King Seiko vs. Grand Seiko
King Seiko has an impressive history so I was intrigued by the new colorful releases when Seiko brought back the King Seiko name.
@Omeganut graciously lent me his SBP279 for a test drive. I compare it in this video with my SBGA415 grand Seiko.
Do you think it's a price proposition, or a missed opportunity?
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Captain Crunch
Co-founder of WatchCrunch; Inventor of the Zero Pass strap.
United States
Member since
Last active: 58 min ago
16.51 cm
Another video ruined by @Omeganut
I was forming a plan to position myself to get a King Seiko. This has convinced me to wait. How easily "influenced" I am by YouTube stars.
Someone say King Seiko ?! Don’t mind if I flex a bit…sorry its just the SJE083…
The dog is priceless. The story is all about the money grab and told well.
Hahaha. @Omeganut's dog pic!
Another video ruined by @Omeganut
I was forming a plan to position myself to get a King Seiko. This has convinced me to wait. How easily "influenced" I am by YouTube stars.
I blame his dog for this 🐕
Someone say King Seiko ?! Don’t mind if I flex a bit…sorry its just the SJE083…
Much more appropriate movement!
@Omeganut well played sir.
Now that @Max’s review is live, will your King Seiko be part of your trade in for the 015?
I was going to go through the things I didn't like about the new KS when I experienced the watch in real life... But you have done it again @Omeganut
First, you almost gave me a heart attack this week with that GIF from The Ring. And now you have just shown the whole watch community a picture of your dog while losing some extra weight.
Man, you deserve the WatchCrunch member of the year award.
“Automatic“…😑 doesn't look right on that dial. The 44ks was only ever hand-winding so it’s weird.
AWESOME!!! I showed the last 15 seconds of the video to my wife and daughters and they laughed their a$$es off!
and then we took them to get groomed, and here's what they look like now
Genuinely not even sure they're the same dogs. Like, maybe the groomers handed us back the wrong dogs.
On that hardwood floor behind them is that what i think it is? lol
On that hardwood floor behind them is that what i think it is? lol
😂😂😂😂😂
No, those are bully sticks... which are only mildly less disgusting than
The King Seiko Limited Edition for Seiko’s 140th anniversary is what the King Seiko should have been. The re-release ones with 6R movements just isn’t enough to justify the price they are asking.
Sure there are fans out there for the King Seiko. But with the 6R King Seiko design (no high end finishing or date window), and calling the same price as Seiko’s porcelain/Arita dial watches. It’s too hard to justify in my POV.
There are Seiko watches that are beautiful and worth your money. But sometimes, their releases are too hard to bargain for.
I think, other than their Grand Seiko brand. Seiko should continue to do what they do best: make use of their creative dial designs (Just look at their new Save the Ocean collections) as their main selling point. Not all of us need 10 COSC watches. But we don’t mind having a few more art pieces on our wrist.
AWESOME!!! I showed the last 15 seconds of the video to my wife and daughters and they laughed their a$$es off!
and then we took them to get groomed, and here's what they look like now
Genuinely not even sure they're the same dogs. Like, maybe the groomers handed us back the wrong dogs.
What adorkable puppers!
I wouldn‘t but it with that movement in it
Another great video and very detailed and fair review. Thank you Max!
And cheers to Omeganut for getting his dog a cameo, who will hopefully be getting residuals for his appearance 👏
When talked about "movement" and Omeganut's dog...
AWESOME!!! I showed the last 15 seconds of the video to my wife and daughters and they laughed their a$$es off!
and then we took them to get groomed, and here's what they look like now
Genuinely not even sure they're the same dogs. Like, maybe the groomers handed us back the wrong dogs.
Your dogs are gorgeous man! If you ever get tired of them, just DM me, I'll feed them with the best Jamón Ibérico here in Spain 🤣
Max, thanks for being honest and direct on the movement. @Omeganut has an awesome dog & it was very cool to lend his new King Seiko! Happy to lend anything new or old I have if it's worthy of discussing. Seiko's entire product catalog is thicker than a New York deli menu. So much product and King Seiko seems to just be another SKU#. Too bad a legend wasn't reborn. That said, GS is a different beast. I love my Snowflake, wish it was a White Birch AND I am on the list for the new SLGA015 with my AD. GS is just killing it. I think the Prospex LX line is interesting. Both lines are not in every collectors price range. A great King Seiko (my definition of "Great" would pack a High Beat) would sell at a higher price point. The Prospex LX is Spring Drive. Can't the King Seiko live in, or around, that price range? My rambling point: King Seiko with a High Beat movement would be a big collector hit even with a double price tag of the current offering.
Another video ruined by @Omeganut
I was forming a plan to position myself to get a King Seiko. This has convinced me to wait. How easily "influenced" I am by YouTube stars.
One might almost say you have been "informed"
I think the they are both beautiful watches.
No doubt the GS though is the technical marvel. Thanks to that amazing GS finishing, you wouldn't think it's a titanium watch. And well spring drive, might as well be called hypno drive because it just mesmerizes you.
