One of my “best buys” this year was picking up one of the old SARB017 green models for GBP £215. The supplied strap was pretty horrible, but a dark brown vintage leather Colareb strap works nicely on it.
re: 6:45 - interesting Jody that you see this as more suited to a larger collection. I've always thought the opposite, i.e. the appeal of the Alpinist being its versatility (á la the Explorer), and I can imagine a universe in which it's part of a much smaller collection. I'd be able to get away with this at the office, then with a t-shirt at the weekend, and then pretty much anywhere else out in the wild with 200m of water resistance. Hell, I reckon this and a G-shock would see me through most situations in life...especially if I learned to use that compass bezel. Thanks for continuing to churn out the quality content!
So now end of April 2021 Sarb017 is more expensive than new Alpinist with 6r35. The choice is clear, new alpinists are better everywhere, better movement and better sapphire with AR coating, also who apreciate display casebacks as me to enjoy the movement is another plus.
I have the non compass "new" one SPB155J1, steel bracelet, dark green sunburst with gold hands. The legibility is just so good because its a darker green than the earlier ones. It beats a Laco Flieger I have in low light before the lum kicks in. The accuracy is really good as long as you don't leave it crystal up by the bed side overnight.
I have the old one that I purchased new for around 330 gbp back in 2017. It was great value at that price. Seiko charging double for the new one, even allowing for the upgrades, is taking the mickey.
I've been waiting for a sale/reasonable price on the black dial/bracelet option since they came out... tellingly, my watch box still has an empty 💲lot 😒
I don't mind the cyclops; it's the mismatched date wheel on the green & black models that bugs me. I totally agree that the upgrades don't justify the extra $200-300.
I agree on the complaints, and the value. I'd only pick one up on a solid sale at this point. There may be some jewelers with some around this time/next week. I've seen 30 or 35% off in places. The X logo does not bother me, but I'm still disappointed they stopped the signed crown, and are just doing that with Presage. Come on, Seiko! Still, that black dialed version is kind of dreamy. If I didn't have an SPB089 already, I'd be talking myself into that one.
Without watching the video and just answering the question, here goes. If you think it is worth the money, buy it. If you don't think it's worth the price, don't...The original Sarb017 is still available for less money but also less specs.... The choice is yours....
Firstly, it has to be green to be an Alpanist. It's certainly iconic, and it's attractive, Unfortunately, like most Seiko's these days, it's overpriced. If I could pick a good used one up for £300 or less, I would invest. Unfortunately in the UK it's not possible
I don't understand why Seiko cant get it right with one watch, it needs to ditch the rotating bezel but keep the original green or blue face with the applied indices and put a cyclops on. Then for £500 I would buy it , but at the moment I like something from all the Alpinist old new and baby but they cant put all the bests bits in 1 watch !! Ahhhh
I love it, but it was out of my budget and even more now. I should have bought it second hand when I could. Ah... Seiko is not affordable anymore. For me, these compass complications are just a nice look, like the rules of a Navitimer. Eventually, I'll have the curiosity to learn how to use it, but I think generally I won't bother.
Hi Jody, is there any chance you could review the SNE566P1 aka Solar RootBeer? Since it's Australian exclusives, I could not find a review worth a dime in TH-cam. I had a relatives living down under and I'm contemplating if I should ask them a favor in picking one up. Cheers mate.
Can anyone comment on whether it is useless having a main screw down crown, when the compass crown is non screw down. I get that the seal is not dependant on the screw pressure, but is it the fact that the compass crown does not pull out that makes it still secure? Apologies for the vague and confusing language. That's because my visualisation is also vague and confused!
My understanding is that the screw down crown still relies on a gasket to make a seal. The "compass" crown is always against the seal because it doesn't pull out. I'm not sure how much that particular part of the watch can be trusted, that crown can be wobbled side to side. I'm dubious that the screw down crown contributes to it's actual water resistance. Its function is to stop you from pulling out the crown underwater, but it also adds in a couple of extra points of failure - not threading it down far enough, cross threading, and eventually wearing out the crown tube from normal use.
@@dustycups Thanks, that conforms to my visualisation. So if you assign a security value of 2 to a pullout screwdown crown, the non-pullout non-screw down crown of the compass bezel might be a 1.5 . And I've always thought that that compass crown should be screw down if only to prevent the compass bezel from shifting - since a lot of us would be using that bezel as a sort of timer anyway, not as a compass.
Never really clicked with me the Alpinist. Never liked the gilt and green so I looked for a white one but that was like looking for rocking horse poo. Can’t ever see me needing the compass, hate the cyclops (can never be arsed setting a date anyway) price hike, thicker... guess it all adds up to a large NO, not for me. Cracking shout out to Scottish Watches might give the others a listen too, tried others before but nerdy enough looking at watches on TH-cam without having a large list of others to listen to...perhaps? 🤓
I have the prior gen Alpinist, the SARB017. I think the green sunburst dial and gilt hands/markers are beautiful. For those who perceive a paradox between this Seiko's dressier design cues and its tool watch attributes, I would reference early 20th century field watches, which often had these baroque design cues, especially the cathedral hands. I enjoy it *because* it's so different and defies easy categorization. That and its compact dimensions; a good fit for my smaller than average wrists.
And here we are... But Scotland have achieved eternal fame. Whenever the best 10 goals ever scored in the European Cup are selected, Scotland will be there , with 2 of them being scored against Scotland !
The rare combination of outdoor and dress, not boring but not overdone, like countless others. 200 m, a swim, camping, fishing, hiking, dress watch. That white dial will never get old. A wonderful watch in every way. Love it.
COMPASS EXPLAINED: Line up the sun's angle halfway between the hour hand and 12 o'clock. That makes 12 o'clock due south (or in the southern hemisphere north). That's it!
I wanna buy a t shirt with your head on it saying “ hello & welcome “with outstretched welcoming arms & on the. back “so there you have it , they’d sell millions Jody ... well me & me Mrs would buy a couple & the woman across the road is Scottish so she might
One of the details I appreciate on my sarb017 is the tiny applied lume plots with gold polished edges. Sadly these have have been replaced with just painted on lume. Cost cutting, whilst increasing the price!
