I quit Seiko 25 years ago after getting stuck with two somewhat expensive watches with fatal QC issues that Seiko refused to fix; despite one of the watches coming from a national AD. The answer is simple: quit buying their products.
As long as it will let me swim around my pontoon boat in the lake I’m fine with it. May be time to start looking at Steeldive as well. If I have to work on them at least they are much cheaper to begin with
@@larsstougaard7097 I think there were things that people would overlook, back when a Seiko diver was like $175.00. But at half a grand or more? There's other options. We're certainly not short on choices these days.
Yep. The myriad QC issues used to be acceptable when they were charging $100-200 for autos.... I mean, what do you expect at that price? But crappy QC with models approaching 4 figures? Totally unacceptable. There's many other brands in that price range that have better finishing and QC than modern Seiko. Normal (not Grand) Seiko needs to step up their game if they want to "play with the big boys" so to speak.
I was done with Seiko well over a year ago. Stopped buying them and sold every one I had. Between the pore specs for what they costs and the QC issues it was a pretty easy decision for me. Zero regrets. Micro brands and Casio is where it's at for me these days.
I think it’s time for the watch community as a whole take a few months off from Seiko and be vocal about why. This is a good start. Maybe if we’re lucky, they’ll notice and start to work on it
I was getting tired of the QC and recent over-pricing and price-hiking so recently switched my beater/entry level watch buying from Seiko to Citizen. No QC problems, no alignment issues, second hands always hit the mark etc. etc. Many designs are over-sized or a little Teenage/Tonka-Toy looking but there are some real gems too. Very happy to be shopping elsewhere ;-)
@@M3LTUP Idk, I feel like ISO certification is overrated when most divers aren’t actually diving (and even then they don’t need to be certified). Plus any real diver uses a dive computer anyway. The Triton, the Orient Star diver, and (maybe?) the new M Force are certified divers though.
Orient makes better watches than seiko... Ive owned many orients. Love orient.. I just purchased my first seiko.... A blue dial turtle. Really like the watch. But it has mis alignments an the movement runs i think 2 minutes slow... I reminded myself why i never cared for seiko.... Im keeping this seiko turtle, in the future going to fix the mis aligenments but orient is a much better watch maker....
The Tissot Seastar is a tremendous value with 300 m water resistance, sapphire crystal, ceramic bezel insert and massive 70+ hour power reserve. Looks awesome too with the blue/black sunburst dial.
I was very tempted to pick up one of the 62mas re-issues, but after seeing how many of them came out of the oven with QC issues, I was put off from that entire release. Same with the Willards.
Yup, bought a 62mas re-issue as well, I love the look of it and it wears great. But runs about plus 25 sec a day fast on wrist. Within spec, but just ridiculous for a $1200 watch
The strange thing is that all Seiko diver's are ISO 6425 rated and thus, EVERY single watch is individually tested to the stringent ISO 6425 standards to label a watch as "Diver's 200m". That means that even with this long crown stem, this particular watch still passed the test, so i guess it's more of an aesthetic issue than a reliability one.
That's because there is no o-rings inside the crown like some higher priced divers like Rolex (actually has 3 at the crown). The o-ring that stops moisture at the crown area is on the stem inside the tube.
The thing with ISO 6425 is that it’s an honor system based thing. No one checks them for compliance since it isn’t a compliance standard, so there’s nothing saying that every seiko is ACTUALLY tested IAW 6425 🤷♂️
This is why my Seiko portion/section of my collection has dwindled down from an average of 10ish Down to five or six permanent keepers… This is why I have not purchased a Seiko watch In more than a year and a half And have Instead taken My money elsewhere… I’ve purchased 20 watches this year… Some big brand, micro brand, ranging in price from $200 to $1500...I refuse to give my once-favorite-brand My hard earned money any more.Thanks for pointing out the BS that we are being force-fed by Seiko...!
My brand new Orient Mako III was delivered with a an issue where on the wrist it would gain +60 s/d due to flawed mainspring barrel, which was fixed under warranty. But from Seiko at 500$ range I would expect much better QC, and I was under impression Seiko had a good QC until now. I think such respectable brand should not allowed such big issues happening at all.
I do love Seiko, but they do have some major QC issues. My favorite watch that I own is the gild turtle..... that being said, it has one big issue. The hands don’t quite line up to all the hour markers. I just recently noticed this too. If I set it to 6 o’clock, the hour hand is just past the marker maybe about 5 minutes. Annoying but I still wear it anyway. Thanks for the video Rob, I always appreciate your input!!
I’ve only got two Seiko with 6R15 movements (SARB17 and 53MAS). Both behaved in exactly the same way; 16 sec/day fast out of the box, but within a few weeks of wearing had settled down to around 2sec/day fast. My son’s 6R35 Alpinist behaved the same too.
Earlier this year i bought a Seiko SARX045 from SeiyaJapan. A really nice watch overall, but there were some quality issues with the watch i got. On the dial there were some noticeable specks of metal shavings/dust, and one of the lugs on the case wasnt a quite a perfect fit for the endlinks on the bracelet, requiring a bit of extra fiddling to seat the spring bars. With some very generous help from Seiya, i was able to return the watch to Seiko in Japan for repair (which took nearly 3 months), but when i got it back, it still had bits of dust sprinkled on the dial, just less of it. They also downgraded the movement inside, changing it from a 6R15D (the newest version of that movement) to an older 6R15C. Not a huge change, but isnt it odd to send the watch for repair, and when you get it back it still has the same issues, and they also manage to somehow downgrade the watch? I also have reason to suspect that the 6R15C movement that i got was just a spare movement they had laying around, possibly taken from another watch, because the rotor and gears inside the watch look scratched up and dirty. I really like Seiko, but this whole experience has been very frustrating. Until they manage to remedy the quality issues, i wont be buying more watches from them, atleast not in the mid range since I've got $100 Seiko 5s in my collection with none of the same issues
It's frustrating because an outfit like San Martin produces Seiko HOMAGES with better quality control and specs than an actual Seiko. For a lower price at that!
@@Erik-xy5xj yeah I mean when the monster was like 200 street price some level of QC issues I could deal with, and maybe some very minor stuff when the alpinist was say 400 bucks. But the 400 dollar stuff with issues was irritating, the 600-1000 dollar stuff with issues is borderline lemon law type stupid
The only way to buy a seiko is to see it in person or as I did with my last one because of lockdown, ask the dealer to photograph the watch prior to purchase.
I've also stopped buying Seiko. I've yet to buy a Seiko that is well regulated. My 6r15 was close to +25 and my recent Mini Turtle was over +30. How come microbrands can consistently put out NH35 based watches that outperform the "official" Seiko derivative. In thier defense, customer service in the UK is great. Both watches were regulated properly by them, even though one was a JDM. I've had a few Citizens over the years. Better in every way to my Seiko experiences and now my go to for everyday fun type watches.
I’ve only ever had one Seiko, a 5 and it’s great I don’t have any complaints. I’ve just always been more attracted to Citizen watches at the same price point and i’ve never had a QC issue that I noticed.