But in the King Seiko's defense, I actually it's the better designed watch. Not engineered, maybe not finished, and I understand the disappointment with the movement. But the actual just aesthetic design...the way the bracelet compliments the case...I think it is more composed designed than the GS.
No doubt the GS is still a GS and well, bank account allowing, it's the one I'd get because well it's the better watch even with the price difference, but that King Seiko is still really nice to look at on wrist.
And kinda off topic, if you knew nothing about watches, wouldn't you think King Seiko > Grand Seiko? I mean being grand is OK and all but we don't say "It's good to be Grand" we say "It's good to be the King."
love it more than the gs. well done @Omeganut 👍👍 smaller is better
All right, all joking aside, I think @Max's review was 100% spot on and fair.
But, strangely enough, I LOVE that little King Seiko. @CAviles20 has hit the nail on the head:
[This is the spitting image of my dad!]
Finally, I would say, what is good or isn't good all depends upon your priorities / use case, no? At this point, other than spring drive (because the seconds hand is so mesmerizing) I've come to discover that I couldn't care less about the movement inside a watch. I mean, so long as it's reliable, what do I care if it's 21,600 versus 28,800 versus 36,000 vph? What do I care about the finishing on the movement? I mean, I barely ever turn the watch over to look at the backside. I'm not a backside kinda guy, if you know what I mean. 😜 So, if you don't care about the movement, at that point, all you care about is design and fit & finish and reliability, yeah? And the watch hits it out of the ballpark for me on those criteria.
(By the way, this applies perfectly to the car analogy, as well. Watch ANY review of the Porsche 718 Cayman. The reviewer will spend the entire review gushing about the car, how it's the best handling car they've ever driven, how it wipes the floor with competitors that cost 2x or 3x the price, etc., etc. And then there is the obligatory, "We have to crap on the 4-cylinder engine," segment. "Oh... that awful sound. It's positively agrarian." Why? Why do they have to crap on the engine? Because it's a 2.0-liter 4-cylinder boxer engine. Which is exactly the same layout as Subaru engines! And, well, since this is a Porsche, how in the world can you give the Porsche driver a lowly Subaru engine??? And 2.0-liter 4-cylinder engines are the most common engines in the world. They're "workhorse" engines! And, well, we all know that if something is common, it's bad. And it's not naturally-aspirated. And we all know that real car enthusiasts only drive naturally aspirated! WTF? What do I care if it's "naturally-aspirated" or turbo-charged, so long as it gives me what I want in order to address my particular use case? So, if you ain't an engine snob, you're getting the most reliable engine in the world, with amazing performance, and actual low-end torque, unlike the vaunted flat-6!)
So, given all that, I'm finding increasingly that my watch preferences are really running counter to what I imagine as the mainstream watch enthusiast's preferences. @TimeJunkie, if you're serious about wanting the White Birch, I'm probably gonna move on from mine soon. Was going to trade it in to my dealer, who's given me a quote on it - happy to sell to you at the same, as it's a wash for me, but would give you significant savings over RRP and sales tax. Why am I moving on from the White Birch? Cause it ain't spring drive! And @Gasworks is making me a one-of-a-kind "White Birch" that has a reliable NH35 movement - it's got the right design, reliability, and uniqueness. What more could I ask for?
Speaking of Grand Seiko vs. King Seiko, I’m actually considering this debate for my next watch. Should I get a Grand Seiko SBGM221 or the Seiko SJE083 KSK limited edition release from last year? I’m looking for a watch to wear to the office. I don’t wear suits, but I wear dress shirts and sport coats occasionally. My current go to watch for work is a JLC Reverso with a blue face. I already have a GMT, Grand Seiko, Seiko, but they’re too casual and I’m looking for something just a touch more dressy.
All right, all joking aside, I think @Max's review was 100% spot on and fair.
But, strangely enough, I LOVE that little King Seiko. @CAviles20 has hit the nail on the head:
[This is the spitting image of my dad!]
Finally, I would say, what is good or isn't good all depends upon your priorities / use case, no? At this point, other than spring drive (because the seconds hand is so mesmerizing) I've come to discover that I couldn't care less about the movement inside a watch. I mean, so long as it's reliable, what do I care if it's 21,600 versus 28,800 versus 36,000 vph? What do I care about the finishing on the movement? I mean, I barely ever turn the watch over to look at the backside. I'm not a backside kinda guy, if you know what I mean. 😜 So, if you don't care about the movement, at that point, all you care about is design and fit & finish and reliability, yeah? And the watch hits it out of the ballpark for me on those criteria.
