Proxima Bronze SBDX001 NH35 Tuna Diver
Posted: May 4th, 2019, 10:00 am
When Athaya came up with his own brand and homage to the Seiko, my attention was grabbed. I never really knew much about the brand or the history, but I was a bit more intrigued. Tuna cans, turtles, razor bezels and more. This is a cool brand! I’m a diver watch fan, after-all. Despite the relative affordability, I discovered there are several homages and factories/companies/enthusiasts to the Seiko diver.
Here is the “Proxima Watches” brand homage to the Seiko Marine Master Pro 300. I ordered from the web, but they also sell on ebay and have a Facebook page. I decided on the Bronze (CUSN8) version. <<I’m kinda into this alloy as of late.>> The dial has HIMQ as a brand on the face. I have no idea what this stands for and I’m quite confused why the brand decided to roll these out with this instead of Proxima. There must be a reason, but I have not found out. The Marine Master is replaced with Shark Master. This makes me wonder if this is the same factory as the infamous “Sharkey” brand…although there is no iconic shark figure like so many of those homages. In fact, there is a dolphin out back stamped on a stainless plate (for those sensitive to bronze). Perhaps this gesture is put here to mock the shark? Dolphins can be conniving creatures, but I’m curious why the dolphin instead of a shark out back.
The case is a Monoblock and top loader. I haven’t torn it down because I haven’t had a need to. Crystal is a really nice sapphire. I decided on the sapphire bezel with lume instead of the ceramic black and gold. There are several other options, but I felt this version was fun. Lugs are 20mm. I decided to order the stretchy “Marine National” watch strap with a plated bronze clip buckle. I’ve never seen this style of strap. It’s neat, but I prefer the leather or rubber. The leather pictured here is the beautiful Sandara strap by our very own Straps68. Thanks, Michael! I put a bronze buckle from “Strapsonly” out of the uk. The movement is the NH35. The lume must be C3. It glows like a torch.
The final touches here are the patina. I couldn’t let this thing patina on its own and stay clean and shiny, so I went though many rounds of sanding, and LOS treatments. I finally decided on a “steam bath” session in a Tupperware of LOS/Water/Vinegar until this pattern came out. It’s the most interesting pattern of green/blue marbling I think I’ve ever made or seen. It goes well with the bezel which I initially thought was out of place.
There you go. It’s been a great little watch at 44mm. Until I have a need to tear it apart, I will enjoy it as is. Hope you enjoyed the read and the photos.
Here is the “Proxima Watches” brand homage to the Seiko Marine Master Pro 300. I ordered from the web, but they also sell on ebay and have a Facebook page. I decided on the Bronze (CUSN8) version. <<I’m kinda into this alloy as of late.>> The dial has HIMQ as a brand on the face. I have no idea what this stands for and I’m quite confused why the brand decided to roll these out with this instead of Proxima. There must be a reason, but I have not found out. The Marine Master is replaced with Shark Master. This makes me wonder if this is the same factory as the infamous “Sharkey” brand…although there is no iconic shark figure like so many of those homages. In fact, there is a dolphin out back stamped on a stainless plate (for those sensitive to bronze). Perhaps this gesture is put here to mock the shark? Dolphins can be conniving creatures, but I’m curious why the dolphin instead of a shark out back.
The case is a Monoblock and top loader. I haven’t torn it down because I haven’t had a need to. Crystal is a really nice sapphire. I decided on the sapphire bezel with lume instead of the ceramic black and gold. There are several other options, but I felt this version was fun. Lugs are 20mm. I decided to order the stretchy “Marine National” watch strap with a plated bronze clip buckle. I’ve never seen this style of strap. It’s neat, but I prefer the leather or rubber. The leather pictured here is the beautiful Sandara strap by our very own Straps68. Thanks, Michael! I put a bronze buckle from “Strapsonly” out of the uk. The movement is the NH35. The lume must be C3. It glows like a torch.
The final touches here are the patina. I couldn’t let this thing patina on its own and stay clean and shiny, so I went though many rounds of sanding, and LOS treatments. I finally decided on a “steam bath” session in a Tupperware of LOS/Water/Vinegar until this pattern came out. It’s the most interesting pattern of green/blue marbling I think I’ve ever made or seen. It goes well with the bezel which I initially thought was out of place.
There you go. It’s been a great little watch at 44mm. Until I have a need to tear it apart, I will enjoy it as is. Hope you enjoyed the read and the photos.