I had fatal issue with the calibre (super speed, 14 mins in 1 hour), lucky Seiko agrees to recalibrate (or change whole calibre) for me and Citizen at same price point of Seiko always at higher end
Coincidentally, my new PADI Monster was delivered today. I was relieved to see the bezel is aligned, but then I noticed it has a hairline scratch on the bezel. 🤦🏻♂️
I'm pretty much done with sub $1000 seikos. Why can a $400 micro brand align things and a $1000 seiko can't? I've become much more picky with watch purchased and my focus has shifted to higher end watches for the most part. The only sub $1k watches I'll consider are all microbrands. Zelos is a stand out. I'd rather buy a $1500 CW or Sinn or Hamilton than a $500 seiko. With seiko increasing their prices, there should have been a commensurate increase in QC...and put a freaking sapphire crystal in for God's sake! You literally have to spend $1000 to get a sumo before you get sapphire! WTF..micros do it for $300 with a ceramic bezel to boot! The problem with all of this is once you get north of $1000 or even in the marine master range, there's just so many better options than seiko. If I had $2500 to spend, seiko isn't the first to come to mind. You definitely re-opened a wound on this topic!
For me being done with seiko is not an option. Its hard to explain but the love for their style is in-born. From birth and seiko holic's can't explain it. my blue willard is perfect in all aspects and running as of last month 0.6s/day now. perfect bezel, hands, alignment. So they can do it right...seiko lottery is the running joke! lol but my 63mas 143 was terrible hands alignment, and dust on dial. I had to fix that. Green willard had same hands alignment issue as well but ran perfectly. sold the green. its a gem tho. miss it dearly! green willard i recommend it rob. You'll love it. but the more you wear it the more you'll love it. try 3weeks. :P
Did the seiko cool aid! I even bought a SLA017. Even on that watch the bezel was not aligned. Vey disappointing for that price point... You can’t buy on online if you suffer from alignment OCD, as I do. You have to buy at the retailer. I’ve sold all but a SKX007. I don’t think I’ll be venturing near seiko any time soon.
It’s really a shame that Seiko’s QC is like this. It’s crazy too because some of their more common watches are getting huge price jacks with no change to quality or parts. On Amazon, Seiko’s “date-just” clone used to sell for about $130.., now it’s over $230. Nothing changed with the watch...
I agree with you. I bought a Samurai a couple of years ago and nothing on the face lines up! Also, the crown is not centered between the shoulders. I never wear it.
The worst thing is when you get a new watch, and love it to death for several days or weeks and then one day you notice some tiny QC issue that you initially didn't spot and it ruins the watch for you.. now its a flipper. Happens to me 7/10 times whenever i get a new watch, or i happen to notice it straight away.
I've bought SO many Seikos, and like you, I keep getting sucked back in. The green Willard I bought was the last straw...the 6R35 movements on both my green and black model were completely inconsistent...I sold them. I'm not willing to spend my hard-earned money on their watches any longer.
I have a Seiko 5. It’s decades old. I have it serviced from time to time and it just keeps on going. Recently I purchased two of the new Seiko solar powered watches, one for my son and the other I kept for myself. What absolute rubbish. I didn’t notice the the made in China sticker on the back until after the purchase. Both watches failed within warranty. Mine went back three times. My sons lasted a bit longer than mine before failing. In the end I tossed the piece of rubbish in the garbage and bought a Tissot T-Complication Skeleton. The Tissot has a simple Unitas 6497-1 movement. It never misses a beat. I recently purchased a Longines Master Collection moon phase chronograph. The Longines is finished beautifully and keeps time to within just under a second per day. At least with a Swiss watch you know it’s not coming out of China. I’m done with Seiko. It’s sad that a once respected watchmaker is turning out garbage products made in China.
Rob I flip flop on this all the time. I get so frustrated with seiko QC issues, but I do have a couple of seikos which are definitely in the top 5 favorite watches I’ve ever owned. I have refocused on other brands recently.
I am 2 for 2 with my Seikos. Dial alignment on SRPA21, bezel alignment on SRPA83. Very small deviances on both. Livable, but fixable for even more money. I also have 3 Heimdallrs, 2 Steeldives and an Invicta Pro Diver, with zero QC issues, and better specs. "IF", I buy another Seiko, it will be in my hands before I pay in the future. Will never "order" another one. I really do want the SRPC91, but not willing to order one.
Agreed. Although I love my Turtles and Samurais, I've had entirely too many quality issues. Everything should line up at ANY price point! Sticking with my personal favorites...Oris, Alpina, Victorinox, Hamilton, Tissot and even my way over priced Tag Heuers.
Good explanation of the problem. The bean counters are squeezing for the shareholders. Each iso watch is individually tested for 200 meters, so I think it's water proof.
Something similar happened to me with the new Seiko Diver 38 (beautiful small solar diver) as soon as I bought it I noticed the issue with the crown thread. I had to return it since that for a diver watch it was unacceptable since it compromises the water resistance. I have been looking at the spb43 but I have seen a couple of reviews where people have same issues with the crown and that is a $1200 watch. I gave seiko a chance but Citizen watches QC is far way better.
Sorry that happened Rob, I'd love to see you do some work on it, but I've seen enough of your videos to know the frustration so I don't blame you for not wanting to fix. Seiko shouldn't be so careless though I agree. I think they are used to getting away with QC issues, similarly to Rolex that "Just one more watch" pointed out. Not as severe maybe but still disappointing.
Just bought a SPB149J1 and the threading on the crown feels 'gritty' when screwing it down/out. Same as my SARB017. I know you can clean it off with floss but you shouldn't have to. And it's running at +15 - not great for a $1000 watch.
IMO. Seiko in 2020 is not same Seiko from 2010. Stuff they made prior to 2015 seems to have better QC. The good news is that most of the "issues" can be easily fixed by a good watch guy. But why should you have to fix it when it's new ?
Hm. I´ve had only 1 out of 5 Seiko models which had a misalligned chapter ring. No other faults. Just about 2 mm off to the left. Sold it. Got 95% of the price I paid back! My other 4 Seiko models (SKX007, SRP515K1, SSC625P1, SNK807) are perfectly fine.
Since the nineties and early tenties there happened to be new policies of less quality for higher prices. For the sake of higher profits and higher shareholder value. This predatory policies originated, guess where, in the USA, tempted to say ‚of course‘. Same with motorcycles and many more products, all around the world. Sad that it infected Seiko as well.
Paid over $800 for a SBDC063 MM200 and the bezel insert and hands aren’t aligned. Hour hand is slightly behind the minute hand. AND there’s a black speck on one of the lumed indices on the dial. Regardless, it’s still one of my favorite watches even in comparison to my seamaster 300 and BB58
Yup. I love seiko designs but i have 60 dollar invictas that get it right. I am willing to live with the ones i already have but no willing to move ahead with them anymore unless i get it in hand at a brick and mortar
I'm with you, but I would have to buy it from the brick and mortar store while getting the online price, which they won't do. So that takes the only option of buying another Seiko away from me.
