The Seiko SZSB015 is PRETTY but a HUGE Bummer

Come find out why I got so upset with this JDM Seiko and what I did about it!
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Tonight I went to go buy a new computer keyboard. The one I had busted. I had it for about eight years so it had a good run! I loved that thing. It was slim, quiet and black-lit.
After searching a few stores, I went to Walmart and found one that I wanted which was behind a locked case. I went to the counter and waited in line. There was one woman working and she looked a bit sour. She wasn't unprofessional or anything but I could tell and FEEL that she wasn't having a good evening. This was especially so since the man before me completely wasted her time and got aggressive because his credit card was not working. I silently wished him well on his journey.
When it was my turn, I greeted her with a big smile and advised that I required a computer keyboard from the case. On our way to the case, I asked her how her day was going. She replied immediately with "BUSY!"
I laughed and told her that I could see that. Without hesitation, she unloaded on me about how her night was proceeding. She told me that she was all alone in that department, that almost everyone called in sick and the one other worker that was supposed to be with her has been on her lunch break for two hours now. Two hours!
I told this woman that I know exactly where she's coming from and that I had been in the same shoes many, many times. I gave her a little support by saying that she's doing a great job and that I appreciate her.
I could almost taste the weight being lifted off her shoulders. She sighed, looked at me and said "thank you!" with a big smile. She went from looking frustrated to being in a chipper, happy mood and man, that felt nice.
My new keyboard was rung up and she gleefully asked the next person in line to provide assistance and was whisked away to another section. As she was walking away with them, she turned around, waved to me and said bye with a smile.
That's what I'm talking about, folks! Even if just going shopping, we have the capability to be mindful of others and lift them up when they need it. We need to care for our fellow humans even if and sometimes especially when they are complete strangers.
Kindness Above All
Much love,
Curt
00:00 Intro
00:58 About
02:51 Measurements
03:20 The Problems
10:42 Falling In Love
11:18 Check the Lume
13:41 Thoughts
15:29 The Boys

[@minitwatch]

Hey gang! Am I nitpicking or do you think these are legit things that would make you upset as well? Lemme know! Have a great week!

[@lolatu4402]

Out of all the issues, the fake cyclops bothers me the most, enough that I probably wouldn't get it because it would constantly annoy me to look at. Too bad too, because it's a beautiful watch and totally my style. For $500 any one of those issues would be inexcusable. All of them are really an out of character miss for Seiko.

[@imperialwatchco.1353]

Great review as always Curt! Hope you’re doing great! Would love to get you hands on with a Royalguard and please reach out anytime! All the best, Ben

[@tomasinacovell4293]

Your terminology is getting worse too, but it's not "gears" it's "pinion & wheel" i.e. pinon-to-wheel, wheel-to-pinion and there are not "teef" it's "leafs" or "leaves".

[@bigbodykarate6403]

Were have you been brother , no posts in half a year , hope all is well

[@jeremycoello9718]

I was able to grab the Szsb013 last year when Amazon had it for $275.00 and I’ve had no problems with it at all. My bracelet is has not given me any trouble at all (I have a larger wrist), the pins have never fallen out and it’s so easy to size, domed Hartlex crystal, diamond cut indices that look very similar to classic GS, and that 20mm to 16mm is perfect. To be honest, mine gets more wrist time than a lot of other watches.

[@minitwatch]

I might have just gotten unlucky or as someone mentioned, a warranty return hah! Either way, I love mine now. I love wearing it. It's quite nice!

[@sinesaii]

I love mine as well (and I am also a big guy who likes sun-40mm watches).

[@knoxknifemods]

Hey Kurt! I hate that you had a negative experience at the start. I love mine as well, however I had no serious issues with the bracelet after sizing. It is a pain in the ass that it doesn’t come with micro adjustment holes. I’ve had no issues with the pins falling out though, and I’ve worn mine a ton. Actually I dig this bracelet so much that I adapted it to my Sea Wolf after swapping the clasps, and started wearing the 015 on a croc strap, really shows off the polishing on the inside of the lugs. Give it a shot on a strap man! Glad that you ended up loving it!

[@strannostrannovasrr]

No, you're not nitpicking at all. Let us know if you have to make the same adjustments to the blue one.

[@minitwatch]

I sure will!