As for the money value... TBH I think the days of any Seiko watch being good value for money are long gone now. Seiko in general has become an expensive brand.
The Seiko 5 SNK805 was my first automatic and my "gateway" to watch collecting. I got it for something like $40 on sale. Now *that* was good value. I agree those days are long gone.
The SARB017 is fetching silly prices in the UK some as high as £800, nevermind daft secondhand prices, Sekio have lost their way, and still misalignment issues!
I think that you sort of argued against yourself there. The first thing an experienced watch dealer will tell you is that the secondary market is the best indicator of what a watches value is. If the secondary market is buoyant that means that the piece IS priced at what the market considers fair. It often says that those who buy them aren't flipping them too... I think that some concerns over Seiko's pricing is justified so I don't outright disagree. I'm just saying that if the secondary is the true indicator, the SARBs and Alpinists seem to be priced accordingly. Hope that makes sense! 🙂 Cheers mate.
@@anthonysmith2982 The market for these ultra overpriced Seikos shrinks by the day. I despise car analogies, but at this point, it's like trying to sell a Toyota Camry for Audi S7 money. This is how you lose enthusiast support, and they aren't won back easily.
I don't agree when you say it has to be part of a large collection. I love my SARB017, on a NATO strap, it is a great sport watch, and on a leather strap, it's very dressy and would go nicely with a shirt. That's the closest to perfect every-situation watch I think
The best to use as a compass are the ones with a GMT hand: you just synchronize it with your local solar time, point it to the sun and you have the North at 12 (a 24h watch works too, of course). Well, that's in my hemisphere, no idea about yours. (Only if Australia exists and it's not a conspiracy of the round earthers in which you, Jody, are probably involved).
...which Seiko had in the early 2000’s’, with its original Prospex Alpinists (8F56 quartz), aka GMT, the only where the compass bezel made real sense. PS: Australia is real, I heard, like it’s just on the reverse, B track of the LP plate.
Another note, never have I ever paid so much money for a watch and gotten such a lackluster packaging. Seiko's Price-to-Packaging-Value ratio is insanely bad, and tbh it does cause a slight disappointment on arrival.
Last time I criticized the compass bezel, I was hammered by a troll. That means I will, with great pleasure, observe that the compass bezel, IMHO, is lame. Just sayin.
I got one of the SPB123Js for $699 in a recent StarBuy sale, right on the limit of what I would want to spend on one of these, but pretty happy with it nonetheless. I reckon the $900ish that they usually sell for is a bit of a joke, though!
I've always considered the alpinist as being either a perfect one-watch-collection watch or, as you stated, a watch buried in an extensive collection. The quirky middle ground it sits in doesn't leave much room in between those two extremes. That's why I like it.
That's well said. Personally I don't get why it's considered to be such an odd looking timepiece. The SARB017 or its 2020 equivalent never spoke to me. That green... 🤢 But the pre-SARB Alpinists of the 90's and the other 2020 variants, especially the cream and gilt dial SPD123 spoke to me immediately upon release in January. I bought one just a few weeks back at a healthy discount I'm happy to say, and I ʟᴏᴠᴇ it. It's currently on a perlon for the Australian summer but will mainly live on a Jubilee bracelet. It's way more versatile than I expected. I really like the piece. A lot!
It's interesting reading the comments and opinions when you get something that divides opinion. It is a querky watch which doesn't categorise easily so I just think your either have the for's or against and nothing in between. On the cyclops that looks amazingly clear and well magnified. I started wearing reading glasses a couple of years ago and now don't even bother setting the date on my watches when I put one on as I can't read it without specs on (so why do I buy watches with a date?). So I see a Cyclops and date window you can actually read as a good feature.
This reminds of why I sold all my Seikos. Terrible QC on dials and bezels and arrogant pricing. Objectively, it's a pretty little watch, but it's not seven or eight hundred dollars pretty. Honestly I don't think it's even $500 pretty.
Flash forward to 2024 the sarbs have gone mental in price and my gf picked one of these up for 560 usd for a Jdm green dial, by her self😆 wild how watches work sometimes give it some time and these mental prices turn into steals! Rather happy to have my first prospex
I was once an Alpinist doubter until this year. Once I got the cream and gilt Alpinist I fell in love with them. A SARB017 and a SBB123 soon followed. The steel bracelet is especially silky to wear and the Cyclops is functional. With the compass crown the Alpinist is a stand out in a horological crowd. without it, there's a risk of becoming run of the mill. The Helm Vanuatu still rules my wrist but for a day out or evenings entertainment Alpinist is good watch company. Cheers Jody.
Jodi! Most watches that have cyclops…look like a cyclops, this watch has a dewdrop. I’ve actually had people ask me if I had a drop of rain on my watch! it’s elegant. It’s perfect and I love it.
Great video Jody! Shout out to my boy Miguel! @SoCal Watch Reviews, Killing it! Can't wait to hear and see the episode. Also I have to say I'm a huge fan of the new new SPB155. I think that one will eventually join the collection 😍
I recently almost chose an Alpinist watch for myself. I ended up choosing a Casio Oceanus S100 instead. No regrets. At 74, I had no thoughts of future resale, I have other watches for that.
3 ปีที่แล้ว +1
I vastly prefer my Sarb017, don't like the X on the dial, can't stand the cyclops, and I really really don't like any print on the see through caseback, really defeats the purpose of it being see through....
I may be the only person that genuinely feels nothing either way for these. I think because I've been witness to so many strong opinions that I'm just like... Okay. I don't dislike it, but neither would I run out to buy one. Great review, Jody!
I'm the same way. As long as I've known about it, I've just shrugged and moved on. Not my thing, but I don't hate them. Then again, I'm wearing a square, gold 80s Timex at the moment, so perhaps you should take my opinion with a grain of salt... 😂
Me too. Infact none of my Swiss mov'ts come close to my Alpinist when it's on wrist. A consistent +1-2. It blows out to around +5 when dial up, but never waivers, fully wound or nearly dead, it never seems to deviate. It's a very underrated mov't IMO.