I have a Seiko Kinetic diver I purchased around 2006 I have had it serviced a couple of times. I have worn this watch daily since new. The watch is 100% percent original bezel, crystal, band etc... I purchased a Seiko PADI turtle and the band has broken three times in less than a year with occasional wear. It now sports a NATO style band. The new watch does not have the quality of the older Seiko. I am back to wearing the older kinetic watch daily again and have started researching alternate brands.
I had a Turtle with this crown issue. Rinsed it under water once just to get the sweat off, then gently towel dried it. Next day it was completely fogged. F Seiko.
Send it to Lume Shot. He's awesome! Sorry about your QC issue. I can relate. My JDM was jacked up too. And I almost sent it to him. Thankfully my local guy was able to fix it. Yeah man, it's tough love but keep the pressure on. Seiko has to perform better than the microbrands. I'm not quite "done" with Seiko but I'm upset too. Thanks for the channel, thanks for the vids! Can't wait for a 2020 "best of RR" highlight video. Good luck!
There is no o-ring inside that Seiko Crown so water entering the case isn't an issue. The o-ring is on the stem inside the tube. even if the crown is left unscrewed the water protection is there. And I think you're correct, looks like the stem wasn't sized correctly, appears to be too long. For most part screw down crowns are designed to protect the stem (weakest part of a watch) from a bang, same reason for crown guards. You could shorten the stem yourself, it's not difficult. But you could actually leave it alone, like I said, the water protection is not compromised by the way it is.
@RandomUser221 Some folks expectations of inexpensive watches is so unrealistic. But I do think the crown/stem on this Monster slid between the cracks.
It's interesting seeing all of the QC issues that others have with Seiko. If I had that happen repeatedly, it'd surely result in me buying less of them. I think I've been incredibly lucky, because I've not yet experienced it with any of my Seikos. But, as they continue to raise their prices, I can see it becoming a much bigger factor for those buying them. When they were cheaper, it's still no okay to have poor QC, but it's more palatable. But there are so many watches out there now that are the same price, or less, that have great QC, especially in the microbrand space.
But the stem on a diver can’t be shortened. It’s permanently cinched to the crown. You need a new crown and stem assembly. It can’t be repaired, it can only be replaced. You should be able to source a new crown from CousinsUK.
I haven't got a seiko in 1 year. I got 2 and had to sent them back. Because things were awefull one had a huge misalignment and the other the bassel would rotate both ways on a diver is not acceptable. Am back to citizen and casio for daily and microbrands for higher end
I have a turtle triple seven lying around in the box with a poorly aligned bezel insert. I don‘t wear it. I fixed the same problem on my Steinhart vintage red myself, and now it‘s my favourite watch (until my Tutima arrives, I guess). I didn‘t wear it before. Because of this issue. I‘m not gonna buy any Seikos again without inspecting them personally, and Steinhart gets back every watch with the slightest issue on the double (luckily they are very friendly, and not far away from me). The only way Seiko will change that is a massive protest online combined with a significant decrease in sales. Other than that they will keep on doing what they are doing. Because we let them...
I bought quite a few seiko 5s around 30 years ago and they were always perfect and I still have all of them today.....2 of the 3 seikos I bought in the last 3 years have had issues particularly a sea urchin.....I don't think theyre as well made as they used to be.
Sorry about that crown issue, what a major oversight. Hope you got it fixed. I'm done with Seiko...not buying anymore watches from them and als going to sell the 3 that I own. No longer want to support the brand.
The only watches I have had any QC issues with have been Zelos. In fact every Zelos I have bought has had some obvious QC issue, some more than one. I like the brand hope they get their act together but if you can't get one because its sold out - may not be a bad thing at the moment.
Part of the problem (like you mentioned) is that their are so many of these prospex watches sold online that you just get stuck with stuff. And online retailers like sakura and many other places have a note when you buy them that they will be misaligned. I mean at that point they’re just openly telling you they are selling you something substandard. The part that is really disheartening is that they are watches like the mm200 for double what the last gen.costed. And its the same quality control. I realize at 500 bucks there is going to be some short cuts on a watch, but when they are charging what the willards and other 6r35 prospex watches are it starts getting really hard to look past.
I’ll stick with buying more G-Shocks. I’m not selling my current Seikos, but I’ve been burned by many Seikos so I’m not throwing more money in their direction. The ones I do have had to be opened at some time to fix at least one fault. My SARB033 doesn’t have any fit problems but the timekeeping used to be terrible. Every Seiko I’ve had either was inaccurate or the daily rate slipped horribly around the 6 months-1 year mark.
I'm planning on getting a Seiko king turtle shark fin dial, but these QC issues that so many report really make me question how I'm gonna go about it. It'll have to be an authorized dealer, in case I decide to send it back, and maybe I'll email them in advance to check for proper bezel alignment. I'd hate to hassle a small dealer over nitpicky things, but what other option is there? Go to Orient? Citizen?
I have been done with Seiko after many years of enjoying the brand. I cannot deal with all the QC issues. Plus they raise the price and keep the quality the same which is horrible. I purchased a Willard and sold it within a week. An over $1k watch with bezel and alignment issues. Done! I will purchase a micro brand way before owning another Seiko.
This is why I refuse to buy a Seiko sight unseen these days (unless I can return it for a full refund). It’s clear that Seiko does not car about their QC. They keep increasing the price of their watches, but they don’t make the quality any better.
I purchased a LE Seiko SRPD15 Blue Butterflyfish on eBay and the seller contacted me, telling me the crown had "an issue" and I would have to wait another month to get a different watch. Nope, didn't even bother. Bright side was I found the exact same watch for about $100 cheaper the same day so I bought the lower priced watch and asked the original seller I bought from to refund the sale. Worked out for me this time and I dodged that QC bullet but I've got my 2 Seiko watches in the box now and I'm done until they clean this problem up. It's almost like they try to have these issues so folks will buy up for a Grand Seiko instead.
I just got the new no crown alpinist in green. Everything is great but the 6R35 has major issues amplitude is 190 and it runs +35 a day. Not good for $750. It’s going back for service and not a week old. Seiko, you can do better.
I'm done with Seiko mid range stuff. I'll only buy cheap now. My sbdc111 keeps horrible time. I love the watch but it gains 45 seconds a day which is unacceptable for a watch in that price range.
Good eye Rob, I kinda figured you would do a follow up vid from the last Zimbe review. I only have 1 Seiko Kinetic from 1993 and probably won't get a newer one. I'm happy with homages like my Heimdallr sharkey Orange Monster with no alignment issues and better specs than what Seiko is releasing imho.
I have accumulated more than 30 Seikos over the past 20 years, and I love them to bits ... QC issues and all. They have so much character. However, I won’t be buying any new Seikos at the prices they are now charging.
I am considering to give a try to the chinese Seiko homage companies like Proxima, Steeldive and Heimdalar which seem to not have these QC issues and are using saphire crystals and ceramic bezel inserts in a watch for 180 USD.
