Seiko has already pumped so much R&D into Hardlex and have an established supply chain for it. If they switch everything over to sapphire, it's going to be a logistical nightmare that will cost them a lot for not much noticeable gain. The majority of their customer base doesn't care about crystal material anyway, so there isn't much incentive to do it.
This is my first ever watch purchase I’m very happy it’s getting a lot of positive reviews. I got it with the black face and bezel. I hope to wear it formally and daily.
I know this is an old video , but I took your advice and waited. Not only did the price drop on this one, but they released a yellow face version that caught my eye! Thanks!
My thoughts after having owned the watch for more than a month 1. The friction bezel is not of much use as it doesn’t have a lot of friction and can shift easily with light contact as part of daily use so relying on that as an accurate second time zone is not that useful. They could have made it stiffer or used a click bezel at this price range. 2. The chapter ring time markers are not that easily visible given the angle of the ring itself so one has to view the watch at an angle to get a clear view of the numerals. 3. Good bracelet and feels substantial in terms of weight in order to balance the watch head. 4. The case could have been made thinner for a non diver watch. They could have used a slimmer steel caseback. The watch would have looked better and balanced without a cyclops on the date. The cyclops isn’t that great depending on the viewing angle.
There has been a lot of excitement surrounding many Seiko releases the last 3/4 years. This watch actually deserves and lives up to the hype. It's everything Seiko should be!!!
Just brought this watch as my first automatic. Also got a Dark blue rubber band and a black sailcloth band to replace the bracelet as I'm in shorts and tees most days and surfing a lot. Can't wait for it all to arrive in a couple of days. The gateway watch. Heading to an Omega Speedtimer or a red or green IWC crono.
I have a Rolex GMT Master II, an Omega Seamaster and a few Citizen Caliber 2100’s. I just bought a great blue king turtle PADI and a the classic Pepsi turtle PADI and stumbled upon this line - definitely getting these in the 3 current colorways. What I really wanted to say was wow - what a fantastic review you have here, this is the best watch review I have ever seen - thank you!
I waited to purchase this watch knowing the price would drop, just as you mentioned. I was waffling between the black and blue dial. Finally settled on the blue dial.... love, Love, LOVE this watch! Gorgeous dial and extremely versatile piece. And yes.... I got it for 380.00 tax in. 😉👍🏼
Miyota has come up with a true GMT movement (9057 I believe) which is being rolled out this year. Zeppelin are introducing one in July 2022 priced around $500. When this movement gets around it will blow these Seikos away!!
@@matyasd007 Only Seiko and Ali brands are using this garbage movement. All microbrands with aspirational agendas have moved on to the true/traveller Miyota
Your camera work is the most enjoyable out of the big name reviewers. Not overdone with nonstop camera movement and cutting, while still keeping it interesting.
I wore my Seiko 5 (SRPD73K2) for six months and it developed a few minor scratches. Admittedly, I was a bit too rough (sports, handling luggage at airports) and I am not sure if Sapphire would have helped. Anyways, nowadays, I am more careful now with my watches in general. Having said that Seiko has so many enticing dials that I can't resist. Mojito in particular is the most stunning dial I've ever seen and that too has a hardlex crystal.
Love the look of the blueberry, so tempting, but I'll try to hold off until the price deflates. Great review, the macro shots and production quality was great, as usual!
Just bought it. Looking forward to wearing it after the bracelet is sized. But so far I love the look, the heavy feel, and the features, especially the cyclops over the date.
Wearing my Battoman while watching this. Thanks for all these great videos you make. The macro madness starting at 8:18 is next-level. I put mine on a black/blue single-pass nylon with a red stripe going down the center and it looks great.
These are great releases. As you mentioned, the possible future releases using this movement from Seiko and from micro brands is exciting. I personally hope to see something in the Prospex line with it. Something that is an ISO diver and has sapphire. That could be pretty cool. Maybe a King Turtle GMT or something along those lines.
Dave, thanks for another great review. This does seem to be a big development by Seiko and even though nice I do wish it were thinner than 14mm so I'm looking forward to other offerings or future micro brand use in different car styles. Wishing you a pleasant visit back in the US.
Great review! I purchased the SSK001 (Blsck/Grey) version on Wednesday. In addition to the observation you made the about the Hardlex, I think it would have been cool to have a screw down crown and solid caseback. That being said, it is a Seiko 5 and not a Prospex, but nonetheless an awesome all around watch. Looking forward to future reviews.
