Seiko better get their shit together because the deterioration of their reputation will ultimately affect Grand Seiko’s reputation (as unwarranted as that may be) and their attempt to move upmarket. Perception is reality.
I’ve never understood being such a fan of a brand that you’re willing to put up with stuff like this. Thank you for not just writing this off as “it’s Seiko, har har har”.
It happens all the time, I love Apple products but they have had all sorts of issues over the years that I was willing to put up with. Very few products are perfect in life and compromise is necessary sometimes. For example I loved my iPhone 4 and it was a spectacular phone and software, however the fact the antenna was blocked by holding it was an issue, admittedly a barrier case sorted it but the fact Apple came out publicly and told people 'you are holding it wrong' was a big no no
I have to admit that their QC is as good as non existing, got a SPB207J1 and it went back within 24 hours as it had some issues. But with that being said I have to Seiko Presage watches which I truly love, SRQ025J1 and SPB061J1, amazing time keeping and just wonderful watches. My advice is to buy whatever you might like and try it out, look for anything which might have been missed and if you are not happy just return the damn watch
I have an Orient automatic diver watch and love it such a great value around $200 and has better features and looks better than many comparable diver watches in the $500 price range.
If I can get a perfectly aligned 30 year-old seiko 5 off the bay, there is no excuse for misalignment on a $2000 piece 30 years later using better machinery. 🤦
People have been stating that seiko punches above its weight for so long that I think seiko believed its own hype. Thought, 'oh maybe we should just charge more while keeping everything the same' including the marker issue apparently.
I've had people tell me the bezel "isn't even 2 degrees off, that's very small!". Except 1.5 degrees is the WORST possible scenario on a 120 click bezel and you can't be 3 degrees off. It's a complete joke that these things continue to happen with Seiko, no matter the price.
It's like having a misaligned parts on your new car, doors would not close properly because they are fucked up, wipers will swipe over the windshield and steering wheel would be crooked. Would you be happy to own such crap? I wouldn't
Re-entry into the earth's atmosphere by Apollo craft was within 2.4 degrees, so 2 degrees is not small. I can easily detect far less than one degree of error in a dial, and it is annoying.
I love Seiko - LOVE THEM. As a brand. You are 100% correct. This is silly and borderline abusive on the part of the company. I now buy homages - like that Steeldive Willard you were positive on. Seiko now has a new Prospex Willard that will run you $2,500 USD. I think $90 on AliEx is a better bet. Thanks again for all the hard work - and don't let the haters bring you down.
I ended up buying a Tondorino (a sterile Steeldive SD1970 but with no lume on the ceramic bezel, other than a lume-pip, and no UV anti-reflection on the flat sapphire crystal). I then sent the watch to my favourite watch-modder who fitted a genuine Seiko dial, aligned everything perfectly, and regulated the NH35 to +3 seconds per day with no beat error. Then, added a vintage Italian-leather strap. Total cost for everything? About £275. I can hand-on-heart say that it is every bit as good as the new 6105 reissue, and a grand cheaper!
In the last month I’ve purchased two inexpensive Seiko’s; a made in Japan SBDY099 Green Tortoise, which lines up perfectly, and a made I have no idea where SNE543P1, which is also perfect. In the past year, however, I’ve purchased and returned, an SBDC065, a Capt Willard, and a SARX033. All had alignment issues, and all were made in Japan. JDM used to be considered a step up in quality and desirable, but I’m not so sure..
I’ve had pretty good luck with alignments and other quality control issues. What drives me nuts is that they don’t regulate their watches well enough. Spending over $1000 for a watch that loses 15 seconds/day is unacceptable
This is a very fair point: whatever their price, Seiko does not regulate their watch at all. The whole process is industrialized as much as possible, they only do routine checks
Pressed steel clasps, misaligned bezels, and misaligned dials becoming the norm for Seiko, and with the price hikes over the last 18 months, well, they just aren't good enough. Why does Orient perform better?
@@matthewsprague7674 not directly, they're all part of the same overarching corporation but operate as completely separate entities. Some people would have you believe that Seiko Watch Corp owns Orient - not true
Corporations never care about the customer. It’s always been this way and it’s not going to change. Small companies are the ones that care. But as they grow they will eventually stop caring.
Seiko is just a mass market brand - I never understood why so many people are cheerleaders for it. I find that Citizen is much better for quartz watches.
I love my Citizen Tsuno, great functions, solar power, power reserve indicator, alarm ( not loud enough though), chronograph, sapphire crystal, battery life great, I only charged it once the last year in the sun. It holds time perfectly, I payed around $ 700
3:20 Honestly I’m glad you decided to make this video. With a $2,000 price tag and Seiko as the brand, this lack of quality is absolutely unacceptable. I was seriously considering this watch (specifically the SPB221J1) for my next purchase but after what I’ve seen today and on similar videos, unless Seiko gets their stuff together, I don’t know if I’ll ever even buy from this brand again. I just hope this issue doesn’t spread to their other collections. Shame on you Seiko😤😤😤
Problem is that a large manufacturer in XXI century is expected to have their quality control integrated well into production processes. In other words, product should be perfect when coming off the line, without any involvement of a quality inspector. It is sad that it isn't so - a Japanese watchmaker should be a leader in lean manufacturing.
What's surprising is that Seiko can't be unaware of the QC issues and the backlash. It would be great if a watch reviewer would conduct an interview with a Seiko exec and raise the problem.
What is shocking to me is the fact that Seiko, literally, cannot get things straight, but Grand Seiko goes above and beyond to make sure everything is beyond perfect. Obviously, there is a vast disparity between Grand Seiko and Seiko, but you would think the two would share the common belief in superb quality control since they both come from the overarching Seiko Holdings Corp.
Sadly, even Gs has been slipping lately. I’ve come across a few we issues. The moment they increased production, they’ve had a slight increase in qc issues. Obviously, no where near as bad as regular seiko’s.
Actually, I recently bought a Seiko Presage Porco Rosso Enamel Dial Spring Drive Limited Edition watch with a 37% discount Brand New. The watch is fantastic with no QC issues what so ever. The Spring Drive is identical to the Spring Drive used in Grand Seikos. Finally, it did have a Grand Seiko retail price and seems to have been in the shop for a year before I bought it which led to the huge discount. Maybe due to the Watch Badge Snobs but I don't care because I love my new watch.
GS should just be changed to Credor and halve production. this way the name "seiko" doesn't hold them back. I regularly wear my SBGA407 "skyflake" after 18 months of heavy daily wear, so i'm not a hater... :)
I own Seiko and Orient watches. I never had a QC problem with Orient. I own a Bambino 36mm and a Ray 2 - awesome watches for less than 200. Seiko on the other hand...misaligned chapter rings are a norm. Loved Seiko, never cared much for Orient - till I gave them a try. Today I would say it is my favourite brand at the entry level
@@marceldemir7514 I wouldn't say never- the 6R15D in my SARX045 is keeping a consistent +1s/day. Perhaps the previous owner had it professionally adjusted by a wizard watchmaker, or maybe I'm just lucky. The F6G42 in my Orient Star keeps +2.7s/day avg, out of the box. Lucky me.
@@chronocommander007 if it is done by the factory it would bother me. If it is a scratch or ding done by myself, then I'm okay with it. Only Seiko I have owned is the GS snowflake, so I cannot speak for their QC.
I haven't bought a Seiko at retail in a few years. The move upmarket while not addressing QC and somehow getting worse at it, made me stop giving them my money. My collection is 90% Seiko, and will always be mostly Seikos. I've just decided to buy pre-owned or vintage Seikos instead. Seiko's back catalog is full of hidden gems, and the 90's and 2000's still had great quality pieces.
last time I get brand new Seiko I sent to service the calibre since the first day I bought haha (pretty sure they changed that calibre instead, it was too abnormally fast) if you ask which one it is, it's Prospex Save the Ocean Penguin Day
I'm glad someone else has said this. I adore Seiko and own a number of models but the QC issues seem to be getting worse. I have had so many issues with the 6r35 movement, it's just such a shame that so many of the Seikos I want seem to have this same movement. I'm losing 30-60 seconds a day on my SPB165j1. It will be the last Seiko I buy until things improve.
I was gutted when I got the watch of my childhood dreams when it had a misaligned chapter ring and a dust speck. I love my Turtle but... And then seeing Steeldive, San Martin etc with so much better QC and spec for a fraction of the price.
