Review of the Seiko Kinetic Scubamaster "Stingray"

I can't imagine how hard you'd have to bump the bezel to move it inadvertently. Luminescent hour markers and hands. Even after 7 years, Seiko's LumiBrite paint is extremely bright, *** the watch very legible in any conditions. Water-resistant to 200 meters, or about 650 feet. Or at least it was at one time. This watch is old enough that it really needs to be serviced (in Japan) to ensure that it is still watertight. The Seiko Scubamaster Kinetic Stingray is no longer available, and hasn't been for some time. And when it was available, it was only available in Japan. No wonder it was so difficult to find. Mine was originally purchased on October 10, 1999, somewhere in Japan, as indicated by the warranty card, though I can't tell where. I have all the original ***work, booklets, packaging, and bracelet links. Although the watch has clearly seen quite a bit of service, it's still in relatively good cosmetic condition, and in terms of style, is still one of the best looking divers I know of.Additional Resources: The Seiko Kinetic Stingray photo gallery. Review of the Seiko Orange Monster.Power reserve indicator. The button on the right side of the case above the crown activates a power reserve indicator (which can actually be activated underwater). The watch's second hand moves ahead to indicate how long the watch will remain operational, then stops there and waits for time to catch up before moving again. As long as I remember to wear the watch a day or two every couple of weeks, power is never an issue. Double locking clasp. The clasp on the Scubamaster is very robust. It uses a spring loaded, dual button locking mechanism in addition to a fold-down clasp lock. This is probably the strongest and best engineered clasp I've ever seen on a watch. Diver extension. Many watches have diver extensions which allow you to increase the size of the bracelet so that it will fit over a wetsuit. The Seiko Scubamaster's extension has a very unique design, however. It is released by pushing back on the fold-down clasp lock, then it slides out from the clasp to a length of 2.5 cm, or about 1 inch. That means the size of the bracelet can be increased by 1 inch without ever even having to take the watch off. You then slide the extension back into the clasp to adjust it down to precisely the right size. The most amazing part of the diver extension is that it doesn't seem to add any bulk to the clasp at all. In fact, if you didn't know where to look, you'd never even know it was there. Unidirectional rotating bezel. The bezel on the Scubamaster is also probably the best I've ever seen. First of all, it is anodized blue with the numbers and minute markers actually engraved and inlaid in white. They are very easy to read, and very well protected. There are also raised titanium bumps at the 5, 15, 25, 35, 45, and 55 minute positions. The movement of the bezel is remarkably solid. It's tight, but in a good and solid way, and it clicks and secures its position as you rotate it every 30 seconds.