SEIKO's pictures are on another level... in a bad way.
Storytime:
I wanted a Chrono. My wrists are too small for a mechanical piece (and my wallet as well). Looked around for a nice one and found a JDM – what else?
Here's the thing, though: Had I seen the picture FIRST and a video of it SECOND I'd never have gotten this one (after the picture I would not have looked further, tbh).
Is there any other company out there that is representing its products in as bad a light as is humanly possible as SEIKO?
Don't get me wrong, I LOVE my SEIKOs I've got (SARX055 and this one, the SBTR026 (and, by extension by Grand Seiko SBGN003)) but SEIKO... WHY?
All of these three models (and countless more) are looking so dull and uninteresting that it really hurts...
… to attain something desired is to discover how vain it is — A. S.
I titally agree - Especially the bracelets look so cheap on any pictures. THe great dials they do never even nearly come to live on their online pictures. Every common Clothing Label is creating more lively pictures of their cheap ass watches then Seiko does - I don´t get it.
I agree Seikos are much better in person their website don’t really do them justice which is weird … prime example as well…
My Darth Mas… online pics iis dooo blah…
In person 🥰 you can get lost on the dial how color draws you in to keep staring at it…
Or could just be me 😜
This is their product picture on the lineup page for the Seiko 5 field watch SRPG42. A model which was not even on my radar until I saw it randomly on a Instagram post and right now on my list to find one.
And these are the pictures they have in the official website for certain regions. Based on the region, their websites differ drastically. But their new website is a drastic improvement from what it was an year ago. Plus they have started to add real product photos along with some models.
Not my photo. But looks way better than the stock photo on the Seiko website.
I agree Seikos are much better in person their website don’t really do them justice which is weird … prime example as well…
My Darth Mas… online pics iis dooo blah…
In person 🥰 you can get lost on the dial how color draws you in to keep staring at it…
Or could just be me 😜
Dafuq. Never seen that one. That looks stunning. "Good" thing is that my wrists can't rock that. Dodged a bullet there :D
This is their product picture on the lineup page for the Seiko 5 field watch SRPG42. A model which was not even on my radar until I saw it randomly on a Instagram post and right now on my list to find one.
And these are the pictures they have in the official website for certain regions. Based on the region, their websites differ drastically. But their new website is a drastic improvement from what it was an year ago. Plus they have started to add real product photos along with some models.
THAT'S the way to go!
Just look at the SARX055 and then look at one of my pictures. Worlds apart. And that is only one watch that I can directly compare...
Those are renders but also most manufacturers don't pay too much attention to them most of the time.
I noticed this today in Citizen's website for the their new 37mm Fugu models. They didn't even bother to double check these before uploading into their product page 😂
Dafuq. Never seen that one. That looks stunning. "Good" thing is that my wrists can't rock that. Dodged a bullet there :D
On paper seems big but once you put one on it’s fits nicely … snug as a bug in a rug 😉
Totally agree. Even photos taken for wruw by phones are better. If they tried to market this they'd probably capture the dial from straight on and end up with a flat looking watch.
On paper seems big but once you put one on it’s fits nicely … snug as a bug in a rug 😉
You be quiet now or you'll have a talk with my girlfriend, a'ight? :D
Scusi, but what is wrong with the pic? Is that some sort of Where's Waldo? I must admit that I haven't had a Fugu in my hands...
You be quiet now or you'll have a talk with my girlfriend, a'ight? :D
You’ll be fine she’s a GF still not a wife yet😜… you have time…
You’ll be fine she’s a GF still not a wife yet😜… you have time…
I noiticed with many official pictures from watchmakers lika Casio, Seiko, Citizen and even some high end brands, i don't know if it's a render or just bad pictures but the watches always end up looking better in person.
Most pictures I see on manufacturer's websites, fine jewelery websites, watch specialist websites, and even Amazon, are digitally curated, meaning that they are photographed, and then heavily photoshopped, especially the lighting, in order to get the "perfect" product image, which you have so correctly pointed out, looks sterile and uninviting. 🤝
Many major manufacturers use renders. Even Rolex and Omega use it on their websites. The difference is some add in real pictures as well. To be fair, Seiko's renders are some of the worst haha.