Last Seiko I bought I got the AD to show me the watch on video, wasn’t aligned so I got them to order me another. Showed me a video of the new one and it was aligned, then I pulled the trigger. Pedantic I know but it was for a Willard and I don’t want to spend 1k and it be misaligned.
Why it's definitely best to go with a reputable AD, just flat out refuse the watch if it's not aligned. People play with fire when they go with grey imports
Never worry about being pedantic. I guarantee the vast majority of the business owners would never accept inferior product themselves so if they question you on your efforts then they are being total hypocrites.
MAN Jody... I was going to go for one of these... Love the Grand Seiko lite vibes... But thats not an easy fix of it's the dial.... BTW I agree most of the Seiko I have purchased or featured on my channel have had alignment issues. Kind of sad 😭
I have three Seiko. $500 - $1,000 price range. All of them have dial markers all over the place. There is not a consistent twist such as the whole dial of out square, but just a random hit or miss with placement. A misaligned bezel insert, while unacceptable QC, is of course relatively easy to fix. I too will not but Seiko again.
Nope. I bought an Eco-drive and the chapter ring was misaligned. Sent it to customer service in Germany, they got it better aligned, but the watch came back with a hour index partially oxidized (looks like it) and dust on the dial and under the glass. Complained, got no answer.
I love it it’s true that’s why I got away from them and I went with Citizen I got the pro master automatic I bought it for the same price is for a Seiko 100% better than they would ever be everything lines up everything‘s perfect and heirlooms great love them will never go back to Seiko
@@todd344 Their newer citizen models have ridiculously, almost scientifically straight lines. their second hands land on the index everytime. I have the calendier and it's incredible the accuracy.
I must be lucky. Have more than 20 seiko and no alignment problems on any of them. I do buy mostly on eBay, new and used and study the pictures carefully before committing to purchase.
No way, I did exactly the same 😄. Traded 6 of mine towards a 2012 Seamaster Professional. All of the Seiko's had alignment issues. The only ones I've kept are my gen2 monster and my Flightmaster. Hope you enjoy your Seamaster!
I picked up my first Seiko ever earlier this year- a King Samurai Manta (SRPE33, Japan marked dial) which didn't have any alignment issues at all. After working with the touchy regulation system it has since been keeping a steady +2-3 seconds a day. If you regulate your own movement, be mindful of the rotation and location of the regulator pin's slot relative to the hairspring coil any time you move the adjustment arm, and check it for proper hairspring clearance as shown in the Seiko service manual. It's easy to bump/ nudge it accidentally when adjusting, as I found out. I like everything about it so far other than the sub-par diver's extension design on the bracelet, so I guess a Long Island or Strapcode bracelet for it is also on my list now.
Gotta’ agree with you. I’ve got no problem with the minor issues on my SKX, but when I recently purchased the new SPB143 (for just under $1200) and the crown action was poor and was told by the AD that it was “within spec,” I found it hard to believe that was OK, and he refunded my money. It’s not that I’m THAT fussy, but for over a grand you expect a certain quality level. Meanwhile, my SARB 033 in almost every way is perfect. Like I said, I’m with you Jody.
I've had a few $300ish Seiko, and I haven't gotten myself to buy any of their $1,000 offerings. I've bought more expensive watches (Omega and Oris), but I'm not gonna buy any expensive Seiko sight unseen (online).
@@frazzl they're owned by Epson which is one of the big 3 in the Seiko group. Technically not a sub-brand of Seiko but 6 of one half a dozen of the other.
I totally agree with and I came to same conclusion as you a few years ago 😕 There is also another qc issue that you didn’t check, it’s the misaligned hour hand, like at 6pm exactly the hour hand is not perfectly on the 6pm index 😭. This issue is not specific to Seiko unfortunately, I’ve had this on a B&R Diver even after it was sent in for repair.
Spot on. It was Seiko that lead me to inspect watches under the loupe regardless of brand and have turned down nearly half of potential purchases. My last 2 purchases have been a pain as well- a sharp edge (non-gmt) with a micro scratch on the 12 o clock marker that I initially failed to notice and a very slightly misaligned chapter ring and hour hand at 6 o clock on my King Samurai. The King Sammy stays for sentimental reasons but the sharp edge has recently been flipped. Coincidentally, ALL my Tissots in the same price range (or less) have had absolutely no QC issues. I'm keeping whatever Seikos I have left but no more Seikos for me moving forward. Too many Swiss options for the same price
Yep, 100% agree, I just cannot get on board with Seiko anymore for this exact reason. You should not be crossing your fingers when opening the box of a watch hoping you get a 'good' one, or feel lucky when yours all lines up etc. When I buy a watch of any real value, if there is poor alignment etc, regardless of the brand I will return it, because it is just not acceptable, and nothing will change if we just accept it.
Can't you just send it back and get your money back? I know it sucks but I make sure I know the return policy and use it when I'm not happy with a product.
@@robertlindo8058 They certainly would! It seems nowadays they want to rely on the "casual" watch fan, someone that will like the look of the watch and buy it without paying any attention to the QC. A lot of the long time Seiko fans are turning away from later models for the same reasons we all are. Its just a real shame they still don't seem to care!
I have a Seiko 4r39a open heart which I got for my 70th birthday from my family. I scratched the Hardlex within the first week. At the time of watching this (on my Huawei p10 plus smartphone) I am wearing a Sea-gull Ocean Star diver with sapphire crystal. It's perfect.
I have a Seiko 5. It’s decades old. I have it serviced from time to time and it just keeps on going. Recently I purchased two of the new Seiko solar powered watches, one for my son and the other I kept for myself. What absolute rubbish. I didn’t notice the the made in China sticker on the back until after the purchase. Both watches failed within warranty. Mine went back three times. My sons lasted a bit longer than mine before failing. In the end I tossed the piece of rubbish in the garbage and bought a Tissot T-Complication Skeleton. The Tissot has a simple Unitas 6497-1 movement. It never misses a beat. I recently purchased a Longines Master Collection moon phase chronograph. The Longines is finished beautifully and keeps time to within just under a second per day. At least with a Swiss watch you know it’s not coming out of China. I’m done with Seiko. It’s sad that a once respected watchmaker is turning out garbage products made in China.
At least with a Swiss watch you know that 60% of the monetary value of the watch is Swiss sourced..... Hmmm.... What does that actually mean? It means that most of the watch comes from China! 🤣 The world is made in China these days my friend.
I suppose 60% Swiss is better than nothing. I have a feeling some Seiko watches are probably 100% Chinese manufacture. Anyway thanks for your interesting and informative videos. Keep up the good work. Cheers
@@edwardfletcher7790 Yeah my Casio F-91W has been on numerous tours as has my Suunto. I thought I'd try a cheap style dive watch but was very disappointed. You are correct it was under warranty and went back for a refund.
Totally right thing to do Jody. Misalignment in any form is unacceptable. There are so many factors higher priced watches offer like better material, movement, bracelet and so on and thats the reason you spend that money. Nobody would pick up a brand new car with a misaligned steering wheel and then say something like oh ok it is only a Peugeot and not a Lexus. Some things just have to be spot on.
It's simply ridiculous for Seiko to produce misaligned dials when other watches like Casio edfice or Fossils have no issues. I once brought a Seiko watch with a misaligned dial, thinking I could get it adjusted in the service centre. They told me it's alright and they won't adjust for me. Wow! Simply amazing!
I like the idea of Pagani but could never bring myself to wear a blatant rip off of a more expensive watch no matter how cheap it was. My personal opinion and certainly don't judge others who do.
@@stevebennett7783 Yeah I get where you are coming from, but companies have been knocking off from other companies for decades now. Some say that the Submariner was a knock off of the Blancpain Fifty Fathoms 🤷♂️ Good thing is that 99.9% of the population couldn't care less
Funny enough I was talking to a friend who's new to the watch world about the Seiko QC issue and he was baffled about such a big brand not being able to sort them selves out. It's a weird thing that we just accept it.
I think we've accepted it because so many TH-cam watch reviewers have accepted it, and like Jody said, we've treated it as something of a joke. I'm glad a major reviewer is finally saying enough is enough.
My first automatic watch was a seiko 5 sports which I purchased in late 2020. It had a lot of issues with the bracelet. It rattled and was loose and also the first link which sits between the lugs was extremely loose and made sounds. I sold that watch last year for 30% less than what I paid for it. And after watching this video , its safe to say that I'd never buy a seiko again.