I looked at this watch but ultimately went with the Citizen Eco-Drive Promaster Marine Titanium GMT diver. I have quite a few Seikos but I went with the Citizen because it has a distinctive look.
I purchased the SSK017 (Yellow dial) (Haven't received it yet) for $316.00 USD. Yellow dial is US only and was a big reason I purchased it. Even though I don't have large wrists!!
Never had GMT, Blue Dial watch and i can buy at approx. USD 350 at my home country. So its a must buy for me and i really love it so far. In my country it's nickname is "Batman".
Snatched this watch recently for $389 at Gurinsky's in SA, TX. Compared to my other watches that includes a Seiko flighty and Citizen blue angels, this one is relatively simple (not too busy on the eye), but it sure is a thing of beauty. It is a great-looking watch.
I bought a Stuhrling that looks exactly like this yesterday, for $150. I really wish I had a GMT watch during the time that I travelled constantly for work. The screw-in crown had bad threads out of the box. I tried setting the time and had trouble unscrewing it, so I gave it to the seller to do it because I had to have it sized anyway. I would have returned it had I noticed it. But I did manage to fix it myself by putting a drop of silicone oil on the threads and lock/unlock it for an hour until the threads were smooth. The 24hr hand on the Stuhrling is not linked to the normal hour hand in any way; which makes it hard to really set them correctly. It's good that the Seiko turns the 24hr hand in one hour increments, and otherwise links the hour hands to move together. If I ever buy an automatic watch, it might be this one.
You can read 3 timezones. 2 without changing the bezel. Main hands Gmt hand to the chapter ring Gmt hand to the bezel. The 24hr chapter ring is something i don't understand why not all gmt's have it.
Oh, yes...I've been patiently awaiting you getting your mitts on this one. Like everyone else, I truly didn't see this one coming out of Seiko at all. It's pretty much blown all but one of my future watch-purchase plans out the window, *and* brought my straying into microbrand territory to a halt. My only fear is their not being able to keep up with demand for this model...it's all but guaranteed to be a runaway hit. Thanks for the timely review!
Really nice dials on these - I love that they went with an orange option. The 1970s are back. Late this year and through 2023 these movements are going to be everywhere - micros and AliEx sellers are going to go nuts. Chronos, San Martin, Maranez will be worth a look. Then there all the Samurai, Turtle other GMTs that Seiko will produce. It is going to be sooo expensive. First World problems. Dave - audio was fading in and out. Different mic setup? Maybe different distance to the mic? Not a problem, but it was noticeable.
I was in a rush getting this one out before my trip and forgot to normalize the audio tracks. Lately I've switched to recording part of the review audio only on a condenser mic and part of it on camera with an attached shotgun mic. The quite sections are the voice overs that I didn't boost in post.
I recently purchased an orange dial SRPK35. I debated whether to get the orange dial GMT, which was about $100 more. Having several watches, my problem is as I rotate thru wearing them I'm always setting time and date when switching watches. What I didn't need was an additional step of setting the GMT time.
Pretty sure you can track 3 time zones with this Seiko 5 GMT. It has a fixed 24 hour chapter ring, Moveable 24 hour bezel, GMT hand, and of course the standard hour hand to track local time. Some people think it's pointless to track 3 time zones when traveling. Not me. It's nice to be able to keep track of your home time zone with the fixed ring, local time with the hour hand, and the time in your next destination / connecting flight time zone by advancing or retarding the bezel. You can also track Zulu time (GMT) with fixed ring and use the hour hand for local and the bezel for home or your next destination. The only minor anoyance with this watch is that it's an "office GMT" meaning it's slightly less easy to set local time than it is with a "flyer GMT" that has a jumping hour hand rather than a jumping GMT hand like the Seiko 5. You'll pay 10 times as much to get into a mechanical Sieko flyer GMT that can track 3 time zones, i.e. The Grand Seiko Sports collection. All the others I've seen are either solar (quartz) divers / flyers capable of two time zones (Divers don't use 24 hour bezels) or the Seiko Presage flyer GMT, whic lacks both a rotating bezel and a fixed 24 hour chapter ring. GMTs from Tudor, Mido, and Longines all fail to track 3 time zones. After Grand Seiko's High Beat automatic and spring drive 3 zone GMTs you'll need to look to Fortis - unless I've missed something in my search for a GMT capable of tracking 3 zones. Even Rolex Master GMT 2 lacks this ability, and it will set you back over 30 times what the more capable Seiko 5 does. (if you can find one) I've owned a $150 Seiko 5 SNZH53K1 diver for several years. It's got a double domed Hardlex crystal that stands proud of it's Hardlex covered bezel. It's my beater, and the crystal and bezel both remain unscratched. Same goes for all the Monsters I've owned, as well as my Solar Tuna. Hardlex isn't as hard as sapphire, but it's WAY harder than the mineral crystal used by lesser brands on their budget watches. I've never owned a mineral crystal watch I didn't maim within a week. This makes the Seiko 5 GMT a truly extraordinary watch - Compared to most other brands at any price price point. It even beats Grand Seiko's GMT offerings when it comes to legibility - especially in the dark... ;-)
Already got mine! Big fan but really wish they could’ve used an aluminum bezel and sapphire crystal. Two small details that I think really hold this watch back and I would’ve been more than happy to pay a little more to get those
I really don’t understand people complaining about the sapphire glass and aluminium bezel. The hardlex can be swapped out with OEM quality AR-coated sapphire for literally $40 including the labour at a watch service/repair shop. And the bezel is covered in Hardlex glass so it is not as scratch-able as aluminium and it can still be swapped out for relatively little also.