Ive had a few bad ones myself. All of mine were movement issues though. I had the sarb017 alpinist before i got the new white one. The green alpinist ran fine and then all the sudden it gains like 20 minutes a day and its not magnetized. Got a save the ocean turtle when they came out and it looses 2 mins a day out of the box. Dont feel like hassling with them so they collect dust now. Im on the borderline of giving them away. But the new white alpinist runs and looks great, ive had a SKX thats litterally been beat to death and still runs about +12 after 8 years of abuse, i just got the new SRPE45 38mm cocktail time and the dial is amazing and its running great. It is hard because they really have been putting out good stuff lately but out of the 6 ive bought 2 were garbage and 4 are great. That's really bad. Love hate relationship for sure. Ive never had a QC issue that really bothered me with a Swiss or German watch and ive owned and flipped tons. Maybe some extremely small dust particle on the dial but thats it. We're not comparing apples to apples either though.
Bezel or chapter ring defects that are out by fractions and trigger the OCD in the watch community is one thing. This is a genuine issue that compromises the watches use. First a regular buyer might have known about this is when their watch is full of water.
I'm not buying the newer Seiko models because they are crazy expensive and you wouldn't want a Willard at 1300$ with QC issues (I surely don't). I've become very picky with watches lately and I am also on a purge path right now. The only watch that I want to buy at this point is the CW C60 Sapphire, that's it. The C60 Sapphire seems like a lot more watch than pretty much every Seiko there is at this point on the market (not counting the real higher end models, those that have the 8L35 movements inside and the Grand Seiko).
What a mess! That is probably the reason why i no longer buy seiko DIVERS. i had a bunch lf them (turtle, solar titanium jdm, skx013, mini turtle) and everyone had qc issues... then i got a presage which was fine but now i sold it for my new alpinist mountain glacier le. The alpinist also is ok and everything lines up but i think the most qc issues appears in their diver category... it really bums me that these qc issues also move up from their sub 500 section (5kx, monsters, turtles) to their mid tier 1000ish section (willard, mm200s...) which i think is totally unacceptable!
Looks like the gold flange is actually further away from the case then your other model. I wonder if that is pushing the crown/stem out further from the movement
Didn't you know that the reason they charge double or more is because it takes work for them to f their watches up, and they want make damn sure you pay for it! Just think, no 2 watches will be the same with their horrible qc!
@@waktosha7378 and enough damn fools will buy it lol. I gave up on seiko when i paid $750 for a special edition padi and it had a misaligned chapter ring.
You say you don't think it could survive a bowl of water, and yet (supposedly) this isn't just a "dive watch," but an ISO rated Diver's watch, meaning this exact example, not just some random one from the production line, should've been tested to 250M to meet the ISO spec. Wouldn't these not be ISO complaint if Seiko isn't testing every single one for WR?
Love Seiko too but yeah, for now, done with the brand. Time Teller made a vid like 2 weeks ago suggesting Seiko lovers defect to Orient and it makes sense. Add to this, you got brands like San Martin which use Seiko movements anyway and make homages of all the major Seiko models.
They seriously need to do something with the quality control... Even 1000$+ Seiko's have issues especially alignment issues... I bought a spb083j1 and the bezel doesn't align. It's just getting ridiculous at this point.
I got me brand new a SBDC053 and a SLA037 and both of them have severe problems with the crown. They are now via my watchshop shipped off to the distributor for repair. Let's see how that one goes. Anyhow, totally unacepatable, especially for a watch like the SLA. I am very disappointed with Seiko. There is an old saying that comes from Japan that says "zero mistakes" and Seiko has a lot of work to live up to that philosophy.
Even though it's a jdm model. Can you not send this for repair/return under warranty to Seiko's US HQ. Surely the responsibility for this shouldn't be laid on Random R's shoulders .....
Only way that Seiko will ever do right by their products and stop with the crappy QC issues is if a big media platform writes an article about it. Someone like Hodinkee, now that would send shockwaves through the Watch community. I love Seiko. .or loved I guess... But there is ZERO excuse for their constant QC issues and prices just going up.
Oddly enough, I'm not too bothered with QC issues in regards to built and finish. As long as it's ticking properly, I'm fine. I buy watches for the looks, never take it to diving or even shower. But I have to admit that Citizen have much much superior built quality than Seiko. Too bad Citizen don't offer much choices in terms of mechanical watches.
What about Orient? Same issues? If Orient QC is better, buy tjem instead. Having said that, my three Seikos, two from gray dealers, have no QC issue. Cheers, Rob.
I quit Seiko 25 years ago after getting stuck with two somewhat expensive watches with fatal QC issues that Seiko refused to fix; despite one of the watches coming from a national AD. The answer is simple: quit buying their products.
i don't buy Seiko anymore because you get so much more value from micro brands
As long as it will let me swim around my pontoon boat in the lake I’m fine with it. May be time to start looking at Steeldive as well. If I have to work on them at least they are much cheaper to begin with
Except they are always sold out.
Fact
Yep, micro brands are often a way better option. Seiko treat customers very poorly.
@@primecreator you're paying for the logo on the dial more than anything...(and it is a nice logo), probably better than what most microbrands have.
Unacceptable, especially considering the prices keep going up.
Agree prices just go up and up, tons of expensive limited editions and QC is no better. Shame on you greedy Seiko, Im out.
@@larsstougaard7097 I think there were things that people would overlook, back when a Seiko diver was like $175.00. But at half a grand or more? There's other options. We're certainly not short on choices these days.
@@RyTyme totally agree, Seiko force us to explore more, which is great in a way. Time to dive deep 😁🐳
Yep. The myriad QC issues used to be acceptable when they were charging $100-200 for autos.... I mean, what do you expect at that price?
But crappy QC with models approaching 4 figures? Totally unacceptable. There's many other brands in that price range that have better finishing and QC than modern Seiko.
Normal (not Grand) Seiko needs to step up their game if they want to "play with the big boys" so to speak.
They charge more to cut corners these days. 😁
I was done with Seiko well over a year ago. Stopped buying them and sold every one I had. Between the pore specs for what they costs and the QC issues it was a pretty easy decision for me. Zero regrets. Micro brands and Casio is where it's at for me these days.
I think it’s time for the watch community as a whole take a few months off from Seiko and be vocal about why. This is a good start. Maybe if we’re lucky, they’ll notice and start to work on it
Ok let’s do it, after I get the Willard.......lol
Thats what I was thinking to🤔
@@RandomRobReviews Hey, if you like playing the lottery ;p
I was getting tired of the QC and recent over-pricing and price-hiking so recently switched my beater/entry level watch buying from Seiko to Citizen. No QC problems, no alignment issues, second hands always hit the mark etc. etc. Many designs are over-sized or a little Teenage/Tonka-Toy looking but there are some real gems too. Very happy to be shopping elsewhere ;-)
Yes, a lot of people are turned off by Seiko's QC, but they still have a ton more people who will keep on buying Seiko, no matter what.
Yup it is what it is. Stick with orient, everything is better including the price.
Except most Orient models are not ISO certified. In all fairness i have no idea how Seiko passes ISO6425 with some of these issues.
@@M3LTUP Idk, I feel like ISO certification is overrated when most divers aren’t actually diving (and even then they don’t need to be certified). Plus any real diver uses a dive computer anyway. The Triton, the Orient Star diver, and (maybe?) the new M Force are certified divers though.