My SNKL23J1 has misaligned hands, day and date (but the blue dial is georgeous). My SKX 013 has no misalignments at all, runs -8 sec/day unregulated and consistant for a year now. A Seiko certainly is a miss or a hit. Am I ready to spend 1000$ or more on a Prospex Line diver without having to marry the AD’s daughter to make it run right afterwards? I am not so sure. Even though I wear my Seikos proudly.
@The Insanely Great Apple Channel Toyota must be an exception because they are still the most reliable. Seiko makes watches covering a wide range of price points and the quality will vary accordingly. Grand Seiko is most definitely not average quality.
I've owned 16 Seiko watches over the past six years and over 40% of them have had minor cosmetic issues that should have been caught by a robust quality control process. The chapter ring alignment is something that Seiko seems to have a hard time getting right. I agree with Jodi -- no more Seikos for me.
Great channel!! QC problems happen, I had 2 defective Tudor Heritage Chrono Blue's. The first watch chronograph hand did not line up at 12. I complained and got a new one, the replacements would not hold power reserve over night. I wrote a letter to the head of Tudor in 2017, got no response. The AD ended up refunding my money, it was very disappointing because I loved the looks of that watch, still do.
I got burned horribly on an SPB147. Misaligned hands, misaligned bezel, crappy bezel action (muted/vague feeling click every other click) and a 1.0 beat error on the time grapher. Sent it off to Seiko service center. They had the watch for over five weeks. Said there was nothing wrong and sent it back. I tried to get a watch smith to realigned the hands and they scratched the hour hand. Now it's junk sitting in a drawer waiting to be sold for parts to a modder. BUY AN ORIENT if you want a watch that's way better than Seiko and much less expensive.
Seiko is no longer the value proposition it used to be. This is coming from someone who grew up with no less than a dozen Seiko. My SARB035 also had a misaligned chapter ring. And it poked me in the eye every time I look at the dial. The 6R15c movement gave out on me within 5 years. I ended up with a cocktail time as a replacement. It’s okay. I think I will get a Hamilton for my next watch. No more Seiko for me either. So hard to say goodbye to a long relationship.
Not unreasonable to service a movement after 5 years. The problem is the watch is cheap enough that servicing costs more than the watch is worth. Or I would have done with my SARB033 and SARX045.
Is it a generational shift? 30 years ago, a misaligned bezel would have meant a Seiko worker needing to do the honorable thing... Now days??! Maybe a gentle reminder via a memo.
I love my SARB017 and I want to buy more Seikos, but the QC scares me off. I'm glad I got lucky with my SARB. I hope they get it together so I fell confident enough to buy more Seikos.
Very fair feedback mate. In place of Seiko, could we perhaps get a few more Citizen reviews as they seem to have their act more together at similar price points? You know noisy as the Miyota 82xx movements are, they are so well done and often regulated well in general with fair service and replacement costs. I’ve become so leery of Seiko I now look for cheap Miyota movements in inexpensive micro brands. I’d rather noisy than faulty.
And because a Vostok is about the price of a decent watch strap. That forgives a hell of a lot. This nonsense of seiko qc being so bad on more expensive watches is ridiculous. Once you get over $1k, you're into the realm of lower tier mainstream Swiss brands, and they tend to actually have decent QC.
I've bought a 'New Arnie'' when it came out. I have a Seiko "Blue Lagoon Turtle"' - SRPB11K1. Those two are absolutely fine. My first one was a SKX009 and I never really noticed the offset bezel until I knew what it is (it is there). And my last addition was a "SRPE39K1 - King Turtle Save The Ocean Mantaray" edition (I love the dial!) but that is really off. You can get it into the right position 'because of the play'. Finally Seiko is also dead for me in this class. On other notes (because of all the Citizen defenders) - I recently gave away a Citizen Promaster NY0040-09W" which was wayyyy off - 1,5 indexes on the bezel (60 clicks) - it is not just a Seiko problem.
I have 6 Seikos, some quartz some mechanical. Never have any issue. But I prefer Rolex. I bought Rolex mostly second hand, often have scars, damaged bezels, time not very accurate and I service them change the the damaged parts ; polished and that service often cost more than US$1,500 and expect to work great for another 10 years. For 1 Rolex, I can buy my entire Seiko collection, and each Rolex service cost can buy me another Seiko brand new. Love my Seiko but Rolex to me is like my "air"; I can't breath without it.
@@andreshultz8638 I seriously prefer Tissot. I have an automatic and it never broke down. My brand new automatic Seiko is going back to get fixed again. I will get another automatic Tissot, but never again another Seiko, not even quartz.
As pointed out Grand Seiko is their luxury brand. Are we going to bash them? Even Seiko’s $1000+ watches are produced in numbers far exceeding some brands total brand production. QC issues are QC issues but most people don’t realize how hard it is to produce an item on a mass scale. Seiko also knows the mass market doesn’t care about the imperfections.
I agree with you entirely, Jody! I’ve bought maybe close to 10 higher end Seikos over the past year. Almost every one of them have had horrendous QC issues (misalignment, poorly running movements etc). I’ve since sold all of them except for 1… Either I’m really unlucky or Seiko has a problem.
Yes Jody, YES. Well said! It needed saying too. Seiko Qc had frustrated me for ages now! I have one WIS friend and we have had loads of conversations about this. We echo nearly everything you said. They get away with QC murder! People seem to don rose tinted glasses with them. I have watches costing £100 that are bullet straight. There really is no excuse! Sort it out Seiko. Sort it out!
True. I think we all want Seiko to be more than what they are, bc the potential is always there. And we see the problem, QC. I've had many Seikos, most disappointed in some way. But two have been perfect, old 5s. One has a crisply printed dial, the other "dressier" one has applied markers. Both perfectly executed and great timekeepers. Seiko is like having a beautiful sweet supermodel girlfriend, who unexpectedly cuts your dog's throat when you're not looking.
Yeah, I've seen two of the older Shoguns that needed adjustment out of the box. After the fix they were super, but for $1200US it's ridiculous that anything is needed except for sizing. The new white Shogun looks even better but $1400 on rubber? It had better give racing tips, read bedtime stories and be absolutely perfect. I think my Seiko limit is $500 these days.
As I've commentated elsewhere the value proposition with Seiko drops off a cliff at the thousand pound point and the competition crowds in, the real issue is the budget watches are poor value toothese days. £250 for a 5?!.....Heloooo San Martin,!
Very valid points. What other brand would be let off the hook for repeated QC issues. Now they are charging much higher prices they have the ability to improve their QC department. The same types that slag-off Chinese homage brands are forgetting that a Steeldive (for example) would have sapphire, a better chance of not having misalignment issues at a fraction of the price. If they can do it...
Hi Jodie. Love the channel. Need level headed advice to settle my slight concern. Seiko Sary057 pre owned, looks great on wrist, well cared for, no marks on crystal or case.......keeps perfect time......however, the 12 o clock marker ever so slightly out with the chapter ring......2 hairs breadth.....the one imperfection. Would you a) live with it knowing these are getting hard to find and as a time teller it's spot on? b) spend some time and money trying to realign for that perfection.? Thanks again. Paul ( have photos)
same here too.. I stopped buying seiko after I bought their "limited edition" 1000 pcs only to find out later they released the same exact watch and call it international edition 2018 pcs.. And then recurring alignment issues stopped me from buying completely and move to citizen.
I bought a couple of cheap vintage Seiko 5s for about £40 each so not too worried about slight age related damage. Also bought new Steeldive SD 1970s which look amazing for the money. I wouldn't be happy either if I'd spent that amount on a new Seiko with Problems. Thanks for a great informative video 👍
Still like my beautifully imperfect dive Seiko's - I rate the 4R36 movt and they do the job. The zen garden series along with the solar line are pretty sweet too IMHO.
You know there's a problem when a reputed store like Seiya Japan has this on their Seiko listings - "The chapter ring and index & bezel index and face index not being aligned perfectly."
Kinda sad when cheap vostoks can have better QC than an expensive seiko, my vostoks haven’t had any QC problems like the seikos in this video. Of course the bezel on Vostok’s is nothing to talk about, since my scuba dude bezel is held on by a cheap wire spring, instead of a nice clickety click it just make a faint scratching sound 😆
I thought that I was alone in questioning Seiko. I have several of their offerings and have noted that the newer they are the less trustworthy the build. Yet, as Jody notes, the prices are on a steep upward trajectory. This smacks of the Japanese reputation being sacrificed to off-shore builds just to inflate profit. Which works for a while - until customer realizes that they are paying more and getting less. This is what drives the consumer to shop elsewhere. Seiko will either get their act together or be relegated to selling in blister packs on a Walmart display.
