It’s a great watch. It’s a tad sparkly for me. I would definitely get the full lume. Yes the design is a bit “generic,” but least it’s not an 1:1. Still a great watch. I also wish they would just price their watches correctly instead of listing them at ridiculous prices and ALWAYS running 30/40 percent sales. Thanks for the great review!
The Aquatico is a great watch for the price, save for that date window... The sapphire crystal, the microadjust clasp, and the screw-down crown are huge upgrades over the Seiko. If I hadn't bought an SSK003 a couple months after it came out, I would be looking pretty hard at the Aquatico. But almost a year ago, I ended up getting a Zelos Mako 300M GMT, which has the Miyota 9075 true GMT movement. It has the same extra features as the Aquatico, but went for US$630 on release (at which time it immediately sold out). That makes the Aquatico look even better.
Yeah, one thing I appreciate about Aquatico, they keep pretty good stock so unlike a lot of microbrands they're usually pretty easy to get a hold of. and their designs, while often pretty safe, tend to also look decent.
Killing on specs is like acing the multiple choice portion of SAT’s but getting a 1 out of 4 on the essay. You need design magic more than materials to make a great watch.
The problem with that is design is subjective. Someone might like a design you hate. Specs are the foundation to build on. Shitty specs=bad watch no matter how it looks.
@@lucien8476 Crap build quality and awful specs are one thing. BUT, there are plenty of watches that look great with average specs that are hugely popular. Then there are average looking watches with amazing specs that nobody buys. Sorry, but design trumps specs all day long, because nobody wants to wear something horrendous, even though it may have everything under the hood. Any brand can do specs, not not every brand can be good at design.
@@GodIsInHisHeaven You're not wrong. I recently ordered the SW200 Invicta Pro Diver. I think once I get it in hand I may send it back 😂. Regarding this watch I think it looks okay but that date window is atrocious.
@@armandr1613 Yea, I'm no fan of this watch either :). But the comment made by @lucien8476 was just wide off the mark. I've seen watches that has the entire spec sheet and priced at bargain basement bin prices that nobody wants (let down by design). Then you may get a watch with NH35 movement at a premium and people queue up for it. The hook is always the design, not specs.
This seems to be a pretty controversial take, but the deeper I get into the hobby, the more I agree. I find I'm much more likely to keep a watch with good design and overlook subpar specs, than a watch that was great value for money spec wise, but doesn't have good design. It's tough in the affordable segment to get both though, you often have to choose one or the other.
Gorgeous watch. At slightly cheaper pricing ($235) there's the Seestern S446. At a similar price (discounted), there's the San Martin SN0129-G-B gmt. All three are terrific value for money; particularly when discounted.
i like the layout of the seiko better especially the 24hr marking on the rehaut. i wish more of these watches used a world time bezel instead of the 24 hr bezel. i completely agree about the bi-directional bezel. i have the pagani world time (not an homage) world time which is a real bargain at under $100.
I checked the specs. The Seiko 5 GMT weighs about 152g. I changed the bracelet on mine to a Miltat bracelet, which is a little heavier, making it 165g. In contrast the Aquatico weighs 200g with bracelet. Maybe that's OK for bigger guys, but I wouldn't want it.
I have actually been a fan of Aquatico for some time. A lot of bang for the buck. I've especially enjoyed their bronze cased offerings. Their SW200 powered tritium super charger model and Sea Star have both been great watches for me. This new GMT Aventurine does sparkle. 😀
Very nice watch and I'm sure Seiko are very happy to sell hundreds of thousands of movements ! I don't think microbrands are in any way competition for them. This is a great watch for the price. I appreciate the good lume and the date window, GMT's need a date. Aventurine seems to be a fad at the moment. It's great on a dress watch but I don't like it on a tool watch. It doesn't work. It's like wearing a tuxedo on a construction site. The other thing, the unidirectional bezel, that's just pure laziness. It's not more expensive to make it bidirectional, they obviously didn't bother and just used bezels they had in stock. There are affordable GMT's with bidirectional bezels and we should expect that.The other colours would definitely be the ones for me. Overall, the Seiko is the original I suppose and will hold it's value with collectors. I actually got the orange dial Seiko, put a sapphire crystal in it and swapped out the bracelet for a handmade leather strap. Got a deal on the watch so it cost me a total of around the retail price of this one, and it's a much nicer watch. I'd really prefer if Seiko just put sapphire in it and charge extra to cover it.