I love my kamasu
Islanders are great too
Orient makes better watches than seiko... Ive owned many orients. Love orient.. I just purchased my first seiko.... A blue dial turtle. Really like the watch. But it has mis alignments an the movement runs i think 2 minutes slow... I reminded myself why i never cared for seiko.... Im keeping this seiko turtle, in the future going to fix the mis aligenments but orient is a much better watch maker....
The Tissot Seastar is a tremendous value with 300 m water resistance, sapphire crystal, ceramic bezel insert and massive 70+ hour power reserve. Looks awesome too with the blue/black sunburst dial.
You never go to the drive through you always walk up to the window because they F you in the drive through 😂😂😂
Had to watch that movie clip today. So true
@@RandomRobReviews heehee
Who gets F'd? Leo gets F'd? LOL
It’s like Leo is us seiko fans, and seiko is the drive thru. Yup pretty much sums it all up
The Seikos from Wish probably have better QC
A fake Seiko is pretty easy to spot, if the bezel is aligned it's a fake.
@@Bierkameel Love it! LOL
They've jacked up their prices while trashing their QC.
Seiko is OVER.
I was very tempted to pick up one of the 62mas re-issues, but after seeing how many of them came out of the oven with QC issues, I was put off from that entire release. Same with the Willards.
Just bought one. Beautiful looking watch imo. The crown threading feels 'gritty' and it's running at +15 a day. Otherwise, it's perfect!
Yup, bought a 62mas re-issue as well, I love the look of it and it wears great. But runs about plus 25 sec a day fast on wrist. Within spec, but just ridiculous for a $1200 watch
The strange thing is that all Seiko diver's are ISO 6425 rated and thus, EVERY single watch is individually tested to the stringent ISO 6425 standards to label a watch as "Diver's 200m". That means that even with this long crown stem, this particular watch still passed the test, so i guess it's more of an aesthetic issue than a reliability one.
That's because there is no o-rings inside the crown like some higher priced divers like Rolex (actually has 3 at the crown). The o-ring that stops moisture at the crown area is on the stem inside the tube.
Oh, come on.
The thing with ISO 6425 is that it’s an honor system based thing. No one checks them for compliance since it isn’t a compliance standard, so there’s nothing saying that every seiko is ACTUALLY tested IAW 6425 🤷♂️
If ISO is real and not fake ( marketing only).
you really think they test every watch?
This is why my Seiko portion/section of my collection has dwindled down from an average of 10ish Down to five or six permanent keepers… This is why I have not purchased a Seiko watch In more than a year and a half And have Instead taken My money elsewhere… I’ve purchased 20 watches this year… Some big brand, micro brand, ranging in price from $200 to $1500...I refuse to give my once-favorite-brand My hard earned money any more.Thanks for pointing out the BS that we are being force-fed by Seiko...!
My brand new Orient Mako III was delivered with a an issue where on the wrist it would gain +60 s/d due to flawed mainspring barrel, which was fixed under warranty. But from Seiko at 500$ range I would expect much better QC, and I was under impression Seiko had a good QC until now. I think such respectable brand should not allowed such big issues happening at all.
I do love Seiko, but they do have some major QC issues. My favorite watch that I own is the gild turtle..... that being said, it has one big issue. The hands don’t quite line up to all the hour markers. I just recently noticed this too. If I set it to 6 o’clock, the hour hand is just past the marker maybe about 5 minutes. Annoying but I still wear it anyway. Thanks for the video Rob, I always appreciate your input!!
Jody from JOMW had a new Willard running -16 sec/day out of the box. And alignment issues as well.
And that's a good one! Lol
Yeah that’s really sad. Even Chinese homages get stuff aligned most of the time
That is just unbelievable...🙈
I’ve only got two Seiko with 6R15 movements (SARB17 and 53MAS). Both behaved in exactly the same way; 16 sec/day fast out of the box, but within a few weeks of wearing had settled down to around 2sec/day fast. My son’s 6R35 Alpinist behaved the same too.
I stopped buying Seiko. QC is very disappointing.
Earlier this year i bought a Seiko SARX045 from SeiyaJapan. A really nice watch overall, but there were some quality issues with the watch i got. On the dial there were some noticeable specks of metal shavings/dust, and one of the lugs on the case wasnt a quite a perfect fit for the endlinks on the bracelet, requiring a bit of extra fiddling to seat the spring bars.
With some very generous help from Seiya, i was able to return the watch to Seiko in Japan for repair (which took nearly 3 months), but when i got it back, it still had bits of dust sprinkled on the dial, just less of it. They also downgraded the movement inside, changing it from a 6R15D (the newest version of that movement) to an older 6R15C. Not a huge change, but isnt it odd to send the watch for repair, and when you get it back it still has the same issues, and they also manage to somehow downgrade the watch? I also have reason to suspect that the 6R15C movement that i got was just a spare movement they had laying around, possibly taken from another watch, because the rotor and gears inside the watch look scratched up and dirty.
I really like Seiko, but this whole experience has been very frustrating. Until they manage to remedy the quality issues, i wont be buying more watches from them, atleast not in the mid range since I've got $100 Seiko 5s in my collection with none of the same issues
I never understood this. Why do cheaper watches have better QC? So embarrassing. It’s almost like they’re doing it on purpose after all these years
The really sad part, you play the same game with Pagani watches when it comes to qc. Hell, I think Invicta might have a better track record.
@@Nothingtoya Never thought I would say those words, Invicta is the way to go forward 😁🤯
@@larsstougaard7097 😄
@@Nothingtoya Invi cta is great anyway.
It's frustrating because an outfit like San Martin produces Seiko HOMAGES with better quality control and specs than an actual Seiko. For a lower price at that!
Seiko was great at sub 500, but yikes definitely not at like 600- a grand. I can’t forgive QC issues at that price from an established brand
Agree. The QC issues should disappear above $500.
@@M3LTUP Tf even at 3-400$ they should not have misaligned chapter rings/bezels
@@Erik-xy5xj yeah I mean when the monster was like 200 street price some level of QC issues I could deal with, and maybe some very minor stuff when the alpinist was say 400 bucks. But the 400 dollar stuff with issues was irritating, the 600-1000 dollar stuff with issues is borderline lemon law type stupid
The only way to buy a seiko is to see it in person or as I did with my last one because of lockdown, ask the dealer to photograph the watch prior to purchase.
I used to love Seiko so much.... And now i just can't.
I feel the same way!
I only buy vintage Seiko. Before 1985. When they were great.
I've also stopped buying Seiko. I've yet to buy a Seiko that is well regulated. My 6r15 was close to +25 and my recent Mini Turtle was over +30. How come microbrands can consistently put out NH35 based watches that outperform the "official" Seiko derivative. In thier defense, customer service in the UK is great. Both watches were regulated properly by them, even though one was a JDM.
I've had a few Citizens over the years. Better in every way to my Seiko experiences and now my go to for everyday fun type watches.
