[size=2.65em]My Review of ALBA Blue “Manta Ray” AL4005X
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Movement:The ALBA Manta Ray uses the entry-level Seiko 7S26 automatic movement. If you’re reading this post, then chances are pretty good that you are already familiar with this movement. I’ll give a quick synopsis just in case.
This movement features 21 jewels, and beats at 6 b.p.s., which equates to 21,600 b.p.h.
The movement does not feature hacking or hand-winding; some might see it as being a no-frills movement for this reason, however I think it just highlights the simplicity and durability of the 7S26.
The movement features a bi-directional rotor, which is capable of producing in the neighborhood of 40 hours of power reserve.
The movement displays both day and date.
Essentially, the 7S26 is a rather simple movement, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. If anything, the simplicity contributes to its reputation as being extremely robust.
My particular example keeps good time; good enough to the point that I’ve never actually timed it, however I’m not too particular about accuracy with automatics. If I’m looking for precision timekeeping first and foremost, then no automatic will fit the bill anyway.
Crown is at the 3:00 position. One thing worth noting that I enjoy very much about this watch is that the exposed/outer part of the crown has a bead-blasted type finish on it. This is the only place on the watch where this finish can be found, I'm really fond of it. It gives the crown an enjoyable feeling of depth, as the blasted finish is surrounded by a polished ring, which then transitions into the knurled portion that is to be gripped. This is a very cool aspect in my opinion.
Bezel: The bezel is solid SS and has engraved and painted in numbers, which for me is a definite highlight. It’s a feature that I came to love on the Monster, as it just gives the watch a more solid feeling in my opinion.
One thing I really like about the bezel, which has been labeled as a weakness by some, is the red painted numbers that go all the way from the one minute marker to the 20 minute marker. In essence, it feels like you’re getting a “pepsi”-styled bezel, but without too much of the red color to distort the look of the watch.
Like all of the contemporary Seiko ISO-rated divers, this watch has a unidirectional, 120-click bezel. The action on mine is very nice; I’d say it compares favorably to the Monster, if not just a little less smooth.
There is a rather ordinary and small lume pip at 12 o’clock. It’s a little smaller than I might like, but it gets the job done.
The bezel has a knurled texture for easy grip, although I should note that the design of the case shrouds the bezel at the lugs, so grasping and rotating the bezel is easiest with your thumb and index fingers at the 12 and 6 positions.
One thing worth noting is a very striking interplay between brushed and polished surfaces on the bezel. For me, this is an outstanding trait that really makes the watch pop. Both the innermost and outermost portions of the bezel are polished, while the central part is brushed. In my estimation, this is one of the nicer touches of this watch. The following picture, while a bit crude, hopefully gives you a better idea of this detail. Notice how in this picture it almost appears as though there are two black rings on the bezel where the polished portions are:
Additionally, the polished dimples on the bezel bear a striking resemblance to the hour markers, and they conjoin the outer and inner polished portions of the bezel. This is just another small touch that leads me to believe that a good deal of thought went into the design of this watch.
Dial:The dial, is of course, the main selling point of this watch. After all, this is where it got its namesake from. I won’t go into too much detail about the dial, as others have discussed it at such a great length that there’s not too much to add.
The dial features the notorious Manta Ray pattern, which depicts a school of Manta Rays swimming in a northwestern direction (heading toward 11 o’clock, in watch-speak).
Also worth noting is the fade on the dial, which begins as a white-ish blue at the center and gradually transforms to almost a blue-ish purple where the dial meets the chapter ring.
The indices are chrome-lined, and as mentioned before are shaped similarly to that of the polished dimples on the bezel. They sort of resemble shark teeth, which is sort of fitting given that this is a dive watch.
Even though the indices are lumed using Seiko’s proprietary Lumibrite, they have a distinctively white-ish appearance that makes them stand out a bit more. There is definitely not the same degree of greenish hue on the indices here as there is on the Monster.
Case:The case is pretty much typical Seiko in terms of the interplay between the polished and brushed surfaces.
The sides of the case are completely polished, while the tops of the lugs are brushed, and the crown guards are polished on the outside and brushed on the tops and the outermost surfaces.
Also worth noting is that the lugs are drilled, which makes strap changes an absolute breeze. I wish all watches had ‘em.
Case Back:The case back has an embossed Alba wave logo that is similar to the Seiko wave logo. It is just stylized to be a bit sportier, or a bit more “loud.” I’m not a guy that worries too much about the case back, but I will say that the logo is pretty cool.
Strap:As other have stated, the rubber strap is very similar to that of the Seiko Z20 (the version seen on the BFK, Caesar, Sawtooth, etc.). It’s nice enough for me to wear, but I wouldn’t call it exemplary or anything. Mine is a bit more stiff than the comparable Z20’s I’ve held.
One thing about the strap that I like is that the keepers have a wave-type shape to them, which mimics the wave-shaped vents on the strap.
The buckle is unsigned, as it only has the “STAINLESS STEEL” engraving on the underside.
All in all the strap is okay, but nothing worth writing home about.
Hands:Ah yes, the hands. This is perhaps the single biggest gripe that watch aficionados have about the watch, and yet I find them endearing, even if they are a bit odd.
I guess I look at the Manta Ray as being more of a fun and laid-back type diver (even if is an ISO-rated watch ala the Monster), and in that vein, I just see the hands as contributing to the fun factor.
The hands come to a point at the ends that is similar to the hour markers, which is sort of nice.
The hour hand is small enough to be easily distinguishable from the minute hand. The second hand is similar/identical to that of the Monster.
One the Blue Manta Ray the second hand is painted red, which matches the red letters (1-20) on the bezel, the red “DIVER’S 200M” text on the dial, and the red hash marks on the chapter ring at 12, 3, 6, and 9 o’clock. This is just another small little detail that I happen to enjoy.
Lume:
Seiko of course uses its proprietary lume on this watch, which is called Lumibrite.
This watch has lume applied on portions of all three hands (hour, minute, and second), as well as on the 11 hour markers. There is no indice at the 3 o’clock position, as that space is occupied by the day/date wheel.
The hands and indices all have a pretty generous amount of luminous material applied, as the lume glows a bright neon green color for hours on end. This is especially true if the dial is exposed to direct sunlight or an LED flashlight.
Once again, using the Monster as the benchmark, the Manta Ray’s lume isn’t quite as bright. The Monster simple has more real estate devoted to the lume, which in turn gives it a brighter appearance. I’d say that the Manta Ray’s lume is probably pretty similar to that of the SKX007, and that’s nothing to sneeze at.
