Seiko vs. Citizen vs. Orient: The $500 Battle Royale - Which Reigns Supreme?

I do not own an orient, and have not handled any so I cannot really speak to them. I did recently purchase a Citizen pro master diver and I am blown away by the quality. Seiko has worn the crown for a long time, but I think a change in regime is coming. I think Seiko is losing their footing a little lately and Citizen seems poised to take the throne. My opinion anyway.

With their QC problems, price hikes and limited edition reissues, I do find Seiko a frustrating brand these days. However, by comparison, Orient and Citizen can sometimes seem a bit Meh.

Can I vote Casio?

If I am going to pick up an automatic watch under $500 then I am going with either Seiko or Orient. Seiko has some great pro divers and dress watches that you can pick up between $350-500 like the standard Turtle, Samurai, solar divers in a few sizes and entry-level Presage models. If you can still find the older Seiko 5 models, then you got quite a few great options for some good automatic watches for under $150.

A little cheaper with more value then Orient has plenty to choose from like the Bambino and the diver watches. I currently have a Babino that I picked up for $135 which was a great steal. The new Mako 40 and the Mako chronograph will be added soon once it becomes available in my region.

I would go the Citizen way if I am interested in a quartz watch, especially for the convenience of Eco-drive for under $500. Not really a fan of the automatic models with the 8000 series Miyota which you find in Citizne under $500. The Promaster series offers great value for some insane specs and most of the time you can find these easily for under $300. The case sizes are not something I am very fond of because Citizen leans towards larger case sizes and doesn't make the watch wear smaller like Seiko or Orient. They are catching up to the trend of more case size options so that is very nice to see and are releasing some good models lately. Right now I have the yellow Tsuyosa on the list to buy from Citizen, just waiting to see if they would release an Eco-drive model or I would just get the automatic.

I’ve had all three and currently have an Orient Kamasu

, a Seiko Prospex Speedtimer

and a Citizen Promaster gmt.

I think Orient generally have better QC and their watches beat what the others have in their price point but the range isn’t as wide. I’d pick a Citizen Ecodrive over a Seiko or Orient solar powered watch, but their watches are generally too bulky for me and their attention to detail can’t compare to Orient in my opinion. But Seiko have everything. Yes in my opinion a Seiko 5 or Prospex diver that costs the same as an Orient diver will not be as good, but they really do have everything, 5, Prospex, Presage and all their other affordable lines have everything you could want in a watch (with the exception of a decent bracelet) so that’s why Seiko has to take the win for me if we’re talking about the whole brand.

In the vintage realm, Seiko. 500 bucks can get you extremely high quality vintage Seikos that still look great today. As for new watches, Orient would probably be my choice for the sub 500 price range.

An older Seiko would be my choice too. 👍

Got to give it to Seiko on this one.

You’ve just kicked the hornet’s nest on this one 🤣😂

But yeah, until further notice…SEIKO.

Im in the Citizen camp but Im a big fan of the Japanese big four.

All great brands. The Seiko 5 Sports line has the sub $500 catagory locked down. You’ve got the “diver”, the GMT, and the DressKX. People give Seiko a hard time but IMHO are still king.

I believe Citizen is coming in strong 💪 lately, def taking some Seiko Customers. At this point Seiko is honestly too pricey.

I would go Casio as well

I love all three Japanese brands for their great value propositions compared to the Swiss industry. As an owner of all 3 brands, in my experience Orient > Seiko > Citizen.

However, Seiko is no longer the value king and gateway into the hobby it used to be due to the price hike of the last few years. You get more watch for your money with the Orient Mako/Ray/Kamasu and Bambino lines nowadays.

Chinese microbrands are also becoming more and more popular and offer similar quality in the <200€ entry point that Seiko left vacant by raising the Seiko 5 line to 300-350€ RRP.

Citizen is a mixed bag of hideous pieces and hidden gems. Most of the Citizen designs I like are JDM watches, which, unfortunately, makes the value proposition less appealing. On the other hand, they are also more rare and refreshing designs not covered everywhere on social media.

I have one Orient and two Seiko and I could not choose which one would be better. I did not own a citizen to this point. I had two or three of their watches on my wrist but they didn't catch me.

I have an skx011j, citizen ny0125-83e, but no orient. I find the fit and finish to be the same for both. They are so similar and different at the same time. I really enjoy them both.

If Seiko would stop discontinuing and reissuing popular models at 3x the original price, then Seiko; otherwise Orient.

Not a Seiko5 fan, way to many QC issues.

I can't add any Citizen yet, as I don't prefer ticking second hands. They are more focused on eco drives.

Orient for a period of time was my favorite, till they raise prices on all models, and uninspired designs in newer models.