This is an awesome watch and I would be all over it, but I do design for a living and the kerning between the T and the I in their logo would drive me fully insane to see on my wrist everyday. The hunt for the perfect sub-$500 GMT continues.
I think it would be fair to say that this is a GMT watch which has a 300 mm depth rating, rather than a dive watch with a GMT function. Subtle but important.
I love Seiko Watch but their price goes keep on increasing these years... I miss their original prices like $100 ~ $150 for a good diving watch like SKX series or Monsters. They were real daily beaters.
Those $150 SKXs were being sold below MSRP. Now that Seiko has upgraded their movements and it'll take a while to start seeing Seikos with deep discounts again.
I bought an Aragon 42, for $150, Batman, 42mm case, 22 lug, 48 lug to lug, 14mm tall, 200 wr, sapphire, ar, gmt, AND TITANIUM... Dont get me wrong the aquatico is a nice watch but since seiko released the movement their are cheaper watches with the same spec... I do love the dial on the Aquatico though
Good video, this watch looks like a good value prospect by the look of it. Divers are pretty much the same really, so in terms of aesthetics this is the basic genre that does'nt change much - so features and finishing are important here and this watch has them in spades. I'd wish the next step from Seiko would be better power reserve on these movements - that would really disrupt the industry!
The thing that wrecks it's appeal is that silly date window between the 4 and 5 indice. Why not put it under the Aquatico Name under the 12 indice or at the 6 indice ?
Beautiful aventurine dial. If you ever have the opportunity, I suggest you test the "Balticus Stardust" watch, a microbrand from Poland. I have the version with Damascus steel and aventurine on the dial (BLT-BALSDDBA), it looks great:) Regards and I watch the rest of your videos, very cool, keep it up!
Probably in accuracy too! We all love the seiko specs +45 to -35 a day 😂😂😂😂. I have ditched seiko and been buying islanders instead! My first Islander running +0 to +1 sec a day with sapphire glass, drilled lugs, solid end links, milled clasp, and a regulated movement which is all on upgrade from seiko! Seiko is a suckers brand!
Hi Dave I’ve had this watch in my basket since I saw this video. Is it worth buying if on discount? I really like the Seiko SKX GMT but do not like the push pull crown and hardlex glass for the price.
Thank you very much for the review. Immediately after watching, I've ordered the Bronze GMT with the green dial. Can't wait...it looks beautiful and safe to travel with, which I do a lot. Always wanted an affordable GMT to travel with. Always wanted a Bronze in my collection. Looks like a perfect match. Over the years, I really enjoyed watching your channel and am always jealous of you living in Japan. Planning a trip in October. BTW, because of you, I purchased 7 casio watches from a Japanese website. So, 8 watches in my collection that you are responsible for 🥂
Hope you're enjoying each watch! Bronze and green is a great combo, I had a non GMT watch in from Aquatico a couple years back in bronze and green and I really liked it!
The date at 4:30 preserves the symmetry, rather than worsen it, interesting how different people view this. Seiko wins, slightly on design, but the sapphire could be clincher.
Killed it up until the point of date being at 4:30. It breaks my ocd mind lol. They definitely should have left the date complication completely out of it. Especially with such a captivating dial. 😮
Sadly, the date window is a deal breaker for me. I prefer date windows on watches, but that is one of the worst I've seen. It doesn't even have to do with the 4:30 (4:35 in this case?). While I don't prefer that spot, I've seen it done well and there are other watches where it doesn't bother me. It's a truly beautiful watch otherwise.
seiko bracelet looks better and the just-date display is a little stupid looking. If they could improve upon the Roli cyclops, that would be a big deal. Lol.... it was a feature I wanted in my watch (getting old). I cannot read the date well on my Sky Flake and old school diver Tissot, but I can read the day on my GMT Master II
I love the NH34 movement as well. The general case design and hands are safe but nice, and I'm a bit tired of the SKX case with the crown at 4 . My two gripes are the date position, which should just be at 6, and the tooless adjust clasp that exposes the lower part in the middle when extended. Newer style clasps look better even though this kind can function pretty well.