I paid the same.(StarBuy? 🙂) My bezel alignment is good too. It's not 100% spot on 100% of the time, simply due to the lateral mov't inherent in the function, but it's lined up really well almost all of the time, I don't see the big deal anyway TBH. The compass crown doesn't allow for anywhere near the amount of mov't I expected either. Again, I don't see the issue. Personally I'm happy to have any excuse to play around with my timepiece during the day!
@@realtimeryan It's frickin' bargain at $700 I reckon. A great piece. I was saving for either a Ball Engineer III Marvelight or an Oris Pointer Date. Hadn't decided yet. But when this popped up at $700 I thought it with a Strapcode Jubilee offered pretty much everything that I liked about the Oris - especially when I applied the law of diminishing returns... And I'm now about $1k in front for my big 2021 purchase! Perfect!
Personally, I’d like to see the new Alpinist on a bracelet for the price point. I wish it did not have the Prospex emblem on the dial. It takes away from classic look of the dial. The cyclops window comes in handy as you age. I know I certainly didn’t care for them when I was younger, but now I appreciate it.
Yeah. Its really just an upgrade in movement/power reserve so the $300 increase is flat out inflation of price just for name sake. Its not like the movement is a damn spring drive or something extremely pricey
People love complaining about this watches price increase but really for a new Seiko with the 6r35 movement, their all at this price or above. The new 62 mas and Willard are considerably more then this. What do they bring to the table that this doesn't? Diashield maybe. And that new 200mm is even more then those two with the same specs. I dont care much for the signed crown I think Seiko just took it off because it's part of the prospect line and they usually don't use it for that line. I doubt the decision is made to save a few bucks on manufacturing leaving it off. The prices aren't appealing anymore but it's not just this watch that's suffered it's their whole new lineup. Also dislike the misalignment issues. Seems like they dont care or its their trademark for telling if it's real or fake. I just ordered the black one for $628. Decent price for this watch I think. It's not perfect but really like the new black dial and steel bracelet.
Jody, I don't agree at all it's for the larger collections, on the contrary it's a perfect one watch collection. Change the strap and it can be watch for the beach, office or weekend. And that's the true strength of the Alpinist line. And the curved case is simply beautiful. Dive watches are not everyone's cup of tea, especially for smaller wrists, and generally added weight.
I have the previous version and love it! I consider it a field watch with sapphire crystal and excellent water resistance. Good for hiking, hunting, and camping as well. And it has a compass!
considering you can get the old one for under 400 relatively easily, and that the only major improvement is the deployant (20hrs more on the same mediocre movement is meh), i'd say this is a hard pass even at those 700 ebay prices, let alone MSRP is Seiko wanting to become a "more meme" brand? their QC and alignment issues are so bad it's a meme, and now that they're not only not providing good value/money, they've also skyrocketed their prices, their new meme will be "overpriced mediocrity" i guess? seriously... if they continue this way, they'll become "the entry level Rolex" for all the WRONG reasons, lol!
Also, how to use the compass (Southern Hemisphere): 1) Keep the watch level with the horizon and point the 12 o'clock index at the sun 2) Make an imaginary angle with the sun's 12 o'clock position and the hour hand as it currently reads 3) North is right in the middle of that imaginary angle (rotate the Alpinist's inner compass ring to that position to indicate north) 4) Use the 1 o'clock index to orientate the sun during daylight savings
Am I the only one who is instantly turned off by a cyclops? Dear god, I hate them. Functional? Maybe. But they look like a cross between a blister and a boiled sweet dropped on the crystal. Absolute deal-breaker for me.
I have this watch, payed £530 and fitted a super oyster strap code bracelet, looks fantastic. Now..... Cyclopse removed so no issue, bezel misalignment has been solved and it was very simple. Overall such a fantastic watch and super versitile, IMO better than the Khaki.
I fell in love with the other cream dialled variant (SPD123) at first sight. I hung back all year and ғɪɴᴀʟʟʏ pulled the trigger about 3 weeks back. I lucked out and found one BNIB for $700AUD (that's about $500USD) and I couldn't be happier. It's not perfect, the green strap is ʀᴇᴀʟʟʏ good, especially compared to the shite Seiko usually deliver, however the clasp has an odd shape and digs into the underside of my wrist; a common complaint apparently. But It wears really well on my 8“ wrist. It's going on a perlon during the summer and I'll pick up a Jubilee bracelet too. So, I love it. As much as I hate to say it, it is worth the $900AUD or so that you can find it for pretty easily. I think their scarcity on the secondary market proves that. And it's certainly every bit as good as the entry level Swiss watches I paid the same $ or more for. Mines been running at a steady +1-2 spd when on wrist and about +5 when sitting dial up, more than acceptable. I have a feeling that this year's version of the Alpinist may just end up being a future classic.
@@davidhobson7851 You made the right choice I reckon David. There's something special about the cream and gilt dial. Especially with the green strap, although I find it a little uncomfortable. I wear mine on a Jubilee bracelet. It's fantastic. I found out via an 'Average Bros.' video that a Parnis Jubilee bracelet fits and is the best alternative, mainly due to its depth. It suits the lug profile perfectly. It has a few sharp edges across the top, but overall it's really good. Especially for about $40. Enjoy the watch mate. Cheers, Anthony
Are you sure Scottish watches was 1st? 2 broke watch snobs did their 200th last week. Either way both good podcasts. Edit - No I checked Scottish got there 1st by a week or so.😁
If you wouldn't pay more than $500 for these, how much would you pay for the SPB089 (blue alpinist)? They're all over ebay for $1,000 but I can't justify spending that much and I don't want to feed into the hype. I do want one though.
