@@Diepvries11 Amen to that. However, I recently purchased a Blue Coral Monster (Gen. 3). It, as you know, is a JDM and had a horrible balance assembly and was wildly fast - two weeks after buying it! The good news is SEIKO replaced said assembly and I got it back pretty fast. Not MICROTECH OTF knife repair fast - I got it back in 8 days!
I bought it brand new from Shopping in Japan. The 6R15 mvmt unfortunately has been plagued with less than stellar balance assemblies (mine was warped). They fixed it for free (it failed 2 inspections before they nailed it).
Have had this one for a year and love it. Much more substantial finish and feel from my other Seiko divers (samerai, monster, 007, sumo). Don't much like Seiko slapping the 'willard' name on a lesser watch but there are lots of good reasons why this is so much more $ than a prospex.
Thanks John Cotis! If you have a quick second, click through to our site and write a review of the watch. Our customers love to read about real world experience when shopping on our website. Here's the link: www.thewatchbox.com/shop/Seiko-Prospex-SLA033.html Thanks in advance!
I love mine, too. People think I'm a moron for paying full whack for the 033 but I don't care. It may sound silly, but this is my all time favorite watch design. Back in the mid 80s, my first serious watch was an 8000 series pepsi quartz (always bothered me I couldn't find an automatic in Houston at the time). During a layover in MIA while on family vacation, I saw a 6105 in a shop; I loved it. However, having the SKXey looking 150m quartz already, I felt it would be pointless attempting to convince dad to buy that beauty. That was '85, folks. Fast forward to September '19 and I saw the 033 for sale on ebay. The feeling I had upon seeing it was visceral; I HAD to buy this beauty that was released in July of '19 (b-day is 7/01/67 and I own #1167/2500!). I wear it constantly and it's been running +2-3/spd from the get-go. The finishing and everything is top notch. The only correction I'd make to your fantastic review is that only the top of the bezel's outer rim has Zaratzu polishing. The case has the full Diashield treatment. If you're on the fence and love the 033, I can't recommend it enough.
@@James-qg2nu I've had mine for three years now. It feels more expensive than what it costs in my opinion. Superb finishing, and it wears comfortably on the wrist considering the dimensions.
favorite dial/handset/bezel font of any seiko. wish they would put it in a smaller watch. i also wish they would guarantee better accuracy when the prices are getting this high.
@@gmshadowtraders it's not that big because Seiko always know how to make their watches sit comfortably on the wrist. yes this watch is 45mm but the lug to lug is very short and not to mention it hugs the wrist nicely with curved and chamfered side profile. I have a small 6.5" wrist and had no problem with their watches (MM300, SKX, SRP777 etc.). Sumo is the only one that is too big for me because the lug to lug is 51mm.
Thanks for the nice video filming and good review/showing..... Was soo ready to order the SLA033, but the narrow lugs are a total deal breaker for me.....glad i noticed before I ordered 🙄
Love your reviews and videos but for some reasons I feel like I am trying to be sold! I have the original 6105 - do you happen to know how they compare in terms of wear?
Its not a "Basic watch" - its "marinemaster" grade of watch, which means its practically grand-seiko level but with more sporty aesthetics and les finishing on the movement.
Such a good looking watch! The finish is at Rolex levels and it has a high end workhorse movement. So much nicer than the cheaper Prospex version and rare too. Also, no tacky Prospex logo!
Agree…except that I wish they’d got the glass right. The lack of reflected minute markers is the one thing they got wrong. It needs the beveled glass. The cheaper editions get this bit right.
Why didn’t they get the glass right? The reflection of the minute markers caused by the beveled glass is a Willard signature. It doesn’t look right without it. All the other 6105 tributes have it. It’s a real flaw with this one!
I just do not understand Seiko , how are they making this only 13mm thick and then the SLA017 which is smaller watch 15mm and ruining its proportions. The most frustrating brand at times
The narrower case shape of the Willard Prospex is basically a Turtle design with a bulge added next to the crown. This is much more authentic to the original and just a much better watch than both! One of Seiko’s best.
Have this Captain Willard with the 8L35 movement unregulated more accurate than my Omega Seamaster 300M 42mm shocked The Omega Seamaster is running to spec so cannot say anything 😫 The Seiko is just more accurate than the Omega
Я искренне недоумеваю, почему Seiko не в состоянии произвести часы диаметров 39-40 миллиметров с нормальными пропорциями? Нет, ладно бы Seiko была бы американской компанией, производящей часы для больших американцев. Но ведь Seiko - японская компания, и японцы - не самые крупные и мускулистые ребята на этой планете. Загадка.
Save your money and instead get a good second hand car and a Casio F91. The latter has more street cred and a bigger following than this waste of money. Emperor's Clothes.
Seiko amazes me at every market level that they’re in. Nothing but accomplishments.
Unfortunately their lower end watches (
@@Diepvries11 Amen to that. However, I recently purchased a Blue Coral Monster (Gen. 3). It, as you know, is a JDM and had a horrible balance assembly and was wildly fast - two weeks after buying it! The good news is SEIKO replaced said assembly and I got it back pretty fast. Not MICROTECH OTF knife repair fast - I got it back in 8 days!
I bought it brand new from Shopping in Japan. The 6R15 mvmt unfortunately has been plagued with less than stellar balance assemblies (mine was warped). They fixed it for free (it failed 2 inspections before they nailed it).
