Review of the Seiko Kinetic Scubamaster "Stingray"

I've heard that one of the problems with Kinetic watches is that their capacitors tend to degrade over time which results in smaller power reserves. I haven't found that to be the case at all with this watch.24-hour hand. The Scubamaster has four hands: hour, minute, second, and a 24-hour hand. The watch is designed to be able to easily track the time in two different time zones, and to be able to switch time zones quickly and easily. When in you home time zone, you keep the hour hand and the 24-hour hand in sync. When you travel outside your home time zone, the movement is designed in such a way that you can easily adjust the hour hand forward or backward, depending on whether you are traveling east or west. That way, the hour hand indicates the time where you currently are while the 24-hour hand retains your home time. Self-charging. The Scubamaster is part of Seiko's Kinetic line. Kinetic watches have quartz movements which are powered by rechargeable batteries. The batteries are recharged by the action of a rotor which moves as you move your arm. The concept is similar to that of an automatic watch, but rather than the rotor winding a spring, it generates electricity that is used to power a standard quartz movement. It's only supposed to hold a charge for 14 days, however even after seven years (yes, the watch is that old), it seems to stay sufficiently charged for about three weeks. The movement is also accurate to between 1 and 3 seconds per month. View the Seiko Kinetic Scubamaster photo gallery.It took a long time to add the Seiko Scubamaster "Stingray" to my collection of divers. I don't remember where I first came across this watch, but since the moment I saw it, I was smitten. After over a month of frantic and persistent searching, I finally came across someone who was willing to part with the exact watch I was looking for. That was about a year ago, and despite all the other watches I've gotten since, it continues to see more than its fair share of wrist time.The Seiko Kinetic Scubamaster is not the most expensive watch I own, but it is probably the rarest and most unique. In fact, I think it comes pretty close to being the ultimate diver watch. It is feature rich, extremely tough, very accurate, and has a bold, distinguished look. Here's a feature-by-feature breakdown: Lots of titanium. First of all, most of the watch is a titanium alloy. Titanium isn't particularly scratch-resistant, but it is very tough and very light. The case is a single solid piece of titanium (which can only be opened from the front), and has its signature stingray engraved in the back. The bracelet is titanium, as well, and is extremely solid and strong. Sapphire crystal. The Scubamaster's crystal is highly scratch-resistant synthetic sapphire which is set down below the bezel for extra protection.