[@EscapementWatch]

Always love coming back to the CHANNEL OF JUSTICE! 😁

[@styraxopoponax8294]

Thanks for posting! This series has gotten very little press. I have the 017 and 018 (green and dark gray with aged lime); I somewhat agree with the shortcomings (my biggest gripe is I wish the applied markers were thicker-this would elevate the value up to the ridiculous MSRP). Long story short I absolutely love them, can’t take them off (mostly wear them on perlons). My wrist is 7.25 and it me so beautifully proportioned that I do not want to wear anything else. Hope they maintain their bad reputation so I can keep getting them for $200 😂

[@minitwatch]

Good point! For the price, they are nice! Perhaps I just got a LEMON. We'll see when I get the next one! Cheers!

[@gilbertoquiroz-rea8194]

​@@minitwatchI agree with @styraxopoponax8294 that these are a great value, and I too wear my 017 daily on a silver Milanese. Seems like you got a lemon for sure, my magnifier is stronger than yours and my crown is straight compared to yours which points up like half a degree. I'd sell yours for another one, and replace the OEM bracelet or change out the pins like you did! Smart move there, the bracelet has a milled clasp which isn't bad. Thanks for the awesome video! Subbed

[@MrSpenceju]

If you haven’t tried to remove the cyclops yet, I would pop out the crystal first, I watched random rob melt a chapter ring in his watch as he tried to use a lighter on a crystal attached to his watch

[@mr22guy]

I think having to correct the watch a little is part of why you fell in love with it!

[@stevenschoenfeld2331]

Interesting, I purchased the SZB013 (same watch but in blue) from Amazon and had none of the issues you are talking about. It was like an entirely different watch! You definitely got some weird lemon or rehabbed watch or something, nothing on mine was similar, not the issue with the crystal, bracelet, or date! The one I have is one of the best watches for the price I have ever purchased.

[@demonstructie]

Without hands on experience I don't really mind the watch itself, it just seems like something Seiko used to price at like $200 - which meant you could easily pick one up for $150 brand new, at which price point we'd all be a lot more forgiving. $550 is absurd.

[@minitwatch]

Remember the days of the cheap Seiko 5s? I miss those days! I have gotten 80 dollar ones that didn't have these issues. Granted, those were tried and true over time. I might have gotten a lemon. We'll see!

[@DonCacomixtle]

I have the matte black dial with vintage lume and i loooove it.

[@PineapplePizza1]

It was crazy these were like $87 on Amazon for Amazon Prime Day!

[@JasonTheWatchGuy]

That cyclops alone kills it for me!

[@sugondesenuts69]

Hope you come back to make reviews from time to time.

[@kongkevin5373]

Nice watch. Which one you like most. Black or Blue 🎉

[@wpherigo1]

Great video! I would have sent it back since it is clearly a manufacturing dud. I am amazed you got everything fixed. That’s awesome.

[@nitsan]

My Seiko Flightmaster was a total piece of crap. Pushers broke for no reason and didn't even work properly right out of the box. Comfort was crap too. Yours looks nice. Just the lugs stick out too much while on wrist. So while you're fixing stuff maybe sand those down a little.

[@daletaylorjr.4786]

I got this watch in the dress version. Dauphine hands. No lume. I immediately put it on a Barton leather and haven’t looked back. I will need to replace the crystal eventually due to a horrible scuff from a brick wall. 😫

[@ustradingdiary]

I forgot what model. But amazon did have a sale of similar seiko watches at 80+ dollars. Missed that deal 😭

[@nickharvie2252]

I have the SZSB013 blue dial version. Love the watch. Love the bracelet. I think you got a warranty return watch or something. haha

[@minitwatch]

Big possibility! Or, just like everyone else, the universe makes me work hard for the things I love :p I do love this watch now! It's great!

[@supaflymicros]

We miss you.

[@davidcoleman2796]

The only seiko I have left is my sarb035. I sold off my other seikos. I do not think I will buy another one .

[@mutleyjunior5790]

Good job bro. BTW I someone stole my beloved watch Casio EFV-100D. Now I wear my Orient Open heart or a smartwatch for my daily driver. Love to see u made some effort to fix your watch.

[@minitwatch]

Oh no!! That sucks, man. I'm sorry to see that. Thank you! Cheers!

[@smokingbeetles5793]

I'm just here for the song

[@Linuxwarlord]

Came for my fav lume track.. "check the lume" 😉

[@iamtheshaker]

I have the SZSB016 and I removed the cyclops with heat (tried the mechanical method that worked better on stubborn sapphire first to no avail). Worked fairly easily and is much better I agree about the bracelet, but I’m not a big bracelet person so that was easy to keep in the box

[@lynds2424]

Thanks for this review! This watch has been on my radar for a second and it gives me somethings to consider before pulling the trigger.