I’ve only ever had one Seiko, a 5 and it’s great I don’t have any complaints. I’ve just always been more attracted to Citizen watches at the same price point and i’ve never had a QC issue that I noticed.
I had fatal issue with the calibre (super speed, 14 mins in 1 hour), lucky Seiko agrees to recalibrate (or change whole calibre) for me
and Citizen at same price point of Seiko always at higher end
Coincidentally, my new PADI Monster was delivered today. I was relieved to see the bezel is aligned, but then I noticed it has a hairline scratch on the bezel. 🤦🏻♂️
Im not surprised, hope its ok though, congrats.
@@larsstougaard7097 Thanks!
I'm pretty much done with sub $1000 seikos.
Why can a $400 micro brand align things and a $1000 seiko can't? I've become much more picky with watch purchased and my focus has shifted to higher end watches for the most part. The only sub $1k watches I'll consider are all microbrands. Zelos is a stand out.
I'd rather buy a $1500 CW or Sinn or Hamilton than a $500 seiko.
With seiko increasing their prices, there should have been a commensurate increase in QC...and put a freaking sapphire crystal in for God's sake! You literally have to spend $1000 to get a sumo before you get sapphire! WTF..micros do it for $300 with a ceramic bezel to boot!
The problem with all of this is once you get north of $1000 or even in the marine master range, there's just so many better options than seiko. If I had $2500 to spend, seiko isn't the first to come to mind.
You definitely re-opened a wound on this topic!
For me being done with seiko is not an option. Its hard to explain but the love for their style is in-born. From birth and seiko holic's can't explain it. my blue willard is perfect in all aspects and running as of last month 0.6s/day now. perfect bezel, hands, alignment. So they can do it right...seiko lottery is the running joke! lol but my 63mas 143 was terrible hands alignment, and dust on dial. I had to fix that. Green willard had same hands alignment issue as well but ran perfectly. sold the green. its a gem tho. miss it dearly! green willard i recommend it rob. You'll love it. but the more you wear it the more you'll love it. try 3weeks. :P
Did the seiko cool aid! I even bought a SLA017. Even on that watch the bezel was not aligned. Vey disappointing for that price point...
You can’t buy on online if you suffer from alignment OCD, as I do. You have to buy at the retailer. I’ve sold all but a SKX007. I don’t think I’ll be venturing near seiko any time soon.
It’s really a shame that Seiko’s QC is like this. It’s crazy too because some of their more common watches are getting huge price jacks with no change to quality or parts. On Amazon, Seiko’s “date-just” clone used to sell for about $130.., now it’s over $230. Nothing changed with the watch...
I think everyone should make videos of the qc issues. Seiko will take notice. Especially, when the get hit in the pocketbook.
I agree with you. I bought a Samurai a couple of years ago and nothing on the face lines up! Also, the crown is not centered between the shoulders. I never wear it.
The worst thing is when you get a new watch, and love it to death for several days or weeks and then one day you notice some tiny QC issue that you initially didn't spot and it ruins the watch for you.. now its a flipper. Happens to me 7/10 times whenever i get a new watch, or i happen to notice it straight away.
I've bought SO many Seikos, and like you, I keep getting sucked back in. The green Willard I bought was the last straw...the 6R35 movements on both my green and black model were completely inconsistent...I sold them. I'm not willing to spend my hard-earned money on their watches any longer.
Citizen all the way....⌚️
I like Citizen too. They seem to be doing alot of things right.
Orient first for me. Citizen is second for now.
I have a Seiko 5. It’s decades old. I have it serviced from time to time and it just keeps on going. Recently I purchased two of the new Seiko solar powered watches, one for my son and the other I kept for myself. What absolute rubbish. I didn’t notice the the made in China sticker on the back until after the purchase. Both watches failed within warranty. Mine went back three times. My sons lasted a bit longer than mine before failing. In the end I tossed the piece of rubbish in the garbage and bought a Tissot T-Complication Skeleton. The Tissot has a simple Unitas 6497-1 movement. It never misses a beat. I recently purchased a Longines Master Collection moon phase chronograph. The Longines is finished beautifully and keeps time to within just under a second per day. At least with a Swiss watch you know it’s not coming out of China. I’m done with Seiko. It’s sad that a once respected watchmaker is turning out garbage products made in China.
Rob I flip flop on this all the time. I get so frustrated with seiko QC issues, but I do have a couple of seikos which are definitely in the top 5 favorite watches I’ve ever owned. I have refocused on other brands recently.
I am 2 for 2 with my Seikos. Dial alignment on SRPA21, bezel alignment on SRPA83. Very small deviances on both. Livable, but fixable for even more money. I also have 3 Heimdallrs, 2 Steeldives and an Invicta Pro Diver, with zero QC issues, and better specs. "IF", I buy another Seiko, it will be in my hands before I pay in the future. Will never "order" another one. I really do want the SRPC91, but not willing to order one.
Agreed. Although I love my Turtles and Samurais, I've had entirely too many quality issues. Everything should line up at ANY price point! Sticking with my personal favorites...Oris, Alpina, Victorinox, Hamilton, Tissot and even my way over priced Tag Heuers.
Good explanation of the problem. The bean counters are squeezing for the shareholders. Each iso watch is individually tested for 200 meters, so I think it's water proof.
Something similar happened to me with the new Seiko Diver 38 (beautiful small solar diver) as soon as I bought it I noticed the issue with the crown thread. I had to return it since that for a diver watch it was unacceptable since it compromises the water resistance. I have been looking at the spb43 but I have seen a couple of reviews where people have same issues with the crown and that is a $1200 watch. I gave seiko a chance but Citizen watches QC is far way better.
Sorry that happened Rob, I'd love to see you do some work on it, but I've seen enough of your videos to know the frustration so I don't blame you for not wanting to fix. Seiko shouldn't be so careless though I agree. I think they are used to getting away with QC issues, similarly to Rolex that "Just one more watch" pointed out. Not as severe maybe but still disappointing.
Yeah, sending to Bruce so he can take to his guy. It will be good once all fixed up.
Just bought a SPB149J1 and the threading on the crown feels 'gritty' when screwing it down/out. Same as my SARB017. I know you can clean it off with floss but you shouldn't have to. And it's running at +15 - not great for a $1000 watch.
IMO. Seiko in 2020 is not same Seiko from 2010. Stuff they made prior to 2015 seems to have better QC. The good news is that most of the "issues" can be easily fixed by a good watch guy. But why should you have to fix it when it's new ?
Hm. I´ve had only 1 out of 5 Seiko models which had a misalligned chapter ring. No other faults. Just about 2 mm off to the left. Sold it. Got 95% of the price I paid back! My other 4 Seiko models (SKX007, SRP515K1, SSC625P1, SNK807) are perfectly fine.
Since the nineties and early tenties there happened to be new policies of less quality for higher prices. For the sake of higher profits and higher shareholder value. This predatory policies originated, guess where, in the USA, tempted to say ‚of course‘. Same with motorcycles and many more products, all around the world. Sad that it infected Seiko as well.