I just got one. It was one of the newer colors and it was at a 25% discount. It looks great and for the price it can’t be beat. It’s not a perfect watch but I would look for micro brands using the 4R34 movement which is awesome. It is a fantastic watch and a great add for a GMT watch.
I’ve just bought a king samurai and it’s far far better than my two tags own , can’t believe the quality and build for the money 3 times cheaper then the others , I’ll be getting one off these next very soon 👍
If you want a nice GMT automatic check out the Glycine Combat Sub GMT . Swiss made ,200 m wr, sapphire crystal with antireflective coating , Sellita SW330-2 movement, and it comes in both stainless steel and bronze.
The craziest thing happened, I watched your video today about the Casio royale bought one, then was watching some videos about board games recommendations and in the video he mentioned he had a brother that does watch reviews and sure enough it was you, UA-cam is a big place but can be a small world sometimes
Great review! Regarding what you said at the end, about the Waiting part, i did. Black Friday arrived and i bought the SSK001 for 285$, brand new(not returned or Pre-owned). Should be on my wrist in these upcoming days. The only thing i’m hoping for, is for it not to be TOO inaccurate. I’m aware of the +45/-35 seconds (give or take) but i’m very happy for this purchase. Again, great review, keep up the good work!
Comments complaining about crystal, clasp, lume, thickness, etc. miss the point. It is a beloved SKX descendent with hacking and hand winding and even more, a GMT. It might not get discounted, given it is sold out for now.
Agreed. Of course, if it wasn't so exciting a release, would people be nitpicking as much over it? ;-) As for me, when the cash is at-hand, I'm going for it, discounted by then or not.
Many thanks for your precise review; however Seiko should have provided Sapphire Crystal for this category of sports watches that are not used for diving. Best regards from Egypt.
Another misalignment issue - take a closer look at 4:28 and you will notice the hour, minute, second and GMT hands are not aligned with each other at all at twelve midnight. I knew this because even my $5k Grand Seiko GMT with 9R66 Spring Drive movement has the same issue.
I'm definitely much more excited to see what microbrands do with this. I love the SKX design, but I'd rather wait and either get something just a nice for less, or something nicer for the same price.
@@forrest225 I bought and sold on the 1970. No reflection on the watch itself which was excellent, just not quite my thing. My Steeldive 1953 however is rarely off my wrist.
Excited for the movement, but not so much the watch. Maybe if it was a bit cheaper, but for that price, having sapphire, a lumed bezel, and a milled clasp would have been nice for that price.
This watch is beautiful it is not yet available on Saiko‘s website and yes the retail price is $475 it will be like the panda chronograph impossible to get I will I want this watch bad but it will be sold out I know before I get the opportunity to buy thanks for your review
Sugess makes a pretty nice Rolex homage, if you don’t mind that sort of thing. Milled clasp that also functions like the Rolex clasp. It has a Chinese office GMT movement, we’ll see how it fares. This Seiko 5 looks nice, but I have to confess I’m more excited about the new movement and what other brands will do with it.
I agree this Seiko is a game-changer. I expect that it will be my next purchase, and that many folks will buy one for worry-free travel, keeping track of their HQ office time zone, or just the enjoyment of the GMT function. However, for first-time automatic watch buyers, a GMT may be a bit complicated, and 3-hander Seiko 5's can be found at about half the price. Finally, it would have been great if you had featured pics of the other colors (black, orange).
