Titanium AND Fully Lumed for $60?? Field Watch from Seiko Alba - AQPJ403 Review

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[amko]

As Creative Director responsible for managing the Alba brand in the Middle East (UAE, Bahrain, Qatar, most of the GCC) during the early 90s I was happy to see your report on the brand. Other brands I was tasked to work with were Westar and Raymond Weil. I was privileged to attend the Basle Fair back then. After 30 years I find that the major players from the 90s continue to hold their own. And a titanium piece with excellent lume? Wow, I feel like a kid again :)

[jimbrown]

just put a battery in a 31 year old lorus this morning...square gold plated case/ bracelet...working fine.

[javierjimenez]

Yes please!! More JDM, Asian market or under the radar watches. It is very refreshing to take a look away from the mainstream hype from time to time. This Alba has such a good value for money... nothing to complain about.

[junakciras]

My father left me a Seiko 5 automatic 50 years old! It still works today! Hello from Bosnia and Hercegovina!

[stevenbeattie]

I live in Scotland so Alba watches aren't very well known here whereas Lorus are. I have a few and they're great watches. You might be interested to know that Alba is the Scottish Gaelic word for Scotland! Love your content Dave, keep up the good work. Many thanks for keeping us watch folks informed and entertained.

[jeeperspeepers]

Someone who reviews low, and moderately, priced watches. Thank you!

[paulandrews]

Have owned the Lorus version of this watch for a few years. Great little watch and stunning value for about £35 - 40 here in the UK. Oh and the Lume lasts ALL night. Great review, thanks.

[robertm]

Been seeing Alba watches on other people's wrists since I was a kid but I never knew they were from Seiko!
I would like one of these in the usual 40mm case+20mm lug width, it would be quite a value piece as well even if it turns out a bit more expensive.

[racegdoce]

Out of stock in most of world wide watch shops.
That is what a Japanese online watch shop told me today: "Unfortunately, this model was sold out and discontinued. It will not arrive again.
We are sorry that we can't help you this time."
I found one version of this watch in Ebay for 120$ aprox.

This watch would be great for my collection.

[G]

I’ve had my rare black face Lorus Titanium quartz field watch since the early 1990s. Only bought it as a stopgap because I lost a Longines. But it’s now my favourite, not least because it always keeps great time (unlike me) - gains maybe 6 seconds over 12 months!

The reason to buy a cheap quartz with a Seiko movement is a no brainer. I paid £35 for mine, when £35 was worth £35. Today the money is worth less, but the watch is actually cheaper!! But I can’t find a black face anywhere.

I adapted a two piece 22mm military strap to fit. I have an 8” wrist, but I still love this little watch.

[jonathanblock]

I have a Lorus Lumibrite. What I love most. I can scratch it without concern. I have a reliable watch that I've tested intensely in the outdoors. It's taken knocks rock climbing, plunging into the sea from cliff jumping and tested a good 25 feet snorkeling. They're just beast watch and I have the memories connected to it. I love it so much, I'll actually put it in a frame when it eventually dies.

[MichaelWerneburg]

Sounds like a keeper. Seiko's doing a great job with these watches. I have an Alba AQGD403, a simple solar model with really excellent proportions and legibility. Curiously, the black text wore off the bezel within about 9-10 months, so they're certainly not over-investing in their manufacture for ~¥7, 000.

I'd love to understand Seiko's brand strategy. I also have a J. Springs, a hand-me-down from my father, and for about fifteen years had a Lorus. With Pulsar as well, there seems to be no shortage of Seiko sub-brands that offer similar models at similar price.

[kirkfrias]

Please create more videos like that, Asian brands like alba should reach out the world.

[Tris-geoy]

I bought this watch after I saw your unboxing earlier this year, so, thank you. To say I love it is an understatement. The size is perfect for my 6 1/2 inch wrist, and there's excellent legibility. Plus, it looks great, and plays far above its weight, especially given its price. I also own an Alba solar diver, which is also excellent. But this watch provides great enjoyment whenever I wear it, and it does look great on lots of straps.

[richardmoloney]

I have a few Seikos, Citizens, Rue Du Rhone, Bulovas. All great watches, but the most enduring is a cheap Casio I bought in 2010. Apart from a new strap, the watch has the same battery and is still going strong.

[MrLiveWest]

I feel like everyone should buy a well spec'd quartz watch early in their watch collecting career. its a great way to learn what you like and don't like. Also it allows you to save for the expensive automatic that you want, and the automatic will feel like a huge upgrade

[alexkane]

I recently bought the stainless steel Lorus version of this watch. After seeing the video on 'Watch me with watches', I bought a 30mm sapphire crystal from Ali Express and swapped out the mineral crystal on the watch. I put it on a NATO strap and now it's perfect!

[Sho-pow]

I have the stainless steel Lorus Lumibrite model mentioned in this video and love it a lot. Couldn't resist the allure of a fully lumed dial combined with a titanium case though and just pulled the trigger on one of these. I like the cleaner layout of the dial over the Lorus. I'm a big fan of the channel and would love to see more JDM models covered to help set the channel apart from other watch YouTube channels. I love my Casio S100 Oceanus and Seiko Dolce SACM171 which are both JDM only models.

[jamesblank]

I have the Lorus stainless version. Comparing lume to my dive watches, it is much easier to read lumed hands against a black background than black hands over a fully lumed dial. The thinness of the black hands makes them disappear against the lumed dial after 20 minutes. The eye loses resolution at lower light levels. Lorus lume brightness was comparable to the C3 dive watch in the short test.

[pandapi]

I remember getting an Alba dive watch in the 90s for my birthday as a kid... i was the coolest kid in class with a gigantic dive watch on mt scrawny wrists! It was a blessing and a curse, a blessing because it made me love watches, but a curse because i spent a lil too much on them 😂