(By the way, this applies perfectly to the car analogy, as well. Watch ANY review of the Porsche 718 Cayman. The reviewer will spend the entire review gushing about the car, how it's the best handling car they've ever driven, how it wipes the floor with competitors that cost 2x or 3x the price, etc., etc. And then there is the obligatory, "We have to crap on the 4-cylinder engine," segment. "Oh... that awful sound. It's positively agrarian." Why? Why do they have to crap on the engine? Because it's a 2.0-liter 4-cylinder boxer engine. Which is exactly the same layout as Subaru engines! And, well, since this is a Porsche, how in the world can you give the Porsche driver a lowly Subaru engine??? And 2.0-liter 4-cylinder engines are the most common engines in the world. They're "workhorse" engines! And, well, we all know that if something is common, it's bad. And it's not naturally-aspirated. And we all know that real car enthusiasts only drive naturally aspirated! WTF? What do I care if it's "naturally-aspirated" or turbo-charged, so long as it gives me what I want in order to address my particular use case? So, if you ain't an engine snob, you're getting the most reliable engine in the world, with amazing performance, and actual low-end torque, unlike the vaunted flat-6!)
So, given all that, I'm finding increasingly that my watch preferences are really running counter to what I imagine as the mainstream watch enthusiast's preferences. @TimeJunkie, if you're serious about wanting the White Birch, I'm probably gonna move on from mine soon. Was going to trade it in to my dealer, who's given me a quote on it - happy to sell to you at the same, as it's a wash for me, but would give you significant savings over RRP and sales tax. Why am I moving on from the White Birch? Cause it ain't spring drive! And @Gasworks is making me a one-of-a-kind "White Birch" that has a reliable NH35 movement - it's got the right design, reliability, and uniqueness. What more could I ask for?
You know you want to be on this side of the fence…
😂😂😂😂😂
No, those are bully sticks... which are only mildly less disgusting than
Yeah… I thought that was a picture of your dog dropping a movement better than the one in the King Seiko for a moment…
Yeah… I thought that was a picture of your dog dropping a movement better than the one in the King Seiko for a moment…
@Omeganut Oh wait… He was, wasn’t he? It’s that soulful, eye-to-eye gaze with a hunched back like, “You got me while I drop this movement, right buddy? I mean, I barge in the bathroom and guard you when you do this. So this is payback time, right?”
All right, all joking aside, I think @Max's review was 100% spot on and fair.
But, strangely enough, I LOVE that little King Seiko. @CAviles20 has hit the nail on the head:
[This is the spitting image of my dad!]
Finally, I would say, what is good or isn't good all depends upon your priorities / use case, no? At this point, other than spring drive (because the seconds hand is so mesmerizing) I've come to discover that I couldn't care less about the movement inside a watch. I mean, so long as it's reliable, what do I care if it's 21,600 versus 28,800 versus 36,000 vph? What do I care about the finishing on the movement? I mean, I barely ever turn the watch over to look at the backside. I'm not a backside kinda guy, if you know what I mean. 😜 So, if you don't care about the movement, at that point, all you care about is design and fit & finish and reliability, yeah? And the watch hits it out of the ballpark for me on those criteria.
(By the way, this applies perfectly to the car analogy, as well. Watch ANY review of the Porsche 718 Cayman. The reviewer will spend the entire review gushing about the car, how it's the best handling car they've ever driven, how it wipes the floor with competitors that cost 2x or 3x the price, etc., etc. And then there is the obligatory, "We have to crap on the 4-cylinder engine," segment. "Oh... that awful sound. It's positively agrarian." Why? Why do they have to crap on the engine? Because it's a 2.0-liter 4-cylinder boxer engine. Which is exactly the same layout as Subaru engines! And, well, since this is a Porsche, how in the world can you give the Porsche driver a lowly Subaru engine??? And 2.0-liter 4-cylinder engines are the most common engines in the world. They're "workhorse" engines! And, well, we all know that if something is common, it's bad. And it's not naturally-aspirated. And we all know that real car enthusiasts only drive naturally aspirated! WTF? What do I care if it's "naturally-aspirated" or turbo-charged, so long as it gives me what I want in order to address my particular use case? So, if you ain't an engine snob, you're getting the most reliable engine in the world, with amazing performance, and actual low-end torque, unlike the vaunted flat-6!)
So, given all that, I'm finding increasingly that my watch preferences are really running counter to what I imagine as the mainstream watch enthusiast's preferences. @TimeJunkie, if you're serious about wanting the White Birch, I'm probably gonna move on from mine soon. Was going to trade it in to my dealer, who's given me a quote on it - happy to sell to you at the same, as it's a wash for me, but would give you significant savings over RRP and sales tax. Why am I moving on from the White Birch? Cause it ain't spring drive! And @Gasworks is making me a one-of-a-kind "White Birch" that has a reliable NH35 movement - it's got the right design, reliability, and uniqueness. What more could I ask for?
I think this is one of the best replies I have yet to read on here... perfectly said
If the king seiko had a better movement than the mediocre 6r one id have the king seiko over the grand seiko, I've got a vintage king seiko twin quartz and its an amazing watch.
Yeah… I thought that was a picture of your dog dropping a movement better than the one in the King Seiko for a moment…
Lowwwww blowwww lol