A few years ago, I changed jobs to an office where wearing a tie is normal. A suit and tie, a blazer and tie, a button up shirt and tie are typical. Even when we don't wear ties, we still dress very nice. So I felt like just checking my phone for the time, might not be the best choice. I dug out my old watches and found my old favorite, a Fossil Blue AM3111 40mm analog with digital display from the 90s. I quickly realized that was not what I would be wearing. The condition was horrible. The bezel had worn down to the brass. The crystal was all scratched up. The bracelet fell apart when I tried adjusting the size and it had an oddly integrated bracelet that I couldn't replace.
When I was in the military, I liked that the digital display of the Fossil AM3111 could be set to the time at home. While the analog three hand time could be set to local time for where ever I was currently at in the world. It also had a date which was handy. I loved the blue dial and the way it caught the light. Since I am out of the military, I didn't need multiple time zones any more. What I needed was a higher quality watch, and something a little more dressy for business. So I went online and started to research watches. I learned that "real" watches are mechanical and automatic. I had never had a mechanical or automatic.
So I started to search for mechanicals or automatics dress watches with nice blue dials. A watch that kept catching my eye, whenever I saw it, was called a "Blue Moon" or "Cocktail Time" and it was made by Seiko. I saw it on lots of different straps and I liked almost all of them. It was the dial that captured my attention. The reviews were all good, and everyone said the "pictures don't do it justice" or "looks so much better in person" or "best looking dial there is".
Rave reviews like that convinced me to order one online without ever having even seen one in person. I was cautious because I had never seen one, so I ordered it from Macy's because I knew it would be authentic, I could return it locally if I made a mistake, and they had it on sale for a very good price. I waited not so patiently for the shipment. Pretty sure, I ordered and checked the tracking, before it had a chance to leave the warehouse. When I finally got it, and opened it, and saw it for the first time, I knew instantly that I had chosen a great watch. I finally had my first "real" watch. I agree with what the other reviewers said. The dial is amazing and both photos and video do not capture it as good as it is in person.
I wore it on the factory bracelet at first for a few months, but at some point I had seen a picture of it on a blue and black melange perlon watch strap that I really liked the look of. I ordered a 20mm blue black melange perlon strap from Wrist Candy Watch Club and swapped it out when it arrived. Again, the purchase was better than I expected. Perlon straps have near infinite adjustability and you can find a spot that is just right for you. It breathes and is comfortable. It is much lighter and thinner, so it fits under dress shirts even better, but who would want to hide such a beautiful watch. I have considered a getting a leather strap and I have seen a lot of nice ones, but I love perlon straps so much that I haven't bought a leather strap yet.
For the first year, I had it, I looked at it every day and it made me smile. Depending on the light your are in, the dial can look very dark blue, almost black, or in the sunlight it flashes light blue from center radiating out to darker blue underneath the sparkling polished hour markers. This causes you to look at it as you go in and out of buildings to see the change. It is completely mesmerizing. I couldn't be more happy with the dial of the Seiko SRPB41. The nick name of "Blue Moon" reminded me of a song of the same name by Sha Na Na that my Dad used to listen to. I loved the applied SEIKO logo and the frame around the date window. I also like the little white hash marks for the minute that mostly go unnoticed, until you see them. The domed crystal gives wonderful distortion around the edges and everything points to the center of the dial where the textured sunburst effect steals all the attention.
After owning it for about a year, my brother and I were going into Costco and I realized the date was off. I was walking into the store and adjusting it a the same time and I dropped it right on to the pavement. My heart sunk. I reached down to pick it up and saw a bunch of marks on it. I felt sick. It was such a perfect watch. What was I thinking? I didn't need to do that right then. The date change could have waited. I kicked myself for being so careless and thoughtless. When I calmed down, I decided to wait until I got home to look at it or do anything about it.
When I got home, I inspected it carefully. Looking at it closely and every little bit of dirt or dust becomes a mountain in your mind. I decided I needed to clean it. I blew some air on it to clean off the dust. There was still marks across the crystal and dents and marks on the side of the case. I got a new microfiber cloth out and put a few drops of water on the corner. I dabbed it carefully to not create more scratches. To my surprise, about 90% of the damage disappeared. There was still some hairline marks on crystal and some nicks on the side. I decided to be a little more aggressive with a fresh corner of the microfiber cloth and water and was able to get even more of the marks off. I realized the marks on the crystal were on the surface, but there was a small dent in the metal of the case. I didn't know about polywatch yet, but from my time in the military I knew about Brasso and other metal polishes. I put a little Brasso on a fresh corner of a microfiber and cleaned the remaining surface contamination off the crystal. Then wipes it off with a wet corner and then a dry corner to dry and polish it. The crystal was now perfect. I decided to use the same process on the side. A lot of the damage disappeared but there was a physical nick that wasn't going to disappear with gentle methods. I love the watch too much to do anything more aggressive. The damage is completely unnoticeable to anyone until they are told about it. Then they look and can barely see in the shiny polished surface of the case. To me, they look like a Grand Canyon sized ripped into the side of the watch, because I know they are there and I remember how bad it looked at first. It was a good lesson learned and it has not seemed to affect the function of the watch at all. It has been a couple years since that happened and it has run great ever since.
I still love the the Seiko SRPB41. It is not my favorite watch, but it is absolutely my favorite dial. Owning it has taught me quite a few things about watches. The first is, all watches are "real" watches. I love mechanical watches and automatics in concept, but not in everyday use. I love that it has a mineral crystal exhibition case back showing off the 4R35 movement. Does that make it a Hardlex sandwich? It is fun to see the inside of a mechanical watch in action, even if the 4R35 isn't the most attractive movement there is. I have learned that, I don't like mechanical watches all that much. I don't like how often I have to wind it up because I let it sit to long. I want to have a variety of watches so I can change things up based on my mood or what I am wearing.
So I realized, I actually prefer quartz. I grew up during the quartz crisis or as I like to say the quartz revolution. So in my mind, quartz was the new and improved version. It was more accurate, it was grab and go ready, it has a power reserve measured in years, instead of hours. I also like dive watches, even if that means they are desk divers. I have a nostalgic affinity for digital quartz watches also. Now days, just wearing a watch that isn't a buzzing vibrating nagging distraction is good enough for me.
When I want to feel really dressed up, I can break out the Seiko SRPB41, but it is no longer my every day watch. It was for several years and based on the amount of joy it brought me in that time, it was a bargain. I never once felt outshined while wearing it by someone else's watch. I also never felt like it was a watch that intentionally tried to outshine others. It was just a very nice, very approachable, all around great choice in a watch. It is a strap monster and looks good with most strap options. I plan to get a Strapcode 20mm Angus-J Louis JUB Watch Band SS201820B071 and a Strapcode 20mm Super-O Boyer Watch Band SS201820BPS075 for my Seiko Spirit SBTR021 chronograph and trying them out on this also. If you are looking for something dressy that also looks good when dressed down, the Seiko Presage SRPB41 Cocktail Time "Blue Moon" should be on your short list.