Another Expensive Seiko? Another Expensive Mistake?

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Shout out to Zane for selling me the King. Looks like it might need a trip back to the service department though! This watch deserves a better movement, the whole sub brand deserves a better movement. Will it get one? Doubt it! For half price though, it was well worth taking the chance, and it is a wee stunner. Cheers, Jody

[dgar]

You nailed it, Jody: a gorgeous watch with a completely underwhelming movement. Even at your amazing 50% discounted purchase price, I can think of ten other watches I’d prefer to put my $918.46 US toward… As always, thank for the great content!

[chrispeek]

Seiko buyers at this point are like the fraternity pledges in "Animal House" saying "Thank You Sir! May I have another!" as they are paddled through the gauntlet.

[jimcrotty]

I purchased the brown dial version from the Seiko boutique in London last year and think it is a beautiful looking watch. Bracelet fits my wrist very well and had it adjusted by the boutique . Accuracy is better than your model appears to have but does lose on a daily basis within the stated tolerance but I find I wear in preference to other, more expensive watches as I really like the looks of it.
Always watch your presentations Jodie, enjoy the content and your presentation

[fletchoid]

The Seiko catalogue has many beautifully designed watches, but over the past few years they have priced themselves out of the "Best reasonably priced watch for the money" category. The majority of my collection have Seiko movements in beautifully designed microbrand cases. They are all "affordable", and the QC for all of them has been great. Seiko CAN make a great watch for a reasonable price, but they just don't seem to care anymore.

[alexandersmith]

The 6R family of movements have been the most wildcard aspect of Seiko automatic watches.

Those timegrapher numbers point to needing a service, not only a adjustment. Though claiming warranty could likely result in them swapping whole movements simply for another gremlin to pop out of the gear train in the new one. Rinse & repeat.

[TheMainCore]

This is a truly great watch. A friend of mine just got the red one, he's totally in love and haven't touched any of his vast and expensive collection since he got it. Honeymoon phase sure, but still. (And this is the first watch that have made any of my rich watch-friends even look at Seiko. This was a great move by the brand!)

[jozsefizsak]

I would suggest sending it in with all speed. It seems to me you do have another watch or two, presumably along with a cell phone, so you should manage well enough until it's returned. BTW, I've devised a workable coping mechanism for Seiko's QC through the simple expedient of never buying their watches. No problems so far. 😉

[snix]

I shifted my collection toward Citizen for the past year.
Most of them are Promaster (with Eco-drive), thus I don't have to worry anything about the movements and what not.
Once I got over being "mechanical-snob", somehow I found peace of mind lol.

Btw, Citizen have alignment issues for <300$ watches as well, one of mine (normal Eco-drive, non Promaster) *_PERFECTLY_* skipped all the markers it's almost interesting 🤣

[belluco]

I recently purchased a Seiko Lord Matic from the 70s for $100. Initially, it was running +15spd. I decided to have it serviced, which cost me approximately $50. When I received it back from the watchmaker, they mentioned that there were no signs of a previous service and it was still running +15spd. It has been a few weeks since the service, and now it's running at +2.4spd. So, for a total of $150, I now own an authentic Seiko vintage watch with a rich history. Considering my experience, I personally wouldn't recommend investing in the new Seiko vintage reissues until they implement significant improvements in their movements.

[barryvercueil]

I would definitely take the watch back to the Boutique. I get amazing service from the Seiko Boutique nearest to me in Pretoria. They also have regular sales throughout the year. And I strongly agree with you that seeing the watch is person is best before buying. Cheers.

[BrianHartman]

Great review, Jody. :)

I give them credit for at least putting sapphire on the watch. I was half-expecting it to be Hardlex. :) And at least it didn't have alignment issues. But you're right that it deserves a much better movement.

[gcaps]

Back on the channel after losing interest in watches for a few years and its good to see you still pumping out quality content. Love the channel Jody! Just got a Heimdallr from my dad which reignited my love for watches. Good to be back.

[JohnBuckmaster-swwm]

I’ve had watches with the 6R15, 6R35, and 6R35A(the first 6R35 movement) I know there were problems with 6R15. But the two that I had were fine other than accuracy) I have a timeGrapher and in my experience they are no more accurate, and in some cases less accurate than 4R movements. In my opinion, Seiko needs to develop a 28, 800 bpm movement comparable to the ETA.2824 or Miyota 9000 series. They’re smaller and thinner allowing for slimmer cases! I wouldn’t be interested in this watch if the retail was $1000… 1800 is totally absurd IMO…. Thanks, Jody.

[brianmsahin]

Oh by the way. I would definitely bring it back for a warranty repair, I feel that though the watch is unmarked, it might have had a shock, maybe hitting a wooden floor that wouldn't scratch the case. There's definitely a movement problem that may only get worse if left unresolved.

[DC-ufve]

Now you've got me looking at vintage King Seiko again, THANKS FOR THAT

[WATCHingJames]

I love it. I have considered buying one many times. I have a vintage 1970 King Seiko and adore it.
But at the price they are wanting for this new version, even second hand, with that movement, I struggle to see it entering my collection.
Oh and that beat error is terrible. I would be taking it into Seiko.

[brianmsahin]

You got that right Jody. I have quite a few Seiko's including some of the old classics plus one Seiko 5kx which is lined up perfectly. But this, along with some of my more expensive Prospex watches, I have bought exclusively from the authorised Seiko store in my city. I can then physically check the alignment before opening my wallet and my man in the store even has a timegrapher and will check and adjust the movement if needed. Anything more than 5 spd and he does it. I will never buy a Seiko online. A tip. If the store price is a lot more than the online price, I suggest you show that price to the seller and you will often get it discounted to close the gap. It's ok to pay a bit extra for peace of mind and a local warranty which in Turkey we get 3 years even though 2 is standard.

[UnburdenedByWhatHasBeen]

Definitely a great looking watch. If a movement loses accuracy at low power by that much, usually its in need of a cleaning and/or lubrication. Being the watch is practically new im guessing it left the factory with a lack of lubrication.

[rodlohin]

Agreed - price is too high. Nice watch if it worked. Maybe try to demagnetize as it seems to be dragging. If that doesn't work, definitely take it in for a service. Shocking amplitude.

[paulgoyne]

I'm beginning to suspect that Seiko has decided that anybody who really wants to know what time it is will just look at their phone.