I'm very lucky that my one and only Seiko (SNK805) has no issues with the dial. *However* there is somehow a pink fiber stuck inside the movement that I can see through the case back? I don't know if that was a result of a servicing at the AD or from the factory but it's unusual. Other than that, it only gains about 5-10 seconds a day, looks gorgeous on an aftermarket strap, and makes me happy.
I totally upvote this one. I also have purchased quite a few Seikos and there are some very minor but noticeable irregularities on a few of them. I recently purchased the SBDC101(SPB143) from overseas and the bezel is off by half a click and the date window is noticeably off.
Hope they'll manage QC issues as You mention.. We love Seiko & give them critics for greater good in the future Btw, recently Seiko released 40 mm Astron Series.. seems they really care Customers advice 👍
Astron and quartz GS is the only two with superb QC watches. Both are made in the same factory as Automatic and SD GS. But hand assembled by different division. And that quartz division still deliver the level of QC like making a 50 piece of limited edition watches.
It is longer than a couple years. I gave up on Seiko in 2018 after three purchase that I sent directly back to them. I started in microbrands around that time and realized I was happier with the watches I was getting, and they were more distinct. I love the couple of Seiko's I own, but don't know if I will buy another one anytime soon.
Just bought a new Seiko SRPB53 and it has zero QC issues. Interesting enough a friend bought a high end watch and it had several QC issues. I have Seiko’s and none have QC issues.
Seiko better get their shit together because the deterioration of their reputation will ultimately affect Grand Seiko’s reputation (as unwarranted as that may be) and their attempt to move upmarket. Perception is reality.
Hey, means a cheaper GS for me. I don't mind at all 😁
Seen it all before. For example, with Sony, and before that when National became Panasonic.
If you're a traditional Seiko buyer, switch to Orient.
You're not wrong my friend.
If that happens they will just re brand grand seiko i think(but a cheaper GS spring drive is amazing though)
I had QC issues on a 3 k + USD watch. Jagged edges along the chapter ring. I am done with them forever.
I’ve never understood being such a fan of a brand that you’re willing to put up with stuff like this. Thank you for not just writing this off as “it’s Seiko, har har har”.
“i’Ll tAkE a SeIkO over aNy rOlEx!”
It happens all the time, I love Apple products but they have had all sorts of issues over the years that I was willing to put up with. Very few products are perfect in life and compromise is necessary sometimes. For example I loved my iPhone 4 and it was a spectacular phone and software, however the fact the antenna was blocked by holding it was an issue, admittedly a barrier case sorted it but the fact Apple came out publicly and told people 'you are holding it wrong' was a big no no
@@diavalus
I'll buy a Seiko over a Rolex since i can't afford any Rolex's models yet.
Hehe.
I have to admit that their QC is as good as non existing, got a SPB207J1 and it went back within 24 hours as it had some issues. But with that being said I have to Seiko Presage watches which I truly love, SRQ025J1 and SPB061J1, amazing time keeping and just wonderful watches. My advice is to buy whatever you might like and try it out, look for anything which might have been missed and if you are not happy just return the damn watch
Still better than Rolex. I don't understand why anyone puts up with their shenanigans. I've also seen misaligned bezels on some of their GMTs.
I get the suspicion that most of Seiko's quality controllers went to Orient.
Seems like it
... great quality watches
Does seem that way
It seems
I have an Orient automatic diver watch and love it such a great value around $200 and has better features and looks better than many comparable diver watches in the $500 price range.
If I can get a perfectly aligned 30 year-old seiko 5 off the bay, there is no excuse for misalignment on a $2000 piece 30 years later using better machinery. 🤦
Dunno, but "Seiko doesn't give a sh** anymore" sounds like a pretty good excuse to me...
I've been a Seiko fan for a long time. You are absolutely on point. Quality control is never a laughing matter. Seiko needs to address this.
Seiko's garbage
I don't think Seiko wants to realize, that moving upmarket should mean the quality moves upmarket, as well, not just the prices.
People have been stating that seiko punches above its weight for so long that I think seiko believed its own hype. Thought, 'oh maybe we should just charge more while keeping everything the same' including the marker issue apparently.
Like Hodinkee success went to their head
Low quality tat and always has been
@@jaskey EXACTLY! Your comment NEEDS to be reposted on it's own. Actually, an entire video could be based on it.
Not in this day and age where consumers have low standards
I've had people tell me the bezel "isn't even 2 degrees off, that's very small!". Except 1.5 degrees is the WORST possible scenario on a 120 click bezel and you can't be 3 degrees off. It's a complete joke that these things continue to happen with Seiko, no matter the price.
Really! Hope those people don’t work for SpaceX!!
@@vailmcc Aerospace is one area they struggle to infiltrate
It's like having a misaligned parts on your new car, doors would not close properly because they are fucked up, wipers will swipe over the windshield and steering wheel would be crooked.
Would you be happy to own such crap? I wouldn't
Re-entry into the earth's atmosphere by Apollo craft was within 2.4 degrees, so 2 degrees is not small. I can easily detect far less than one degree of error in a dial, and it is annoying.
@@StaticVapour590That was called British Leyland
I love Seiko - LOVE THEM. As a brand. You are 100% correct. This is silly and borderline abusive on the part of the company. I now buy homages - like that Steeldive Willard you were positive on. Seiko now has a new Prospex Willard that will run you $2,500 USD. I think $90 on AliEx is a better bet. Thanks again for all the hard work - and don't let the haters bring you down.
Agree - cheers! 👍
Fanboyism at its finest
I ended up buying a Tondorino (a sterile Steeldive SD1970 but with no lume on the ceramic bezel, other than a lume-pip, and no UV anti-reflection on the flat sapphire crystal). I then sent the watch to my favourite watch-modder who fitted a genuine Seiko dial, aligned everything perfectly, and regulated the NH35 to +3 seconds per day with no beat error. Then, added a vintage Italian-leather strap. Total cost for everything? About £275. I can hand-on-heart say that it is every bit as good as the new 6105 reissue, and a grand cheaper!
Totally on the button @Nicholas Say and in the same camp regarding superior engineered homages from Steeldive et al.
I read an issue about this new Willard 8L, movement stopped and not winding after 2 days. So even with the higher models, no one is safe with seiko.
In the last month I’ve purchased two inexpensive Seiko’s; a made in Japan SBDY099 Green Tortoise, which lines up perfectly, and a made I have no idea where SNE543P1, which is also perfect.
In the past year, however, I’ve purchased and returned, an SBDC065, a Capt Willard, and a SARX033. All had alignment issues, and all were made in Japan.
JDM used to be considered a step up in quality and desirable, but I’m not so sure..
I’ve had pretty good luck with alignments and other quality control issues. What drives me nuts is that they don’t regulate their watches well enough. Spending over $1000 for a watch that loses 15 seconds/day is unacceptable
This is a very fair point: whatever their price, Seiko does not regulate their watch at all.
The whole process is industrialized as much as possible, they only do routine checks
Citizen in term of accuracy is head and shoulders above the Seiko!!
@@ticossbruh my 4r36 is more realiable than my 6r35A dont know why but the latter feels like its russian roulette when It comes to accuracy
Pressed steel clasps, misaligned bezels, and misaligned dials becoming the norm for Seiko, and with the price hikes over the last 18 months, well, they just aren't good enough. Why does Orient perform better?
Good question re Orient. I'm right in thinking Orient is a sister company yes?
Not to mention still treating flat sapphire as some kind of exclusive, super premium feature.
Yes, yes and yes. Shame on you Seiko!
Dont forget unsigned crowns for watches costing over a 1000 USD. How is that even a thing Seiko? How is it acceptable?
@@matthewsprague7674 not directly, they're all part of the same overarching corporation but operate as completely separate entities. Some people would have you believe that Seiko Watch Corp owns Orient - not true
I feel like seiko went from actually caring about the customer (skx) to just caring about getting paid and not really caring what they are putting out
Corporations never care about the customer. It’s always been this way and it’s not going to change. Small companies are the ones that care. But as they grow they will eventually stop caring.
it certainly looks like it.