Beautiful watch indeed, but the ridiculous position of the date window destroys the entire design. It would annoy me every time I look at the watch. Why isn't it at the 6 o'clock position?
Luckily for these Chinese brands, they have little to no overheads and R&D costs. Worth remembering that if not for Seiko, and to a lesser extent Miyota, they would be dependent on their own poorly made unreliable Chinese movements and sink quickly. They exist only because Seiko allows them to.
There are so many Chinese assembled brands that are superior to Seiko for far less it's ridiculous. The ironic part is most of them use Seiko movements!
That 4:30 date is more like a 4:40 date 🤧. The bezel didn't seem perfectly aligned either, with with some play. Ehh Seikos don't have flawless fit and finish either but their design and looks often outshine their shortcomings.
they should have had their own date wheel with the date font printed 12 to 6 orientation. not use stock date wheel. the aquatico looks nice, but i dont think the design of the components work togeter. the insert looks too busy on the aquatico. the full | between hours and no just a . makes it look too busy. if they went with busy dial they should have gone with understated insert. vice versa. the font on insert also seems a bit wrong, looks very word-processoer esque.
Seikos movement is a bit better... and blingy jubilee. Seiko is better looking watch in my opinion. And Aquatico is neither hell of a deal. You can find lots of not so known watches about same price...
300m WR - waste of time Blue AR - first time anyone has ever rated it as a positive Unidirectional bezel - instant fail Thickness/ Lug to lug - too big for most. Date window at 4:33... Nope Close but no cigar.
I like it a lot! The cutout for the date is small, but look what Seiko did with their new 62MAS 6R55 300m... :) and I actually don't mind it!
It’s a great watch. It’s a tad sparkly for me. I would definitely get the full lume. Yes the design is a bit “generic,” but least it’s not an 1:1. Still a great watch. I also wish they would just price their watches correctly instead of listing them at ridiculous prices and ALWAYS running 30/40 percent sales. Thanks for the great review!
The Aquatico is a great watch for the price, save for that date window... The sapphire crystal, the microadjust clasp, and the screw-down crown are huge upgrades over the Seiko.
If I hadn't bought an SSK003 a couple months after it came out, I would be looking pretty hard at the Aquatico. But almost a year ago, I ended up getting a Zelos Mako 300M GMT, which has the Miyota 9075 true GMT movement. It has the same extra features as the Aquatico, but went for US$630 on release (at which time it immediately sold out). That makes the Aquatico look even better.
Yeah, one thing I appreciate about Aquatico, they keep pretty good stock so unlike a lot of microbrands they're usually pretty easy to get a hold of. and their designs, while often pretty safe, tend to also look decent.
The dial is sweet. Nice watch. The blue on the seiko is nicer, but still, it's a nice watch. ❤
Killing on specs is like acing the multiple choice portion of SAT’s but getting a 1 out of 4 on the essay. You need design magic more than materials to make a great watch.
The problem with that is design is subjective. Someone might like a design you hate. Specs are the foundation to build on. Shitty specs=bad watch no matter how it looks.
@@lucien8476 Crap build quality and awful specs are one thing. BUT, there are plenty of watches that look great with average specs that are hugely popular. Then there are average looking watches with amazing specs that nobody buys. Sorry, but design trumps specs all day long, because nobody wants to wear something horrendous, even though it may have everything under the hood. Any brand can do specs, not not every brand can be good at design.
@@GodIsInHisHeaven You're not wrong. I recently ordered the SW200 Invicta Pro Diver. I think once I get it in hand I may send it back 😂. Regarding this watch I think it looks okay but that date window is atrocious.
@@armandr1613 Yea, I'm no fan of this watch either :). But the comment made by @lucien8476 was just wide off the mark. I've seen watches that has the entire spec sheet and priced at bargain basement bin prices that nobody wants (let down by design). Then you may get a watch with NH35 movement at a premium and people queue up for it. The hook is always the design, not specs.
This seems to be a pretty controversial take, but the deeper I get into the hobby, the more I agree. I find I'm much more likely to keep a watch with good design and overlook subpar specs, than a watch that was great value for money spec wise, but doesn't have good design. It's tough in the affordable segment to get both though, you often have to choose one or the other.
I’m just looking for an affordable gmt and here you come with a killer gmt!! 🙏
Gorgeous watch. At slightly cheaper pricing ($235) there's the Seestern S446. At a similar price (discounted), there's the San Martin SN0129-G-B gmt. All three are terrific value for money; particularly when discounted.
