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7h • WOTD ⌚
Field Watch Friday 😎⌚️
Today’s WOTD is my Seiko Alpinist SPB121.
This is one of those watches that I think represents something pretty important about watch collecting:
A great watch doesn't necessarily have to be an expensive watch.
The Alpinist has a real history behind it. Its lineage goes all the way back to 1959, when Seiko introduced the Laurel Alpinist for Japanese mountaineers and outdoor enthusiasts. In fact, it was Seiko’s first watch specifically designed as a sports watch — essentially the beginning of a lineage that would eventually lead to many of the tool and sports watches Seiko became famous for.
More than 65 years later, that DNA is still pretty easy to see.
The modern Alpinist has the green dial, gold accents, cathedral hands, rotating inner compass bezel and that slightly quirky personality that makes it immediately recognizable. Add 200 meters of water resistance, a sapphire crystal and an automatic movement with roughly a 70-hour power reserve, and it is a remarkably capable little watch.
But I think part of the reason enthusiasts have gravitated toward the Alpinist for so many years is that it sits in a really nice place in the watch world.
It has history.
It has character.
It has a mechanical movement.
It has legitimate field-watch roots.
And at a price point well below $1000 retail, it is still relatively accessible in a hobby where prices can get rather silly rather quickly. 😎
One of the things I’ve come to appreciate more and more about this hobby is that enjoyment isn't proportional to what something costs.
Some watches are rare.
Some are complicated.
Some took years to acquire.
And then there are watches like the Alpinist that you can simply strap on and go make some memories with.
At the end of the day, that's what these watches are really for.
Years from now I probably won't remember what a watch was worth on a particular Friday.
But hopefully I'll remember where I went, who I was with, what we did…and the watch that happened to be along for the ride.
Another Friday, another opportunity to be grateful for the day — and maybe add another little chapter to the story of a watch. 🙏😎
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Field Watch Friday 😎⌚️
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