DON'T Buy A Seiko Until You See This | Beginner Seiko Buyer's Guide

Summary

This video is a must-watch for anyone considering purchasing a Seiko watch. The host and guest discuss the allure of Seiko watches, their rich history, and the different categories under the Seiko umbrella, including Grand Seiko, King Seiko, and Crador. They highlight Seiko's unique offerings in terms of value, style, and mechanical movements, emphasizing its respected status in the watch community. The discussion includes tips for navigating the extensive Seiko catalog and understanding the nuances of their craftsmanship. This guide aims to demystify the Seiko buying experience and empower viewers with knowledge and confidence in their watch purchases.

Highlights

• Seiko provides quality watches at different price points, making it accessible to many. 🎯
• Their proprietary Hardlex crystal offers a middle ground between mineral and sapphire crystals. 🔬
• The brand's history includes significant achievements, such as timing the Olympics, highlighting its reliability and prestige. 🏆
• Understanding Seiko's various sub-brands like Grand Seiko and King Seiko can help buyers make informed choices. 🤔
• Being aware of the wide variety in Seiko's offerings can lead to discovering affordable watches with strong performances. 🔎

Key Takeaways

• Seiko offers a wide range of watches, from affordable to high-end luxury, providing options for every budget. 💸
• The brand has a prestigious history, founded before Rolex, and is highly respected for its craftsmanship. ⌚
• Seiko's naming conventions can be confusing, but understanding them can lead to finding great value watches. 🔍
• Hardlex is Seiko's proprietary crystal, balancing between affordability and durability. 🕰️
• Navigating Seiko's extensive range can be overwhelming, but it's filled with hidden gems for those who explore. 🛍️

Overview

Seiko watches are a fascinating blend of affordability and superior craftsmanship, providing a broad spectrum of styles and prices that can appeal to new buyers and collectors alike. This guide dives deep into what makes Seiko an intriguing choice in the watch market.

The discussion highlights Seiko's historical significance and its confusing array of models, elucidating the brand's unique approach to watchmaking. It acknowledges Seiko's prestigious history of innovation and its respected place among watch brands, despite some Western misconceptions about Japanese watchmakers.

Viewers are advised to approach Seiko with patience, spending time to understand its numerous sub-categories and product lines. From elegant designs to robust timepieces, Seiko has something for everyone, and thorough research can lead to the discovery of a perfect watch at an unbeatable price.

Chapters

• 00:00 - 00:30: Introduction to Seiko Watches The chapter introduces the reader to Seiko watches, aiming to answer common questions for potential buyers. It highlights the impression Seiko has made on new watch enthusiasts like Tom, who has recently begun investing in watches and found Seiko to be an enlightening experience.
• 00:30 - 01:30: Seiko vs. Luxury Swiss Watches The speaker discusses the perception that luxury watches are usually Swiss-made and expensive, making them seem inaccessible to many. Initially, the speaker believed that only brands like Rolex and Omega were worth considering until discovering Seiko. The speaker's interest in watches was piqued upon encountering a Seiko watch with a mechanical movement visible in an exhibition case, priced reasonably at 300 pounds. This discovery challenged the notion that quality watches were exclusive to high-end brands, likening Rolexes to Formula One cars and Seikos to more attainable models.
• 01:30 - 02:30: Exploring Seiko's Range of Brands The chapter explores the diverse range of brands under Seiko, drawing an analogy to a road trip where one discovers new insights and experiences. The narrator has undergone a journey of discovery regarding Seiko's offerings and shares these learnings to aid potential buyers. The focus is on providing listeners with essential insights and knowledge about Seiko's unique characteristics and quirks, which are crucial for informed purchasing decisions.
• 02:30 - 03:30: Comparing Seiko Models The chapter discusses the various brands and models under the Seiko umbrella. It mentions notable sub-brands such as Grand Seiko, King Seiko, and Crador, highlighting the differences and unique features of each. The narrator shares a personal anecdote about discovering Crador and its high-quality craftsmanship, likening it to a watch presumably handmade by a master watchmaker.
• 03:30 - 05:00: Seiko's History and Craftsmanship This chapter explores the intricate history and craftsmanship of the Seiko brand. It highlights the complexity within the brand's hierarchy, where one can purchase Seiko, King Seiko, and Grand Seiko all at varying high price points. There is an emphasis on the overlap and ambiguous differentiation between these sub-brands, reflecting a somewhat confusing brand structure.
• 05:00 - 06:30: Seiko's Unique Features and Materials The chapter highlights the importance of researching Seiko watches, particularly if one is investing a significant amount of money like three thousand pounds. It suggests that for such an investment, one might consider purchasing a Grand Seiko to get more value for money. The chapter also addresses a common bias in luxury watch circles against non-Swiss brands, noting that although some purists might insist on Swiss watches, Seiko carries a rich history and offers unique features and materials, making it a worthy contender in the luxury watch market.
• 06:30 - 08:00: Mechanical Movements in Seiko Watches Seiko, founded in 1881, precedes Rolex by several decades and has an impressive history, including making watches for train services and timing the Olympics. Known for high-quality watchmaking, Seiko's Crador line features some of the finest pieces available, including minute repeaters. The brand holds a prestigious place in both historical and modern horology.
• 08:00 - 10:00: Advice for Buying Seiko Watches The chapter discusses the reputation of Seiko watches, emphasizing that they are highly respected and not considered cheap or inferior. The author mentions encountering a new Seiko model that had an incorrect glass in the dial, suggesting a potential issue to be aware of when buying Seiko watches. Additionally, the chapter encourages potential buyers not to worry about the brand's respectability within the watch community.
• 10:00 - 12:00: Seiko's Extensive Subcategories The chapter discusses the materials used by Seiko for watch crystals, highlighting the use of proprietary mineral crystals and Sapphire. It weighs the benefits and drawbacks of these materials, such as scratch resistance and cost, comparing them to the hardiness of diamonds.
• 12:00 - 15:00: Conclusion and Viewer Engagement The chapter focuses on Seiko's proprietary material, hardlex, which is used in their watches. This material is presented as a middle ground between mineral and sapphire crystals in terms of hardness and susceptibility to damage, offering a balance of quality and performance. The discussion points out that hardlex is a feature that contributes to Seiko watches being considered high-performing and affordable compared to similar offerings from other brands. While hardlex is not deemed the best option available, it is not necessarily a poor choice for the price range and quality that Seiko aims to provide.

