use. Um, I had a friend that had this watch back in the nineties when he was diving with it and he changed the batteries a few times. And I think one of the times he like lost one of the little screws and he tried to like super glue the back on or use a different screw that he found. And ultimately the watch leaked on him. But, uh, I don't know something about the original. I don't know if I'll ever die with it, but it's just, uh, I I'm really pleased with it. It costs next to nothing and it's in great shape. Um, it's the one that has like the vented no deco strap, uh, or no deco marked strap. Oh, very cool. Um, but it's 24 millimeters, the strap. So kind of tough to kind of source, um, aftermarket like NATOs and stuff like that for it.
James Stacy	But, uh, and you've got, uh, pictures on your Instagram.
Jason Heaton	I do. And I'm, I'm sure by the time this episode airs, I'll have even more. So great piece. Yeah. Very cool. What about you? What's your first, uh, first item of new business today?
James Stacy	My first one's a little bit strange. Um, speaking of, costing next to nothing, I bought a blanket at Costco today that I want to talk about. So I found out about this blanket. It's called a Packable Down Throw, is what the label on the packaging says. But I found out about this blanket from a Reddit community that kind of forwarded me to a backpacking slash like ultralight camping community online, like a forum. and basically Costco is selling these packable down blankets which are if you imagine like a very very thin puffy jacket sure or sleeping bag yeah but in a in kind of a large blanket and the size is 70 by 60 inches 1.52 meters by 1.77 meters for uh my metric friends and it includes a stuff sack It's ultra warm, they claim, with a 700 fill. Not unlike, you know, a jacket you would wear in the mountains. Sure. And it comes in, I found it in silver and in blue. These are pretty well talked about on these ultralight forums where people are making their own backpacking quilts. Yeah. And a lot of people are using these as the underquilt in a hammock or as, you know, the piece to lie on in your tent. And then you use a sleeping bag or a legitimate, like, cold weather quilt on top.
Unknown	Yeah.
James Stacy	But this cost $26 Canadian. And I mean, even if you only bought it and then put it in your trunk of your car, just in case you got broken down on a really cold night. Yeah. At 26 bucks Canadian, that's like, I don't know what, you know, I heard online they were around 20 US. Right. But I don't know, it's hilariously from a brand called Double Black Diamond. So they're only one lawsuit away from a problem with Black Diamond.
Unknown	Yeah, right.
James Stacy	But, uh, yeah, it's a, it, it's, it packs up to be about the size for those of you who do some kind of backpacking or camping. It packs to be only a little bit bigger than my Therm-a-Rest Pro-Lite Plus. So it's maybe, I don't know, five, six inches across and a foot wide, but you can squeeze it way smaller than that. Like any of these jackets that pack into their own pocket. yeah when you have a spot in your backpack for you just kind of cram it in there i think you get it to be half the size that it is when you buy it at costco the the guys on the backpacking forum kind of suggested this was a really good like summer option and that it was good to about 40 degrees fahrenheit which is i think about 10 celsius yeah 10's pretty cold um so i don't know maybe these are just like harder dudes than me and they they probably are but I was really tempted and then I found myself at a Costco today and I picked one up and for 26 bucks I'm pretty impressed even if you only used it as again a safety blanket in the car or maybe you know if you've got a second property good this would be a great great blanket to sit you know wrap around yourself sit in front of the fire oh yeah I like it it's really light it's really thin it's certainly not like nicely made or expensive and by any stretch but again it's like it costs about as much as a meal at most restaurants well I think we've gotten to this
Jason Heaton	this time where there's such specific gear for such specific purposes. And, and the, uh, you know, sometimes it's just great to find something like this that is versatile. Like you said, I mean, go to a football game or sit by the fire or keep in the trunk of the car. I mean, there's something to be said for versatility and everything doesn't have to be made to survive Everest. You know? I mean, if this is something you, you take backpacking and using your hammock or whatever, I mean, it's, I mean, 26 bucks, that's insane. That's great.
James Stacy	Yeah, it's the equivalent of like about, I guess, 18 US. At that point, it's like disposable. Yeah, right. So if you had to give it to somebody in an emergency where they were cold and you weren't, you're not gonna care. Yeah, exactly. You wouldn't care at all. But if you bought, you know, I love the brand Kamek.
