r/TitaniumWatches

Sunday staple! Never leaving the rotation, for sure!

Just switched out the bracelet for the Nato strap on this one, feels feather light. What do you all think!?

That’s how love stories usually start: love at first sight, followed by impetuous, emotional, completely irrational decisions.

I saw this SBDM001 on Buyee and was immediately inebriated by the view — probably much like Gollum seeing the One Ring for the first time, or Wayne seeing Cassandra on TV: “She will be mine. Oh yes, she will be mine.”

Little did I know what kind of journey I was signing up for. The listing was clear enough: defective pusher. But love is blind, and I convinced myself this was no big deal. I would simply restore it to its glory days.

As soon as it arrived, I fully disassembled it for what was supposed to be a spa day. That’s when I realized this wasn’t just a stuck pusher. It looked like the pusher had been soldered inside the tube — and in a sense, that’s basically what was happening.

I took every precaution within the limits of my ability. Unfortunately, my ability fell quite a bit short of what the job actually required. After several careful attempts, the pusher snapped in two.

A brief moment of silence followed. Then an anger scream.

Then the second thoughts arrived. And third thoughts. And every other number of thoughts about why I had decided to buy a watch with a clearly stated defective pusher.

“No big deal, I can find a replacement somewhere.”

Well, yes — probably true for common references. Not so true for a short-lived Prospex series produced for maybe only a couple of years, using a very specific pusher model.

Still, I kept going. I disassembled everything I could. The rotating bezel had become a fixed bezel, glued in place by wrist cheese and who knows what else. Eventually, all that remained was the bare case: no bezel, no chapter ring, no crystal, only the case and that cursed pusher still fused inside its tube.

Using a vise, a pin, and a hammer, I decided that if it wouldn’t come out, maybe it could be pushed in. Bingo. That was the first real milestone.

After that, I cleaned the rust from inside the tube, gave the case a careful buff while preserving the character and polishing transitions, reassembled what I could, and took it to a local watch repair shop. It sat there for a few weeks waiting for a donor that never appeared. Eventually, I brought it back home.

For a while, I even wore it with no pushers, but didn't want to take any risks of a splash or dust getting inside... As time went by, hope faded. But the desire to see the project finished never really did.

Then, in late April 2026, destiny smiled at me again. I stumbled across an unpretentious listing on From Japan: a donor shell. Same 8B82-0AB0 case reference, same dimensions, same pushers. Missing a crown, which I didn’t need. There it was. The missing piece. Another impulse purchase, yes — but this time at least an impulse with direction and purpose.

To complete the recovery, I also sourced a fresh capacitor. Thankfully, Seiko used the same capacitor reference as the 8B92, so it wasn’t especially hard to find. It was just hard to pay for, because of course it was.

After a journey that started in late February, I can finally call this project complete. And I must say putting C-clamps back in the pushers makes setting tiny chronograph hands child's play. A couple of them flew into oblivion during the assembly.

42.5mm case, 46mm lug to lug, full titanium, double AR-coated sapphire, solar radio-controlled movement (JJY only, but nothing that an emulator app can't solve), and a greyish-blue dial that captures light in a shy but captivating way. Not slim like a dress watch, not bulky like many modern Prospex references — just perfectly balanced. The indices are shaped and finished with the kind of care you expect from upper-tier Seiko, almost brushing against Grand Seiko territory.

After all the drama, frustration, donor hunting, rust removal, broken parts, and questionable life choices, it is finally back where it belongs: on the wrist.

My precious.

Need help selecting which watch band to use?

WD v4 for a swim in the beautiful Caribbean

I've recently came across Boccia watches. From the legibility perspective, the screen is way bigger than Casio B650. It's made of titanium and has 50m of water resistance.

Thinking about picking up the Titan Zero Hour Diver 500m and wanted opinions from people who are deeper into dive watches than I am.

Specs seem surprisingly serious for the price:

- Grade 2 titanium case + bracelet

- 500m water resistance

- ISO 6425 certified

- Sapphire crystal with AR coating

- Helium escape setup

- In-house automatic movement (7AC0)

- 4Hz / 28,800 vph

- Limited to 500 pieces

Price in India is around ₹76k (~$900).

I already own a Seiko Alpinist and generally prefer understated/tool-style watches over flashy designs. This would be my first true professional-style diver.

What I’m trying to figure out:

- Is this genuinely impressive from a watchmaking perspective, or mostly a spec-sheet flex?

- How risky is it buying a first-generation mechanical diver from Titan?

- Does the movement/spec package actually compete with Seiko/Tissot/Mido at this price?

- Could this become an interesting collectible later because it’s Titan’s first serious enthusiast diver?

- Would you personally buy this over something like a Seiko Prospex or Tissot Seastar 2000?

Would especially love input from people who own:

- Seiko Prospex divers

- Tudor Pelagos

- Tissot Seastar

- Citizen Promaster

- Or anyone who has handled the Titan in person.

Photos and real-world impressions would help a lot.

Really looking to get a sub 1500 tool/field watch to wear daily. I’ve narrowed down the search to the Formex Field, Hamilton KFA Ti, and Protek Titanium. I like things about all of these watches but want to narrow it down to one. Thoughts? Is there a comparable watch you would suggest instead?