I love Aquatico, they make such amazing watches. Very often missed by reviewers, myself included as I've only reviewed one. Need to change that.
i like the layout of the seiko better especially the 24hr marking on the rehaut. i wish more of these watches used a world time bezel instead of the 24 hr bezel. i completely agree about the bi-directional bezel.
i have the pagani world time (not an homage) world time which is a real bargain at under $100.
I love the 4:30 date it leaves my hours markers intact 😎
I agree, and I like its location.
Seiko likes it too, as they’ve started using it on quite a few of their new models.
I checked the specs. The Seiko 5 GMT weighs about 152g. I changed the bracelet on mine to a Miltat bracelet, which is a little heavier, making it 165g. In contrast the Aquatico weighs 200g with bracelet. Maybe that's OK for bigger guys, but I wouldn't want it.
If you feel an extra 35g on your wrist, I’d say maybe try getting a little more protein in your diet.
I have actually been a fan of Aquatico for some time. A lot of bang for the buck. I've especially enjoyed their bronze cased offerings. Their SW200 powered tritium super charger model and Sea Star have both been great watches for me. This new GMT Aventurine does sparkle. 😀
Very nice watch and I'm sure Seiko are very happy to sell hundreds of thousands of movements ! I don't think microbrands are in any way competition for them. This is a great watch for the price. I appreciate the good lume and the date window, GMT's need a date. Aventurine seems to be a fad at the moment. It's great on a dress watch but I don't like it on a tool watch. It doesn't work. It's like wearing a tuxedo on a construction site. The other thing, the unidirectional bezel, that's just pure laziness. It's not more expensive to make it bidirectional, they obviously didn't bother and just used bezels they had in stock. There are affordable GMT's with bidirectional bezels and we should expect that.The other colours would definitely be the ones for me. Overall, the Seiko is the original I suppose and will hold it's value with collectors. I actually got the orange dial Seiko, put a sapphire crystal in it and swapped out the bracelet for a handmade leather strap. Got a deal on the watch so it cost me a total of around the retail price of this one, and it's a much nicer watch. I'd really prefer if Seiko just put sapphire in it and charge extra to cover it.
Good looking timepiece, nicely spec'ed. Thanks for sharing. Not a fan of huge discounts, it looks dodgy, just price it sensibly.
This watch reminds me of the Longines Spirit Zulu GMT. I lean toward buying watches based on the specs and generally ignore the brand.
This is an awesome watch and I would be all over it, but I do design for a living and the kerning between the T and the I in their logo would drive me fully insane to see on my wrist everyday. The hunt for the perfect sub-$500 GMT continues.
exactly! how did they get the kerning right on the A-T but not for the T-I
I think it would be fair to say that this is a GMT watch which has a 300 mm depth rating, rather than a dive watch with a GMT function. Subtle but important.
Preference is always Seiko, the alternative has to be something outstanding for me consider!!!
I love Seiko Watch but their price goes keep on increasing these years... I miss their original prices like $100 ~ $150 for a good diving watch like SKX series or Monsters. They were real daily beaters.
😂 prices are only increasing for Seiko’s .
Micro Brands like this can’t be matched price-wise .
Those $150 SKXs were being sold below MSRP.
Now that Seiko has upgraded their movements and it'll take a while to start seeing Seikos with deep discounts again.
I bought an Aragon 42, for $150, Batman, 42mm case, 22 lug, 48 lug to lug, 14mm tall, 200 wr, sapphire, ar, gmt, AND TITANIUM... Dont get me wrong the aquatico is a nice watch but since seiko released the movement their are cheaper watches with the same spec... I do love the dial on the Aquatico though
Aragon has interesting specifications on their GMT watches, starting from USD149. I don’t see it comes with titanium.
Good value for money.
Thanks.
Good video, this watch looks like a good value prospect by the look of it. Divers are pretty much the same really, so in terms of aesthetics this is the basic genre that does'nt change much - so features and finishing are important here and this watch has them in spades. I'd wish the next step from Seiko would be better power reserve on these movements - that would really disrupt the industry!
The thing that wrecks it's appeal is that silly date window between the 4 and 5 indice. Why not put it under the Aquatico Name under the 12 indice or at the 6 indice ?