I love your videos. No ads and you get right to the point every time. Thank you.
Have had this one for a year and love it. Much more substantial finish and feel from my other Seiko divers (samerai, monster, 007, sumo). Don't much like Seiko slapping the 'willard' name on a lesser watch but there are lots of good reasons why this is so much more $ than a prospex.
Thanks John Cotis! If you have a quick second, click through to our site and write a review of the watch. Our customers love to read about real world experience when shopping on our website. Here's the link:
www.thewatchbox.com/shop/Seiko-Prospex-SLA033.html
Thanks in advance!
Yip me 2! I tend to wear it more often than my grand seiko, just so comfortable
I love mine, too. People think I'm a moron for paying full whack for the 033 but I don't care. It may sound silly, but this is my all time favorite watch design. Back in the mid 80s, my first serious watch was an 8000 series pepsi quartz (always bothered me I couldn't find an automatic in Houston at the time). During a layover in MIA while on family vacation, I saw a 6105 in a shop; I loved it. However, having the SKXey looking 150m quartz already, I felt it would be pointless attempting to convince dad to buy that beauty. That was '85, folks. Fast forward to September '19 and I saw the 033 for sale on ebay. The feeling I had upon seeing it was visceral; I HAD to buy this beauty that was released in July of '19 (b-day is 7/01/67 and I own #1167/2500!). I wear it constantly and it's been running +2-3/spd from the get-go. The finishing and everything is top notch. The only correction I'd make to your fantastic review is that only the top of the bezel's outer rim has Zaratzu polishing. The case has the full Diashield treatment. If you're on the fence and love the 033, I can't recommend it enough.
@@James-qg2nu I've had mine for three years now. It feels more expensive than what it costs in my opinion. Superb finishing, and it wears comfortably on the wrist considering the dimensions.
One of my favorite Seikos along with the sla017.
favorite dial/handset/bezel font of any seiko. wish they would put it in a smaller watch. i also wish they would guarantee better accuracy when the prices are getting this high.
Careful. The so-called experts here think it's okay to have a friggin brick on your wrist, just as long as it's "faithful to the original".
@@gmshadowtraders it's not that big because Seiko always know how to make their watches sit comfortably on the wrist. yes this watch is 45mm but the lug to lug is very short and not to mention it hugs the wrist nicely with curved and chamfered side profile. I have a small 6.5" wrist and had no problem with their watches (MM300, SKX, SRP777 etc.). Sumo is the only one that is too big for me because the lug to lug is 51mm.
Thanks for the nice video filming and good review/showing..... Was soo ready to order the SLA033, but the narrow lugs are a total deal breaker for me.....glad i noticed before I ordered 🙄
Love your reviews and videos but for some reasons I feel like I am trying to be sold! I have the original 6105 - do you happen to know how they compare in terms of wear?
Its not a "Basic watch" - its "marinemaster" grade of watch, which means its practically grand-seiko level but with more sporty aesthetics and les finishing on the movement.
Really nice!
Such a good looking watch! The finish is at Rolex levels and it has a high end workhorse movement. So much nicer than the cheaper Prospex version and rare too. Also, no tacky Prospex logo!
I agree but I prefer the smaller size of the prospex one, plus it's way cheaper. I couldn't justify the extra cost.
Agree…except that I wish they’d got the glass right. The lack of reflected minute markers is the one thing they got wrong. It needs the beveled glass. The cheaper editions get this bit right.
The X logo is fine.
Why didn’t they get the glass right? The reflection of the minute markers caused by the beveled glass is a Willard signature. It doesn’t look right without it. All the other 6105 tributes have it. It’s a real flaw with this one!
I just do not understand Seiko , how are they making this only 13mm thick and then the SLA017 which is smaller watch 15mm and ruining its proportions. The most frustrating brand at times
I wonder how did the people who bought this when it came out felt when seiko released the willard prospex versions 😃
The smaller case size of the Willard Prospex is perfect!
The narrower case shape of the Willard Prospex is basically a Turtle design with a bulge added next to the crown. This is much more authentic to the original and just a much better watch than both! One of Seiko’s best.
Have this Captain Willard with the 8L35 movement unregulated more accurate than my Omega Seamaster 300M 42mm shocked
The Omega Seamaster is running to spec so cannot say anything 😫
The Seiko is just more accurate than the Omega
Green Erick wasn’t expecting to hear that! So maybe METAS isn’t all it’s cracked up to be aye? 😆
@@greenerick Mine is too. Running within Rolex spec, in fact.
Video is good but up the volume so that people can follow better Thanks
Я искренне недоумеваю, почему Seiko не в состоянии произвести часы диаметров 39-40 миллиметров с нормальными пропорциями? Нет, ладно бы Seiko была бы американской компанией, производящей часы для больших американцев. Но ведь Seiko - японская компания, и японцы - не самые крупные и мускулистые ребята на этой планете. Загадка.
nice watch , just a bit high priced
It seems that many of their $3K and above watches look so similar to the ones well under $1K!
$3,950
Good thing expensive and no one's going to stab you for it because it's just that Selko 🙂 .
Can tell you are wearing a mask. SMH.
Speaky too fast. Its not race.
Save your money and instead get a good second hand car and a Casio F91. The latter has more street cred and a bigger following than this waste of money. Emperor's Clothes.