Unknown	Yeah.
James Stacy	And they make like a legit backpacking quilt, which for people who don't know is like, imagine a literally people who find sleeping bags of all types too big to carry in their bags, they use quilts because the part that you actually lay on in your sleeping bag, it compresses the down and it doesn't insulate that much. So it's just wasted space that you have to carry, or wasted material that you have to carry around. So the backpacking community really seems to dig these quilts. And Kamek makes the fire belly, which is the one that I would really like to get. 300 U.S. Oh, geez. So vastly more expensive. Yeah. You know, by multiples. But an entirely different thing. And it's just flat out sold out all the time. So. Oh, that's awesome.
Jason Heaton	Well, I think it's a neat piece. I've got a fairly economical, versatile item for my my second pick tonight. And it's actually one that you turned me on to. It's from the the clothing brand Uniqlo, and it's called their Comfort sport coat or comfort jacket and, uh, comfort jacket. And it's, uh, it just arrived, uh, yesterday and this thing was $69 U S and it's like a super lightweight sport jacket that they claim is, I haven't put it to the full test yet, but they claim it sort of it's wicking and breathable, but it's, it's like this, um, it's some sort of synthetic material, but it's, It's almost has the texture of like a little bit stiffer sweatshirt or cardigan or something. I think, yeah, I think they call it like Jersey. Jersey. Yeah. It's like a Jersey knit material, but it's, it's cut like a sport jacket, like a really light semi unstructured sport jacket. And I got it in like the slate gray color. So really versatile. You can wear it with jeans or khakis or whatever. And I'm just loving it. I tried it on when it arrived yesterday and it kind of came jumbled up in like this plastic shipping bag. And I pulled it out and just sort of shook it out and it kind of wasn't wrinkled. I pulled it on over a t-shirt and I was like, this works. I mean, it's really cool for, you know, it's going to be really nice for, I'm not a big sport coat wearer, but when I do have to wear one, it's typically at something like Basel or SIHH. And, you know, these European trade show halls tend to be like really hot and, you know, carrying a bag around and it gets a little clammy. So I'm really looking forward to trying this out, especially at SIHH. It's just sort of a, a go-to great travel sport jacket.
James Stacy	Yeah. I love, uh, I love wearing a blazer, but really not at SIHH or Basel just because of the heat. Yeah. You'll have an outfit that you're like, this is, I got this on lock and then you'll get somewhere and you're like, it's, I should be wearing shorts and a t-shirt right now. I'd be more comfortable if I could take my socks off. Like it's so hot in here.
Jason Heaton	Oh yeah. Last year, the last day of SIHH, I had this, I had this, uh, barber tweed sport coat and I, I don't care if anyone listening sees me in this thing, I'm gonna love it.
James Stacy	So yeah, I've got, uh, I've got at least one, possibly the, the dark gray and the Navy coming for Christmas. I'm looking forward to it. Cool. They look great. And, uh, the sizing suggests that it should work out. So yeah, I love the idea of something that not only do I not have to be really concerned about wrinkling, but also that's just a little bit lighter. As far as the amount of heat it's going to hold in would be pretty appealing for those scenarios and, you know, just, uh, a welcome addition to, uh, travel, you know, travel wardrobe.
Jason Heaton	Yeah. And if it's cold, you've always got your Costco blanket that you can wrap around yourself.
James Stacy	Oh, for sure. Yeah, I'll have to bring that with me too. I could find some use for it.
Jason Heaton	Well, speaking of travel, you've got a pretty interesting second item here tonight.
James Stacy	Yeah, this is a strange one. And admittedly, most people listening are going to check out because it's mostly focused towards Canadians. But I think there's a word of warning for anyone that travels in and out of their country with watches. for many years i've left canada to do various you know watch work and taken a handful of watches with me in a roll or a case or whatever and come back in and never once thought that i would be bothered by customs about things that i personally own and have owned you know before i left as it turns out that's not the case luckily i didn't have to find out firsthand but i know somebody who did and thankfully they were a seasoned enough traveler to be carrying the warranty card for their watches which showed that the watch was purchased, you know, in Toronto or in Vancouver, you know, within Canada. So thus tax would have been paid.