Begging for a Modded wheel .
Perhaps 31 different little Sea Creatures and some Tiny Divers ?
I like a Date at the Deep Six 😅
I love the 4:30 date it leaves the hour markers for a complete lume picture
🎯
*index not indice
I really expect Aquatico to make a transparente casebac watch for the one with red dial.
I’ve been looking at this Aquaticco with Aventurine but wasn’t sure how good this brand is… now I know so thanks for another fantastic review!
The white Sea Star on the website looks stunning
Nice review! This Aquatico is vastly superior to the Seiko 5. I don't like the date placement ir hands, but can live with it for the price.
Nice watch. I just can’t see myself wearing a watch with a big Aquatico on the dial.
Beautiful aventurine dial. If you ever have the opportunity, I suggest you test the "Balticus Stardust" watch, a microbrand from Poland.
I have the version with Damascus steel and aventurine on the dial (BLT-BALSDDBA), it looks great:)
Regards and I watch the rest of your videos, very cool, keep it up!
Probably in accuracy too! We all love the seiko specs +45 to -35 a day 😂😂😂😂. I have ditched seiko and been buying islanders instead! My first Islander running +0 to +1 sec a day with sapphire glass, drilled lugs, solid end links, milled clasp, and a regulated movement which is all on upgrade from seiko! Seiko is a suckers brand!
I love everything about this watch, except the date window. I’d prefer no date or 6 or 3.
Hi Dave I’ve had this watch in my basket since I saw this video. Is it worth buying if on discount? I really like the Seiko SKX GMT but do not like the push pull crown and hardlex glass for the price.
it needs a 24 hour chapter ring on the dial or rehaut
Thank you very much for the review. Immediately after watching, I've ordered the Bronze GMT with the green dial. Can't wait...it looks beautiful and safe to travel with, which I do a lot. Always wanted an affordable GMT to travel with. Always wanted a Bronze in my collection. Looks like a perfect match.
Over the years, I really enjoyed watching your channel and am always jealous of you living in Japan. Planning a trip in October. BTW, because of you, I purchased 7 casio watches from a Japanese website. So, 8 watches in my collection that you are responsible for 🥂
Hope you're enjoying each watch! Bronze and green is a great combo, I had a non GMT watch in from Aquatico a couple years back in bronze and green and I really liked it!
No screw down crown is a no-go for a GMT. i will buy this watch. Never bought the seiko GMT become of no screw down crown.
The date at 4:30 preserves the symmetry, rather than worsen it, interesting how different people view this. Seiko wins, slightly on design, but the sapphire could be clincher.
Overall a very well specked, nice design watch…but you lost me with the round date window at 4:30. It would look great at 6:00.
I prefer the Date at 6!
Great information. Subscribed !
Killed it up until the point of date being at 4:30. It breaks my ocd mind lol. They definitely should have left the date complication completely out of it. Especially with such a captivating dial. 😮
What watch did Mulder wear in the X-files?
how's the value when ordering to japan? lots of microbrands end up costing more with shipping, exchange rates, etc.
Specs are great, but the porthole date at 4:30 is awful, and I think the sparkly, aventurine dial limits the overall appeal.
Correction: according to the Aquatico website this watch does in fact have a sapphire bezel insert
Why they put the day window at 4 and no 6? It bothers me a lot!
Seiko is the best, but I love all watches. ❤
Why would you overpay for the Seiko when this absolutely blows it out of the water... Even at the full retail price.
Es una copia del Citizen Gmt 880 Mechanical Series 8 NB6031-56E que la marca lanzó el año pasado.
If you follow the link to Aquatico unfortunately this model is nowhere to be found and neither is the discount.
I’m looking at the website right now, and there is one of these in stock. Also a 40% discount currently.
Sadly, the date window is a deal breaker for me. I prefer date windows on watches, but that is one of the worst I've seen. It doesn't even have to do with the 4:30 (4:35 in this case?). While I don't prefer that spot, I've seen it done well and there are other watches where it doesn't bother me. It's a truly beautiful watch otherwise.
Good value
seiko bracelet looks better and the just-date display is a little stupid looking. If they could improve upon the Roli cyclops, that would be a big deal.
