My Love Letter to Budget Seikos 🥰

Hello crunchers!  Here's this week's video on my 2 fav Seikos. We can spend all day focusing on Seikos problems, or we can just enjoy these budget stars despite their flaws 👌

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They want an extra $150.00 for the upgrade to the nh36. For that watch cost i can buy 2 microbrand watches or more

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005001692491270.html?spm=a2g0o.productlist.0.0.7d641a7bPYOwCD&algo_pvid=08bc06fb-cad7-4408-b66b-25996b8ad633&aem_p4p_detail=202204300821251940914894113360021960340&algo_exp_id=08bc06fb-cad7-4408-b66b-25996b8ad633-0&pdp_ext_f=%7B%22sku_id%22%3A%2212000017197841387%22%7D&pdp_npi=1%40dis%7CCAD%7C%7C62.06%7C%7C%7C%7C%7C%402101e9ce16513320850465262ec097%7C12000017197841387%7Csea

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OldSnafu

They want an extra $150.00 for the upgrade to the nh36. For that watch cost i can buy 2 microbrand watches or more

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005001692491270.html?spm=a2g0o.productlist.0.0.7d641a7bPYOwCD&algo_pvid=08bc06fb-cad7-4408-b66b-25996b8ad633&aem_p4p_detail=202204300821251940914894113360021960340&algo_exp_id=08bc06fb-cad7-4408-b66b-25996b8ad633-0&pdp_ext_f=%7B%22sku_id%22%3A%2212000017197841387%22%7D&pdp_npi=1%40dis%7CCAD%7C%7C62.06%7C%7C%7C%7C%7C%402101e9ce16513320850465262ec097%7C12000017197841387%7Csea

I have a place in my heart for microbrands, and review lots of them on the channel. At the same time, I'm very sensitive to design language and feel like a watch is much more than the sum of it's parts. 

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OldSnafu

They want an extra $150.00 for the upgrade to the nh36. For that watch cost i can buy 2 microbrand watches or more

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005001692491270.html?spm=a2g0o.productlist.0.0.7d641a7bPYOwCD&algo_pvid=08bc06fb-cad7-4408-b66b-25996b8ad633&aem_p4p_detail=202204300821251940914894113360021960340&algo_exp_id=08bc06fb-cad7-4408-b66b-25996b8ad633-0&pdp_ext_f=%7B%22sku_id%22%3A%2212000017197841387%22%7D&pdp_npi=1%40dis%7CCAD%7C%7C62.06%7C%7C%7C%7C%7C%402101e9ce16513320850465262ec097%7C12000017197841387%7Csea

I think of it as name value tax. 👍 

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My favourite budget Seiko.

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Budget seikos are great and vintage seiko too,its when you get to mid tier watches the problems start, basically now overpriced for what you get, my advice is buy used and don't get that initial cost hit.

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Awesome video as always, man!

Agree 100%!  We can spend all day hating on Seiko, or we can focus on their positives.

THE HATERS HAVE ARRIVED memes | Arrived Memes

Hey, can I ask a huge favor?  At some point, I'm going to finally catch my pups in the act of pooping, while I'm taking a wrist shot.  When you do your interludes in your videos, you always show a particular thread.  If I'm able to get a wrist shot of, like, let's say the new SBGW289, with them squatting in the background, will you promise me that that will be the photo / thread you show in the interlude???

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My Seiko hot take:

The worries about QC, cost cutting, and alignment are overblown, even in their watches in thr $500-1500 price range. Most of the time I have a hard time spotting how the chapter ring is microns off even under Macro. Their cheap bracelets are generally comfortable. I actually prefer the crappy SKX jubilee to any afterma bracelet. 
 

The real issue is movement accuracy. Out of the box, Seikos of any price range are less accurate than any other mechanical watch with a Japanese or Swiss movement, even in the entry level tier. Tissots and Timexs with their ETA and Miyota movements can keep “cell phone time” much better than any Seiko. In this day this is unacceptable, especially we know thet Seiko movements are really accurate when regulated (microbrands do this all the time and are in the same price tier). 
 

This is the reason why I am hesitant to buy another Seiko… execpt for that 38mm solar diver. 

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The low end automatic Seikos are great value watches but after that the micro brands kill them with their own movements. If they want to rule mid tier they better put a high beat movement in it. Brand will not carry you in todays market place. The movement IS the watch and everything else is window dressing.

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Mr.Dee.Bater

Awesome video as always, man!

Agree 100%!  We can spend all day hating on Seiko, or we can focus on their positives.

THE HATERS HAVE ARRIVED memes | Arrived Memes

Hey, can I ask a huge favor?  At some point, I'm going to finally catch my pups in the act of pooping, while I'm taking a wrist shot.  When you do your interludes in your videos, you always show a particular thread.  If I'm able to get a wrist shot of, like, let's say the new SBGW289, with them squatting in the background, will you promise me that that will be the photo / thread you show in the interlude???