I got it. I love it’s appearance. It’s lume is powerfull, way way way beyond Certina DS2 divers. But it is annoying that a watch beyond $200 doesn’t have sapphire crystal, 316 steel case, 316 steel bracelet, hands that miss the marks (the GMT-hand’s positions is 50% off mark). The quality of the bracelet and the clasp feels a bit cheap compared to Certina and Tissot steel watches. In addition, after hand winding my Seiko 5 GMT once every day to every other day for three weeks, I suddenly experience that it’s possible to hand wind it «forever». It’s stop-mechanism «disappeared»… So now I don’t know whether the hand-wind wind the spring at all. It is at least still ticking. (Yes, I will visit the retailer in near future). I also have a Tissot prs516 steel (quartz) that I payed about $350 at a retail store about 6 years ago, and it got sapphire crystal. It’s bracelet and clasp in 316L-steel is solid and tight. I think Seiko have something to learn from, or am I unrealistic..?
Automatic watches that hand wind will not stop winding like a mechanical watch movement. Automatic watches have a setup that allows the spring to slip, so it never gets over wound. With your comments comparing this to your Swiss watches… I think you’re comparing apples to oranges. It’s unfair to compare a cheap watch to an expensive watch. And I’m not referring to the price.
Thanks for the video. You mentioned that the lumibrite lasts virtually all night when properly charged, though in your testing it only lasted a little over an hour? Also, though it’s an automatic can this watch be manually wound? In some online descriptions of automatic watches the writer(s)recommend winding the automatic watch before first use.
A question to recent owners: Are current Hardlex crystal a good one and scratch resistant compared to sapphire? Wish list: Seiko to make the crown a screw down model. Improve the friction bezel as it turns too easily and make it uni-directional instead of the current bi-directional. Change the bottom cover from see-thru model to a solid metal. These needed improvements will not raise the price drastically. I think most owners will agree with my fair criticism.
Beautiful GMT! Between Hardlex crystal, pressed clasp, and price….I think I’ll wait awhile to see if the price drops, though, as you suggest. I love how you brought up the potential of microbrands getting access to this movement! Would definitely open up some budget watch possibilities.
Thanks for reviewing this. Many of us had turned our attention to this when it was released. Kind of a big deal, so to speak. Good advice re: waiting a bit for additional colors and a possible price drop.
Just got mine in the mail and it has a horrible balance issue - it's about 5 seconds fast per minute. My local Seiko shop recommended returning it rather than sending it off to Seiko for pretty substantial right-out-of-the-box maintenance. Not sure if it's a Seiko QC problem or what... but it's a disappointing start for a watch I was pretty excited about
I prefer a true GMT for traveling. I looked at this Seiko but Citizen sells an ecodrive promaster GMT dive watch you can get for $300 with saphire crystal, screw down crown, 200m water resistance, milled clasp on the bracelet with ratchet micro adjust! It also has a 60 minute dive bezel. This watch is way more useful for travelers so you can keep the GMT hand set to your home time and adjust the local time to the city that you are visiting. Automatic office GMTs are really not that useful .. considering you could just wear a $30 Casio and check world time in multiple cities at your desk.
It definitely seems like Seiko has been cost cutting and removing features rather than adding them. This movement is awesome, but it deserves to be in a diver's case with a sapphire crystal.
A travelers GMT is the only option if you travel for work. Anything else simply isn’t acceptable. But plenty of desk divers will buy this up to impress their “friends”.
I agree the jumping hour GMT is ideal, but an office GMT is still workable. I don’t prefer the look of that Citizen watch, but beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
Love the GMT and waited for this for along time. But no revolution is being started. Such a BIG mistake to not use sapphire crystal. And if I’m not mistaken the bezel moves freely and does not click which is also a mistake
I bought a Seiko 5 in 1987. It survived the US Army Infantry school and then many days and nights in the field. It still runs today.
that's a great story, Seiko 5 is impossible to die ;)
whats the model cpt. 😎
Thank you for your service.
My dad bought his around the same time...he left it for me. I still have it and works 100%
1986 A-5-1 Sand Hilton.
Airborne 8-86.
Timex Marathon my grandfather gave me was ripped off. I got a Mathey-Tissot Pepsi GMT now.
Seiko really needs to make sapphire the standard. For all their watches. For real.
Yes!
Seiko has already pumped so much R&D into Hardlex and have an established supply chain for it. If they switch everything over to sapphire, it's going to be a logistical nightmare that will cost them a lot for not much noticeable gain. The majority of their customer base doesn't care about crystal material anyway, so there isn't much incentive to do it.