Lol.... it was a feature I wanted in my watch (getting old). I cannot read the date well on my Sky Flake and old school diver Tissot, but I can read the day on my GMT Master II
Really cool watch
Very nice. 👍 I like the circular date window, but maybe an oblong shape would be better.
I love the NH34 movement as well. The general case design and hands are safe but nice, and I'm a bit tired of the SKX case with the crown at 4 . My two gripes are the date position, which should just be at 6, and the tooless adjust clasp that exposes the lower part in the middle when extended. Newer style clasps look better even though this kind can function pretty well.
This isn’t a tool-less microadjust clasp, it’s a diver’s extension. There’s a difference.
It's lovely.....just that date looks very akward.
PS:aventurine is quickly becoming the "tiffany blue" of 2024.
Screw heritage, that's a gorgeous watch and way better value
Lost me on that 49mm lug to lug. Looks ok though.
The hands appear to be thin and not parallel to the dial.
Cant find this watch in your links.
from afar, the Aquatico looks abit like the Citizen Series 8 GMT watch…which is far more expensive….
Agreed.
With their discounts watches seem okay to me, but I wouldn't buy them for full price.
In the modern era GMT watches are more for show than purpose. Nice looking watch all the same, paired with another inaccurate Seiko movement.
Stellar watch
feelings were hurt, small wrists are normal too! XD
Ha ha, my bad. Maybe average would have been a better word choice.
Definitely better than the Seiko
Watching Seiko take L after L is fine with me. Maybe one day they'll drop their prices considering affordability was their main selling point.
Beautiful watch indeed, but the ridiculous position of the date window destroys the entire design. It would annoy me every time I look at the watch. Why isn't it at the 6 o'clock position?
Okay, i‘m not the only one :-)
the date window position is a major deal breaker for me
Better not look at recent Seikos then.
@@James2001 I'm not. Citizen has been killing seiko at the affordable end in recent years.
But why 49mm lug to lug 😢
Luckily for these Chinese brands, they have little to no overheads and R&D costs.
Worth remembering that if not for Seiko, and to a lesser extent Miyota, they would be dependent on their own poorly made unreliable Chinese movements and sink quickly.
They exist only because Seiko allows them to.
There are so many Chinese assembled brands that are superior to Seiko for far less it's ridiculous. The ironic part is most of them use Seiko movements!
Heritage is overrated. Better quality watch means better watch
Did Seiko shoot themselves in the foot?
Not if they're still making and selling the movements in all these micro brand watches, they didn't.
Seiko wants to be like Rolex when they grow up, over hyped and over priced.
The original SSK batman looks sooooo much better, and is way, way cooler, and I’m not even a Seiko fanboy… and oh, a unidirectional bezel???😂
this watch would be much more handsome without the date….
I bet Seiko is still making a lot of money by selling the movement to these micro brands.
The date hole is not even centered between the 4 and 5 hour marker.
Seiko wre destroying their own brand.
Still not a seiko😊
That 4:30 date is more like a 4:40 date 🤧. The bezel didn't seem perfectly aligned either, with with some play. Ehh Seikos don't have flawless fit and finish either but their design and looks often outshine their shortcomings.
Hour marker and hands design is copied from Casio Edifice.
they should have had their own date wheel with the date font printed 12 to 6 orientation. not use stock date wheel.
the aquatico looks nice, but i dont think the design of the components work togeter. the insert looks too busy on the aquatico. the full | between hours and no just a . makes it look too busy. if they went with busy dial they should have gone with understated insert. vice versa.
the font on insert also seems a bit wrong, looks very word-processoer esque.
lol it's a Seiko movement though.... what is the point of this video..???
Nice watch. But my Seiko SSK003 only cost me $259 new. So, $499 might not be very attractive.
Anyone who pays $499 for this watch simply isn’t doing their research
What we don't know is ownership after say one year or two.
Seikos movement is a bit better... and blingy jubilee. Seiko is better looking watch in my opinion. And Aquatico is neither hell of a deal. You can find lots of not so known watches about same price...
300m WR - waste of time
Blue AR - first time anyone has ever rated it as a positive
Unidirectional bezel - instant fail
Thickness/ Lug to lug - too big for most.
Date window at 4:33... Nope
Close but no cigar.
For $50 I'll just get the Seiko
That date window placement is horrible
What is Aquotico 🙈