The New Seiko 5 SSK023 Field GMT: Best “Explorer II” Alternative (that isn't an Explorer II at all…)
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 7 มิ.ย. 2024
- I love GMT watches whether they are flyer GMTs or caller GMTs. I've owned a bunch of them including the Rolex Explorer II, Tudor Black Bay Pro, Seiko SSK001 GMT, and more from Grand Seiko, Zodiac, and Traska. Given how much I enjoyed the first Seiko 5 GMT, the SKX esque SSK001, it's no surprise that the new Seiko 5 SSK023 Field GMT piqued my interest. It’s a sub $500 steel bezel GMT on a good looking bracelet. What’s not to like?
In this video I'm going to get into all the details of my new SSK023 Field GMT including the dimensions, how it wears on the wrist, the dial, movement, case, and bracelet. Folks will say that this is a Rolex Explorer II alternative and while It can be, I’ll explain why I think it's a stretch to say that this is just another Explorer II.
(Any communication in the comments from any other youtube account aside from my official youtube account @thewatchidiot IS SPAM. I will never ask you to begin communication with me on whatsapp, telegram, etc. All communication will begin through the official The Watch Idiot email seen here in the description)
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TIME STAMPS:
The New Seiko 5 SSK023 Field GMT - 00:00
Dimensions / On The Wrist - 00:52
The Dial - 02:52
The Case And Bezel (and why it’s not an Explorer II) - 05:46
The Bracelet - 07:34
DIMENSIONS:
Case width: 39mm
Lug width: 20mm
Bracelet at clasp: 18mm
Bracelet taper: 2mm
Lug to lug: 47.5mm
Bezel width: 38.1mm
Dial width: 31mm
Case thickness: 13.6mm
Midcase thickness: 6.7mm
Bezel height: 3.1mm
Crown diameter: 6.3mm
Crown height: 2.1mm
Weight (with bracelet): 144 grams
Water resistance: 100m
Crystal: Domed Hardlex
Movement: 4R34
Power Reserve: 41 hours
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These are the clasps I use for all my seiko bracelets and turns out the replacement clasp is even cheaper at $8! Today is a good day.
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I really appreciate your attention to the very details. I can confidently tell you are a true watch enthusiast and expert. Keep up the great work sir🔥
Enjoying your reviews and this one in particular. Good job. Thanks
Thank you so much, im so happy to hear that your enjoying the channel and that you enjoyed this video especially more. It was fun dipping my toes into the world of field watches!
Looks great! Wish it was thinner. Can’t wait to see it in person.
Thinner would be nicer but as a whole its great and its even better in person! The bezel finishing surprised me the most
Great looking timepiece ! Great presentation !
Seiko did well with this watch and I'm glad to hear you enjoyed the video as well!
I have the Seiko red cocktail presage. I love the dome crustal. It gives it the vintage look and adds a sparkle to the dial.
ah thats an awesome watch with and awesome dial! In the right circumstances a domed crystal can work but for tool watches I like having full uninterrupted legibility
You can actually get all colours in JDM but the white dial is somewhat rarer to get in good price range.I like it alot and gonna wear it for traveling when I get the chance.
This is a good release and will be a fan favorite. I think the GMT hand will be a lovable quirk.
Seiko has been hitting it out of the park on their Seiko 5’s with this, the GMT, and the diver.
Yeah agreed, this is going to be a popular one I'm excited to see what other versions they'll release in the future and hopefully the likes of uncle straps and strapcode release some awesome bracelet options. Fingers crossed Seiko continues this run of good form into the future!
If I hadn't gone for the 5 Sports 003 last year (which I still love like crazy), I'd have gone for this. Nonetheless, a solid addition to Seiko's catalog. Great review, s usual.
The SSK003 is so good, it was a tough choice choosing btwn it and my 001! Yeah Seiko did a great job with the 023 and I guess the good thing is if you ever do want to get one itll make for a very nice duo alongside you 003!
I would really love to pick up the white dial one.
Solid review as always! I think this watch gives us a glimpse of what a Hamilton Khaki Field GMT could look like. Seeing next to the Alpinist GMT in this video was helpful as the Alpinist does bring something special to the show that this Seiko 5 misses. Alpinist GMT for me if I was picking.
Making the numerals lume blocks would have changed the game on this one for me… especially at this price.
Thanks as always Marc! A Hamilton khaki GMT would be an absolute killer I can't imagine that one isn't in the works as we speak.
I completely agree before I was able to see the Alpinist GMT and this ssk field GMT together I was wondering whether the Alpinist was worth so much more and side by side it was quite evident beyond the design differences. The Alpinist GMT has a certain level of refinement as well.
3D lumed indices would have been incredible and it would have looked so so cool but maybe someone will come out with an upgraded aftermarket dial with that!
