To me when I acquired this it was my endgame for Seiko watches. I’m not sure if I want to go above this tier. I love the look because of the green dial and gold accents that is the selling point and the compass feature is a bonus. I like that it can be somewhat sporty but elegant at the same time. When the strap breaks in I will be wearing this more and more
I have this watch (SPB121J1) and I am very fond of it. The size is absolutely perfect on my wrist and it is very attractive. It also has some versatility, can be worn with dressier attire (but probably not full-blown formal). What surprises me most is how many persons want to ditch the issued strap and slap on a NATO, doing that immediately downgrades the versatility and limits it to just being an explorer watch.
Please continue to feature watches from this shop. I have a milestone birthday coming up next year. As a diehard Canuck, I prefer to buy from Canadian businesses. Your website has been bookmarked.
This is my daily wear watch. Looks great on a brown leather or black NATO strap (I actually don't like the leather strap it comes with). Definitely a nice looking watch IMHO.
I have owned the SARB017 for a few years now and basically started the hobby with it. There was a LOT of hype surrounding this watch, and I definitely bought into it for a few years. Depending on how you want to treat this hobby, you might look for a watch that you can wear in a lot of situations, but I've discovered over time that other watches are better for the task (e.g. if hiking, get a Casio Pro Trek; if going to work, wear a dress watch; if at home, wear anything I want) so my Alpinist gets almost no wrist time now because other watches do it better or I just prefer the wearing experience more. Versatility vs fit for purpose. I'm reluctant to sell it, but I think it's inevitable. Might replace it and some other watches with another Alpinist, though, like the gray SPB243. That watch has a much wider operating range (clothes, situations, etc.) and doesn't have the useless inner compass bezel.
Its so popular that I have never in my life seen anyone wearing one. Kind of why I want one...but,I will wait for a re issue of the red that actually says alpanist on it
something i would love with this watch is if it had a satin finish case. some of the promotional pictures give the impression that it does. my seiko 5 has a satin case and i think it looks beautiful. this watch is dress but also utilitarian looking and i think a satin finish would lean more into the utility part making it look like a tool.
@NorthernWatchClub I definitely wouldn't attempt that myself, I don't have the tools or experience to take it apart to do that. Maybe after the manufacturer warranty is over if I can find anyone who offers that. Bead blasting the case and crown with silica beads would be my ideal finish, maybe finished off with a light stone wash as well.
@@nobody2021 yea I know with some polished bracelets (like on the oris aquis) some people brush the polished links for a more "tooly" effect but ya I wouldn't attempt it on my own for sure
I dunno why these are so popular, personally I have the SPB117 with the black dial and shark teeth, steel bracelet. I love mine, its accurate considering the unregulated movement. The quality and value for the price is what I believe is part of the formula, even though these used to retail for under $500 years ago, but hey.......inflation right.
I'm torn between getting this or a Hamilton Khaki Field Auto. Both seem like incredible watches for the price, just have to figure out which I want first.
@@joshslaughter8343 I have the khaki field auto, you can check my review on it if you want, both watches are cool I think the alpinist is a lot more interesting visually
I would get Alpinist for how unique it is. Plus it looks a lot more dressier than Hamilton, so more versatile. What works for Hamilton is the case polishing is better and I'm not sure but the movement is slightly more accurate.
@@aloknavalkar3089 Ended up getting the Hamilton Khaki Field Auto as an early birthday present for myself. Found a good deal on it and I'm loving it so far. Definitely gonna get the Alpinist sometime next year for sure.
In practice, only a minority truly collect watches. Most individuals simply desire a single timepiece to settle the matter and carry on with their lives. In such cases, opting for a versatile yet characterless watch can feel akin to driving a Toyota Corolla-even if it’s a Rolex. A "single watch man" should indeed seek versatility, but also a sense of individuality. In this regard, the Alpinist is nothing short of remarkable. After all, I have no desire to be predictable or bland. Especially for a rock climber like me.
I love watches and I love the outdoors. I already own a Hamilton Khaki Expedition and actually use the compass bezel. This watch in particular I love the color scheme and the ability to dress the watch up.
You can’t keep the watch in stock, you always try to have at least two, you’re showing a watch you sold to a friend. But, you don’t understand the appeal of the watch. Appreciate your honesty, but as a seller of what appears to be a well selling watch, why go there? Hope it continues to be a bestseller despite your comments to the contrary.
I think its the color mix of green, brown and gold for me! it has a mix of class and a rugged look. just like an alpinist!
For me this is the best looking watch ever made.. this is something else..
I fell in love with the green dial at first. This model also reminds me of when I first got into watches during Seikos 7s26 era.
@@pradohealey3000 I regret selling all my 7s26 Seikos :(
To me when I acquired this it was my endgame for Seiko watches. I’m not sure if I want to go above this tier. I love the look because of the green dial and gold accents that is the selling point and the compass feature is a bonus. I like that it can be somewhat sporty but elegant at the same time. When the strap breaks in I will be wearing this more and more
Lots of aftermarket bracelets to have fun with too
I own this one and I love it! Wearing it right now! None of the pics of video make it justice!
I bought the Rock Face dial while on a trip to Europe and I love it!
Didn't know it existed till I saw your comment, congrats!