Seiko’s Alpinist marketing points get repeated and amplified but they’re not really true. It's not a Japanese mountaineering gentleman's watch. That was just something Seiko said to sell it. The design comes from the 1990's. Diashock is just Seiko's stock standard shock absorbing system, nothing special there. The compass bezel is as useful as tits on a bull. You're not going to be doing any navigating with it because it's essentially just a roulette wheel, having no functional compass characteristics whatsoever. It's there to add some visual complexity and marketing opportunity. For a hardworking mountaineering/field/tool watch it's a strange choice - a fat highly polished automatic with a somewhat haphazard movement and crowns sticking out everywhere waiting to be snapped off. A rotor spinning around during vigorous activity is just adding unnecessary wear and tear, not the ideal choice. Corners were cut - the indices are just stamped into the dial from the back to save money, not applied. Now I've got all that off my chest I feel a bit better and might go and wear it.
Is that 11 o'clock marker on skew, too? A lovely watch ruined by poor quality control. I don't profess to know how these mass produced watches are made, but surely this is an issue which should take priority in being sorted out?! I could not bring myself to ignore that every time I looked at my watch dial.
Unfortunately Seiko is climbing up on the price...and letting Orient take their earlier spot of bang for buck...Still they are good value compared to their Swiss counter parts. I do like the baby alpinists...with the grainy textured dials. I really wish they come up with a red variant....not that I will buy one coz I just got myself the Cocktail Negroni for about 335 USD...while they are still value...it would have been unbeatable if only they had included a sapphire crystal instead of the hardlex.... But its unlikely that most will bump around the cocktail series if used for the purpose it's meant for.
A more-or-less useless compass dial that doesn't line up. Useless because mountaineers would have a compass or two as Jody mentions, and the watch compass only works when it is sunny, totally pointless in cloudy conditions in the mountains. It looks nice but could be better off with an internal dial that is more useful, for example 60 minutes or 12 hours, or better still, no internal dial, as per the other alpinist watches. All-in-all a fancy dress watch with no particular purpose.
Quick answer: No. They have not added anything worth over twice the price. FWIW, using a watch as a compass is a very crude navigation method, and one must use the local solar time on the watch, not local civil time, and most assuredly, not daylight savings. Some of us do remember how to use on from our Boy Scout days. In my time zone, DST is over two hours off from local solar time - driven by all the rich golfers who want to play golf until 11 PM at night. That said, I always found - in the Boy Scouts and in 21 years of the military, land navigation is generally done much better and much faster using man-made and natural terrain features. You don't need a compass until you're calling artillery or mortar fire when you can't give a map grid coordinate for the target.
Good looking out with the shout outs. I follow all of them. Great review. I like them but I will stick to my SARB017 all things concerned. Maybe when the price comes down. I kind of like the no compass one.
One of my “best buys” this year was picking up one of the old SARB017 green models for GBP £215. The supplied strap was pretty horrible, but a dark brown vintage leather Colareb strap works nicely on it.
Agree on the supplied strap. I immediately put an Uncle Seiko BOR bracelet on my SARB017.
Where’d he get it!
YOUSEF GEORGE A commercial seller on eBay had about a dozen of them at this price about 6 months ago.
@@nickbyrne1962 damn
I've heard there's some fakes floating around online going for $200 or so. Be careful.
re: 6:45 - interesting Jody that you see this as more suited to a larger collection. I've always thought the opposite, i.e. the appeal of the Alpinist being its versatility (á la the Explorer), and I can imagine a universe in which it's part of a much smaller collection. I'd be able to get away with this at the office, then with a t-shirt at the weekend, and then pretty much anywhere else out in the wild with 200m of water resistance. Hell, I reckon this and a G-shock would see me through most situations in life...especially if I learned to use that compass bezel.
Thanks for continuing to churn out the quality content!
So now end of April 2021 Sarb017 is more expensive than new Alpinist with 6r35. The choice is clear, new alpinists are better everywhere, better movement and better sapphire with AR coating, also who apreciate display casebacks as me to enjoy the movement is another plus.
Going back through your old releases ...and here's a like and comment to feed the algorithm. This one is on my list
I have the non compass "new" one SPB155J1, steel bracelet, dark green sunburst with gold hands. The legibility is just so good because its a darker green than the earlier ones. It beats a Laco Flieger I have in low light before the lum kicks in. The accuracy is really good as long as you don't leave it crystal up by the bed side overnight.
I have the old one that I purchased new for around 330 gbp back in 2017. It was great value at that price. Seiko charging double for the new one, even allowing for the upgrades, is taking the mickey.
Just picked up the European limited edition SPB199J1 and I love it! 😍
The watch may not be for me but today’s t-shirt is awesome! Gotta love all things Star Wars! I wonder if you could shoot a Womp Rat from the X wing?
I've been waiting for a sale/reasonable price on the black dial/bracelet option since they came out... tellingly, my watch box still has an empty 💲lot 😒
Have the SPB210 version of this, hate the Seiko and X logo imprinted on the see through case hardlex. Looking for ways to remove it.
I don't mind the cyclops; it's the mismatched date wheel on the green & black models that bugs me. I totally agree that the upgrades don't justify the extra $200-300.
I agree on the complaints, and the value. I'd only pick one up on a solid sale at this point. There may be some jewelers with some around this time/next week. I've seen 30 or 35% off in places. The X logo does not bother me, but I'm still disappointed they stopped the signed crown, and are just doing that with Presage. Come on, Seiko! Still, that black dialed version is kind of dreamy. If I didn't have an SPB089 already, I'd be talking myself into that one.
Nice review! Congratulations on qualifying for Euro 2021 👍 Nikola,from Serbia 😭
When are we going to hear more about the casio duro update!?
Without watching the video and just answering the question, here goes. If you think it is worth the money, buy it. If you don't think it's worth the price, don't...The original Sarb017 is still available for less money but also less specs.... The choice is yours....
Firstly, it has to be green to be an Alpanist. It's certainly iconic, and it's attractive, Unfortunately, like most Seiko's these days, it's overpriced. If I could pick a good used one up for £300 or less, I would invest. Unfortunately in the UK it's not possible
Why does it have to be green to be an Alpinist?