Love this one but I think the white jdm version one looks a little better and I’ll stuck on which one I want haha
new to your channel, nice work
damn neat - Seiko has hit this outta the park
Looks great in white
Do you guys think this will drop in price? I’m interested but $400 seems a little high to me. Also I know nothing about watches only very basic stuff. Thanks
My favorite thing is the steel bezel
Yeah this doesn't look like an explorer II at all as far as these steel bezeled gmts go like you said every single element other than the color of the dial and indices are different. Not much to go on in terms of similarities!
The inclusion of the 24hr conversion track (no idea what it's actually called ) on the inside is questionable but I'm glad to hear that it isn't bothering you too much and that it fades to the background. Looks great on that grey NATO as well
yeah seriously, that means any watch with a black dial and white indices (and the bezel) would be the exact same watch including most of Grand seiko's GMTs. It'll be interesting to see if an aftermarket dial without that inner 24hr conversion track bc that would take this watch to the next level!
This is actually more similar to the new LIMITED EDITION LONGINES SPIRIT ZULU TIME X HODINKEE.
What about putting them side by side?
Man I wish I could get the white one, but it would also hinder my plans to make a white P01 GMT Mod with a SSK blueberry, hopefully in the comparison video you’ll include the SSK along with the alpinist.
wait a white P01 GMT mod with the blue dial SSK?? That sounds really cool, do you have a link to a pic of one? I tried googling it but i didnt find anything
@@thewatchidiot oh no I don’t have a pic, is an idea I want to make reality between this and next year, even know with whom I’ll do the modding and everything (4:44 PM mods, but first i need to secure the watch as paying for an SSK right now is a considerable amount right now, but yeah my idea is essentially a white dial, orange GMT hand, 12h graduated bezel, and either Willard or GS diver hands, in the SSK case, with mandatory sapphire and closed caseback to reduce height, I want the blue one so I can experience it for a while
I bought this watch a few weeks ago from Teddy and I love it! It’s a classy watch. Personally, I believe I got a nice watch for the money. Do I own much more expensive watches? Yes. Yet, I haven’t taken this watch off in the last 2 weeks, accept to shower. If you can afford to spend the money, buy it.
Looks awesome and the bracelet is great. Definently a watch I could see myself owning.
They did well on this one and I'm glad they introduced this bracelet instead of using the usual 3 link oyster style bracelet. Levels up the watch big time
@@thewatchidiot this bracelet came on a special edition seiko 5 flieger too.
Ohhh that's right! Its a cream dial variant with blued hands right? I remember seeing one at my AD and the main reason why I was tempted by it was the bracelet
@thewatchidiot yes but it was going for 600 where available when it first came out. That's why I didn't end up getting it.
Oh man 600 for that watch definitely isn't worth it, hopefully the price has come down where you are👍
My next purchase is between this model in white, the standard Alpinist or the SSK003.
Life is full of tough choices isn't it?
Another interesting video TWI and a point very well made about the stainless bezel on a watch is not automatically an Explorer 2 ripoff but may be 'inspired' by it. Anyway certainly I'll be sticking with my BB Pro but I do think the SSK023 is a terrific watch for the price and I'd not rule out considering one depending on what I'll be doing and where. Many thanks for sharing.
Thanks as always Anthony! Yeah saying something was inspired by vs calling it a rip off are two very things and I'd agree that this was inspired by the Explorer II! the BB Pro is a fantastic as always I loved mine while I had it and was even toying with the idea of buying one back but now with my titanium longines Spirit Zulu Time I dont see it happening. But who knows maybe if if theres a deal out there that cant be ignored then maybe it wont be ignored!
@@thewatchidiot I have got to say that what Longines have produces over the last few years or so has been outstanding and the Zulu time is brilliant. So many watches yet to few wrists.
I'm a Seiko fan and this is a nice watch. But over 400 dollars and no sapphire crystal? This will no longer be possible in 2024. Citizen has already seen this (see Tsuyosa)
Yeah seems like Seiko just wants to make the most of the R&D that went into hardlex! Sapphire should be standard for sure but thankfully I havent had any issues with hardlex before
@@thewatchidiotI agree that sapphire would be hugely beneficial, particularly on such a domed crystal. The difference is $30 and everyone would surely be happy to pay the premium. I also agree that Hardlex is usually sufficient for most watches. I have read many times that Hardlex is just another mineral crystal, but it definitely is not. Anyone who has tried to polish a scratch out of Hardlex knows what I am taking about.
@@edteach3rI tried to polish a cheap mineral cristal from an old LIP and the hardlex cristal from my Seiko 5, it was equally as difficult. After many tries it was a little bit better but far from perfect so I replaced it by a sapphire cristal.
Longines invented the Rotating bezel watch in 1935. They used steel in those original models.
@avronaut
I've got a Speedmaster sapphire and since I bought it people have told me it's not a true speedy because it should have acrylic. Funny old world
Nice one!
Thanks glad you enjoyed it!
I think the Steinhart ocean 39 olko edition gmt is a way better alternative for just a few bucks more.
The case is nice
the GMT hand is from the MM300 and the second hand is from Seiko Monster line.... sigh. Looks good from 15 feet away but looks like a franken watch close up! :( I want to like this.