Lol, how delusional. The SKX had terrible quality control, a lacking movement, and very cheap bracelets/straps... All at too high a price point.
The only thing they put any effort in anymore are their King, Pressage and Grand lines and that's it.
SKX had horrible QC !!! It was very known the SKX had massive problems with alignment.
Seiko is just a mass market brand - I never understood why so many people are cheerleaders for it. I find that Citizen is much better for quartz watches.
Citizen and casio compared to seiko is like rolls royce to fiat... They not only smoke seiko its just a whole different ballpark!
Citizen has serious qc
I love my Citizen Tsuno, great functions, solar power, power reserve indicator, alarm ( not loud enough though), chronograph, sapphire crystal, battery life great, I only charged it once the last year in the sun. It holds time perfectly, I payed around $ 700
But muh hErItAgE
citizen can actually make a decent bracelet too!
3:20 Honestly I’m glad you decided to make this video. With a $2,000 price tag and Seiko as the brand, this lack of quality is absolutely unacceptable. I was seriously considering this watch (specifically the SPB221J1) for my next purchase but after what I’ve seen today and on similar videos, unless Seiko gets their stuff together, I don’t know if I’ll ever even buy from this brand again. I just hope this issue doesn’t spread to their other collections. Shame on you Seiko😤😤😤
Buy a Citizen Chronomaster. Takes longer to get, but it's an absolutely flawless watch.
Ooh it's bad... they have QC issues on their 3k + MM300's. This is made in their GS factory. Seiko has become crap.
The fact that there are so many comments in agreement really says something. Listen Seiko. Listen. Thanks for keeping it real, Jody : )
You're absolutely in the right for bashing a brand that asks 1.500 USD for a watch with a misaligned dial. Are they completely bonkers?!
tell that to Rolex also...it's quite common to find misaligned rehauts
@@MrMadvillan I don’t but know better than spout shite
They might be on something
I’m guessing their QC are working from home.
hahahaha
Problem is that a large manufacturer in XXI century is expected to have their quality control integrated well into production processes.
In other words, product should be perfect when coming off the line, without any involvement of a quality inspector.
It is sad that it isn't so - a Japanese watchmaker should be a leader in lean manufacturing.
Lol! Excellent! 😂
What's surprising is that Seiko can't be unaware of the QC issues and the backlash. It would be great if a watch reviewer would conduct an interview with a Seiko exec and raise the problem.
@@mohammedhanif6780 great observation. They have to know but have decided that it is more profitable to continue as is.
“You’ll be back Jodi, you’ll ALL BE BACK! Muahahahhaha” Seiko
What is shocking to me is the fact that Seiko, literally, cannot get things straight, but Grand Seiko goes above and beyond to make sure everything is beyond perfect. Obviously, there is a vast disparity between Grand Seiko and Seiko, but you would think the two would share the common belief in superb quality control since they both come from the overarching Seiko Holdings Corp.
Sadly, even Gs has been slipping lately. I’ve come across a few we issues. The moment they increased production, they’ve had a slight increase in qc issues. Obviously, no where near as bad as regular seiko’s.
Actually, I recently bought a Seiko Presage Porco Rosso Enamel Dial Spring Drive Limited Edition watch with a 37% discount Brand New. The watch is fantastic with no QC issues what so ever. The Spring Drive is identical to the Spring Drive used in Grand Seikos. Finally, it did have a Grand Seiko retail price and seems to have been in the shop for a year before I bought it which led to the huge discount. Maybe due to the Watch Badge Snobs but I don't care because I love my new watch.
I got grand seiko on Amazon.... working very perfectly since last 4 years
GS should just be changed to Credor and halve production. this way the name "seiko" doesn't hold them back. I regularly wear my SBGA407 "skyflake" after 18 months of heavy daily wear, so i'm not a hater... :)
They throw resources and QC at GS, and left Alba and Seiko drymsadly
It feels like they keep all the A-stock for themselves in Japan and send all the B-stock out to the rest of the world
Like every american guitar companies
Happens with japanese guitars too
I own Seiko and Orient watches. I never had a QC problem with Orient. I own a Bambino 36mm and a Ray 2 - awesome watches for less than 200. Seiko on the other hand...misaligned chapter rings are a norm. Loved Seiko, never cared much for Orient - till I gave them a try. Today I would say it is my favourite brand at the entry level
I love my Orients and Orient Stars. I have too many, but zero regrets!
Yes and you can regulate them to 4 seconds a day. Seiko never stay accurate
Orient should go for ISO certification
@@marceldemir7514 I wouldn't say never- the 6R15D in my SARX045 is keeping a consistent +1s/day.
Perhaps the previous owner had it professionally adjusted by a wizard watchmaker, or maybe I'm just lucky.
The F6G42 in my Orient Star keeps +2.7s/day avg, out of the box. Lucky me.
My Orient Kamasu has a misaligned and stiff bezel... And I'm sure I'm not the only one with this issue
It's a case of 'Once you see it, you can't unsee it.' It would drive me mad.
Exactly, once I have noticed an imperfection it's the first thing my eyes get drawn to.
@@chronocommander007 if it is done by the factory it would bother me. If it is a scratch or ding done by myself, then I'm okay with it. Only Seiko I have owned is the GS snowflake, so I cannot speak for their QC.
@@brianhsin678 I've had a few Seiko watches but none within the past 15 years. Way back then i did not find any QC issues.
Good on you, Jodie. They need to be called out on this. Below average specs, poor QC and a higher cost for new models?! No thanks Seiko
I haven't bought a Seiko at retail in a few years. The move upmarket while not addressing QC and somehow getting worse at it, made me stop giving them my money. My collection is 90% Seiko, and will always be mostly Seikos. I've just decided to buy pre-owned or vintage Seikos instead. Seiko's back catalog is full of hidden gems, and the 90's and 2000's still had great quality pieces.
last time I get brand new Seiko I sent to service the calibre since the first day I bought haha (pretty sure they changed that calibre instead, it was too abnormally fast)
if you ask which one it is, it's Prospex Save the Ocean Penguin Day
I'm glad someone else has said this. I adore Seiko and own a number of models but the QC issues seem to be getting worse. I have had so many issues with the 6r35 movement, it's just such a shame that so many of the Seikos I want seem to have this same movement. I'm losing 30-60 seconds a day on my SPB165j1. It will be the last Seiko I buy until things improve.
I would never pay more than £400 for a seiko for this exact reason, to me they are solid budget watches and nothing more.
exactly! Watches in this price range, like the SARB033/35 were Seiko's strength - well, these times are long gone....
Same here
Orient much better value for money at this price point
Interesting. I just posted a comment before reading yours and we've both maxed out Seikos top value at £400!
I wouldn't take a seiko for free...
I was gutted when I got the watch of my childhood dreams when it had a misaligned chapter ring and a dust speck. I love my Turtle but... And then seeing Steeldive, San Martin etc with so much better QC and spec for a fraction of the price.
Its absurd someone should report them to the ombudsman
Last Seiko I bought I got the AD to show me the watch on video, wasn’t aligned so I got them to order me another. Showed me a video of the new one and it was aligned, then I pulled the trigger. Pedantic I know but it was for a Willard and I don’t want to spend 1k and it be misaligned.
Why it's definitely best to go with a reputable AD, just flat out refuse the watch if it's not aligned. People play with fire when they go with grey imports
Too right
Never worry about being pedantic. I guarantee the vast majority of the business owners would never accept inferior product themselves so if they question you on your efforts then they are being total hypocrites.
I think that you mean that you pulled the plug
Agh, "pulled the trigger". Such a lame phrase. Love the Willard though, hope you "wear it in good health"
MAN Jody... I was going to go for one of these... Love the Grand Seiko lite vibes... But thats not an easy fix of it's the dial.... BTW I agree most of the Seiko I have purchased or featured on my channel have had alignment issues. Kind of sad 😭
I have three Seiko. $500 - $1,000 price range. All of them have dial markers all over the place. There is not a consistent twist such as the whole dial of out square, but just a random hit or miss with placement. A misaligned bezel insert, while unacceptable QC, is of course relatively easy to fix. I too will not but Seiko again.
Very good show Jodi, but I think you got it wrong putting this out on a Saturday, it would have made a Great Sunday Roasting!!!
What do you call a seiko where everything lines up?