....just curious. 🙂
@@anthonysmith2982 same reason a Ferrari's has to be red
@@watchalot919
Makes sense! ✌🏼️
Was waiting for this review! 😍
I don't understand why Seiko cant get it right with one watch, it needs to ditch the rotating bezel but keep the original green or blue face with the applied indices and put a cyclops on.
Then for £500 I would buy it , but at the moment I like something from all the Alpinist old new and baby but they cant put all the bests bits in 1 watch !! Ahhhh
When is a compass not a compass?
Ii have a SARB. I wonder how a double domed sapphire crystal would look on it ?
Good review as always.
@ Seiko - More price for more misalignment.
I love it, but it was out of my budget and even more now. I should have bought it second hand when I could. Ah... Seiko is not affordable anymore. For me, these compass complications are just a nice look, like the rules of a Navitimer. Eventually, I'll have the curiosity to learn how to use it, but I think generally I won't bother.
Hi Jody, is there any chance you could review the SNE566P1 aka Solar RootBeer? Since it's Australian exclusives, I could not find a review worth a dime in TH-cam. I had a relatives living down under and I'm contemplating if I should ask them a favor in picking one up. Cheers mate.
Can anyone comment on whether it is useless having a main screw down crown, when the compass crown is non screw down. I get that the seal is not dependant on the screw pressure, but is it the fact that the compass crown does not pull out that makes it still secure? Apologies for the vague and confusing language. That's because my visualisation is also vague and confused!
My understanding is that the screw down crown still relies on a gasket to make a seal. The "compass" crown is always against the seal because it doesn't pull out. I'm not sure how much that particular part of the watch can be trusted, that crown can be wobbled side to side.
I'm dubious that the screw down crown contributes to it's actual water resistance. Its function is to stop you from pulling out the crown underwater, but it also adds in a couple of extra points of failure - not threading it down far enough, cross threading, and eventually wearing out the crown tube from normal use.
@@dustycups Thanks, that conforms to my visualisation. So if you assign a security value of 2 to a pullout screwdown crown, the non-pullout non-screw down crown of the compass bezel might be a 1.5 . And I've always thought that that compass crown should be screw down if only to prevent the compass bezel from shifting - since a lot of us would be using that bezel as a sort of timer anyway, not as a compass.
RATHER HAVE THE BLUE ONE... OR WHITE
Never really clicked with me the Alpinist. Never liked the gilt and green so I looked for a white one but that was like looking for rocking horse poo. Can’t ever see me needing the compass, hate the cyclops (can never be arsed setting a date anyway) price hike, thicker... guess it all adds up to a large NO, not for me. Cracking shout out to Scottish Watches might give the others a listen too, tried others before but nerdy enough looking at watches on TH-cam without having a large list of others to listen to...perhaps? 🤓
maybe . . . he ( the owner ) didnt want the sticker pulled off
Seiko is losing focus! When a company loses focus on who they are sales will start to go down.
,d
Damn... I just came here to see if it can be my everyday watch. :)
Классная футболка лайк бро часы + циклоп -
Boring preamble prior to the review.
Plot twist; Jason's head exploded when the display sticker was pealed off.
One step forward, X steps back.
And which one is forward?
@@vwlukas The leather strap is now mediocre instead of crap.
I have the prior gen Alpinist, the SARB017. I think the green sunburst dial and gilt hands/markers are beautiful. For those who perceive a paradox between this Seiko's dressier design cues and its tool watch attributes, I would reference early 20th century field watches, which often had these baroque design cues, especially the cathedral hands. I enjoy it *because* it's so different and defies easy categorization. That and its compact dimensions; a good fit for my smaller than average wrists.
Congratulations to Scotland on qualifying for Euros. 🏴
I like it when Scotland gets to any final. It's so much fun watching all those hopes getting crushed....
And here we are...
But Scotland have achieved eternal fame. Whenever the best 10 goals ever scored in the European Cup are selected, Scotland will be there , with 2 of them being scored against Scotland !
The rare combination of outdoor and dress, not boring but not overdone, like countless others. 200 m, a swim, camping, fishing, hiking, dress watch. That white dial will never get old. A wonderful watch in every way. Love it.
Don't like Cyclopses? Wait until you're my age!!!
I've noticed my own eyes are feeling a bit strained these days-I'm 48. Maybe this cyclops thing would come in handy.
COMPASS EXPLAINED: Line up the sun's angle halfway between the hour hand and 12 o'clock. That makes 12 o'clock due south (or in the southern hemisphere north). That's it!
@Antony Mort As far as I can visualize the geometry, I think that works out to be the same thing.
5:15 I'm not waiting until the end of 2021 for a review of the baby alpinist.
I wanna buy a t shirt with your head on it saying “ hello & welcome “with outstretched welcoming arms & on the. back “so there you have it , they’d sell millions Jody ... well me & me Mrs would buy a couple & the woman across the road is Scottish so she might
One of the details I appreciate on my sarb017 is the tiny applied lume plots with gold polished edges. Sadly these have have been replaced with just painted on lume. Cost cutting, whilst increasing the price!
None of the reviewers who were so impressed with those dots on the SARB017 seem to have noticed the're gone.
How big of a difference is applied-on lume vs painted?
Yeah but 50% more power reserve, display casebook and deployment clasp are much more significant improvements than this small detail
So you're talking football in podcasts. Lots of football talk here in the last few days.🏴
As for the money value... TBH I think the days of any Seiko watch being good value for money are long gone now. Seiko in general has become an expensive brand.
My mini turtle, brand new @$280 usd is still a hell of a deal.
The Seiko 5 SNK805 was my first automatic and my "gateway" to watch collecting. I got it for something like $40 on sale. Now *that* was good value. I agree those days are long gone.
I agree for the most part, but the new 40mm Seikos (SRPE61, for example)are pretty decent.
@BackdriftNightfall agreed. Usually 20-30% discount!
The SARB017 is fetching silly prices in the UK some as high as £800, nevermind daft secondhand prices, Sekio have lost their way, and still misalignment issues!
I think that you sort of argued against yourself there.
The first thing an experienced watch dealer will tell you is that the secondary market is the best indicator of what a watches value is.