@@DeepFriedDoom I understand. But still. You claim to be Japanese excellence on watches. And yet no sapphire.
Not with this prices/ inflation crap going on..nope
there are levels to hardlex, and the better hardlex ones are very very good.
This is my first ever watch purchase I’m very happy it’s getting a lot of positive reviews. I got it with the black face and bezel. I hope to wear it formally and daily.
@iggybeatstv welcome to a great hobby!
I know this is an old video , but I took your advice and waited. Not only did the price drop on this one, but they released a yellow face version that caught my eye! Thanks!
My thoughts after having owned the watch for more than a month
1. The friction bezel is not of much use as it doesn’t have a lot of friction and can shift easily with light contact as part of daily use so relying on that as an accurate second time zone is not that useful. They could have made it stiffer or used a click bezel at this price range.
2. The chapter ring time markers are not that easily visible given the angle of the ring itself so one has to view the watch at an angle to get a clear view of the numerals.
3. Good bracelet and feels substantial in terms of weight in order to balance the watch head.
4. The case could have been made thinner for a non diver watch. They could have used a slimmer steel caseback. The watch would have looked better and balanced without a cyclops on the date. The cyclops isn’t that great depending on the viewing angle.
Got mine in 83 while in the Navy. Doesn’t glow in the dark but still works fine.
Yup I’m wearing my fathers 1971 Seiko 5 6119. They are great watches.
I bought a Seiko 5 in Mauritius in 1990 and since it has been a daily companion. What a great brand! Looking forward for my next timepiece.
There has been a lot of excitement surrounding many Seiko releases the last 3/4 years. This watch actually deserves and lives up to the hype. It's everything Seiko should be!!!
The alpinist reinterpretation and this seiko 5 gmt are by far the best Releases from the last years. Already modern classics
Just brought this watch as my first automatic. Also got a Dark blue rubber band and a black sailcloth band to replace the bracelet as I'm in shorts and tees most days and surfing a lot. Can't wait for it all to arrive in a couple of days. The gateway watch. Heading to an Omega Speedtimer or a red or green IWC crono.
Mine gussl The new watch is great! I've praised its realism many times. I really recommend checking out their selection.
I have a Rolex GMT Master II, an Omega Seamaster and a few Citizen Caliber 2100’s. I just bought a great blue king turtle PADI and a the classic Pepsi turtle PADI and stumbled upon this line - definitely getting these in the 3 current colorways. What I really wanted to say was wow - what a fantastic review you have here, this is the best watch review I have ever seen - thank you!
I waited to purchase this watch knowing the price would drop, just as you mentioned. I was waffling between the black and blue dial. Finally settled on the blue dial.... love, Love, LOVE this watch! Gorgeous dial and extremely versatile piece. And yes.... I got it for 380.00 tax in. 😉👍🏼
Miyota has come up with a true GMT movement (9057 I believe) which is being rolled out this year. Zeppelin are introducing one in July 2022 priced around $500. When this movement gets around it will blow these Seikos away!!
I agree! This movement is going to change the game.
Yep, Bulova Wilton GMT is already out with that movement.
Hey! Im from the future. Now this definitely did not happen😂
@@matyasd007 Only Seiko and Ali brands are using this garbage movement. All microbrands with aspirational agendas have moved on to the true/traveller Miyota
Your camera work is the most enjoyable out of the big name reviewers. Not overdone with nonstop camera movement and cutting, while still keeping it interesting.
@12:58 it look likes the GMT hour hand is waaaaay out of alignment with the regular hour hand???
I wore my Seiko 5 (SRPD73K2) for six months and it developed a few minor scratches. Admittedly, I was a bit too rough (sports, handling luggage at airports) and I am not sure if Sapphire would have helped. Anyways, nowadays, I am more careful now with my watches in general.
Having said that Seiko has so many enticing dials that I can't resist. Mojito in particular is the most stunning dial I've ever seen and that too has a hardlex crystal.
I loved the visuals on this review. The content is very well presented also.
Love the look of the blueberry, so tempting, but I'll try to hold off until the price deflates. Great review, the macro shots and production quality was great, as usual!
Just bought it. Looking forward to wearing it after the bracelet is sized. But so far I love the look, the heavy feel, and the features, especially the cyclops over the date.
Wearing my Battoman while watching this. Thanks for all these great videos you make. The macro madness starting at 8:18 is next-level. I put mine on a black/blue single-pass nylon with a red stripe going down the center and it looks great.
I just received my orange version today bought it off of ebay brand new for $299 and so far I love it it's my first Seiko
Here in Australia, most shops charge Aust$875!!!! Ridiculous pricing. Most Seiko 5 models go for around $250 to $400.