Paid over $800 for a SBDC063 MM200 and the bezel insert and hands aren’t aligned. Hour hand is slightly behind the minute hand. AND there’s a black speck on one of the lumed indices on the dial. Regardless, it’s still one of my favorite watches even in comparison to my seamaster 300 and BB58
Yup. I love seiko designs but i have 60 dollar invictas that get it right. I am willing to live with the ones i already have but no willing to move ahead with them anymore unless i get it in hand at a brick and mortar
I'm with you, but I would have to buy it from the brick and mortar store while getting the online price, which they won't do. So that takes the only option of buying another Seiko away from me.
I have a Seiko Kinetic diver I purchased around 2006 I have had it serviced a couple of times. I have worn this watch daily since new. The watch is 100% percent original bezel, crystal, band etc... I purchased a Seiko PADI turtle and the band has broken three times in less than a year with occasional wear. It now sports a NATO style band. The new watch does not have the quality of the older Seiko. I am back to wearing the older kinetic watch daily again and have started researching alternate brands.
Hey Rob, that Zimbe is not a JDM model. Its made for the Thailand market at their factory somewhere in South East Asia (likely Thailand or Indonesia).
Ah good to know. I shipped it off for repair. Thought it said made in Japan, will look when I get it back.
I had a Turtle with this crown issue. Rinsed it under water once just to get the sweat off, then gently towel dried it.
Next day it was completely fogged.
F Seiko.
Send it to Lume Shot. He's awesome!
Sorry about your QC issue.
I can relate.
My JDM was jacked up too.
And I almost sent it to him.
Thankfully my local guy was able to fix it.
Yeah man, it's tough love but keep the pressure on.
Seiko has to perform better than the microbrands.
I'm not quite "done" with Seiko but I'm upset too.
Thanks for the channel, thanks for the vids!
Can't wait for a 2020 "best of RR" highlight video.
Good luck!
Unacceptable at $100 nevermind $500
There is no o-ring inside that Seiko Crown so water entering the case isn't an issue. The o-ring is on the stem inside the tube. even if the crown is left unscrewed the water protection is there. And I think you're correct, looks like the stem wasn't sized correctly, appears to be too long. For most part screw down crowns are designed to protect the stem (weakest part of a watch) from a bang, same reason for crown guards. You could shorten the stem yourself, it's not difficult. But you could actually leave it alone, like I said, the water protection is not compromised by the way it is.
@RandomUser221 Because everyone loves Oris, but I just don’t get why.
@RandomUser221 Some folks expectations of inexpensive watches is so unrealistic. But I do think the crown/stem on this Monster slid between the cracks.
It's interesting seeing all of the QC issues that others have with Seiko. If I had that happen repeatedly, it'd surely result in me buying less of them. I think I've been incredibly lucky, because I've not yet experienced it with any of my Seikos. But, as they continue to raise their prices, I can see it becoming a much bigger factor for those buying them. When they were cheaper, it's still no okay to have poor QC, but it's more palatable. But there are so many watches out there now that are the same price, or less, that have great QC, especially in the microbrand space.
But the stem on a diver can’t be shortened. It’s permanently cinched to the crown. You need a new crown and stem assembly. It can’t be repaired, it can only be replaced. You should be able to source a new crown from CousinsUK.
I haven't got a seiko in 1 year. I got 2 and had to sent them back. Because things were awefull one had a huge misalignment and the other the bassel would rotate both ways on a diver is not acceptable. Am back to citizen and casio for daily and microbrands for higher end
I have a turtle triple seven lying around in the box with a poorly aligned bezel insert. I don‘t wear it.
I fixed the same problem on my Steinhart vintage red myself, and now it‘s my favourite watch (until my Tutima arrives, I guess). I didn‘t wear it before. Because of this issue.
I‘m not gonna buy any Seikos again without inspecting them personally, and Steinhart gets back every watch with the slightest issue on the double (luckily they are very friendly, and not far away from me).
The only way Seiko will change that is a massive protest online combined with a significant decrease in sales. Other than that they will keep on doing what they are doing. Because we let them...
I bought quite a few seiko 5s around 30 years ago and they were always perfect and I still have all of them today.....2 of the 3 seikos I bought in the last 3 years have had issues particularly a sea urchin.....I don't think theyre as well made as they used to be.
Sorry about that crown issue, what a major oversight. Hope you got it fixed. I'm done with Seiko...not buying anymore watches from them and als going to sell the 3 that I own. No longer want to support the brand.
The only watches I have had any QC issues with have been Zelos. In fact every Zelos I have bought has had some obvious QC issue, some more than one. I like the brand hope they get their act together but if you can't get one because its sold out - may not be a bad thing at the moment.
A friend and I both own two different Marine Master 200s. His bezel is a lot stiffer. Same model just different color.
Part of the problem (like you mentioned) is that their are so many of these prospex watches sold online that you just get stuck with stuff. And online retailers like sakura and many other places have a note when you buy them that they will be misaligned. I mean at that point they’re just openly telling you they are selling you something substandard. The part that is really disheartening is that they are watches like the mm200 for double what the last gen.costed. And its the same quality control. I realize at 500 bucks there is going to be some short cuts on a watch, but when they are charging what the willards and other 6r35 prospex watches are it starts getting really hard to look past.
I’ll stick with buying more G-Shocks. I’m not selling my current Seikos, but I’ve been burned by many Seikos so I’m not throwing more money in their direction. The ones I do have had to be opened at some time to fix at least one fault. My SARB033 doesn’t have any fit problems but the timekeeping used to be terrible. Every Seiko I’ve had either was inaccurate or the daily rate slipped horribly around the 6 months-1 year mark.
I'm planning on getting a Seiko king turtle shark fin dial, but these QC issues that so many report really make me question how I'm gonna go about it. It'll have to be an authorized dealer, in case I decide to send it back, and maybe I'll email them in advance to check for proper bezel alignment. I'd hate to hassle a small dealer over nitpicky things, but what other option is there? Go to Orient? Citizen?
I have been done with Seiko after many years of enjoying the brand. I cannot deal with all the QC issues. Plus they raise the price and keep the quality the same which is horrible. I purchased a Willard and sold it within a week. An over $1k watch with bezel and alignment issues. Done! I will purchase a micro brand way before owning another Seiko.
This is why I refuse to buy a Seiko sight unseen these days (unless I can return it for a full refund). It’s clear that Seiko does not car about their QC. They keep increasing the price of their watches, but they don’t make the quality any better.
No, they make the quality worse, then charge extra for it!
It takes work to f up all those watches, so they have to charge you for it!
Lol
I purchased a LE Seiko SRPD15 Blue Butterflyfish on eBay and the seller contacted me, telling me the crown had "an issue" and I would have to wait another month to get a different watch. Nope, didn't even bother.
Bright side was I found the exact same watch for about $100 cheaper the same day so I bought the lower priced watch and asked the original seller I bought from to refund the sale. Worked out for me this time and I dodged that QC bullet but I've got my 2 Seiko watches in the box now and I'm done until they clean this problem up.
It's almost like they try to have these issues so folks will buy up for a Grand Seiko instead.
