Seiko Alpinist SBCJ031 Titanium HAQ

An early 2000s, now discontinued, titanium 8F56 HAQ (+/- 20 seconds per year) GMT Perpetual Calendar Alpinist from Seiko.

Details:

Model: Seiko SBCJ031 / 8F56-00D0

Year: January 2006

The Origin. All Alpinists can trace their roots back to the 1956 Winter Olympics. Chiharu Igaya made history by winning Japan’s first Winter Olympic medal – Silver in the Alpine Skiing event. This achievement sparked a boom in skiing and winter sports across Japan, prompting Seiko to release a rugged watch, capable of handing the Japanese Alps. With strong lume, a high-contrast dial, and mountain-shaped indices, the Seiko Laurel Alpinist became popular among enthusiasts.

Complications: It’s both GMT and a Perpetual calendar. But despite having a GMT hand, it’s still an Alpinist at heart so there’s rotating inner compass bezel instead of a World Timer bezel. The bezel can be used to help determine the direction of North as long as you can see the Sun. The Perpetual Calendar can be checked by pulling the crown out and pushing it back in within a second – the second hand then movements in rapid intervals to indicate the leap year status. 

The Movement: In its very nature quartz is very accurate (typically +/- 15 seconds per month), but the 8F56 is a High Accuracy Quartz (HAQ) movement meaning it maintains an accuracy of +/- 20 seconds per year.

Not to be confused: This isn’t a SBCJ021 - this is the less common SBCJ031. The SBCJ021 has a fully lumed dial, and 12 mountain indices. This is a non-lumed cream dial with lumed hands, and an attractive mix of numbers and mountain indices - akin to a SCVF007.

Materials: The case is titanium making it incredibly lightweight. A mix of polished and brushed surfaces give it a rugged but smart appearance. 

Specifications: 

The Condition: In very good condition overall. Has the standard swirls you expect to see on unpolished titanium, and a handful of scratches on the bezel. Comes on the original leather strap in usable condition. 

Scope: No box or papers.

Movement: 8F56 HAQ

Dimensions:

• Case Width: 38.5mm
• Case Thickness: 11.1mm