Unknown	Yeah.
James Stacy	A friend of mine told me that, that you can actually have some trouble even with the watch on your wrist, if it's something like a Rolex or something that's identifiable. And if you're leaving a place where buying watches and bringing them into Canada is popular. So as it turns out, and this is a fairly rare thing, all of my Canadian buddies listening will know, They're offering a free service which is called a BSF-407. They'll know it in the CBSA office as a Y-38, I believe, or a YA-38, but it's basically a card that you fill out with the type of item, so in this case a watch, the brand, and the serial number of the watch. And the card's almost identical in size to a passport. It's green, typically called a green slip. And then you take the watch back to the counter at the CBSA office and they will look at your watches and kind of verify the serial numbers. And then they'll stamp your card. The card is good forever. And if you were ever bothered as you came back into Canada about the watches you had on your person, you're able to show this card, which shows that you brought the watches previous to your departure to a CBSA office and everything's square. You're good. This sounds like a huge hassle, but if you travel with your watches like I do, or if you just want to be able to take one or two watches when you leave the country, imagine having the issue coming back in and not being able to prove. Yeah, right. So if you travel with your watches, I have no idea if this is a thing in the US. But in Canada, if you travel with your watches, you're best off if you're in a scenario where the watch is worth a considerable amount of money to Stop by and you can do it on your way. Add 20-30 minutes to your trip. Stop at the CBSA office at your airport and get a BSF-407.
Jason Heaton	Is this form, um, is it strictly for watches or is it for other valuables like, um... It's for anything that can be identified with a serial number.
James Stacy	So they actually mention computers, cameras, which is crazy. Could you imagine being stopped and then being like, this isn't your, like, did you buy this computer while you were gone?
Jason Heaton	Right.
James Stacy	Wow. Or my camera, like, I travel with so much stuff, but with watches, And I know there's actually there's a version of the form or an iteration of the form for like handbags.
Unknown	Huh.
James Stacy	So if the item doesn't have a serial number per se, but you can affix a sticker to it.
Unknown	Yeah.
James Stacy	Like at the base of a hand of an expensive handbag. You can get this done for your handbag. So ladies who are listening or gentlemen with your wives who want to travel with a nice bag that might draw some attention. As far as an item, somebody might try and bring into the country and not want to pay import duties for it because of its price. You can get the same sort of allotment and protect yourself, uh, from any, uh, any issues with the border. It sounds crazy because Canada's generally seems pretty kind of free and open about these sorts of things. But if you travel with your watches, it's, it's, it took me like about 10 minutes to do six watches today. Yeah. And I feel like even if all it did was save me sitting in an office for two hours while they figured out the legitimacy of the watch I had on my wrist, that 10 minutes was well spent, let alone a situation where the watch is either confiscated or you pay taxes on it. Both would be nightmares in some cases.
Jason Heaton	Well, I've never had any sort of question or scenario like that, but, um, I just put that question out to listeners, um, in the U S or other countries, you know, that are listening. If, if your country, um, and selfishly, I'm hoping some American listeners, uh, right in know of any situations like this or any forms that need to be filled out, please do write us at the gray NATO at gmail.com because it's good information. And we will certainly, uh, if we get any answers, we'll, uh, we'll definitely mention them on future shows. So,
James Stacy	Yeah. Whatever the process is, please, please let us know. And we will share that with the audience. I think you should be, obviously we, we talk about travel watches a lot. Yeah. And for me to suddenly, like when I was told like my heart sunk all the times that I've come through customs with, I don't know, like I go to Basel with four or five watches.
Unknown	Yeah. Right.
James Stacy	Yeah. And, and now even if it's two watches, like just more than one that's on my wrist, And then to have my buddy say like, oh, no, I've been bothered specifically about the one I was wearing. And I'm like, well, that just seems crazy. That does seem crazy. Yeah. But if the alternate to crazy is, I don't know, in total a half an hour of my time to drive to the office, fill out the form and go. Yeah. Like I said, there'll be a link in the in the show notes. And if we can get if we can get any tips from people in other countries about how they found the most correct law-abiding, rule-safe way to move watches in and out of their country, I'm more than happy to share that information with the audience, because I think it's kind of crucial. People buy watches secondhand, they buy watches, you know, in all sorts of different scenarios, and I think they need to at least know if they're at risk of losing the watch because they traveled with it.