A *Citizen*
Nope. I bought an Eco-drive and the chapter ring was misaligned. Sent it to customer service in Germany, they got it better aligned, but the watch came back with a hour index partially oxidized (looks like it) and dust on the dial and under the glass.
Complained, got no answer.
I love it it’s true that’s why I got away from them and I went with Citizen I got the pro master automatic I bought it for the same price is for a Seiko 100% better than they would ever be everything lines up everything‘s perfect and heirlooms great love them will never go back to Seiko
@@todd344 Their newer citizen models have ridiculously, almost scientifically straight lines. their second hands land on the index everytime. I have the calendier and it's incredible the accuracy.
@@AnaCosta-sq7lo see, every company can screw up
Boom! 😅
The QC is terrible. Sadly, as you point out, it's been a thing for a while now.
It would appear Seiko is now a Chinese brand with Malaysian movement.
How long now
I must be lucky. Have more than 20 seiko and no alignment problems on any of them. I do buy mostly on eBay, new and used and study the pictures carefully before committing to purchase.
Buy a lottery ticket mate, you lead a charmed life!
This is exactly why I've got plenty of Seiko homages, but no actual Seiko's.
I also…. For example two steeldives….. Seiko NH35 and the bezels line up also!
That’s funny because most seiko watches are homages of Swiss brands
@@MrMadvillan Nope.
I sold all 5 of my 6R35 Seikos for a Seamaster 300. Im over all the QC issues !
Wise decision
No way, I did exactly the same 😄. Traded 6 of mine towards a 2012 Seamaster Professional. All of the Seiko's had alignment issues. The only ones I've kept are my gen2 monster and my Flightmaster. Hope you enjoy your Seamaster!
Great decision
Yep, same here. Got rid of all of my seikos (apart from an old beater skx013) and got a midsize smp 300 .
bad move..you should have kept the 1 or 2 that had aligned bezels and good timing...sold the other 3, and just bank the money.
6:42 It amazes me how such a glaring issue passes QC on a $1000+ watch. It would've even bothered me on a $70 Pagani Design.
The Seiko Quality Control are under lockdown. Great to see you back Jody. 😀
This was going on way before lock down
I picked up my first Seiko ever earlier this year- a King Samurai Manta (SRPE33, Japan marked dial) which didn't have any alignment issues at all. After working with the touchy regulation system it has since been keeping a steady +2-3 seconds a day. If you regulate your own movement, be mindful of the rotation and location of the regulator pin's slot relative to the hairspring coil any time you move the adjustment arm, and check it for proper hairspring clearance as shown in the Seiko service manual. It's easy to bump/ nudge it accidentally when adjusting, as I found out.
I like everything about it so far other than the sub-par diver's extension design on the bracelet, so I guess a Long Island or Strapcode bracelet for it is also on my list now.
Gotta’ agree with you. I’ve got no problem with the minor issues on my SKX, but when I recently purchased the new SPB143 (for just under $1200) and the crown action was poor and was told by the AD that it was “within spec,” I found it hard to believe that was OK, and he refunded my money. It’s not that I’m THAT fussy, but for over a grand you expect a certain quality level. Meanwhile, my SARB 033 in almost every way is perfect. Like I said, I’m with you Jody.
I've had a few $300ish Seiko, and I haven't gotten myself to buy any of their $1,000 offerings. I've bought more expensive watches (Omega and Oris), but I'm not gonna buy any expensive Seiko sight unseen (online).
@The Insanely Great Apple Channel they are still bad. Orient make better watches in that price range.
Buy it in a shop
@@oscarosullivan4513 problem with shops is usually much higher prices.
@@RM-el3gw A means to justify the ends
I got my $88 USD Steel Dive Willard this week. Everything lines up. 🙄
Thats the way to go if you want this style of watch at the correct price, well done !
@@Winston.S.1984 Guess what, they are using a SEIKO Nh35 in it, ya little fanboy.
@@Winston.S.1984 wait and see it's as good as any Seiko since it's a Seiko movement? Hahaha
@zack oblong that's at least within my tolerance for a $88 watch. I think my Vostok is worse.
@zack oblong lol
I have a lorus, pulsar and orient. It's telling that the qc of their sub brands are better than seiko's!
I know exactly what you mean.
Looks like Seiko have lost their mojo, Baby! ♂️
We can add Wired to that list.
Orient are not a Seiko sub-brand.
@@frazzl they're owned by Epson which is one of the big 3 in the Seiko group. Technically not a sub-brand of Seiko but 6 of one half a dozen of the other.
I totally agree with and I came to same conclusion as you a few years ago 😕
There is also another qc issue that you didn’t check, it’s the misaligned hour hand, like at 6pm exactly the hour hand is not perfectly on the 6pm index 😭.
This issue is not specific to Seiko unfortunately, I’ve had this on a B&R Diver even after it was sent in for repair.
Spot on. It was Seiko that lead me to inspect watches under the loupe regardless of brand and have turned down nearly half of potential purchases. My last 2 purchases have been a pain as well- a sharp edge (non-gmt) with a micro scratch on the 12 o clock marker that I initially failed to notice and a very slightly misaligned chapter ring and hour hand at 6 o clock on my King Samurai. The King Sammy stays for sentimental reasons but the sharp edge has recently been flipped. Coincidentally, ALL my Tissots in the same price range (or less) have had absolutely no QC issues. I'm keeping whatever Seikos I have left but no more Seikos for me moving forward. Too many Swiss options for the same price
Yep, 100% agree, I just cannot get on board with Seiko anymore for this exact reason. You should not be crossing your fingers when opening the box of a watch hoping you get a 'good' one, or feel lucky when yours all lines up etc. When I buy a watch of any real value, if there is poor alignment etc, regardless of the brand I will return it, because it is just not acceptable, and nothing will change if we just accept it.
Can't you just send it back and get your money back? I know it sucks but I make sure I know the return policy and use it when I'm not happy with a product.
Seiko would get a shock if we all stopped buying their watches.
@@robertlindo8058 They certainly would! It seems nowadays they want to rely on the "casual" watch fan, someone that will like the look of the watch and buy it without paying any attention to the QC. A lot of the long time Seiko fans are turning away from later models for the same reasons we all are. Its just a real shame they still don't seem to care!
A really bold video! I hope seiko wakes up and gets their QC together...
Hear, hear! Their quality is fantastic, when you get a “good one.” But it seems to be a gamble.
I've gambled and lost too many times now mate!
@@JustOneMoreWatch The house always wins! Maybe until now….they can’t win if you don’t show up.
I have a Seiko 4r39a open heart which I got for my 70th birthday from my family. I scratched the Hardlex within the first week.
At the time of watching this (on my Huawei p10 plus smartphone) I am wearing a Sea-gull Ocean Star diver with sapphire crystal. It's perfect.
I have a Seiko 5. It’s decades old. I have it serviced from time to time and it just keeps on going. Recently I purchased two of the new Seiko solar powered watches, one for my son and the other I kept for myself. What absolute rubbish. I didn’t notice the the made in China sticker on the back until after the purchase. Both watches failed within warranty. Mine went back three times. My sons lasted a bit longer than mine before failing. In the end I tossed the piece of rubbish in the garbage and bought a Tissot T-Complication Skeleton. The Tissot has a simple Unitas 6497-1 movement. It never misses a beat. I recently purchased a Longines Master Collection moon phase chronograph. The Longines is finished beautifully and keeps time to within just under a second per day. At least with a Swiss watch you know it’s not coming out of China. I’m done with Seiko. It’s sad that a once respected watchmaker is turning out garbage products made in China.
At least with a Swiss watch you know that 60% of the monetary value of the watch is Swiss sourced..... Hmmm.... What does that actually mean? It means that most of the watch comes from China! 🤣 The world is made in China these days my friend.
I suppose 60% Swiss is better than nothing. I have a feeling some Seiko watches are probably 100% Chinese manufacture. Anyway thanks for your interesting and informative videos. Keep up the good work. Cheers
Thanks for this rant. I have a Seiko monster showing up Sunday. I’ll be ok. I’ll be ok. I’ll be ok. Lol
We are praying mate 🙏
Well said! We have to pull through and stop this 'abusive boyfriend' relationship with Seiko. Enough is enough
What do you call a Seiko with good QC ?
An Orient...
Yep.
A grand Seiko
Agreed a GS the 1 Orient I tried died on deployment after 2 months...
@@stevebennett7783 Well it was under warranty then.
I'd suggest a Casio W735 Vibe Alarm for military use.