Your request is my command 😂

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Kclouis

My Seiko hot take:

The worries about QC, cost cutting, and alignment are overblown, even in their watches in thr $500-1500 price range. Most of the time I have a hard time spotting how the chapter ring is microns off even under Macro. Their cheap bracelets are generally comfortable. I actually prefer the crappy SKX jubilee to any afterma bracelet. 
 

The real issue is movement accuracy. Out of the box, Seikos of any price range are less accurate than any other mechanical watch with a Japanese or Swiss movement, even in the entry level tier. Tissots and Timexs with their ETA and Miyota movements can keep “cell phone time” much better than any Seiko. In this day this is unacceptable, especially we know thet Seiko movements are really accurate when regulated (microbrands do this all the time and are in the same price tier). 
 

This is the reason why I am hesitant to buy another Seiko… execpt for that 38mm solar diver. 

Good point, their accuracy range is very wide but usually can be regulated much better. I wonder if they should offer higher grade to the same movement like the 2824s

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Max

Good point, their accuracy range is very wide but usually can be regulated much better. I wonder if they should offer higher grade to the same movement like the 2824s

there is an Invicta in Jomashop with a SW200 movement(2824) for around $240.00 . The Chinese are even killing the Swiss with their own movements.

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Damn, you caught me with my Lum under the covers

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I like your picks two nice watches at affordable price points. The dials are great good job 👍

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now I want the W&W

#maxtheenabler 

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VegasDancer

now I want the W&W

#maxtheenabler 

Try ebay.  It's where I got mine and you can find some in the low 400s.  Yes, more than MSRP, but not criminally more.

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Great video and there are plenty of fun budget Seikos BUT the W&W Limited Edition has been sold out for a while and Seiko almost doubled the price of the Alpinist when it re-released it. The Alpinist was a great value before the price increase. Now, not so much.

Sorry, I love the channel and the site. I'm still bummed I missed the W&W sale back when it originally released (I mistimed it). The one thing I really dislike about this hobby is not being able to buy watches you really want (whether because they are limited editions (ARGH) or Rolexes).

Oh well, plenty of other watches to lust over and buy  

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SARV001 (or SARV003 if you want a black dial), is my Seiko budget watch of choice, yet most people don't seem to know it even exists as it's a JDM.

And what a JDM! Expect to pay under USD200; one popular vendor has them around USD170 at present and, for that, you're getting a JDM day/date (so, yes, it does kanji if you like that look), automatic sport watch.

Insane value. The ONLY downside for some will be size. 42mm is the devil for folk with smaller wrists and/or fantasies about the 1950s but, for many watch people, it's a perfectly acceptable size and, on bigger guys especially, looks more in proportion anyway.

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I'm a new collector and my only seiko so far is the dress kx which I bought following all the positive reviews and because it's design really appealed to me. I wasn't disappointed and wear it a lot. Just from watchcrunch I know and get the enormous love for seiko as a brand and for its tremendous history. However as a new collector on a restricted budget looking to my next purchases seiko is not really featuring at the moment. I'm more inclined to a variety of other brands that offer,to me, better value for money.

In particular Orient. I only have one of these so far (the Kamasu) but moving forward I am much more drawn to Orient as a direct competitor to Seiko and offering notably better value.

Only my opinion and I do get Seiko totally yet I won't be buying another any time soon as my collection grows..

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OldSnafu

The low end automatic Seikos are great value watches but after that the micro brands kill them with their own movements. If they want to rule mid tier they better put a high beat movement in it. Brand will not carry you in todays market place. The movement IS the watch and everything else is window dressing.

Yeah. Nah.

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Rocketfan

Great video and there are plenty of fun budget Seikos BUT the W&W Limited Edition has been sold out for a while and Seiko almost doubled the price of the Alpinist when it re-released it. The Alpinist was a great value before the price increase. Now, not so much.

Sorry, I love the channel and the site. I'm still bummed I missed the W&W sale back when it originally released (I mistimed it). The one thing I really dislike about this hobby is not being able to buy watches you really want (whether because they are limited editions (ARGH) or Rolexes).

Oh well, plenty of other watches to lust over and buy  

This just highlights watch incredible value the older Alpinist was. Compare it to other brands today and the current Alpinist still shines brightly.

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Max

Your request is my command 😂

@Max, apparently, it can be done! 

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The moment the SBGW289 arrives, I shall post a dedicated thread! The only question is, should the thread discussion be focused on the GS watch itself? Or dogs doing their business in the background?

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When it comes to big brands, I think they’ve been replaced as the value king by someone within their own family: Orient. 

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this particular model of the series is cool indeed but the regular models are a bit to generic to me.. the snk805 has something special with the small size and sandblasted case and the unusual pilot dial in a field watch and it looks very military on a nato/zulu strap.. the 5kx (srpe) models feel much more like a seiko while these new pilot models feel just like any another modern watch.. the field dial models (that use the same cases) are a better choice in my opinion..