[@christopherschmitz2815]

Hey ! Love the vid’ but I can tell you that I had zero issues with the 3 different models of this line I have! I would say you definitely got a lemon and should return immediately and get a replacement. Best of luck!

[@voxamplifier3335]

I’m still waiting for that straps video

[@earlbee3196]

Welcome back to KZbin, We all thought you had emigrated to Timbuktu .

[@christianrambissoon1141]

Love your stuff pal, but that worldmap messes with your cam focus. Very frustrating to view. But on the bright side it has my home country on it so yaye lol

[@peterfrancis14]

Hey Curt! I just bought a JDM SZEV011 and it has the same bracelet as yours with the same “loose” pins. They don’t fall out but I agree with you they definitely suck. Im going to buy some new friction pins and replace the factory pins…question, when you replaced the pins I’m assuming you scrapped the springy collar as it would be no longer needed? Let me know sir! Love your channel and upbeat attitude!

[@sinesaii]

I have an SZSB014. I love it. My only complaint is the hardlex. The bracelet is good by Seiko standards. The dial and hands look great under a loop. The movement is rock solid. Honestly, with a sapphire crystal this watch would be perfect. The hardlex is the only problem. The rest of the watch is perfect to me in size and style.

[@mohamedbalman5939]

The other szsbs looks way better than the szsb015, that cyclops is a no go 😖

[@ikiboisart]

really love the check the lume intro.😄

[@RyTyme]

Those issues, I'd send it back. Unless I really wanted that specific model, and it was the last one. Rare for a Seiko to have this much bummerness.

[@richardgardiner9597]

Are you sure that this is not a forgery? Like you, I've seen all kinds of Seiko watches and apart from their bracelets, they are very adequate consumer watches. This thing looks like a Chinese watch with a Seiko logo.

[@Quick-Look]

Beautiful watch

[@johannguasch754]

That’s some wierd pin and collar system, i havent seen spring collars.

[@SilentCanary]

Awesome video bro! I have the SZSB012 and I love it! My cons with it is the absence of lume , hardlex crystal, and the worrisome bracelet. I already swapped my bracelet for a leather strap and plan on swapping out the hardlex to sapphire. Great line on watches tho!

[@mohamedbalman5939]

Hi, Did u manage to find a replacement bracelet ?!

[@SilentCanary]

@@mohamedbalman5939didn’t find a replacement yet but I do swap it out between the OEM bracelet and a leather two piece. So far, it hasn’t had the issues this lad has had.

[@mohamedbalman5939]

@mr.timezone1336 just got mine recently, so I've ordered a couple of leather straps online . Still waiting on the delivery, I can't wait to try it on the black crocodile leather strap. I'm sure it will look awesome . Thx

[@jimv.6631]

Regarding the pins coming out of the bracelet, is it possible the bracelet utilizes a pin & collar system and you've failed to put the collar back in? I don't know, that's just a guess, I know nothing about these watches. Overall, the watch does seem like a bit of a cheap disaster.

[@loganpierce9244]

Where are you brother..????

[@DocmastahRS]

Welcome back!!!!! I've missed you man!!!

[@CocoKoi321]

He's back

[@ting280]

Damn I was gonna say send it to Canada, I could make that into a gift for my dad

[@minitwatch]

Sorry, Doc! Cheers!

[@MrQuocanh80]

Seiko, gotta hate/love them!!! Beautiful watch, excellent price point, flawed execution. Well done for fixing yours.

[@simple1i162]

The most upsetting thing is Kurt gone awol.

[@valerin0]

Pity about the issues you had with this Otherwise it’s a great looking watch

[@minitwatch]

Since I resolved the issues, I LOVE IT. Especially for the price! Hopefully, I just got a lemon and everyone else is having a great time from the start :) Beers!

[@valerin0]

@@minitwatch did you remove the cyclops, hope you video,d it m8, great content 👍

[@Xanduur]

A disaster? I love mine. I am so happy not to be an OCD watch guy.

[@goodforwatch]

do you still have that green dial bulova?

[@finster444k]

If I ever find myself 100 meters under the Oceans surface in complete darkness the 1st thing I'm doing is using the lume from my watch to get to the surface & promptly quitting that horrible job !!

[@joseluismalagagranda4785]

Seiko great value for money .

[@MrBacchus18]

Who hoodwinked you into buying that disaster 😂 The no magnification magnifier was the coup de gras

[@fungt89]

But..... It's $200. If I didn't already have a dressy field watch with the khaki king it would be hard to go past rolling the Seiko qc dice on this.

[@minitwatch]

I mean I would buy another one. Oh wait. I did! haha!

