If you are a fan of vintage looking replica watches, especially a fan of the vintage Seiko 6105-8110 diver, but would rather something a little more modern in terms of materials, then you are probably going to love the Athaya Vintage Lamafa.
Athaya is a brand out of Indonesia, and this is their second model. Their first was a Laco Pilot homage. Now, while this is an homage, it is an homage of a piece that is not as easy to get as say a Rolex homage that we are all used to. Instead, they went ahead and built a replica watch that is very close to the original, with just a few different aspects, such as the dial and hands, and case back logo.
The Athaya Lamafa has the same smooth lines and contours as its Seiko predecessor, and seeing this replica watch in person, reminded me of where the original Zodiac Oceanaire got its design cues from.
The Athaya version is a 44mm brushed stainless steel case, with a domed sapphire crystal, Seiko NH35 automatic movement and Swiss C1 superluminova. It is available in 2 colors, black or blue sunburst dial, both with or without date. Today we take a look at the Blue no date version, with its matching blue waffle rubber strap.
For an even better look than the photos I took, take a look at my video review:
Here are the full specifications of the Athaya Vintage Lamafa:
- Case Material & Finishing: SS 316L, Brushed.
- Case Dimension: 44.30 x Lug-to-Lug tip 48.00 x Total Thickness including glass 13.50
- Lug size: 20mm
- Weight: 107.4 grams
- Glass: Domed Sapphire with Colorless AR Coating.
- Bezel: SS 316L, 120 clicks, Unidirectional.
- Crown: SS 316L, Screw down Triple o-ring with AV Logo.
- Case back : SS 316L, Screw down with engraved design and AV Logo.
- Movement: Seiko Instrument Automatic NH35A Hacked second.
- Strap: Rubber Strap with length 140/80 and brushed diver style buckle.
- Water Resistant: 200 meter
- Luminova: Swiss C1 Superluminova on Dial, Hands and Bezel pip.
- Packaging: Athaya Vintage Handmade leather travel case.
- Price: $350 USD.
Some reviews I do not mention packaging at all, even though I will always take pictures of it. That is because many times it is just a standard box, and there is nothing to really talk about. With the Athaya Lamafa, it comes in a beautiful handmade leather travel case, that is a nice caramel brown color, lined with microfiber, and enough space for your replica watch, some extra straps and tools. I love these types of travel cases, and not only is this one very well made, but it is also very practical, as opposed to elaborate packaging that will never see the light of day until you sell it or decide to move.
Now, while this is a homage to the Seiko, instead of trying to compare it to its inspiration, I am instead going to concentrate on the Lamafa itself. As I said, with exception to the dial and hands, and the case back, they did a pretty damn good job replicating it, even down to the machined screw down crown, at least from what I can tell from photos of the Seiko.
The stainless steel case is all brushed. I will say that possibly the brushing could have been a little bit finer, as it looks a little rough. This could have been intentional, but I would have preferred it to be a smoother brushed finish without the pronounced machine lines. The curved case is smooth all around with no rough edges, and the way the case is machined to create the crown guards and protect the crown at the 4 o’clock position, is what always made this style of replica watch unique. The crown on my example is a little hard to get at though, and I feel that is just the design. It does a great job of protecting the crown when screwed in, but is not the easiest to unscrew, especially when on the wrist. Once pulled out, the date and time set with ease, and I did not find any wobble to the crown, or grind noises while adjusting the time. The bezel is stainless steel, with a blue aluminum dive insert, very reminiscent of the original Seiko.
When it comes to the blue sunburst dial, I will admit that both the bezel and dial really only show up as blue in certain lighting. It is a very dark blue, which comes off as black, especially when in the house or a building with regular lighting. You will see this in some of my photos, though I tried to capture the blue the best I could. Chrome applied markers, chrome outlined hands, which are different hands than I have personally seen before, and the date at the 4 position (which replaces the 4 marker) round out the dial. The dial is not overly branded, with just the Athaya logo, and its model name and water resistance on the dial. It definitely gives off the vintage vibe, and matches the rest of the case.
The outer portion of the case back is all brushed, and again, very smooth to the touch, no rough edges anywhere. The removable part of the case back is a screw down cap, with a depiction of a person with a harpoon jumping in the air. This is a variation of their other case back, as the blue and black versions have slightly different engravings. The black dial version shows the man harpooning some type of sea creature. The Seiko NH35 movement on my example was about a minute and a half slow after about 7 days, and while that is not the most accurate timekeeping, it is on par with other NH35 powered replica watches I have had. I love the Miyota 9015 movement, but at a price of $350, and with the packaging offered, the NH35 suits this replica watch well, and being a Seiko homage, it made sense to go with a Seiko Instruments movement.
On the wrist, it is not extremely comfortable with the supplied waffle rubber strap. It is more of a plastic than a rubber. I wore it loose on my wrist, because it did not really wrap around like a natural rubber would, and if worn too tight, it became sticky and made my wrist sweat. Looking at the vintage Seiko, it is a very similar type of strap, but I would have liked to seen a natural rubber instead. As far as the look of the strap, I dig the waffle pattern, just not the material used to make it.
The lume is C1 superluminova, and it is at best average. It lights up bright for a few minutes but then starts to dim, and is not the brightest lume out there to begin with. My photos shown are not doctored or filtered and show a true representation of what the lume is. C3 superluminova is king to me, and it might have been a better option to go with over the C1.
Overall I was impressed with the Lamafa Diver, especially with its price point and all that it offers. If you like the look of the vintage Seiko, but can not afford what they are going for on the secondary market (over $1000 usually), this might be a suitable replacement. And it is a nice replica watch in its own right as well. The leather travel packaging is a nice touch, and the use of a domed sapphire crystal vs trying to stay vintage and using an acrylic are nice attributes. I would have liked a lighter blue dial, as I feel it’s hard to truly see that it is blue, but some people might like the more subdued midnight blue. While I do not care for the material of the strap, that is always easily rectified with an isofrane or cuda, or even a nice leather or nato.
It is a modern version of a classic that is no longer made, and with that, one of the nicer homages to this style I have seen. If you want to learn more about Athaya and their models, please visit their website HERE . Thank you to Athaya for providing for review and please leave your comments below.
