Are Affordable Seiko Watches Still the BEST Value, or B-Tier Junk?

[@nickchang5293]

I have a $500 King Samurai and a limited edition SLA063, which I picked up at a great deal for $2500 and it’s also a piece you’ve reviewed that feels as refined as a GS. I still consider my Samurai a great value being that it also has a ceramic bezel insert, sapphire crystal and a fairly accurate movement, after having it for over 2 years. My SLA063 by comparison, does feel more like a Lexus vs my KS as a Toyota. The case and bracelet has far better finishing, which really catches the light and can also be felt by touch, and the 8L35 movement in it is runs noticeably smoother and more accurate at around +8 seconds/day.

[@JustBlueFish]

The SLA watches are awesome. I hope to own one eventually. But they are in a different class than your Seiko watches in the $200-$1000 range.

[@steveb4012]

I need to see the video that's prompted this one. Glad Citizen had a mention at the end, love my eco drives, wish my Omegas were solar too given the recent hike in servicing costs. £640+ for a service of a three hander is ridiculous.

[@simonwright6882]

Just a suggestion, maybe we could see some more reviews instead of having videos arguing with your subscribers. We all have different options.

[@JustBlueFish]

Lol

[@anthonystevens8683]

A very good Q&A Guy. Great sensible responses. We are all different and hence different views but we should respect that and this channel does a very good job of it. Thanks for sharing. I look forward to the new videos on the way.

[@JohnnyRay15]

I’m wearing the SKX009 right now, this will be interesting.

[@JustBlueFish]

Hey I had one of those…

[@pedrothevenard]

I'm fine with Seiko being B tier, I personally would still place it on A solely because the Seiko 5 line alone is a catalog better than almost all other brands in the list, and I would place the apple watch A because although it's a great device it lacks the special feeling watches bring and could never be S tier for me on that reason alone, but that's me, I'm fine with your list. But let's face it, you did expected those comments the moment you placed those brands in those tiers.

[@JustBlueFish]

Thanks buddy!

[@chi-towncalifornia5916]

Thanks for featuring my comment, Guy!

[@JustBlueFish]

You bet!

[@PanSearedRibeye68]

When you’re right, you’re right.

[@marcgoulding5230]

Jeez - some people are really touchy about things. I appreciated your overview, even if I don't agree with all your points.

[@JustBlueFish]

Thanks!

[@MadMax76er]

The watch dealer I use here in England always mentions that Bremont are great value 2nd hand but not at all at full retail

[@JustBlueFish]

yeah that probably applies to lots of brands. if you can get a deal 2nd hand (50% off retail or more) I'd call that good value.

[@sivanstar]

I have about 40 watches, mostly affordable. Some are work oriented and some are niche like a moonphaser. I rotate between them and wear a different watch every day sometimes twice a day, depends on the circumstances. I think a smart watch is an extension for a mobile phone. By what you said you can easily say a phone is a watch as well. In modern days you dont need a watch, we collect watches for other reasons. I have a garmin smart watch which i only use when i work out. Tbh this video has got me thinking soo im gonna subscribe and pick your mind in the future.. 🙂

[@JustBlueFish]

thanks for watching and for the sub!

[@Bugster987]

All but the very cheapest (skx007) Seikos I’ve had have been excellent timekeepers.

[@JustBlueFish]

Thanks for watching!

[@martinharrison4245]

My sla043 is a gorgeous watch, but even the 8L movement is gaining 4 mins a week. Cost price was £4080 new in the uk. My black bay s and g was under this price new, and is about 1 sec a day out . Despite the poor accuracy, i still think the seiko is built better than my tudor. And i love it more than any watch i own.

[@JustBlueFish]

4 minutes a week! Ugh that is a bummer for such a pricey watch. Sorry to hear that.

[@martinharrison4245]

@@JustBlueFish yeah its not great , not that it bothers me much. But if you compare it to tudor or omega , its really poor. Thankfully I'm not obsessed with it , but many would be !!!

[@fadmap9676]

If Seikos are B Tier then Tags are back up there on A tier like they used to be in the 90s b4 tiktokers ruined them.

[@inlandwatchreviews5745]

Wearing my SPB297 save the ocean. Bought my first seiko in 1986. Seiko is a workhorse watch, not perfect but built strong.

[@JustBlueFish]

Nice, enjoy it.

