To Seiko or not to Seiko, that is the question.
I want to start by saying that I live in Canada and will be referring to prices in Canadian Dollars. Please don't get me wrong, I love my Seiko watches, so much so, that approximately 50% of my collection is made up of Seiko. With that said, I have begun to wonder if my Seiko collection is either nearing or actually complete. It seems to me that 10 years ago, I could pick up a Seiko for between $100.00 and $500.00. Recently they seem to have become quite a bit more expensive. The Series 5 are around $500.00-$600.00. The last 3 Seiko watches I have purchased have been between $800.00 and $2,000.00. I'm wondering how many more $2,000.00 Seiko I want in my collection. I even saw a Youtube video the other day that featured a $6,000.00 Seiko, not King or a Grand, just a Seiko. I was in a large jewelry store the other day and it occurred to me that for the price of two, $2,000.00 Seiko, I could have an Oris or a Longines and for the price of 2 1/2 Seiko, I could have a Tudor Black Bay.
I don't have any answers to the questions I am asking myself but would love to hear your thoughts, if you have any. I understand that a paradigm shift is required on my part. The question is, does that shift accept the elevated prices of Seiko or does it point me in the direction of alternative brands. I won't even mention the numerous micro-brands available in the market, that may be for another day and another discussion.
I live in a small town called Kincardine. It is located in Canada, on the shore of Lake Huron.
Welcome fellow Canadian! 🇨🇦. I agree 100% with you. Went to the Tudor AD on Saturday, tried on the BB Pro GMT. For 5260. It makes more sense to save and get that vs. 2 Seikos. Just my opinion.
Long Island picked up where Seiko left off when Seiko went upmarket. Those in the market for the features and value previously offered in the SKX line have Long Island Watches as an excellent resource.
For many of us who have filled that SKX niche and want more we have to ask whether Seiko is dominating the tiers they are now focused on like they use to dominate the affordable dive and field watch market.
For me the answer is no. While I do lust after their premium diver releases and would happily add them to my mix if they were substantially lower in cost the reality is they've left me behind to hunt for other options.
Many of us start with Seiko and why not!?! I had 5-6 Seikos when I first started. As my taste refined, I sold most of them to acquire higher end pieces. You might consider doing the same. Still have my SKX007 though!
Buy a nice bowl of poutine instead
A lot of microbrands make a better watch for less using Seiko movements. If you have the coin and the want then bypass Seiko and go for the better Swiss brands.
After reading the full post it seems that there has been a stir you have been feeling about collecting Seiko in general. Though mostly focused on the monetary aspects you may have Seiko fatigue anyway. Or even “affordable” collecting in general. Only you can truly answer the question if you are or ever will be wanting to enter into the luxury watch market for your own personal reason. There is also of course and in between game you can go with for Micro brand or independent brands for upgrades to what Seiko can offer but that part is a solo journey decision you have to make.
I can only share with you personally where’s I am to relate for the sake of guidance. I have about 36 watches currently. Most are great value for money and of the affordable degree. I recently got fatigued in trying to continue in that direction. Personally I don’t want to do the in between game and rather go straight for a few luxury watches. I can do an in between game but that would only prolong them massively having to still down size and sell to buy more later down the road for luxury watches.
So I rather work backwards and get a few luxury watches then maybe a few inbetween game watches later.
How this helps