There Are Pandas, and Then There Are Pandas.
And this isn't either of them! The Pandas we're talking about here, are watches, not bears. And what got me thinking about them (again) was a link posted this morning by @cm.rook who pointed a few of us to the very attractive (and not terribly priced) Yema "Rallygraph" Panda which, in it's most traditional arrangement, looks like the one on the left, but can also be had in the version on the right: The model on the left is a true Panda, while the model on the right is called a reverse Panda. The reason for that distinction is clear--Panda bears, only come in the first arrangement. Now at this point, everyone should be thinking about the most well-know Panda, The Rolex Panda, which is actually a Daytona, and among Rolex Daytonas, the most famous of which is the Paul Newman Daytona, which was famous first, because it was Paul's, and second because it sold at auction for $17.8 million (US Dollars). The story of that auction is well-known so I'll only...
Nov 8, 2019
This SKN809 was a sudden purchase with plans to remove the included all black canvas strap and use it on my other Seiko 5 Automatic, the SNK803 with beige dial. I made the swap and I think black & beige looks great, see my pic’s here: https://www.massdrop.com/buy/seiko-flieger-snk-watch/talk/1775633?utm_source=linkshare&referer=39HL8U
I followed through and picked up the Nick Mankey Designs leather ruler watch strap (with nickel studs) via a MassDrop for the now strapless SNK809 - the results are in, what do you think? Although the nickel studs on the new strap don’t match the case, I think it still looks nice. Plus I can always look around for a pair of case matching studs at a later date.
The Seiko 5 SNK series automatics are rock solid, keeps excellent time, takes a punch when needed, and stays out of the way by not being too big or bulky as a weekend around the house tool watch. Just like the vintage Seiko 5 Automatic I wore yesterday (cal.6309-510A) the crown does not allow hand winding and the movement is non-hackable....bummer. Overall I love SNK series and Seiko 5 Automatics in general, I may step-up my game by going after a higher end $$$$ Seiko 5 next year….we’ll see.
Movement: Seiko Cal.7S26 21 Jewel Automatic (non-Hacking or Hand Winding)
Complications: Day & Date
Power Reserve: 40hrs
Case: Stainless 37mm Fine Brushed Stainless Steel
Case Back: Skeleton See-thru
Crystal: Scratch Resistant Hardlex
Band: 18mm Canvas
WR: 30-meter