If the secondary market is buoyant that means that the piece IS priced at what the market considers fair.
It often says that those who buy them aren't flipping them too...
I think that some concerns over Seiko's pricing is justified so I don't outright disagree.
I'm just saying that if the secondary is the true indicator, the SARBs and Alpinists seem to be priced accordingly.
Hope that makes sense! 🙂
Cheers mate.
@@anthonysmith2982 The market for these ultra overpriced Seikos shrinks by the day. I despise car analogies, but at this point, it's like trying to sell a Toyota Camry for Audi S7 money. This is how you lose enthusiast support, and they aren't won back easily.
I don't agree when you say it has to be part of a large collection. I love my SARB017, on a NATO strap, it is a great sport watch, and on a leather strap, it's very dressy and would go nicely with a shirt. That's the closest to perfect every-situation watch I think
The best to use as a compass are the ones with a GMT hand: you just synchronize it with your local solar time, point it to the sun and you have the North at 12 (a 24h watch works too, of course). Well, that's in my hemisphere, no idea about yours. (Only if Australia exists and it's not a conspiracy of the round earthers in which you, Jody, are probably involved).
...which Seiko had in the early 2000’s’, with its original Prospex Alpinists (8F56 quartz), aka GMT, the only where the compass bezel made real sense. PS: Australia is real, I heard, like it’s just on the reverse, B track of the LP plate.
Another great video! I must say this might be, actually , the perfect small collection explorer for this collector. Just pop a NATO on there!
Another note, never have I ever paid so much money for a watch and gotten such a lackluster packaging. Seiko's Price-to-Packaging-Value ratio is insanely bad, and tbh it does cause a slight disappointment on arrival.
Fuck the box.....
Last time I criticized the compass bezel, I was hammered by a troll. That means I will, with great pleasure, observe that the compass bezel, IMHO, is lame. Just sayin.
Well, good news for you, they make a version without the compass bezel now.
I got one of the SPB123Js for $699 in a recent StarBuy sale, right on the limit of what I would want to spend on one of these, but pretty happy with it nonetheless. I reckon the $900ish that they usually sell for is a bit of a joke, though!
I don’t know if Seiko designed that bezel so that North and South line up that way, but magnetic North and South are not exactly 180 degrees apart
I've always considered the alpinist as being either a perfect one-watch-collection watch or, as you stated, a watch buried in an extensive collection. The quirky middle ground it sits in doesn't leave much room in between those two extremes. That's why I like it.
That's well said.
Personally I don't get why it's considered to be such an odd looking timepiece. The SARB017 or its 2020 equivalent never spoke to me. That green... 🤢
But the pre-SARB Alpinists of the 90's and the other 2020 variants, especially the cream and gilt dial SPD123 spoke to me immediately upon release in January.
I bought one just a few weeks back at a healthy discount I'm happy to say, and I ʟᴏᴠᴇ it.
It's currently on a perlon for the Australian summer but will mainly live on a Jubilee bracelet.
It's way more versatile than I expected. I really like the piece. A lot!
I've always wanted the old white dial but this might tick that box for me.
yeah, a little pricey, still like the older green dial without the cyclops
I dont understand the hate.. I really like it. Cant think of anything else sub $1,000 that compares...
It's interesting reading the comments and opinions when you get something that divides opinion. It is a querky watch which doesn't categorise easily so I just think your either have the for's or against and nothing in between. On the cyclops that looks amazingly clear and well magnified. I started wearing reading glasses a couple of years ago and now don't even bother setting the date on my watches when I put one on as I can't read it without specs on (so why do I buy watches with a date?). So I see a Cyclops and date window you can actually read as a good feature.
This reminds of why I sold all my Seikos. Terrible QC on dials and bezels and arrogant pricing. Objectively, it's a pretty little watch, but it's not seven or eight hundred dollars pretty. Honestly I don't think it's even $500 pretty.
Ah shut up you big baby
Flash forward to 2024 the sarbs have gone mental in price and my gf picked one of these up for 560 usd for a Jdm green dial, by her self😆 wild how watches work sometimes give it some time and these mental prices turn into steals! Rather happy to have my first prospex
Im just getting into watches and these Seiko Alpinists are driving me crazy. Shame I cant lay my hands on a SARB017 for anything less than a $1000.
Having bought a new SARB017 less than a year ago for $399.00 USD on Amazon, I just can't convince myself to pay that much for this new Alpinist.
Omg how did you find one so cheap??
@@alexk8599 It was on Amazon......but the prices have skyrocketed since then.
@@SilverSergeantFunnily enough, I just picked this new model up for $400 USD from yahoo auctions.
I was once an Alpinist doubter until this year. Once I got the cream and gilt Alpinist I fell in love with them. A SARB017 and a SBB123 soon followed. The steel bracelet is especially silky to wear and the Cyclops is functional.
With the compass crown the Alpinist is a stand out in a horological crowd. without it, there's a risk of becoming run of the mill.
The Helm Vanuatu still rules my wrist but for a day out or evenings entertainment Alpinist is good watch company.
Cheers Jody.
Jodi!
Most watches that have cyclops…look like a cyclops, this watch has a dewdrop. I’ve actually had people ask me if I had a drop of rain on my watch! it’s elegant. It’s perfect and I love it.
Casio Royal Dance...lol....Come Aliexpress Give us a Cool Alpinist Homage...esp green one...
I could definitely get behind that ... classic SARB 017 look with an NH35 movement and a variety of color options.
Merkur has a Laurel Alpinist tribute If you like the 'O'est of OGs.
They call it the Conqueror.
Merkur has a Laurel Alpinist tribute If you like the 'O'est of OGs.
They call it the Conqueror.
Great video Jody! Shout out to my boy Miguel! @SoCal Watch Reviews, Killing it! Can't wait to hear and see the episode. Also I have to say I'm a huge fan of the new new SPB155. I think that one will eventually join the collection 😍
Thanks Omar!
Misalignment of inner compass dial is too obvious not to noticed :)
I recently almost chose an Alpinist watch for myself. I ended up choosing a Casio Oceanus S100 instead. No regrets. At 74, I had no thoughts of future resale, I have other watches for that.