@@edwardfletcher7790 Yeah my Casio F-91W has been on numerous tours as has my Suunto. I thought I'd try a cheap style dive watch but was very disappointed. You are correct it was under warranty and went back for a refund.
Totally right thing to do Jody. Misalignment in any form is unacceptable. There are so many factors higher priced watches offer like better material, movement, bracelet and so on and thats the reason you spend that money. Nobody would pick up a brand new car with a misaligned steering wheel and then say something like oh ok it is only a Peugeot and not a Lexus. Some things just have to be spot on.
It's simply ridiculous for Seiko to produce misaligned dials when other watches like Casio edfice or Fossils have no issues. I once brought a Seiko watch with a misaligned dial, thinking I could get it adjusted in the service centre. They told me it's alright and they won't adjust for me. Wow! Simply amazing!
Those casio edifice are fantastic though
Those casio edifice are fantastic though
I'm looking at my sub £100 Pagani Design - everything lines up, same with my 8 year old Seiko 5 Sports. I'll be steering clear of Seiko from now on.
I like the idea of Pagani but could never bring myself to wear a blatant rip off of a more expensive watch no matter how cheap it was. My personal opinion and certainly don't judge others who do.
@@stevebennett7783 Yeah I get where you are coming from, but companies have been knocking off from other companies for decades now.
Some say that the Submariner was a knock off of the Blancpain Fifty Fathoms 🤷♂️
Good thing is that 99.9% of the population couldn't care less
@@mickeydee3595 Haha, this is very true 👍
Sad when fake watches are better made than the real thing.
@@Jabber-ig3iw I'll have to take your word on that as I've never bought and never will buy a fake watch.
Funny enough I was talking to a friend who's new to the watch world about the Seiko QC issue and he was baffled about such a big brand not being able to sort them selves out. It's a weird thing that we just accept it.
Good point Jason 👉 citizen don't suffer in the same way 😎😎
It's those nice designs....many are willing to turn a blind eye for the sexy reissues... Hopefully Seiko fix this.
I think we've accepted it because so many TH-cam watch reviewers have accepted it, and like Jody said, we've treated it as something of a joke. I'm glad a major reviewer is finally saying enough is enough.
@@algorithm007ify i agree their designs are some of the best, no doubt. Unfortunately the "hoping" for a change has been going on for years now.
At least seiko are consistent with being inconsistent.
That could be their new advertising slogan :
"Seiko: Consistently Inconsistent"
I got big upset when my gold tuna had chapter ring misaligned. Good video. Keep up the good work.
My first automatic watch was a seiko 5 sports which I purchased in late 2020.
It had a lot of issues with the bracelet.
It rattled and was loose and also the first link which sits between the lugs was extremely loose and made sounds.
I sold that watch last year for 30% less than what I paid for it.
And after watching this video , its safe to say that I'd never buy a seiko again.
Yes! Finally! Thank you Jody, this is the truth and maybe if the sales drop, just maybe seiko will start offering the great value they once did.
Nope. They would jack up the price nad rip off their fanboys
@@elvinventucillo4501 yeah, you're probably right... sadly
Alignment issues on a Seiko? No way! 🤣
Again, and again, and again.....
@@JustOneMoreWatch I am modding my amphibia
My SNKL23J1 has misaligned hands, day and date (but the blue dial is georgeous). My SKX 013 has no misalignments at all, runs -8 sec/day unregulated and consistant for a year now. A Seiko certainly is a miss or a hit. Am I ready to spend 1000$ or more on a Prospex Line diver without having to marry the AD’s daughter to make it run right afterwards? I am not so sure. Even though I wear my Seikos proudly.
@The Insanely Great Apple Channel How does Honda relate to this?
@The Insanely Great Apple Channel Toyota must be an exception because they are still the most reliable. Seiko makes watches covering a wide range of price points and the quality will vary accordingly. Grand Seiko is most definitely not average quality.
I've owned 16 Seiko watches over the past six years and over 40% of them have had minor cosmetic issues that should have been caught by a robust quality control process. The chapter ring alignment is something that Seiko seems to have a hard time getting right. I agree with Jodi -- no more Seikos for me.
Bloody hell Lee. That's a terrible percentage eh?
@@JustOneMoreWatchAnd Citizen will mop up their budget diver market
Great channel!! QC problems happen, I had 2 defective Tudor Heritage Chrono Blue's. The first watch chronograph hand did not line up at 12. I complained and got a new one, the replacements would not hold power reserve over night. I wrote a letter to the head of Tudor in 2017, got no response. The AD ended up refunding my money, it was very disappointing because I loved the looks of that watch, still do.
I got burned horribly on an SPB147. Misaligned hands, misaligned bezel, crappy bezel action (muted/vague feeling click every other click) and a 1.0 beat error on the time grapher. Sent it off to Seiko service center. They had the watch for over five weeks. Said there was nothing wrong and sent it back. I tried to get a watch smith to realigned the hands and they scratched the hour hand. Now it's junk sitting in a drawer waiting to be sold for parts to a modder. BUY AN ORIENT if you want a watch that's way better than Seiko and much less expensive.
gee dude what a story....
the Rolex Root Beer GMT that you reviewed was also misaligned. Its not just Seiko
Quiet you, no one likes to hear the truth. Especially when the mob is in a frenzy.
@@Bob_Smith19 lol
@@Bob_Smith19 Morning Bob, you couldn’t get the Daily Mail and The Sun to print that as a banner headline tomorrow could you?
Seiko is no longer the value proposition it used to be. This is coming from someone who grew up with no less than a dozen Seiko. My SARB035 also had a misaligned chapter ring. And it poked me in the eye every time I look at the dial. The 6R15c movement gave out on me within 5 years. I ended up with a cocktail time as a replacement. It’s okay. I think I will get a Hamilton for my next watch. No more Seiko for me either. So hard to say goodbye to a long relationship.
Not unreasonable to service a movement after 5 years. The problem is the watch is cheap enough that servicing costs more than the watch is worth. Or I would have done with my SARB033 and SARX045.
Was it this bad 30 years ago?, I dug out my old broken quartz panda, everything lines up perfectly.
My 7t32-6g20 from 1999 is a really well made watch. Accurate, reliable, well finished and no alignment issues whatsoever.
Is it a generational shift? 30 years ago, a misaligned bezel would have meant a Seiko worker needing to do the honorable thing... Now days??! Maybe a gentle reminder via a memo.
I love my SARB017 and I want to buy more Seikos, but the QC scares me off. I'm glad I got lucky with my SARB. I hope they get it together so I fell confident enough to buy more Seikos.
Very fair feedback mate. In place of Seiko, could we perhaps get a few more Citizen reviews as they seem to have their act more together at similar price points?
You know noisy as the Miyota 82xx movements are, they are so well done and often regulated well in general with fair service and replacement costs.
I’ve become so leery of Seiko I now look for cheap Miyota movements in inexpensive micro brands.
I’d rather noisy than faulty.
Thank you Jody for your honest & fair look at seiko anybody can be a fan boy, Casio Edifice quality has got better give them a look?
Casio's Oceanus line is also very nice!
Snow on the timegrapher is only okay with Vostok, cause it's on brand.
Bostock where the russian winter comes to you
ahaha, yes
Any watch at that price point is slightly defendable
And because a Vostok is about the price of a decent watch strap. That forgives a hell of a lot.
This nonsense of seiko qc being so bad on more expensive watches is ridiculous. Once you get over $1k, you're into the realm of lower tier mainstream Swiss brands, and they tend to actually have decent QC.
@@TechnoLawyer Well put
I don't know... None of my Seikos bought in shops have issues. I'm starting to think that these problems come with online sellers.
I agree. I bought a Long Islander watch, and it was perfectly aligned. Seiko better get with the program. 😬
I've bought a 'New Arnie'' when it came out. I have a Seiko "Blue Lagoon Turtle"' - SRPB11K1. Those two are absolutely fine. My first one was a SKX009 and I never really noticed the offset bezel until I knew what it is (it is there). And my last addition was a "SRPE39K1 - King Turtle Save The Ocean Mantaray" edition (I love the dial!) but that is really off. You can get it into the right position 'because of the play'. Finally Seiko is also dead for me in this class. On other notes (because of all the Citizen defenders) - I recently gave away a Citizen Promaster NY0040-09W" which was wayyyy off - 1,5 indexes on the bezel (60 clicks) - it is not just a Seiko problem.