These are great releases. As you mentioned, the possible future releases using this movement from Seiko and from micro brands is exciting. I personally hope to see something in the Prospex line with it. Something that is an ISO diver and has sapphire. That could be pretty cool. Maybe a King Turtle GMT or something along those lines.
just joined the “revolution” with my first budget GMT…can’t go wrong with this one
I bought a seiko 5
Cal. 6119
Sn. 7D14036
For just about 60 dollars or 2800php and i am lovong it
Dave, thanks for another great review. This does seem to be a big development by Seiko and even though nice I do wish it were thinner than 14mm so I'm looking forward to other offerings or future micro brand use in different car styles. Wishing you a pleasant visit back in the US.
It’s a great watch! Distinctly Seiko. I can’t wait to see what Marc from LIW does with the movement…
Just picked one up new for equivalent of $400 in the UK. Really happy with it.
I still have my grandpa’s 1970 Seiko Navigator Timer GMT! I don’t think the thing has ever been serviced, but it still runs! (Not very accurately)
My Seiko 5 and my Citizen ec-drive are my favorite watches. Neither has an exceptional lume but I'm okay with that.
Great review! I purchased the SSK001 (Blsck/Grey) version on Wednesday. In addition to the observation you made the about the Hardlex, I think it would have been cool to have a screw down crown and solid caseback. That being said, it is a Seiko 5 and not a Prospex, but nonetheless an awesome all around watch. Looking forward to future reviews.
Thanks for the overview of these new Seiko 5 GMTs! I just picked up the SSK003 and am very impressed.
This is an absolutely perfect review, well done!
I looked at this watch but ultimately went with the Citizen Eco-Drive Promaster Marine Titanium GMT diver. I have quite a few Seikos but I went with the Citizen because it has a distinctive look.
I have a SKX thats 22 years old , with the hardlex glass, it is amazing. OK This GMT will have a place in my collection.
I purchased the SSK017 (Yellow dial) (Haven't received it yet) for $316.00 USD. Yellow dial is US only and was a big reason I purchased it. Even though I don't have large wrists!!
Never had GMT, Blue Dial watch and i can buy at approx. USD 350 at my home country. So its a must buy for me and i really love it so far. In my country it's nickname is "Batman".
Snatched this watch recently for $389 at Gurinsky's in SA, TX. Compared to my other watches that includes a Seiko flighty and Citizen blue angels, this one is relatively simple (not too busy on the eye), but it sure is a thing of beauty. It is a great-looking watch.
I bought a Stuhrling that looks exactly like this yesterday, for $150. I really wish I had a GMT watch during the time that I travelled constantly for work. The screw-in crown had bad threads out of the box. I tried setting the time and had trouble unscrewing it, so I gave it to the seller to do it because I had to have it sized anyway. I would have returned it had I noticed it. But I did manage to fix it myself by putting a drop of silicone oil on the threads and lock/unlock it for an hour until the threads were smooth. The 24hr hand on the Stuhrling is not linked to the normal hour hand in any way; which makes it hard to really set them correctly. It's good that the Seiko turns the 24hr hand in one hour increments, and otherwise links the hour hands to move together.
If I ever buy an automatic watch, it might be this one.
I finally got mine, ALL THREE models! And i love it!
Really loved when they announced it but a friction-style bezel without stops turns me off now :/
I'd prefer a bi-directional 60/120 clicks bezel.
You can read 3 timezones. 2 without changing the bezel.
Main hands
Gmt hand to the chapter ring
Gmt hand to the bezel.
The 24hr chapter ring is something i don't understand why not all gmt's have it.
Oh, yes...I've been patiently awaiting you getting your mitts on this one. Like everyone else, I truly didn't see this one coming out of Seiko at all. It's pretty much blown all but one of my future watch-purchase plans out the window, *and* brought my straying into microbrand territory to a halt. My only fear is their not being able to keep up with demand for this model...it's all but guaranteed to be a runaway hit. Thanks for the timely review!
Really nice dials on these - I love that they went with an orange option. The 1970s are back.
Late this year and through 2023 these movements are going to be everywhere - micros and AliEx sellers are going to go nuts. Chronos, San Martin, Maranez will be worth a look. Then there all the Samurai, Turtle other GMTs that Seiko will produce.
It is going to be sooo expensive. First World problems.
Dave - audio was fading in and out. Different mic setup? Maybe different distance to the mic? Not a problem, but it was noticeable.