[@davew8841]

I'm a week late to this episode, and I didn't catch the one you're referring too...but, I do mostly agree that Seiko's lower priced stuff isn't really great value....and I've been buying only Seiko's for the last 4 or 5 years. I'd started with a Sea Urchin, then an SKX...as I was learning about watches and the brand. Then I got a 300m Tuna...because it's admirable, and nothing else really appealed to me. Soon after that came an SBEJ Landmaster...then nothing new for ages...until a few years later I would pick up a Flightmaster because I thought they would be discontinued. As if that matters. Inbetween and the rest of the time, I bought all the vintage and used Seiko tool watches that appeal to me. I'd realised that it was the heritage of the brand that I really love. From the times when they made a helium-proof diver, or watches with a barometer to predict the weather, or early dive computers, or ceramic bracelets and cases, or that they were the choice of US Vietnam War combatants. Fascinating times! That's what I love about older Seiko. Unfortunately...the Sumo's, Samurai's, Solar's, 5KX's and so on...seem bland in comparison.

[@TwentyOne_Five]

Good video

[@JustBlueFish]

Thanks

[@bertholdbach4959]

10:36 If you could get a rolex, that is. BTW, if a Apple Watch is counted as a watch, does my Smart count as a watch as well? It has an Analog watch inside.😉

[@JustBlueFish]

Thanks for watching!

[@jonathansaraco]

Putting Seiko in S tier simply because they're popular is the same logic as people saying Hublot is a great watch brand because they are expensive and sell well. If that's what people think they don't need a tier list video from you, they can just list watch brands by the amount of sales they have and rank them that way. I totally agree that Seiko quality is not close to as good as it should be at its price. Especially the bracelets, but that's a Seiko-wide problem. Even Grand Seiko has poor bracelets for the money. I'm not in the market for a watch in the Grand Seiko price point, but if I was, the bracelet and clasp quality would make it hard for me to buy one even though their cases and dials are second to none. Hopefully Seiko can improve these soon.

[@JustBlueFish]

Thanks for watching and for your thoughts appreciate it.

[@richardclarke1693]

I have a Timex Q which is over 20 years old and it still runs perfectly. It’s a watch. An Apple smartwatch is not a watch just as a smartphone is not a watch even though both tell time. It’s an extension of the smartphone.

[@Valera_Scotland]

Great vid guy! A little watch update. I was hoping to get the Explorer but had a moment of revelation. Found a great example of a watch I used to own and stupidly sold - Omega Aqua Terra 2503.50.00 black dial and a black Speedy leather omega deployant strap that I found on ebay brand new at half rrp. Do you think this is a solid choice? I love this watch. Its slim and elegant, and also has a very subtle date window. I'm not a huge fan of dates, but this is done well.... The watch and strap together came to Less than half the cost of an Explorer I really feel that there is no value in rolex, and there are other hidden gems which are more special and unique.... its worth looking around, and I'm personally glad that I've let go of the Rolex aspiration and hype

[@JustBlueFish]

Awesome pickup, I do love that older Omega AT. I prefer it to the new ones because I like the date positioned at 3 o'clock and I like that the dial is flat and doesn't have. texture.

[@Valera_Scotland]

@@JustBlueFish great to hear! Arriving on Tuesday. Will be a good day (yes yes, I treat my emotions with big purchases 😥💙)

[@Weakeyedominant]

If their movements were regulated they would whipe out alot of budget swiss brands. I had a sarb033 and sold it after a month because it was constsntly 5 minutes fast

[@JustBlueFish]

Not abnormal in my experience.

[@ianbeausejour11]

Funny thing is, the movements are capable of keeping good time. I have bought several aliexpress homages (pagani design and steeldive for example. Not SanMartin or other higher end homages) and they are my most accurate time pieces. They have nh35 movements and are keeping near COSC time. For the most part, between +5 and +10 seconds per day

[@tods.9947]

I have around 75 watches in my collection. A majority of these are restored vintage Seiko chronographs plus other vintage pieces. I wear them all but not all equally. The purpose is to curate an important collection that I enjoy building. So the objective on my part is different than others.

[@AlexanderB.]

I wouldn't go so far as to unsubscribe and I even own a smart watch I use for running but I also think the apple watch never belonged on that watch brand list.

[@JustBlueFish]

Well as long as you don't Un-Sub :)

[@ralphus555]

Enthusiasts buy Seiko for the dials. Heritage does play a part as well...

[@JustBlueFish]

They do have a lot of great dials.