I vastly prefer my Sarb017, don't like the X on the dial, can't stand the cyclops, and I really really don't like any print on the see through caseback, really defeats the purpose of it being see through....
I may be the only person that genuinely feels nothing either way for these. I think because I've been witness to so many strong opinions that I'm just like... Okay. I don't dislike it, but neither would I run out to buy one. Great review, Jody!
I'm the same way. As long as I've known about it, I've just shrugged and moved on. Not my thing, but I don't hate them. Then again, I'm wearing a square, gold 80s Timex at the moment, so perhaps you should take my opinion with a grain of salt... 😂
Mine is the most acurate mechanical watch I own.
Me too.
Infact none of my Swiss mov'ts come close to my Alpinist when it's on wrist. A consistent +1-2.
It blows out to around +5 when dial up, but never waivers, fully wound or nearly dead, it never seems to deviate. It's a very underrated mov't IMO.
Same here , very accurate watch. Love my 2 Alpinests
I paid 699 aud for this, and the inner bazel is aligned perfectly so i think is is worth the price :)
Seems like you got a fake one
@@vwlukas
Ha! That's funny.
I paid the same.(StarBuy? 🙂)
My bezel alignment is good too. It's not 100% spot on 100% of the time, simply due to the lateral mov't inherent in the function, but it's lined up really well almost all of the time, I don't see the big deal anyway TBH.
The compass crown doesn't allow for anywhere near the amount of mov't I expected either. Again, I don't see the issue. Personally I'm happy to have any excuse to play around with my timepiece during the day!
Picked up mine from Starbuy also and the compass is aligned almost perfectly!
@@realtimeryan
It's frickin' bargain at $700 I reckon.
A great piece.
I was saving for either a Ball Engineer III Marvelight or an Oris Pointer Date. Hadn't decided yet. But when this popped up at $700 I thought it with a Strapcode Jubilee offered pretty much everything that I liked about the Oris - especially when I applied the law of diminishing returns...
And I'm now about $1k in front for my big 2021 purchase!
Perfect!
Thanks Jody, I'm always looking for Just One More Podcast.
Never owned one, never had one in but I somehow know that I need one!
Personally, I’d like to see the new Alpinist on a bracelet for the price point. I wish it did not have the Prospex emblem on the dial. It takes away from classic look of the dial. The cyclops window comes in handy as you age. I know I certainly didn’t care for them when I was younger, but now I appreciate it.
Any watch is ruined by the addition of cyclps, no matter how good looking it may be.
Ummmmm no...that is so incredibly incorrect....just no
I tend to agree, I've always thought they take away more than they add.
Very expensive for specs and quality.
Yeah. Its really just an upgrade in movement/power reserve so the $300 increase is flat out inflation of price just for name sake. Its not like the movement is a damn spring drive or something extremely pricey
Agreed. The Seiko $$$ grab continues...
That's modern Seiko in a nutshell. Their new diver is even worse.
People love complaining about this watches price increase but really for a new Seiko with the 6r35 movement, their all at this price or above. The new 62 mas and Willard are considerably more then this. What do they bring to the table that this doesn't? Diashield maybe. And that new 200mm is even more then those two with the same specs. I dont care much for the signed crown I think Seiko just took it off because it's part of the prospect line and they usually don't use it for that line. I doubt the decision is made to save a few bucks on manufacturing leaving it off. The prices aren't appealing anymore but it's not just this watch that's suffered it's their whole new lineup. Also dislike the misalignment issues. Seems like they dont care or its their trademark for telling if it's real or fake. I just ordered the black one for $628. Decent price for this watch I think. It's not perfect but really like the new black dial and steel bracelet.
@@tydish "for a new Seiko with the 6r35 movement, their all at this price or above." That doesn't make it a good deal!
Jody, I don't agree at all it's for the larger collections, on the contrary it's a perfect one watch collection. Change the strap and it can be watch for the beach, office or weekend. And that's the true strength of the Alpinist line. And the curved case is simply beautiful. Dive watches are not everyone's cup of tea, especially for smaller wrists, and generally added weight.
For the money I would buy a Certina or Mido. I like the Seiko but it costs a bit too much for what you get.
I think it’s an very cool watch
5:15 "Expect a review at the end of 2021" ....that's a long time to wait Jody :)
Caught that too, lol!
I have this exact model and I'm considering selling mine. The case back juts out a bit too much for my liking. Had mine since January.
Consider wearing it dial up, that way you don't have too see the case back.
@@giusepperocchi2979 lol
I have the previous version and love it! I consider it a field watch with sapphire crystal and excellent water resistance. Good for hiking, hunting, and camping as well. And it has a compass!
Even boating👌
considering you can get the old one for under 400 relatively easily, and that the only major improvement is the deployant (20hrs more on the same mediocre movement is meh), i'd say this is a hard pass even at those 700 ebay prices, let alone MSRP
is Seiko wanting to become a "more meme" brand? their QC and alignment issues are so bad it's a meme, and now that they're not only not providing good value/money, they've also skyrocketed their prices, their new meme will be "overpriced mediocrity" i guess? seriously... if they continue this way, they'll become "the entry level Rolex" for all the WRONG reasons, lol!
Misalignment issue - that's an original Seiko for sure! 😅
Also, how to use the compass (Southern Hemisphere):
1) Keep the watch level with the horizon and point the 12 o'clock index at the sun
2) Make an imaginary angle with the sun's 12 o'clock position and the hour hand as it currently reads
3) North is right in the middle of that imaginary angle (rotate the Alpinist's inner compass ring to that position to indicate north)
4) Use the 1 o'clock index to orientate the sun during daylight savings
Am I the only one who is instantly turned off by a cyclops? Dear god, I hate them. Functional? Maybe. But they look like a cross between a blister and a boiled sweet dropped on the crystal. Absolute deal-breaker for me.
Hahaha, great description. I'm on the fence, but it's probably telling that I've never owned a watch with one.
