i don't know for the leather straps but the stainless steel ones of the sarx have an excellent reputation concerning their finishes
see :

 

What a hard choice...I think i like the black

 

Just found this thread and coincidentally I'm wearing the SARB017 Alpinist at the moment.
I've been wearing a lot of vintage pieces recently and today I was thinking the exact opposite to tikkathree; that the Alpinist actually feels quite large. The case size is 39mm which I think is plenty for this type of watch.

 

39 mm is the ideal size for many wrists. i really like the retro look of this one :

there's also a blue enamel limited edition dial

 

I can't disagree with that. I wear mine on a bracelet and the diameter has always felt a bit small but I wear a lot of vintage too so I'm used to the variation. As has been said 39mm isn't that small. It's the actual size of the dial that makes it look small.

 

Here's one of th most expensive "non grand Seiko". Titanium case, sapphire, beautiful dial IMHO, incredible bracelet.

 

I have been fighting picking this up. I suppose I'll lose my internal battle, at some point.

 

They do make some beautiful dials.

 

Some interesting news here:
https://www.seiyajapan.com/blogs/news/sayonara

TLDR;
Seiko is stopping production of SARB017,033,035 and SBDX017.

 

It will be interesting to see what new models Seiko brings out to replace them.

 

Meant

 

Yeah, they're very popular entry level pieces amongst watch enthusiasts. Strangely enough, as it doesn't get too much wrist time, I was wearing my SARB 017 Alpinist yesterday when I heard the news.

 

I'm glad I bought an Alpinist when I did! In my opinion it is the only true unique watch out of the four. The rest all have a resemblance to something in the Grand Seiko line, and aren't finished as well. It will be interesting to see what it does to prices, but I love the quirkiness of the Alpinist so much I don't think I could part with it.

 

I bought the Presage Cocktail with the white dial. The finish of the dial is just amazing - think you cannot get anything better for a new watch in this price range.

I think its 40 or 41mm though - still wears comfortably.

 

TLDR: R.I.P. Alpinist and 3 other OK models that are decently priced.

Now I’ve got to buy one...

 

I’m expecting to see a price bump within a few weeks if it’s true. And yes I almost bought one last night too

 

I recently got the mm300, most likely will purchase its replacement. I plan to keep the mm though, it’s a great watch.

Does Seiko release the replacement models at Basel?

 

They do make some announcements. Can’t say if a replacement for these will be included.

 

It would be a great shame if Seiko don't introduce a next generation mechanical Alpinist as it has such a long history.

I used to own a 4S15 Alpinist which I thought was even better than the SARB 017 apart from the Hardlex crystal.