Seiko is priced out of my budget. And now if I had the money I wouldn’t buy one given the qc issues.
I have 6 Seikos, some quartz some mechanical. Never have any issue. But I prefer Rolex. I bought Rolex mostly second hand, often have scars, damaged bezels, time not very accurate and I service them change the the damaged parts ; polished and that service often cost more than US$1,500 and expect to work great for another 10 years. For 1 Rolex, I can buy my entire Seiko collection, and each Rolex service cost can buy me another Seiko brand new. Love my Seiko but Rolex to me is like my "air"; I can't breath without it.
@@andreshultz8638 I seriously prefer Tissot. I have an automatic and it never broke down. My brand new automatic Seiko is going back to get fixed again. I will get another automatic Tissot, but never again another Seiko, not even quartz.
clearly shows that seiko dont intend themselves to be a luxury brand
Only luxury prices
I've got an Omega with a mis-aligned bezel. Even luxury has its QC tolerances!
they have Grand Seiko for luxury watch brand
@@prasetyow4318 It’s ironic that some Swiss brands have better QC and more accurate movements for less money. Who would have thought.
As pointed out Grand Seiko is their luxury brand. Are we going to bash them? Even Seiko’s $1000+ watches are produced in numbers far exceeding some brands total brand production. QC issues are QC issues but most people don’t realize how hard it is to produce an item on a mass scale. Seiko also knows the mass market doesn’t care about the imperfections.
I agree with you entirely, Jody! I’ve bought maybe close to 10 higher end Seikos over the past year. Almost every one of them have had horrendous QC issues (misalignment, poorly running movements etc).
I’ve since sold all of them except for 1…
Either I’m really unlucky or Seiko has a problem.
Why would you keep buying Seikos (10 of them?) when you see their QC is consistently bad?
@@certainly2509 ikr with those ten seiko s you could have saved up for a better piece than those junks
@@certainly2509 Haha well my excuse is that I review them on my channel but I was hoping to eventually get one that didn't have any problems 😅
I agree, in 2020 I purchased about 7 upper end Seiko watch and all had issue, especially the divers.
@@josevasquez1781 …..why did you keep buying them then?
Yes Jody, YES. Well said! It needed saying too. Seiko Qc had frustrated me for ages now! I have one WIS friend and we have had loads of conversations about this. We echo nearly everything you said. They get away with QC murder! People seem to don rose tinted glasses with them. I have watches costing £100 that are bullet straight. There really is no excuse! Sort it out Seiko. Sort it out!
True. I think we all want Seiko to be more than what they are, bc the potential is always there. And we see the problem, QC. I've had many Seikos, most disappointed in some way. But two have been perfect, old 5s. One has a crisply printed dial, the other "dressier" one has applied markers. Both perfectly executed and great timekeepers. Seiko is like having a beautiful sweet supermodel girlfriend, who unexpectedly cuts your dog's throat when you're not looking.
I agree. Don't buy Seikos if you can't see them with your own eyes first.
Yeah, I've seen two of the older Shoguns that needed adjustment out of the box. After the fix they were super, but for $1200US it's ridiculous that anything is needed except for sizing. The new white Shogun looks even better but $1400 on rubber? It had better give racing tips, read bedtime stories and be absolutely perfect. I think my Seiko limit is $500 these days.
As I've commentated elsewhere the value proposition with Seiko drops off a cliff at the thousand pound point and the competition crowds in, the real issue is the budget watches are poor value toothese days. £250 for a 5?!.....Heloooo San Martin,!
Very valid points. What other brand would be let off the hook for repeated QC issues. Now they are charging much higher prices they have the ability to improve their QC department. The same types that slag-off Chinese homage brands are forgetting that a Steeldive (for example) would have sapphire, a better chance of not having misalignment issues at a fraction of the price. If they can do it...
Hi Jodie. Love the channel. Need level headed advice to settle my slight concern. Seiko Sary057 pre owned, looks great on wrist, well cared for, no marks on crystal or case.......keeps perfect time......however, the 12 o clock marker ever so slightly out with the chapter ring......2 hairs breadth.....the one imperfection. Would you a) live with it knowing these are getting hard to find and as a time teller it's spot on? b) spend some time and money trying to realign for that perfection.?
Thanks again.
Paul ( have photos)
When Seiko’s bezel misalignment is an industry joke, it’s really time to stand up and say that enough is enough. Cheers, Jodie!
Don’t blink kids or you will miss Jody changing his shirt!
and dyeing his hair?
That's why Citizen gets my money.
Same here!
Same here! Always fancied a Seiko. Won’t bother now.
A Seiko solar was on the list. I can get bad quality control with a £2 wish Chinese watch.
So Citizen eco drive it is. 👍
same here too.. I stopped buying seiko after I bought their "limited edition" 1000 pcs only to find out later they released the same exact watch and call it international edition 2018 pcs.. And then recurring alignment issues stopped me from buying completely and move to citizen.
@@wainedodd8055 Citizen Eco-Drive is light years better than Seiko solar. It's not even close
I bought a couple of cheap vintage Seiko 5s for about £40 each so not too worried about slight age related damage. Also bought new Steeldive SD 1970s which look amazing for the money. I wouldn't be happy either if I'd spent that amount on a new Seiko with Problems. Thanks for a great informative video 👍
Still like my beautifully imperfect dive Seiko's - I rate the 4R36 movt and they do the job. The zen garden series along with the solar line are pretty sweet too IMHO.
You know there's a problem when a reputed store like Seiya Japan has this on their Seiko listings - "The chapter ring and index & bezel index and face index not being aligned perfectly."
Recently saw that, too, at Seiya. How is it that Seiya cannot return them to Seiko?
I believe they say that for every watch
@@trevbarlow9719 nope. Just their Seikos. I looked at a few Citizens and Chronomaster listings and that isn't mentioned.
@@BeansAndBezels I stand corrected. Not a good sign for Seiko!
Get Vostok GMT, bezel lacking the clicks, lining up perfectly every time 🤣✌🏻
Kinda sad when cheap vostoks can have better QC than an expensive seiko, my vostoks haven’t had any QC problems like the seikos in this video. Of course the bezel on Vostok’s is nothing to talk about, since my scuba dude bezel is held on by a cheap wire spring, instead of a nice clickety click it just make a faint scratching sound 😆
I thought that I was alone in questioning Seiko. I have several of their offerings and have noted that the newer they are the less trustworthy the build. Yet, as Jody notes, the prices are on a steep upward trajectory. This smacks of the Japanese reputation being sacrificed to off-shore builds just to inflate profit. Which works for a while - until customer realizes that they are paying more and getting less. This is what drives the consumer to shop elsewhere. Seiko will either get their act together or be relegated to selling in blister packs on a Walmart display.
I'm very lucky that my one and only Seiko (SNK805) has no issues with the dial. *However* there is somehow a pink fiber stuck inside the movement that I can see through the case back? I don't know if that was a result of a servicing at the AD or from the factory but it's unusual. Other than that, it only gains about 5-10 seconds a day, looks gorgeous on an aftermarket strap, and makes me happy.
I totally upvote this one. I also have purchased quite a few Seikos and there are some very minor but noticeable irregularities on a few of them. I recently purchased the SBDC101(SPB143) from overseas and the bezel is off by half a click and the date window is noticeably off.
I've bought and reviewed many quartz and automatic Seikos. Never had an issue.
Likewise, it's a little bit of hysteria here...Disappointing.
Grand Seiko seems to be expanding now. Maybe Seiko has moved over all their best QC to Grand Seiko and left the B Team to do QC at Seiko.
Hope they'll manage QC issues as You mention.. We love Seiko & give them critics for greater good in the future
Btw, recently Seiko released 40 mm Astron Series.. seems they really care Customers advice 👍
Astron and quartz GS is the only two with superb QC watches. Both are made in the same factory as Automatic and SD GS. But hand assembled by different division. And that quartz division still deliver the level of QC like making a 50 piece of limited edition watches.
It is longer than a couple years. I gave up on Seiko in 2018 after three purchase that I sent directly back to them. I started in microbrands around that time and realized I was happier with the watches I was getting, and they were more distinct. I love the couple of Seiko's I own, but don't know if I will buy another one anytime soon.
Just bought a new Seiko SRPB53 and it has zero QC issues. Interesting enough a friend bought a high end watch and it had several QC issues. I have Seiko’s and none have QC issues.