[@daletaylorjr.4786]

It all comes down to the watch that catches your eye. If you are buying a watch just to impress someone, you are missing the point. And I have 30+ watches for me. Not anyone else. 😅

[@JustBlueFish]

Having that many watches makes me anxious for some reason lol

[@Libertà_sopra_vita]

Man, you are sleeping on citizen mechanical watches.. They dont have a huge line but the ones i am aware of are nice. My personal favorites from citizen are the NB1050-59E (silver or black dial), the FUGU (which is a classic) and my personal favorite, and one i plan on buying eventually is the NC0200-90E. The caliber 0200 is a masterpiece imo. Beautiful movement and beautiful watch. Oh and BTW, i totally agree with seiko being "B tier". Who cares how big their following is. That is irrelevant.

[@bkstarkey]

To be honest, when compared to Rolex, etc, anything under about $1000 can be called “b tier”. Problem is, while a nice watch can be had for $200, some are even overpriced at that (looking at you Seiko).

[@sensible202]

Keeping good time is priority. That's a deal breaker.

[@JustBlueFish]

Yeah, most people don’t seem to care about this too much. Strange that they’d buy a watch and not want reasonably good accuracy (+/- 10s per day is fine).

[@remus2001]

Great video. And I agree with you on Seiko. I bought my first Seiko last year. I spent $1,250 for a watch with a 6R35 movement that ran +35spd. I regulated it to something more manageable, but the positional variance was insane. It’s just not worth the money at that price range.

[@JustBlueFish]

Yeah I’ve had the same issue. $1200 on their spb143, poor time keeper.

[@Conundrum191]

Seiko watches are still Seiko watches, but they have been constantly upping the price but not adding any quality (and the QC is debatable these days). I still shake my head when I see a really nice Seiko for $500+ but oh look, still hardlex.

[@emreisiklar]

Bump the prices 30/40% without the quality increase…. B is good

[@JustBlueFish]

B is generous, if we are being really critical.

[@emreisiklar]

@@JustBlueFish just being nice, i used to buy everydiver more or less now saving for a Tudor even new longines Zulu

[@lion5352-z1s]

Love seiko watches ..❤

[@JustBlueFish]

I have a love hate relationship with them.

[@markw-2025]

They need to put in 8L35 movements into their collections under $1,000, to be competitive with Miyota nine series (which sells for a lot less). They also need to start regulating their watches. I no longer will purchase a Seiko because of this.

[@underachievingwatchcollect1878]

My experience with Seiko was awful. I had the sarb033 and the skx013-such bad timekeeping I literally threw them in the garbage! Landfill watches 😎!

[@JustBlueFish]

Yeah almost all of them were bad time keepers for me.

[@bluesdog645]

The fact that you threw your Seikos in the garbage is just plain silly. If you didn’t like them, fine. But just sell them to someone who will enjoy them.

[@colmfarrel4742]

​@@bluesdog645it's obviously not true.

[@bluesdog645]

@@colmfarrel4742 If it’s not true then it’s even more stupid to say it.

[@ThePlaiibox]

Completely agree. The 6r movements are dog poo. 4r are much better

[@johnscott4693]

They’re Tier 2 Junk … Next question?

[@JustBlueFish]

An argument could be made?

[@rodzaytsev2103]

Wearing a quartz Longines lungomare that has been with me for 20 years …Seiko? Naaaaaah, vielen Dank 😏

[@JustBlueFish]

Classic

[@rodzaytsev2103]

@@JustBlueFish yep, it’s a pity they don’t build them like they did before, nowadays Swiss made 🇨🇭 has become more of a hype thing, sadly.

[@pedroregalla3333]

B-Tier junk. I bought 3 Seikos. Two of them had defective movements, two of them had misaligned hands. Great desigs though.

[@k2superlative72]

Seikos problem started with manufacuring in china…

[@bkstarkey]

And. “Affordable” is all relative.

[@k2superlative72]

Citizen still hold quality.

[@SIZZO76]

BREITLING IS BETTER THAN TUDOR AND IT AINT CLOSE😂

[@seikoskx]

Unsubscribed i love seikos

[@JustBlueFish]

We all love Seiko's.

[@seikoskx]

If so why the b rating

[@JustBlueFish]

@@seikoskx well, like I said in the video - because their prices have gone up considerably in the last 5 years but they still have the same significant quality control problems that has plagued the brand for as long as I've been a fan (10 yrs?).

[@StephenTomko]

Expensive seikos are A-tier junk. $1k+ seikos are not worth their price...

[@giangvu7902]

Lower end Seiko watches are just junk. Their movements suck and don’t even keep time well. Only their 6L and 8L movements are worth considering.