The Big Triangle, ST166.024 SM300, from 1969

One of my greatest watch dilemmas - what's the most iconic vintage diving watch?

The Seamaster 300? Or the Submariner?

My choice is perpetually evolving - one day the Sub might prevail, another day the preference may edge towards the SM300.

Submariners are literally a dime a dozen (well, not quite, but I'm sure you know what I mean), so I decided to hunt for a rather famous variant of the Seamaster 300, the 'Big Triangle ' variant of the ST166.024 - first released in 1967.

Now these SM300s are frequently faked, so potential buyers will do well to exercise some careful due diligence - there's many online resources to help you sieve out all junk - this blog post by Arne Rasmussen is particularly comprehensive.

Also, as these were often actually used for their intended purpose (ie. diving), rather than the Submariner which were often more treasured and pampered, many of these vintage SM300s show evidence of having lived a hard life, fully exposed to the elements.

This ad showed up one afternoon just as I was heading off to work...coincidentally, it was a local sale, and I even knew the seller! Problem is - I really really had to leave for work, and I knew that if I hesitated, it would likely be gone in the next couple of minutes.

So I frantically contacted the seller, and thankfully he was nice enough to agree to hold it for me for a couple of hours. By the time I managed to find a few minutes away from work to get back to him, he had been inundated by an avalanche of offers, but to his credit, he held firm - he had given me a verbal promise, and he steadfastly kept to his word - what a gent!

So after cross checking a few minor details, the deal was done - thank you Jack!

This Big Triangle was by no means perfect, it did show it's age, and it most likely had a service (but all correct - down to the little dot on the Big Triangle and the 6 o'clock lume markers) dial; but it was honest, reasonably priced, and had a serial number dating to 1969 - the way I like my watches - wooohoooo!

In the flesh, it is indeed a handsome watch - tough, professional looking, without being excessively chunky or overbuilt.

I am very much a bracelet guy, but I found that I definitely preferred this watch on a leather strap.

What I couldn't accept, however, was the mismatch between the lume of the hands and the dial, but this was nothing that a quick visit to the renowned James Hyman couldn't fix!

So after the hands were relumed to match the dial - it's all much better - still not perfect mind you - I would prefer the lume and dial to show more patina, but no worries - that will develop over time! =)