I just got the new no crown alpinist in green. Everything is great but the 6R35 has major issues amplitude is 190 and it runs +35 a day. Not good for $750. It’s going back for service and not a week old. Seiko, you can do better.
I have the same problem on my 5kx. When pushed in all the way, the crown doesn't come close to touching the case.
I'm done with Seiko mid range stuff. I'll only buy cheap now. My sbdc111 keeps horrible time. I love the watch but it gains 45 seconds a day which is unacceptable for a watch in that price range.
Good eye Rob, I kinda figured you would do a follow up vid from the last Zimbe review. I only have 1 Seiko Kinetic from 1993 and probably won't get a newer one. I'm happy with homages like my Heimdallr sharkey Orange Monster with no alignment issues and better specs than what Seiko is releasing imho.
I have accumulated more than 30 Seikos over the past 20 years, and I love them to bits ... QC issues and all. They have so much character. However, I won’t be buying any new Seikos at the prices they are now charging.
I kind of wish I could be done with them but I'm probably going to buy a SNXS75K this weekend. It just looks amazing on a leather strap.
Good luck RIP!
It’s a really shame, I had a dodgy skx and lived with it turns out the bezel gasket was stuck under a part of the bezel ! I’ve bought another since .
I stopped buying seiko after 3 watches with QC issues, including movement accuracy worse than 30secs/day.
I am considering to give a try to the chinese Seiko homage companies like Proxima, Steeldive and Heimdalar which seem to not have these QC issues and are using saphire crystals and ceramic bezel inserts in a watch for 180 USD.
Ive had a few bad ones myself. All of mine were movement issues though. I had the sarb017 alpinist before i got the new white one. The green alpinist ran fine and then all the sudden it gains like 20 minutes a day and its not magnetized. Got a save the ocean turtle when they came out and it looses 2 mins a day out of the box. Dont feel like hassling with them so they collect dust now. Im on the borderline of giving them away. But the new white alpinist runs and looks great, ive had a SKX thats litterally been beat to death and still runs about +12 after 8 years of abuse, i just got the new SRPE45 38mm cocktail time and the dial is amazing and its running great. It is hard because they really have been putting out good stuff lately but out of the 6 ive bought 2 were garbage and 4 are great. That's really bad. Love hate relationship for sure. Ive never had a QC issue that really bothered me with a Swiss or German watch and ive owned and flipped tons. Maybe some extremely small dust particle on the dial but thats it. We're not comparing apples to apples either though.
QC is the reason I don’t buy Seiko’s anymore, it’s ridiculous the amount of QC issues on their watches these days.....and the price keeps rocketing 😡
Great video, Rob. I was ready to buy a Gen 4 Monster, but the magnifier looked terrible. I was convinced it was not applied correctly. Frustrating!
I bet it’s off. They just don’t care
I hate cyclops on any watch. So i really hate a GIANT magnifier. Maybe when im 85 i will appreciate it more.
I own 12 Seikos, divers, Chronographes, dress watches, autolmatics, Quartz, solar and Kinetics never had any problems with them.
Bezel or chapter ring defects that are out by fractions and trigger the OCD in the watch community is one thing. This is a genuine issue that compromises the watches use. First a regular buyer might have known about this is when their watch is full of water.
I'm not buying the newer Seiko models because they are crazy expensive and you wouldn't want a Willard at 1300$ with QC issues (I surely don't). I've become very picky with watches lately and I am also on a purge path right now. The only watch that I want to buy at this point is the CW C60 Sapphire, that's it. The C60 Sapphire seems like a lot more watch than pretty much every Seiko there is at this point on the market (not counting the real higher end models, those that have the 8L35 movements inside and the Grand Seiko).
Seiko didn’t Think anyone was going to purchase that 2 tone thing .. ... these models Have to be amongst their ugliest ever
That’s crazy Rob but hard to move away from Seiko 🤔... They need to do something to compensate.
Yeah they do, but they won't.
That emoji on the thumbnail though 😂😂😂
It works well. Lol
What a mess! That is probably the reason why i no longer buy seiko DIVERS. i had a bunch lf them (turtle, solar titanium jdm, skx013, mini turtle) and everyone had qc issues... then i got a presage which was fine but now i sold it for my new alpinist mountain glacier le. The alpinist also is ok and everything lines up but i think the most qc issues appears in their diver category... it really bums me that these qc issues also move up from their sub 500 section (5kx, monsters, turtles) to their mid tier 1000ish section (willard, mm200s...) which i think is totally unacceptable!
Looks like the gold flange is actually further away from the case then your other model. I wonder if that is pushing the crown/stem out further from the movement
Seiko charges too much to have these qc issues. What used to be a $200 model is now $400-500. No excuse.
Didn't you know that the reason they charge double or more is because it takes work for them to f their watches up, and they want make damn sure you pay for it! Just think, no 2 watches will be the same with their horrible qc!
@@waktosha7378 and enough damn fools will buy it lol. I gave up on seiko when i paid $750 for a special edition padi and it had a misaligned chapter ring.
@@hongsitu3429
Sadly true!
Where I live, Seiko is asking 700$ for the mid-range Prospex models that are 350$ on the grey market, which is still overpriced IMO.
You say you don't think it could survive a bowl of water, and yet (supposedly) this isn't just a "dive watch," but an ISO rated Diver's watch, meaning this exact example, not just some random one from the production line, should've been tested to 250M to meet the ISO spec. Wouldn't these not be ISO complaint if Seiko isn't testing every single one for WR?
Love Seiko too but yeah, for now, done with the brand. Time Teller made a vid like 2 weeks ago suggesting Seiko lovers defect to Orient and it makes sense. Add to this, you got brands like San Martin which use Seiko movements anyway and make homages of all the major Seiko models.
They seriously need to do something with the quality control... Even 1000$+ Seiko's have issues especially alignment issues... I bought a spb083j1 and the bezel doesn't align. It's just getting ridiculous at this point.
I got me brand new a SBDC053 and a SLA037 and both of them have severe problems with the crown. They are now via my watchshop shipped off to the distributor for repair. Let's see how that one goes. Anyhow, totally unacepatable, especially for a watch like the SLA. I am very disappointed with Seiko. There is an old saying that comes from Japan that says "zero mistakes" and Seiko has a lot of work to live up to that philosophy.
Even though it's a jdm model. Can you not send this for repair/return under warranty to Seiko's US HQ. Surely the responsibility for this shouldn't be laid on Random R's shoulders .....
Only way that Seiko will ever do right by their products and stop with the crappy QC issues is if a big media platform writes an article about it. Someone like Hodinkee, now that would send shockwaves through the Watch community. I love Seiko. .or loved I guess... But there is ZERO excuse for their constant QC issues and prices just going up.
Oddly enough, I'm not too bothered with QC issues in regards to built and finish. As long as it's ticking properly, I'm fine. I buy watches for the looks, never take it to diving or even shower. But I have to admit that Citizen have much much superior built quality than Seiko. Too bad Citizen don't offer much choices in terms of mechanical watches.
What about Orient? Same issues? If Orient QC is better, buy tjem instead.
Having said that, my three Seikos, two from gray dealers, have no QC issue. Cheers, Rob.