Hardlex is a showstopper for me. Specially for a fieldwqtch that will get a beating.
I for one the polar dial
How does it compare to your hodinkee x longines zulu?
For me the different numerals, bracelet, and metal makes them about as different as can be so both offer something unique regardless of the price point. And I'm actually happy about that bc it means that they could coexist in a single collection! That said I'm not sure if this SSK will stay long term since it was initially bought for the channel and bc idk how much wrist time it can realistically get with the titanium SZT around but we'll just have to wait and see what happens!
Hey, Rolex "borrowed" this fixed bezel from tha Glycine Airman 😅
The 24hr hand is off putting for me as well, it's much to intrusive. The most suitable GMT hand is any variation on a triangle (which almost all watch companies use).
where s the white dial one ,... the internal hours is a bit too much ... let's be hones it's an explorer tribute ... but it's a nice one ... maybe a 42mm with 22mm lugs will show up ... :)
Many things are done right when this one.
This watch looks amazing,but the price point…idk, I think for 100$ you buy the same watch but a little better specs, Hamilton Khaki Field with the same design and color.
$249 today at botach tactical!
I actually prefer the seiko clasp over generic chinese milled clasp
Just got mine for 354.00 tax in. 👍🏼
This is not 24h twice on the watch. Since the purpose and the meaning is totally different. Read below:
- The 13-24 hours inside ring is jumping 1 hour per 1 hour mark. It helps you to read the hour hand in military time:
- The 1-24 hours bezel ring is jumping 2 hour per 1 hour mark. It helps you to read the GMT hand.
Don't look at the 12 hour mark and see the same 2 -24h then say they are the same. Take a look at the 6 hour mark for example, you see the inside ring is 18, while the bezel is 12 !!
This is just my opinion but this one is a straight up swing and a miss. Not a fan of what you get here for the price nor really the design lol. But as always great video showcasing it!
Not for me, because I can't ever imagine myself actually using a gmt complication - apart from the fact that they are useless, all they do is clutter the dial and make the cases thicker. But I suppose I'm in the minority because gmts are all the rage now, and have been for the past year or two.
To each their own for sure and while I agree that GMTs aren't actually needed for their actual purpose, we also technically don't need watches for their actual purpose either. But in the grand scheme of complications I think that GMTs can actually be used daily for a lot of folks who travel or keep track of people in other time zones
For me chronographs are completely useless and I hardly ever use it on my speedy but I wouldn't go so far as to say that chronographs are useless in general though. And plus it just looking cool is a good enough reason to like something in this crazy watch world lol!
@@thewatchidiot I certainly don't a GMT either, but I love having some - they're fun. Most of the time I just use it as an 24hr / AM/PM indicator, but I do sometimes track PST because some members of my team at work live in CA. Using it as a 24hr indicator is great when the watch is out of power, so you don't have to mess around and accidentally advance the date too far
@ajmarion Yesssssss on top of them being fun it helps me so so much when setting the watch and not risking doing a date change in the off zone, I'm glad someone else thinks the same way! Tbh I use it way more for that than I do for actual timezone tracking 😅
@@thewatchidiot 😂 honestly me too
Got the white. Call it the Polar Bear
I was super tempted to order the white one! looks fantastic and thats a great name for it as well😂
Hi, how to get the white dial ?
Explorer look for Seiko 5 = Explorer 5
Lol explorer 5 does work! I like it
I would really like reviewers of Seiko watches to be as critical as they are off micro brands. Stop making excuses for Seiko's short comings because they are not a truly affordable option anymore.
Well I can't speak for others and I haven't reviewed a microbrand in ages, but for me some of the things people like complaining about regarding Seiko, like the use of hardlex or a wide stated accuracy range, don't bother me very much if at all. I've never scratched a hardlex crystal and accuracy has so far been pretty solid. Bracelets I complain about a lot but often times there are very easy ways to get around the issues.
In the end Seiko's design language has been established over decades and it speaks to me. To get that experience I'm most likely going to go to the source. So I suppose if a microbrand is going to use some or all of the proven design cues from Seiko/other brands directly, they ought to fix the things that need fixing. If they don't then what's the value proposition right? Of course there are many microbrands that do awesome unique designs so I give them much more wiggle room
The design feels all over the place honestly. Not a fan of this one.
imo it looks too childish
Theres a lot to take in to say the least lol! at the very least the inner 24 hr conversion track should have been left out
@@thewatchidiot absolutely, nevertheless great review as always!
its better than an explorer because its affordable.
How about instead of ‘less is more,’ Seiko give it a rotating bezel, if only as an option? Otherwise, it’s, like the Explorer, just a glorified dual-timer..
A rotatable steel bezel option would be absolutely fantastic it would add so much more utility without change the look and feel very much. Win win!
#5KeXplorer...
Loooool im liking this name so I'll set aside my thoughts about it not being an Explorer II😄hopefully this one sticks!
its just too ridiculous an 'homage' for me to take it seriously
Meh nothing to see here , just another seiko