Microbrands tend to be on point in my experience. In any case, once they add hi-res and macro shots in the ad it's over, that's how they get ya! Teddy Baldassarre has done this to me many times in convincing me to buy a watch. Look how he makes a simple 5KX look:
Absolutely agree. Seiko/Grand Seiko do their watches no favors with their online renders. I genuinely don't understand it. Online renders of the SLA057 and the SBGX261 compared to photos I was able to get were worlds apart in showing what the watch actually looks like.
This should actually be seen as a criminal offense by SEIKO on themselves...
Many major manufacturers use renders. Even Rolex and Omega use it on their websites. The difference is some add in real pictures as well. To be fair, Seiko's renders are some of the worst haha.
Microbrands tend to be on point in my experience. In any case, once they add hi-res and macro shots in the ad it's over, that's how they get ya! Teddy Baldassarre has done this to me many times in convincing me to buy a watch. Look how he makes a simple 5KX look:
He's an evil dude. I think he's into selling or some such. Somebody should investigate :D
But yeah. It's so unfortunate that the actual brands don't give a damn...
Yes, totally true! Citizen is also another sample.
It's like a piece of legal advice they have to take the photo on the straightest plane possible so the watch looks flat and the dial shows no variation at all.
Even the amount of photos they provide is ridiculous in this day and age: Front (flat looking), Left (flat looking), Bracelet clasp (to demonstrate one or 0 micro-adjustment, of course), and case back.
Thank God we have other resources and Watchcrunch! to see how the watches look in reality.
Absolutely agree. Seiko/Grand Seiko do their watches no favors with their online renders. I genuinely don't understand it. Online renders of the SLA057 and the SBGX261 compared to photos I was able to get were worlds apart in showing what the watch actually looks like.
Spot on. It's even more egregious with Grand Seiko since their dials and zaratsu cases are a substantial part of their appeal. Anyone who just goes by the renders on their site would be forgiven for thinking it's all hype.
Yet another reason to hold out for a hands on experience before committing to buy though this may be the rare marketing scenario where a maker visually under promises and physically over delivers. Quite the opposite of the more frequent exaggerated marketing approach that visually signals if you buy this watch you'll boink this babe and drive this car.
My latest Citizen watch, not being a usual model, was very difficult to research online, I could not find any reviews with good photos, only some videos on YouTube from sellers with only the watch rotating on a display and another one describing the functions of the movement with not very good lighting.
I was quite sure the watch would look way better in reality than what it looked in the stock photos from Citizen. It was almost an exercise of imagination to interpret the flat photos and see the potential of the watch.
Buying it online was a bit of a gamble and I finally did it on Amazon because I could return it easily if I didn't like it.
The stock photo: stripes? the round black shadow?:
In reality: the stripe pattern is much more subtle and the dial has more depth.
Yet another reason to hold out for a hands on experience before committing to buy though this may be the rare marketing scenario where a maker visually under promises and physically over delivers. Quite the opposite of the more frequent exaggerated marketing approach that visually signals if you buy this watch you'll boink this babe and drive this car.
Where can I get one of those? Boink-drive sounds even better than Spring Drive.
I find most renders to be terrible compared to a good IRL photo. Seiko does it badly, I don't think they are alone? And I don't understand the point 🤔
Beautiful Seitona 👌 Enjoy
Try a Seiko vk63 in an Aliexpress watch in 39mm Pagani, invicta and a host of others all use Seiko movements and sapphire to beat out Seiko for under $100.00 USD. I built my own.
The funny thing is, even their Credor Eichi II with a dark blue dial, on their site, it looks rubbish, it doesn't really capture the gorgeous colors of it like some other pics.
The funny thing is, even their Credor Eichi II with a dark blue dial, on their site, it looks rubbish, it doesn't really capture the gorgeous colors of it like some other pics.
At 59.000€ retail they have to cut costs at every corner. Getting a professional photgrapher is not in the budget, mate. Give 'em some slack.
Found a report in German newspaper FAZ from 2017. 12 million watches and 300 million movements. So maybe selling watches is Seiko's side hustle.
https://www.faz.net/aktuell/technik-motor/technik/uhrenriese-seiko-im-osten-viel-neues-14789979.html
Found a report in German newspaper FAZ from 2017. 12 million watches and 300 million movements. So maybe selling watches is Seiko's side hustle.
https://www.faz.net/aktuell/technik-motor/technik/uhrenriese-seiko-im-osten-viel-neues-14789979.html
That would explain the dull pictures. Somewhat.
its so true
this almost stopped me buying
this