I was in a rush getting this one out before my trip and forgot to normalize the audio tracks. Lately I've switched to recording part of the review audio only on a condenser mic and part of it on camera with an attached shotgun mic. The quite sections are the voice overs that I didn't boost in post.
I recently purchased an orange dial SRPK35. I debated whether to get the orange dial GMT, which was about $100 more. Having several watches, my problem is as I rotate thru wearing them I'm always setting time and date when switching watches. What I didn't need was an additional step of setting the GMT time.
Pretty sure you can track 3 time zones with this Seiko 5 GMT. It has a fixed 24 hour chapter ring, Moveable 24 hour bezel, GMT hand, and of course the standard hour hand to track local time.
Some people think it's pointless to track 3 time zones when traveling. Not me. It's nice to be able to keep track of your home time zone with the fixed ring, local time with the hour hand, and the time in your next destination / connecting flight time zone by advancing or retarding the bezel. You can also track Zulu time (GMT) with fixed ring and use the hour hand for local and the bezel for home or your next destination.
The only minor anoyance with this watch is that it's an "office GMT" meaning it's slightly less easy to set local time than it is with a "flyer GMT" that has a jumping hour hand rather than a jumping GMT hand like the Seiko 5.
You'll pay 10 times as much to get into a mechanical Sieko flyer GMT that can track 3 time zones, i.e. The Grand Seiko Sports collection. All the others I've seen are either solar (quartz) divers / flyers capable of two time zones (Divers don't use 24 hour bezels) or the Seiko Presage flyer GMT, whic lacks both a rotating bezel and a fixed 24 hour chapter ring.
GMTs from Tudor, Mido, and Longines all fail to track 3 time zones. After Grand Seiko's High Beat automatic and spring drive 3 zone GMTs you'll need to look to Fortis - unless I've missed something in my search for a GMT capable of tracking 3 zones. Even Rolex Master GMT 2 lacks this ability, and it will set you back over 30 times what the more capable Seiko 5 does.
(if you can find one)
I've owned a $150 Seiko 5 SNZH53K1 diver for several years. It's got a double domed Hardlex crystal that stands proud of it's Hardlex covered bezel. It's my beater, and the crystal and bezel both remain unscratched. Same goes for all the Monsters I've owned, as well as my Solar Tuna. Hardlex isn't as hard as sapphire, but it's WAY harder than the mineral crystal used by lesser brands on their budget watches. I've never owned a mineral crystal watch I didn't maim within a week.
This makes the Seiko 5 GMT a truly extraordinary watch - Compared to most other brands at any price price point. It even beats Grand Seiko's GMT offerings when it comes to legibility - especially in the dark...
;-)
So Seiko finally figured it out how to fix their bezel's misalignment problems... a Vostok-style friction bezel 😅😂
Yes, but they still get their chapter rings misaligned 😂 I got the orange one and had to return it.
@@tiagodvt how disapointing 😞
@@mjf2377 yes it really is. Was super excited to get the watch. Unfortunately it is a recurrent problem with Seiko.
@@tiagodvt Hope everything will be okay with the next one you'll recive. Take Care👍
@@mjf2377 thank you for the kind words :) take care
Wowsers.
Gunna be a big hit.
I don’t need a GMT really.
But looks the good.
Seiko looks to have gone above and beyond here.
i just brought the SSk005 that orange dial is undeniable.
Another amazing video brother 👏 I really like this specific color way!
This GMT is definitely next on my Bucketlist - Thanks for the fine review !
Already got mine! Big fan but really wish they could’ve used an aluminum bezel and sapphire crystal. Two small details that I think really hold this watch back and I would’ve been more than happy to pay a little more to get those
I really don’t understand people complaining about the sapphire glass and aluminium bezel. The hardlex can be swapped out with OEM quality AR-coated sapphire for literally $40 including the labour at a watch service/repair shop. And the bezel is covered in Hardlex glass so it is not as scratch-able as aluminium and it can still be swapped out for relatively little also.
I bought one and hope I get much pleasure in this 🙏
I just got one. It was one of the newer colors and it was at a 25% discount. It looks great and for the price it can’t be beat. It’s not a perfect watch but I would look for micro brands using the 4R34 movement which is awesome. It is a fantastic watch and a great add for a GMT watch.
I’ve just bought a king samurai and it’s far far better than my two tags own , can’t believe the quality and build for the money 3 times cheaper then the others , I’ll be getting one off these next very soon 👍
Wow, your production value is fantastic. Great content. Thanks for the review. I’m sold!
