Seiko SBDX001 Marine Master vs. Orient Star WZ0251FD 300m Review!

[Librarian6]

 
 
Authored by slivver71
 i'm not sure if these 2 watches have been reviewed together. but, now that i have these 2 bad boys, i decided to take some pics of them. now, i'm not a horological expert by no means , so i'll just let the pics do most of the talking...



as you can see, the os300 dwarfes the mm300 in both width...


...and height!!!
i like them both equally, but there's a few things that are very different between these two watches, besides the size.
- their movements (to me of course ) are equal. i mean this purely in their accuracy. the os300 has kept an amazingly -0.5 sec/day right out of the box. the mm300 runs an excellent -2 sec/day. i know the mm300's got the "higher grade" high beat movement and it can be hacked and handwound, but, the os300's slowbeat, non-hacking/handwinding movement will rack up reserve time very quickly!
- bezel insert (though they're not really inserts..at least in the mm300's case) goes to the os300. it's very scratchproof, matte black, has the cool white numbers...i don't know...i just like it ! the mm300's is polished and scratches very easily, plus since it's actually a part of the bezel, it'll need replacing if it's badly scratched up. i wish seiko had used a ceramic or sapphire cover for the bezel...oh well, it does still rock . i like the looks, just not it's toughness, or lack thereoff.
- bezel action is equal, except the mm300 is a 120 while the os300 is a 60 click bezel.
- bezel edge or outer edge of the bezel definately goes to the seiko. it's mean AND elegant at the same time. it's seriously, imho, the best looking bezel edge!!! the os300's is too "rolex like" for me.
- dial/readability. i like them both...but, the date on the os300 is a bit small. the seiko's dial is more elegant looking also. i think if i had the black os300, i could do more of a fair comparision here.
- crowns both equally screw down at least 4-5 times to seat them...which is great.
- hands go to the seiko!!! just an amazing attention to detail on their part!!! they're almost 3 dimensional. the os300's hands are just a bit flat looking. in turn, the seiko's are a bit too short, while the os300 hands are just the right length...for me anyways .
- lume...is almost equal, but the os300's is bit brighter and longer lasting.
- case goes to the seiko. it's multiple polished/brushed finishes also give it, like the hands, a 3 dimensional look!!!
- crystal. the mm300 has a sweet curved hardlex crystal. i prefer it's shape, but at this price, a sapphire would've been cool, but it can be replaced if it get banged up with a sapphire...if i can find one somewhere! the os300 has a 5.5mm thick (i believe) sapphire crystal...awesome, but it's flat, which i don't like. i prefer curved crystals, but this is purely aesthetic on my part. this goes to the os300, BUT i wish it was curved!!!
i guess that's about it. if i sound naive...well, i probably am. i just know what i like and this is not at all an "experts or professional" review...just my "laymans" review .
see you all on the forums...and remember all of the above is imho, so please forgive me if i ruffle any feathers.