You are not alone. I was looking forward to the Timex Navi automatic. My heart sank when I saw it had a Cyclops. Sigh...
yup. i'm not 70 years old, so the cyclops is just a useless unsightly transparent wart on the crystal. instant deal-breaker
I have this watch, payed £530 and fitted a super oyster strap code bracelet, looks fantastic.
Now..... Cyclopse removed so no issue, bezel misalignment has been solved and it was very simple.
Overall such a fantastic watch and super versitile, IMO better than the Khaki.
How did you solve the bezel misalignment?
Great info. I was thinking of getting one of these, may just get an older model instead.
I fell in love with the other cream dialled variant (SPD123) at first sight. I hung back all year and ғɪɴᴀʟʟʏ pulled the trigger about 3 weeks back.
I lucked out and found one BNIB for $700AUD (that's about $500USD) and I couldn't be happier.
It's not perfect, the green strap is ʀᴇᴀʟʟʏ good, especially compared to the shite Seiko usually deliver, however the clasp has an odd shape and digs into the underside of my wrist; a common complaint apparently. But It wears really well on my 8“ wrist. It's going on a perlon during the summer and I'll pick up a Jubilee bracelet too.
So, I love it.
As much as I hate to say it, it is worth the $900AUD or so that you can find it for pretty easily. I think their scarcity on the secondary market proves that. And it's certainly every bit as good as the entry level Swiss watches I paid the same $ or more for.
Mines been running at a steady +1-2 spd when on wrist and about +5 when sitting dial up, more than acceptable. I have a feeling that this year's version of the Alpinist may just end up being a future classic.
I’ve just pulled the trigger on the 123 although it was a toss up with that and the white dial one reviewed here
Love my 123 - rugged toughness and extreme class!
@@davidhobson7851
You made the right choice I reckon David. There's something special about the cream and gilt dial. Especially with the green strap, although I find it a little uncomfortable. I wear mine on a Jubilee bracelet. It's fantastic.
I found out via an 'Average Bros.' video that a Parnis Jubilee bracelet fits and is the best alternative, mainly due to its depth. It suits the lug profile perfectly. It has a few sharp edges across the top, but overall it's really good. Especially for about $40.
Enjoy the watch mate.
Cheers,
Anthony
@@willardhooton920
Couldn't agree more.
My favourite watch purchase of 2020.
Cheers mate.
Anthony.
Are you sure Scottish watches was 1st? 2 broke watch snobs did their 200th last week. Either way both good podcasts.
Edit - No I checked Scottish got there 1st by a week or so.😁
you better believe it! Thanks for listening
@@ScottishWatches Thanks for making your excellent sometimes hard to understand content!
I've never been a fan of the alpinist! A little on the small side and I'm not fond of Arabics on a dial, IMO.
Spring Drive Alpinist, let's go!
Said it before and saying it again. The prospex X on these is a horrible addition. So fugly it genuinly makes me ill.
I'd rather go for the baby alpinist without the useless "compass".
If you wouldn't pay more than $500 for these, how much would you pay for the SPB089 (blue alpinist)? They're all over ebay for $1,000 but I can't justify spending that much and I don't want to feed into the hype. I do want one though.
That compass thing seems so useless. I still have no idea what the purpose is or how to use it ??
The purpose is for marketing. It's about as useful as a roulette wheel for navigating.
Seiko’s Alpinist marketing points get repeated and amplified but they’re not really true.
It's not a Japanese mountaineering gentleman's watch. That was just something Seiko said to sell it. The design comes from the 1990's.
Diashock is just Seiko's stock standard shock absorbing system, nothing special there.
The compass bezel is as useful as tits on a bull. You're not going to be doing any navigating with it because it's essentially just a roulette wheel, having no functional compass characteristics whatsoever. It's there to add some visual complexity and marketing opportunity.
For a hardworking mountaineering/field/tool watch it's a strange choice - a fat highly polished automatic with a somewhat haphazard movement and crowns sticking out everywhere waiting to be snapped off. A rotor spinning around during vigorous activity is just adding unnecessary wear and tear, not the ideal choice.
Corners were cut - the indices are just stamped into the dial from the back to save money, not applied.
Now I've got all that off my chest I feel a bit better and might go and wear it.
Is that 11 o'clock marker on skew, too? A lovely watch ruined by poor quality control. I don't profess to know how these mass produced watches are made, but surely this is an issue which should take priority in being sorted out?! I could not bring myself to ignore that every time I looked at my watch dial.
Unfortunately Seiko is climbing up on the price...and letting Orient take their earlier spot of bang for buck...Still they are good value compared to their Swiss counter parts. I do like the baby alpinists...with the grainy textured dials. I really wish they come up with a red variant....not that I will buy one coz I just got myself the Cocktail Negroni for about 335 USD...while they are still value...it would have been unbeatable if only they had included a sapphire crystal instead of the hardlex.... But its unlikely that most will bump around the cocktail series if used for the purpose it's meant for.
A more-or-less useless compass dial that doesn't line up. Useless because mountaineers would have a compass or two as Jody mentions, and the watch compass only works when it is sunny, totally pointless in cloudy conditions in the mountains. It looks nice but could be better off with an internal dial that is more useful, for example 60 minutes or 12 hours, or better still, no internal dial, as per the other alpinist watches. All-in-all a fancy dress watch with no particular purpose.
Quick answer: No.
They have not added anything worth over twice the price. FWIW, using a watch as a compass is a very crude navigation method, and one must use the local solar time on the watch, not local civil time, and most assuredly, not daylight savings. Some of us do remember how to use on from our Boy Scout days. In my time zone, DST is over two hours off from local solar time - driven by all the rich golfers who want to play golf until 11 PM at night. That said, I always found - in the Boy Scouts and in 21 years of the military, land navigation is generally done much better and much faster using man-made and natural terrain features. You don't need a compass until you're calling artillery or mortar fire when you can't give a map grid coordinate for the target.
Good looking out with the shout outs. I follow all of them. Great review. I like them but I will stick to my SARB017 all things concerned. Maybe when the price comes down. I kind of like the no compass one.