Jason Heaton	Well, there's our public service announcement for
James Stacy	Yeah, there's your PSA. Sorry, everybody who's not from Canada, you can now tune back in and we're going to move right into final notes. So Jason, what do you got for your first final notes this week?
Jason Heaton	Yeah, so I've got a book and I've got a video. I'll start with the book. It's a book I read actually last winter, but I was reminded of it recently because I'm reading another book that's kind of similar. The current book I'm reading is called Jungle Land, and I'm not even going to give a review of it until I'm done with it. But it reminded me of a book that I read last winter, which is, was quite popular. I think it won some awards. It was called the lost city of Z by a guy named David Gran, who I think was a journalist might've been for like the New York times. And, uh, it's really, it was a fascinating book about sort of jungle exploration. And he tells the story of a British explorer, uh, who had been fairly well traveled and stationed abroad in various places. this was back in the 1800s and he had, he kind of garnered this obsession with finding this sort of El Dorado or lost city in the Amazon jungle. And the guy's name was Percy Fawcett, by the way, the explorer. So he went on multiple, multiple trips into the Amazon to find this lost city, which was purported to be, you know, the typical story made of gold and, you know, high on a mountaintop or, you know, buried in the jungle or something. And he made so many trips there and he would take various companions with him, um, all of whom would return saying this guy's crazy and I can't believe he can survive this horrible environment, you know, bugs and disease and you know, headhunters, et cetera. Um, but Percy Fawcett seemed to be really well suited for this type of adventuring. But on one of his trips, his last one, presumably he disappeared. He never came out and it was kind of this, almost folklore for many years after, to the point where it made newspapers and there were other explorers and famous people that launched expeditions to go find him and see where he ended up. But this book, David Grahn, who's decidedly not any sort of a jungle explorer by nature, he fully admits that, he decides he's going to retrace Percy Fawcett's journey and try to track down clues and figure out once and for all what happened to Percy Fawcett. And it's just, it's a great book. It's a great book of kind of journalism and adventure. And, uh, I don't know, I've, I've always been kind of fascinated with jungle exploration anyway, because it seems like such a forbidding environment that I would be very ill suited for. And just, you know, reading about some of these horrific blisters and boils and diseases and bugs and things just sort of, uh, made my skin crawl just reading it, but really, really great read. You can pick it up, you know, used I've We'll put an Amazon link in the show notes, but, uh, Lost City of Z and, uh, you know, just highly recommended. And I'll, I'll certainly give a review of Jungle Land in the future when I finish it. It seems to be starting off well, but the story is very similar. So I'm going to, I'm going to go with Lost City of Z for, for today.
James Stacy	Oh, very cool. That's definitely one that I'll have to, uh, have to take a look at. It sounds fantastic. I totally agree with that kind of trepidation towards jungle exploration specifically. It just seems just miserable. And yeah, Outside Online did a piece with a gentleman that went through a very rough part of, where was he? Columbia? Oh, that Dairy and Gap podcast. The Dairy and Gap. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Go back to Outside Online's podcast and they interviewed this guy that crossed one of the most inhospitable pieces of land in the world to essentially understand what the, uh, migrating population that were moving through there to try and get to another land to another country uh for a better life went through on their way to get there and it's just a fantastic story but for my first one this week we'll stick with survival roughly and this is also outside online's essential survival tools i think i sent you this link in slack jason but There's some stuff here that I was pretty much aware of, which is, you know, like fire starter kits, like the strikers and obviously adventure medical kits. There's the same one I've carried for a long time, but there's some interesting stuff like this pocket shot, which is like a BB gun. That's basically like a plastic ring and like a latex sort of sock that you put the bead in. Really, really crazy, but a really cool design. They also have, um, you know, an interesting water bottle and your solar panel sort of idea, topographic maps. Anyone who's read into adventure books has learned that a lot of people who die in the wilderness did so because they didn't have access to good topographic information for route finding. Yeah. And yeah, just a, just kind of cool post, uh, easily digestible. It's a simple kind of list post, but there's some cool pieces in there and a couple of things that kind of surprised me. as far as like this kind of strange axe head that you can affix to just about anything. So you really want to carry the head with you. Yeah. And, uh, yeah, I like it. I'm kind of a nerd for these sorts of items. I never ever use them really, but it's, there's some, I don't know, there's something comforting or there's something like reassuring of my toughness that I have them. Yeah. Right. I'm not sure. It's not legitimate, but it is there. I do feel it. And, uh, and yeah, I kind of dig that. And then, um, My second one is a video from Petrolicious, who we've of course talked about many, many times before. And it's of my favorite generation of the Porsche 911, which is the 964. The video is called, This Porsche 964 is the Evolution of a Driver. It's kind of a tough one to explain, wouldn't you say? Like in the pantheon of theirs, there's two cars in this one. It's an interesting driver. Yeah. It's, I mean, I just love the 964.
