Quality: Even the lowest-tier Seikos are well-made and will typically outperform their price-point counterparts from other brands. Value: Whether you’re buying a last-minute gift at the drugstore or dropping ten figures on a solid gold handmade Grand Seiko, you’ll be getting an impressive value. The Seiko identity, catalog and even the names and ranges of sub-brands are constantly evolving.ĭespite Seiko’s diversity, there are a few qualities that tie all Seiko watches together. Seiko aficionados tend to huddle in one corner, sometimes around just one model, like the revered sub-$200 Seiko SKX007 diver or the handsome JDM-only Seiko Alpinist. Seiko is constantly releasing limited editions and/or market-specific models, and watch nerds in the USA are particularly charmed by the JDM (Japanese Domestic Market) designation. Seiko, quite literally, offers something for everyone. Seiko’s technology is equally diverse, with movements ranging from old-school mechanical calibers to GPS-enabled solar-powered quartz units that set themselves when crossing time zones. Watches You Should Know: the Grand Seiko Snowflake Some of the tastiest Seikos lie in the middle tiers, particularly the bang-for-buck Prospex (sport/tool) and Presage (dress/retro) lines. Seiko watches occupy many price points, from the rock-solid sport watches you’ll find at Macy's up to handcrafted Grand Seikos costing five figures at swanky boutiques. The Seiko catalog is massive, its reach global, its diversity unrivaled. There’s a lot of beauty to be captured at Seiko, but its most important and iconic watches all intersect at unique design, affordable prices, and bulletproof build quality. For over fifty years, Seiko has made a steel sports watch that’s one of the most beloved affordable timepieces ever. Though the company doesn’t publicly share production numbers, Seiko movements - both mechanical and quartz - drive a huge number of watches worldwide. It is a dominant force in movement making. It innovated quartz with one of the first quartz watches, the first six-digit LCD display quartz and the first analog quartz chronograph. And worldwide, Seiko has made some of the biggest marks on watchmaking of any company. It’s led Japanese watchmaking ever since, making Japan’s first wristwatch, its first chronograph and its first dive watch. Japan’s most iconic watch brand started its journey well over 100 years ago, when Kintaro Hattori opened a small watch shop in Tokyo, in 1881. And yet, to many of us, it's so much more. Your buddy wears a Seiko 5 your mom has a Coutura in her credenza your favorite movie star wears a Seiko diver on the silver screen. Start looking and you’ll see them all over the place. What they mean to say is: “Oh, this old thing? The watch I bought for cheap and wear all the time?”Īnd Seikos are, indeed, ubiquitous and often affordable. Seeing a Luminox for sale for $2000 is just preposterous.We Americans have a bad habit of saying, “only a Seiko.”Īs in, “Oh, this watch? It’s only a seiko.” I think they need to fix that recent downturn in their reputation before they will be able to convince folks that they are capable of producing an automatic watch worthy of a $200-300 price tag.Īnd on that note- No one will ever be able to convince me to buy a Luminox again- even at their standard $200-300 price range. A lot of reports of crowns falling off, etc. No matter what you put inside it, or how you dress it up- the instant assumption of the casual observer will be that you are sporting a $30-50 watch.īut vanity aside, the trend with quartz Timex watches over the past decade seems to be higher price tag, and yet worse quality control. Therefore I don't think I could ever bring myself to purchase one of their automatics for $200-300. I think for most people, seeing that Timex logo on the dial screams "$30-50 watch". That being said, I have never considered them to be in the same class as more expensive entry-level automatic watches (Citizen, Seiko, etc). They can be replaced every few years without much guilt. JanuI love Timex watches- They are solid, beater watches that keep up with the looks of current watch trends.
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