I have this watch (SPB121J1) and I am very fond of it. The size is absolutely perfect on my wrist and it is very attractive. It also has some versatility, can be worn with dressier attire (but probably not full-blown formal). What surprises me most is how many persons want to ditch the issued strap and slap on a NATO, doing that immediately downgrades the versatility and limits it to just being an explorer watch.
@@underwaterlevelz1947 yea I always found it to be pretty dressy, if it didn't have the compass bezel I think it'd be a pretty dressy watch !
Will definitely be checking out that website. Congrats!
Please continue to feature watches from this shop. I have a milestone birthday coming up next year. As a diehard Canuck, I prefer to buy from Canadian businesses. Your website has been bookmarked.
@@CanadianBeachcomber Thanks for your support! More videos to come for sure :)
This is my daily wear watch. Looks great on a brown leather or black NATO strap (I actually don't like the leather strap it comes with). Definitely a nice looking watch IMHO.
I have owned the SARB017 for a few years now and basically started the hobby with it. There was a LOT of hype surrounding this watch, and I definitely bought into it for a few years.
Depending on how you want to treat this hobby, you might look for a watch that you can wear in a lot of situations, but I've discovered over time that other watches are better for the task (e.g. if hiking, get a Casio Pro Trek; if going to work, wear a dress watch; if at home, wear anything I want) so my Alpinist gets almost no wrist time now because other watches do it better or I just prefer the wearing experience more. Versatility vs fit for purpose. I'm reluctant to sell it, but I think it's inevitable. Might replace it and some other watches with another Alpinist, though, like the gray SPB243. That watch has a much wider operating range (clothes, situations, etc.) and doesn't have the useless inner compass bezel.
@@NotThatSlow nice! Very insightful, I just got the spb143 recently, will be making a video about that soon
Simple, bang for bucks. Just bought one. 😊
Enjoy :) I love the dial
I have the Australian version, it has a textured red dial, wavy and horizontal line pattern, instead of green.
@@DerangedHobbit nice I think I saw that one on JOMW's channel, must be hard to get
Its so popular that I have never in my life seen anyone wearing one.
Kind of why I want one...but,I will wait for a re issue of the red that actually says alpanist on it
@@60zeller if they remake it I hope they won't charge an arm and leg for it like the SLA 62 MAS models :/
something i would love with this watch is if it had a satin finish case. some of the promotional pictures give the impression that it does. my seiko 5 has a satin case and i think it looks beautiful. this watch is dress but also utilitarian looking and i think a satin finish would lean more into the utility part making it look like a tool.
@@nobody2021 some people actually brush their watches to make it less shiny I don't know if you want to attempt it lol
@NorthernWatchClub I definitely wouldn't attempt that myself, I don't have the tools or experience to take it apart to do that. Maybe after the manufacturer warranty is over if I can find anyone who offers that. Bead blasting the case and crown with silica beads would be my ideal finish, maybe finished off with a light stone wash as well.
@@nobody2021 yea I know with some polished bracelets (like on the oris aquis) some people brush the polished links for a more "tooly" effect but ya I wouldn't attempt it on my own for sure
I dunno why these are so popular, personally I have the SPB117 with the black dial and shark teeth, steel bracelet. I love mine, its accurate considering the unregulated movement. The quality and value for the price is what I believe is part of the formula, even though these used to retail for under $500 years ago, but hey.......inflation right.
I'm torn between getting this or a Hamilton Khaki Field Auto. Both seem like incredible watches for the price, just have to figure out which I want first.
@@joshslaughter8343 I have the khaki field auto, you can check my review on it if you want, both watches are cool I think the alpinist is a lot more interesting visually
I would get Alpinist for how unique it is. Plus it looks a lot more dressier than Hamilton, so more versatile. What works for Hamilton is the case polishing is better and I'm not sure but the movement is slightly more accurate.
@@aloknavalkar3089 Ended up getting the Hamilton Khaki Field Auto as an early birthday present for myself. Found a good deal on it and I'm loving it so far. Definitely gonna get the Alpinist sometime next year for sure.
In practice, only a minority truly collect watches. Most individuals simply desire a single timepiece to settle the matter and carry on with their lives. In such cases, opting for a versatile yet characterless watch can feel akin to driving a Toyota Corolla-even if it’s a Rolex.
A "single watch man" should indeed seek versatility, but also a sense of individuality. In this regard, the Alpinist is nothing short of remarkable. After all, I have no desire to be predictable or bland. Especially for a rock climber like me.
If indiana jines had a watch today. This woukd be it.......but the brown / gold version
I see 100 s of watches in a week . Just looking for what is appeals my taste . This is one of those . Cant say more.
You a watch dealer?
If you really want to know why it’s so popular it’s bc it’s beautiful
But most importantly it’s under 1000
I love watches and I love the outdoors. I already own a Hamilton Khaki Expedition and actually use the compass bezel. This watch in particular I love the color scheme and the ability to dress the watch up.
Nice! I guess the compass bezel is pretty useful afterall :)
The JDM only GMT version SBEJ005 is even better.
@@ClevaTreva that one looks very nice wow didn't know about it
@@NorthernWatchClub ...and it doesn't have a cyclops! 👍
You can’t keep the watch in stock, you always try to have at least two, you’re showing a watch you sold to a friend. But, you don’t understand the appeal of the watch. Appreciate your honesty, but as a seller of what appears to be a well selling watch, why go there? Hope it continues to be a bestseller despite your comments to the contrary.
If you are over 45 you will need a larger size.