For years, I have loved the Seiko Alpinist line. When I first learned about the SARB017, I couldn’t quite fathom just how much that watch appealed to me. See, in my watch hobby, I’ve always been drawn to watches that look like they belong on the wrist of a man who’s out having adventures, making stories, and living a life that, in some ways, I’ve been lucky enough to live and, in others, I haven’t. The Rolex Explorer and Explorer II, Rolex and Tudor Submariners, Seiko Willards, Marathon SAR line, and plenty of others. To me, the Alpinist has always looked and felt like it belongs in that company.
Sadly, I’ve never owned one of the original SARB017 models. I intend to one day, but that’s a little further down the road. This year, though, I’ve had the chance to own an SPB155 Baby Alpinist, an SPB249 Prospex Land (Laurel Alpinist throwback), and an SPB505. All three were great watches that I thoroughly enjoyed wearing.
The SPB249 was my favorite of the group. It was a modern vintage piece that just looked and wore great. Unfortunately, I found myself barely wearing it because other watches were taking up more of my wrist time. I decided to let it go with a group of watches I sold, and I’m still kicking myself in the ass for that decision. I’ve already got feelers out to get another one, or another dial variant, back into the collection. The SPB505 felt a little too glitzed up for me with its polished silver indices, and I quickly fell out of love with it. The SPB155, while sharing the Alpinist name, just didn’t give me the same feeling, so I let that one go as well.
Recently, I decided it was time to consolidate my watches as we head toward the end of the year. I want a more refined collection, or, more accurately, a refined daily rotation of three or four watches. I messaged a buddy of mine, Theo, who I’ve done a lot of trades and sales with, and offered him six of my cheaper watches. He showed me the Seikos he had in stock: the SPB155, SPB505, SPB507, and SPB121.
I asked him to send pictures of the SPB507 and SPB121. Both looked phenomenal, so I put the final decision in my wife’s hands. She liked the SPB507. Theo and I negotiated back and forth a little and landed on a fair deal that worked for both of us.
We packed everything up and shipped our ends of the trade on the day I’m writing this. Now I’m patiently waiting for the new piece to arrive, and I think this is the most excited I’ve been for a watch all year.
Like I said, I enjoy adventure, and the Alpinist is a watch that has always represented that to me. It looks the part. But thinking about this watch has also made me realize how much of the normal adventure in my life I’ve missed over the last year.
In two days, on October 27, it will be one year since my second stroke. That changed what life looked like for me. It’s been a hell of a year and, to be honest with you, a tough one. Between the stroke, a death in the family, a heart attack in June, and plenty of other things, the last year hasn’t exactly been conducive to much adventuring or exploring for my wife and me.
I haven’t drawn a bow in a year. I’ve only shot a rifle or pistol a handful of times. My fishing has mostly been on the lake you all see in my Instagram pictures, which is convenient because I live on it. The adventures we have managed have been smaller ones: getting out locally, doing things, and seeing places we hadn’t gotten around to before.
The Alpinist feels like a reminder to get out and adventure more now that I’ve healed up and am in much better shape than I was six months ago. I’ve also reshaped my definition of what exploring and adventuring actually mean. I used to think it required one or two big, extravagant trips a year. I couldn’t have been further from the truth.
Adventure is something you can find in your home state. Going somewhere you haven’t been, seeing something you’ve never seen, or exploring a place you didn’t even know was there is all part of it. Those experiences count, and they’re worth enjoying.
Now, granted, I’m looking forward to traveling for a hunt again or fishing lakes and rivers farther from home than I’ve been able to reach this past year. Those things will still be a big part of my life. But I’ve found that I can get a lot of the same enjoyment and fulfillment out of smaller adventures, just in a different way.
I think that’s something that gets lost in the world today. Everyone seems to think you need some grand trip you can only afford once a year, or you need to head into the depths of Africa, to call something an adventure. That mindset robs people of a lot. Find places in your home state. Get out, explore, and enjoy them. You don’t need to burn through all your vacation time or your money to have that experience.
To me, the Alpinist is a great representation of that idea in a watch. It’s a phenomenal, beautiful tool that can be had for under $1,000. It doesn’t need to accompany you to the other side of the world to be part of a good story.
A recent adventure for my wife and me was going to see China Lights locally. It cost us about $100 total: $65 for tickets to an amazingly beautiful display, around $10 in gas, and another $25 for dinner. We drove 35 minutes, spent two hours at the event, and grabbed a cheap meal afterward. That was an adventure. We got to see, experience, enjoy, and discover something beautiful to us, something that changes every year.
You can do the same thing. You don’t have to go far to find something worth exploring. And when I finally get that SPB507 on my wrist, that’s exactly the kind of life I want to keep living with it.
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