Jason Heaton	Oh, it's a beautiful car. And it really has, to me, I think, you know, when we were writing about it on Slack, I think I said, this is so German. It's just the cinematography and the, you know, of course the driver himself is German, the cars are German. It just, it has that brooding sort of muscular sort of German. It feels so Porsche, you know?
James Stacy	Yeah, I agree. And, you know, I've talked about, you'll hear the growler from a mile away, at least a couple of times. It was a final notes at one point. So, My love of the 964, I think, and Petrolicious is well established. But this is a great video, and if you want to kind of dig into the mentality of a car collector and a guy that's clearly addicted to one car, hit the show notes and check this link out. It's really, really, really fun. And Jason, you've got a killer video to finish this off with. I watched this one this week.
Jason Heaton	Yeah. So, you know, going from cars to bikes and, and this is certainly a video that probably doesn't need much, uh, introduction given that the guy who's in it is a little, it goes a little more viral than the grain, but, uh, yeah, his name is Danny McCaskill. He's a Scottish, uh, sort of trick rider, BMX, uh, cyclist. So he, you know, every once in a while he comes out with this video, I think it's produced by red bull media house. And the latest one, which just came out, I think this week or last week was called a wee day out. And, know Macaskill I think he's done previous videos in Scotland but this one is it's kind of quintessentially Scottish and Macaskill Scottish starts out with him riding a train you know through the Scottish countryside and he gets off on the at the train station has a kind of a whimsical sort of funny feel to it you know just Macaskill's insane you you know you watch him on a bike and he does stuff that it's it's crazy now I know they do you know multiple multiple takes and kind of as the credits roll at the end you can kind of see some trial and error that that they have with a few of the stunts that he does. But regardless, you know, the way they film it, and some of the stuff he does are just, just mind blowing. Just a blast to watch. So check it out. Danny McCaskill, a wee day out. We'll put the link in the show notes.
James Stacy	Yeah, and if you if you get into that video, and you kind of you're like, I can't believe that this is that people can do this kind of stuff on bikes. McCaskill has a handful of videos. You know, I think he kind of really launched into YouTube with a video that was, they used a song by Band of Horses as the soundtrack for the video, the funeral, and just some really fantastic videos. I don't have any, like, a special appreciation of bike skills, but this is way beyond anything that I, you know, you might see a short clip of a guy doing a flip on a bike or something. This is all crazy. It's very environmental. It's very scenery based. It's very, uh, physical and the, the extent of his balance is, uh, it's awesome. Yeah. It's really superhuman.
Jason Heaton	It makes me want to go to Scotland too and just go hiking.
James Stacy	Oh yeah, for sure. What a countryside. Yeah. Well, as always, thanks very much for listening and hit the show notes for more details. You can follow us on Instagram at Jason Heaton and at J E Stacey, and you can follow the show at the gray NATO. If you have any questions, please write TheGreyNado at gmail.com and please subscribe and review wherever you find your podcasts or grab the feed from TheGreyNado.com. Music throughout is Siesta by Jazzar via the free music archive.
Jason Heaton	And until next time, we leave you with this quote from T.S. Eliot's poem, Little Gidding. We shall not cease from exploration and the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time.