Seiko was my initial favorite, then 2nd favorite,and now back as favorite, after I gone a bit sour on orient.

Miyota Powered Micro.

I think value for money orient beats them both. With that being said I am a seiko fan boy always have been since I was a kid. They are losing me lately however but I find their designs more appealing than the other two. But one of my grail watches is a citizen bullhead like the one Brad Pitt had in the movie the Mexican. So I guess as I am writing this out I realize that I like all three brands and didn't help this thread at all 😂

The only thing that puts me off Orient is the stamped clasps, while their dials are beautiful. . Seiko dimensions are usually goldilocks perfect. Citizen seem to try to offer the most kit per buck. At that money I'll take a Promaster Challenge diver. Thanks

Orient seem to be the Kings of Vintage retro style, I don’t own any but I really like them . Like the Timex Marlin look which really is a GO dress watch copy , but this appeals to me personally. I like Seiko still but I have three already that will do me as I am done with their offerings for now , Citizen are good but I just don’t want to own more than 8 watches . PK has is right in that respect I believe. First world problems huh.

"Once upon a time in hollywood"

I have had all three in my collection in the past, and still have Seiko and Citizen favorites. I am not sure if I can choose between Seiko and Citizen, but I can say that Orient really has fallen off my radar over the last two years or so, and I have sold all my Orient pieces (well, one is still up for sale, but you get my meaning). In conjunction with having reached the great reduction stage in my collecting journey (I am reducing my collection to 30 watches), I have just come to feel pretty meh about Orient anymore. I have had a Bambino, a Mako II, a Monarch, a Defender and a Defender II, a Flight, a Sun and Moon Gen I, and an Orient Star, all of which have been sold. As I have been reducing my collection, I have had to really consider which watches I wear and really like. My Orient watches rarely saw any wrist time, and none of them were among my favorites. When I really thought about it, I realized that most of my Orient purchases had primarily been because of YouTubers telling everyone that they must have a Bambino because it is the best budget dress watch, or the Defender is a unique field watch, or the Sun and Moon looks like a luxury watch, etc. My strategy in reducing my collection is to keep those watches that I had to have as soon as I saw them and get rid of the rest. Hence, all my Orient watches are gone. Despite this, I will readily acknowledge Orient as a great value and quality brand. I never had any issues with my Orient watches.

I am not sure I can actually choose between Seiko and Citizen, as there are favorites from each brand. If I go strictly by number, Citizen would win over Seiko, four to three.

My four favorite Citizen watches

Citizen CQ Solar Cell (Brown Lump)

Citizen Promaster Nighthawk (My Nighty)

Citizen Promaster Diver (the best entry level diver on the market)

Citizen Promaster Land GMT World Time (completing my air, sea, and land trilogy)

My three favorite Seiko watches

Seiko SNJ025 "Arnie" (this one may be my favorite watch in my entire collection)

Seiko G757 Silver Wave (loved this dial/module ever since I saw the Sport 100 in Octopussy!)

Seiko SKX013 (a rekindled love affair ever since I added it back into my collection)

As I said above, based on number I would rate Citizen higher than Seiko. However, the Arnie may be my favorite watch in my entire collection and is definitely above the Citizen watches and top three in my entire collection, and the G757 is another top five favorite. Brown Lump is the only Citizen watch in my top five.

Seiko, Orient, or Citizen? Not really. Seiko are no longer offering any great value really, Citizen don't have a good design language at the lower end and the 8 series movements are not very good (their upper tier is rather good OTOH. Orient ridiculous pseudo heraldic logo always managed to annoy me. But what about Casio which IMO is the best value brand of the BIG four Japanese brands?

Orient makes the best dress watches in my opinion (Bambino 38mm). Seiko has the best dive watches. I got rid of a bunch of my Citizens bc they’re all Eco Drive and I prefer Mechanical.

I think I gotta vote Seiko, but I have no experience with Orient and very little with Citizen.

At 500$ I would go with a Seiko Samurai diver or an Orient Star diver.

Seiko is #1 for me. They have a nicer catalogue of stuff overall in a wide variety of price ranges. Also, that Orient logo is terrible and I'd never want it on my wrist, and Citizen as a brand name and logo is beige personified so it's also a no go. Their Tsuyosa recently caught my eye for my wife, but beyond that their designs aren't my thing overall.

For me….. and I currently own watches from all three, and have owned lots and lots, it depends on your collecting policy. Mine is simply I buy watches I like and am curious to own and sell watches when I feel they have run their course.

Seiko are probably the best bet for regaining funds, but I find Orient and Citizen are full of surprises.

Each to his/her own.