[@aaaaaa6583]

Seiko is one of the worst high priced manufacturers with overly highly priced watches and mainly poor quality control on many models especially when it comes to misaligned bezels on divers watches. Many seiko watches even totally stop working just after warranty expires. 😢 😭

[@MasterZiomekPL]

Do you know how it compares to the SZSB012?

[@emptyMan0]

So you have put another $200's worth of work into it, that's crazy 😀 I would have sent it back, I don't have the patience.

[@925audio8]

I respect your channel. Tired of TGV biting other people’s material, including your talking dinosaurs.

[@jamesblonde2271]

I thinks you should send it back

[@StarsReflected]

what polish did you use?

[@williamzoom]

I don't think you're nitpicking it's the point of what you are doing to show the good & the bad & in this instance you literally took a turd & polished it to such a degree that you love it and that's pretty rare! I have been on both sides of customer service and greeting someone with a smile and treating them like a human can really make things better for both of you. I don't think that person was on a 2 hour lunch break at Walmart they probably quit!

[@edrader]

huge bummer but ordered another 🤣

[@islandterror5198]

So the blue one has a slightly domed crystal instead of a raised one & without the cyclops and is twice the cost ? Should have shown us the repair job with 10,000 bleeps in the audio, redeem yourself with a cyclops on fire 🔥 vid . 😎🍿💪

[@CocoKoi321]

Hate the size it makes nooooo sense to me, needs to be smaller at least like 39? And shorttttt 45mm lug to lug Or 46 lug to lug and and 38mm size The box crystal is weird asf I'd rather a really slimmmmm boxed dome crystal

[@cybrough]

You should get a pay check from SEIKO for having you finish the manufacturing process.

[@hospitalcleaner]

Seems really expensive for a hardlex crystal with + -45sec a day. Better off getting a orient or going vintage

[@rfdiego777]

It feels like a bad copy of the SARB033. Since 3-4 years Seiko is not the same, they are making a lot of choices which don't make sense with what made Seiko famous. What a shame, they were the real reference point for the entry watches

[@harkonen1000000]

Yeah, if you have a SARB033, just stick with it. Might be an OK option for new watches these days, though.

[@tomasinacovell4293]

Your terminology is getting worse too, but it's not "gears" it's "pinion & wheel" i.e. pinon-to-wheel, wheel-to-pinion and there are not "teef" it's "leafs" or "leaves".

[@matyasd007]

We told him to put the crack pipe down already.

[@gordong9596]

seiko is trying too hard to kill SARB

[@ysmok4143]

Cool

[@thisisnothere14]

Thats a huge disappointment of a watch, yes great discounted price... but is it worth doing all that work on it? If it were me i'd just buy the citizen tsuyosa or a cocktail time and call it a day 😎

[@jakelee1344]

Non-magnifying magnifying lens! Hahahahahahaha!

[@rohanes]

Swell watch overall for that price, but I think yours came with too much "cue-sea problemo" sauce 🥴

[@tedblack2415]

Man i would not be happy ! It looks ok but i think you paid what its worth & to go through what you did to make it wearable jeeez no wonder i'm in no rush to add a seiko to the collection plus most homages do a better job , being more of a bracelet guy i couldn't accept it & the rest is just nails in the coffin but at least you now love the watch ... well until you flip it :-}

[@minitwatch]

Perhaps I just got real unlucky with this one. We'll see with the next one I'm getting! I do love my Steinhart. It's just about perfect!

[@Stanjara]

I saw this years ago, and I thought, why so cheap. I guess they are leftover stock for Japan market when Seiko went Presage. You got a watch that was thrown around for years. Terrible condition. This is not Seiko's fault. You didn't buy this from retail. Anyways good looking but too big as a dress watch, or for my wrist. Go Orient for 200 dollars.

[@mosmicke]

just send it back..

[@bogrot69]

So you had to forge your own bracelet?! 🤣🤣🤣 It's a nice looking watch but yes, Seiko's bracelet game is ass. Even my Limited Edition Cocktail Time had a sketchy bracelet.

[@mountainhobo]

Friends don't let friends buy Seiko.

[@KVenturi]

Rough glass? Holy shit that's bad what happened to Seiko? That's disappointing as shit, good thing you got it for cheap but nonetheless a waste of money

[@awais105794]

If you don't like this, why did you buy this? 🤣

[@jankay8569]

God I just can't understand why watch manufacturers go with that stupid cyclops. It looks ridiculous. If your eyes are going bad and can't see, just get a pair of glasses like a normal human being! That's what those are for?