DON'T Buy A Seiko Until You See This | Beginner Seiko Buyer's Guide Transcription

• 00:00 - 00:30 well hello there and you join us here today to have a look at Seiko maybe you're thinking about buying your first and you've got a whole bunch of questions hopefully we can answer them this is what you should know before you buy a Seiko Tom as someone who has recently entered the world of spending all their money on watches you have personally discovered Seiko and you've had quite an experience with it as I understand yeah Seiko was a bit of an eye-opener for me when I
• 00:30 - 01:00 started a watch finder we only really deal in luxury Swiss watches most of the time and I was kind of priced out of that so I didn't think that there was any way to enjoy decent watches I thought you know there was casios which is something else and then you know you Rolexes and your omegas and everything and it was only until I saw a Seiko with a mechanical movement inside in an exhibition case I could see the movement and it was only 300 quid I was like oh I didn't realize I thought Rolexes and everything were Formula One cars and there weren't any road cars but Seiko I
• 01:00 - 01:30 think is that just a normal kind of Road car that everyone can enjoy a Driving Experience that's my driving analogy but obviously we're talking about telling the time well you have been through a journey of Discovery and learned quite a few things along the way and I hope hoping that we can take some of that knowledge and impart it to our listeners who might also be thinking about joining you to save them some time and effort because there are some interesting quirks around Seiko that I think people need to know before they buy one Tom what's some of the things that you
• 01:30 - 02:00 noticed when you were researching Seiko so there's Seiko but there's lots of Brands and models and naming conventions under the Seiko umbrella so you've got things like you've got Seiko and Grand Seiko and there's quite a big difference between those two things you've also got things like King Seiko and crador as well which I'd never heard of until you handed me one and I went what is this um I thought it was like a one-off because it was just so it looked like it was Handmade by like a master watchmaker that's the sort of levels that that the
• 02:00 - 02:30 Seiko brand can get to it can be especially confusing I think because you can buy a Seiko for several thousand and you can also buy a grand Seiko for several thousand and you can also find cradle for several thousand so it's supposed to be Seiko at the bottom then King Seiko slightly above then Grand Seiko above that and then cradle but they all kind of mix and match a bit Yeah they overlap they really do it's a very muddy gray
• 02:30 - 03:00 area so when you're looking for a Seiko in particular do your research if you're looking to spend three thousand pounds on a Seiko you might find a really really nice Grand Seiko and you get more bang for your buck there another thing to note is Seiko is Japanese in some circles that might be a bit of a Neddy No-No when it comes to luxury watches some people might say Swiss or GTFO um but actually there's a lot of history there behind Seiko it's been going a
• 03:00 - 03:30 long time just as long as many of these prestigious Swiss Brands yeah most people might not realize that seidco was founded beef 4 Rolex by quite a substantial amount this is 1881 for Seiko versus 1905 for Rolex this is a watchmaker that has made watches for train Services a watchmaker that has timed the Olympics it's done a load of really really impressive stuff as you mentioned the crador is some of the highest watchmaking you can get they make minute repeaters this is a brand is
• 03:30 - 04:00 incredibly well respected so you can enjoy a Seiko and not think I've bought a cheap watch it's not respected in the community very much the opposite they are incredibly well respected anything that you've been looking at in Boeing a Seiko where you're still a little bit uncertain I I saw a thing the other day where there was a new Seiko come out and it had the wrong glass in the dial and I I don't get that granular but yeah so
• 04:00 - 04:30 I'm not sure I think you know Seiko have got their own proprietary mineral crystal or something going on or it's not quite the right glass I don't know if they're cutting Corners there what's going on so in some of the stakos they use Sapphire which is generally regarded to be the best material for Crystal it's very scratch resistant yeah it's very strong it's only down one from diamond from the hardest substance in the world but it's a little bit more expensive but the other end you have mineral crystal Which is less scratch resistant easier
• 04:30 - 05:00 to damage but still pretty Hardy so smack bang in the middle of those two things you've got seiko's proprietary material called hardlex which isn't as soft as mineral isn't as hard as Sapphire but sits nicely between the two and it's one of the many things that Seiko does to make watches high enough quality but really high performing in pretty much every aspect where you wouldn't see that kind of performance for another brand at that price so yeah it's not necessarily the wrong Crystal it's not as good as it could be but
• 05:00 - 05:30 really it's a balance of everything else that makes up why you would end up buying a Seiko what's one of your favorite things about the Seiko you mentioned seeing the movement yeah that was that was really my aim because mechanical watches are where it's at to be able to get a mechanical watch and be able to see it as well through the case back for Seiko prices is is great and that that blew my mind when I saw that I was like oh wow I can enjoy the same thing as a as a Rolex owner essentially well only very recently have Rolex
• 05:30 - 06:00 owners been able to enjoy the same thing as a psycho yeah right and being able to see the movement obviously it's not as highly finished as as some of the other luxury watch brands out there you know honest on a Seiko 5 for example you're not going to get Geneva striping on the road away or whatever Osaka striping but it's still there it's it's in there and it's ticking away and it's a wonderful thing so that's great some people are really against seeing a mechanical movement when it isn't highly decorated I'm not really sure why because the enjoyment of the mechanism should really
• 06:00 - 06:30 be Universal they are well made they're not necessarily pretty but they are well made one thing to bear in mind is some of the more affordable movements have less accuracy than you might expect so a Rolex within cost specification might be within two seconds or so but sometimes the Seiko can be up to 20 seconds a day that's quite a big deviance but nevertheless again what's the alternative if you want a mechanical watch where you can see the movement it
• 06:30 - 07:00 winds itself you can enjoy all of the functions that come with it you don't really have anywhere else to go and it's one of the reasons why so many other micro Brands will take Seiko movements and use them in their own watches purely because they're affordable they're easy to maintain they're very reliable and makes sense to me to buy one that's already in a Seiko yeah that's great yeah Tom if you had any advice for our viewers and listeners when it comes to buying or browsing for a Seiko what would you say set aside a few hours if
• 07:00 - 07:30 you're browsing seiko's website for a Seiko because there are a lot of sub categories when it comes to well Seiko alone has before you even get into Grand Seiko and crador and King Seiko Seiko alone has several sub categories you've got prospects which is the professional specification you know your divers and such you've got prizage which is the more elegant sort of handcrafted corner of Seiko you've got Seiko 5 which is your most affordable that's your sort of casual street style cool stuff and then
• 07:30 - 08:00 you've got Astron I don't even know what that is and yeah so there's and and then within each of those there are hundreds of watches sometimes so yeah I mean you can browse around and stumble upon something that really really takes your fancy or you can have something in mind and you can probably find it based on your criteria but yeah it can be pretty overwhelming because they have such a huge range I mean even within the Seiko 5 collection you've got field designs flieger collection stealth GMT skx reinterpretation and
• 08:00 - 08:30 then you've got all that street style Sports style yeah it's it's worse than trying to find the thing you're looking for on Amazon yeah well I mean there's and there's loads of seikos on Amazon that aren't in the current catalog as well so you know before you even start it is an absolute Minefield and to be honest I think the best advice is to learn from others take a look at the kinds of watches that other people have done their research on and you'll find there are some firm favorites within the catalog it'll save you a whole bunch of
• 08:30 - 09:00 time but if you're the kind of person who likes to drill down into the detail oh boy Seiko have got some detail waiting for you well there you go those are our five big know-hows for approaching the Seiko brand hopefully it demystifies some of the experience for you and leaves you free to enjoy the search for your next watch there are plenty they are all really good and you'll really enjoy whichever one you get if you have any other hot tips for Seiko buyers why not pop them down in the comments below to share and share a like and if you like
• 09:00 - 09:30 this series do let us know what other brands you'd like to see it for and pop that down in the comments below too please also like And subscribe and we will see you next time goodbye bye-bye foreign foreign [Music]