You can use the GMT hand also for showing time basicaly in 24H time..
If you want a nice GMT automatic check out the Glycine Combat Sub GMT . Swiss made ,200 m wr, sapphire crystal with antireflective coating , Sellita SW330-2 movement, and it comes in both stainless steel and bronze.
But it's far more expensive
I just scored a SSK001 black dial for $300. I'm pretty stoked about it.
The craziest thing happened, I watched your video today about the Casio royale bought one, then was watching some videos about board games recommendations and in the video he mentioned he had a brother that does watch reviews and sure enough it was you, UA-cam is a big place but can be a small world sometimes
Yeah, that's my brother!
@@JusttheWatch he recommended some great games!
It looks amazing paired up with that Artem sailcloth strap. Great review, Dave.
Great review! Regarding what you said at the end, about the Waiting part, i did. Black Friday arrived and i bought the SSK001 for 285$, brand new(not returned or Pre-owned). Should be on my wrist in these upcoming days. The only thing i’m hoping for, is for it not to be TOO inaccurate. I’m aware of the +45/-35 seconds (give or take) but i’m very happy for this purchase. Again, great review, keep up the good work!
Good review and post! Thanks. Glad you live in Japan!
Comments complaining about crystal, clasp, lume, thickness, etc. miss the point. It is a beloved SKX descendent with hacking and hand winding and even more, a GMT. It might not get discounted, given it is sold out for now.
Agreed. Of course, if it wasn't so exciting a release, would people be nitpicking as much over it? ;-) As for me, when the cash is at-hand, I'm going for it, discounted by then or not.
Many thanks for your precise review; however Seiko should have provided Sapphire Crystal for this category of sports watches that are not used for diving. Best regards from Egypt.
Some really great shots in the video Dave! Great review as always
Great review Dave. BTW - really enjoying your Casio/JTW T-shirt. Safe travels.
These are very tempting! I'll wait a bit and do some more MODS to get me some colorful ones until SEIKO realeases the special editions
Thanks for the great review! I have the orange one. It looks better than previous 5 series and the watch runs more accurate as well. Great item!
Just ordered one...CAN NOT WAIT!!! This will be my 12-13th Seiko I think?
I own a Seiko SKX 009 and installed a Strapcode Hexon bracelet on it, along with some other modifications. Always gets nice comments on it.
Another misalignment issue - take a closer look at 4:28 and you will notice the hour, minute, second and GMT hands are not aligned with each other at all at twelve midnight. I knew this because even my $5k Grand Seiko GMT with 9R66 Spring Drive movement has the same issue.
Seiko put a lot of time and effort in miss alignment 😊
That chamfer is present on my Seiko 4205, the precursor to the SKX013, happy to see them making it more pronounced again
The "made in japan" inscription on the dial is great
I'm definitely much more excited to see what microbrands do with this. I love the SKX design, but I'd rather wait and either get something just a nice for less, or something nicer for the same price.
100%. Can you imagine what they’ll do? Steeldive Pepsi gmt for €150, ceramic bezel, yes please.
@@simonbailey2151 Yeah steeldive was one I had in mind, I love my sd1970.
@@forrest225 I bought and sold on the 1970. No reflection on the watch itself which was excellent, just not quite my thing. My Steeldive 1953 however is rarely off my wrist.
Great looking watch but also fantastic footage 👌🏾
Wow the music in the intro is amazing
I got a blue model yesterday - it's a winner/keeper.
Excited for the movement, but not so much the watch. Maybe if it was a bit cheaper, but for that price, having sapphire, a lumed bezel, and a milled clasp would have been nice for that price.
This watch is beautiful it is not yet available on Saiko‘s website and yes the retail price is $475 it will be like the panda chronograph impossible to get I will I want this watch bad but it will be sold out I know before I get the opportunity to buy thanks for your review
Tbh i don’t mind hardlex crystal, but i wish seiko adds anti reflective coating, making a more justified case for the price jump.
Sugess makes a pretty nice Rolex homage, if you don’t mind that sort of thing. Milled clasp that also functions like the Rolex clasp. It has a Chinese office GMT movement, we’ll see how it fares.
This Seiko 5 looks nice, but I have to confess I’m more excited about the new movement and what other brands will do with it.
I agree this Seiko is a game-changer. I expect that it will be my next purchase, and that many folks will buy one for worry-free travel, keeping track of their HQ office time zone, or just the enjoyment of the GMT function. However, for first-time automatic watch buyers, a GMT may be a bit complicated, and 3-hander Seiko 5's can be found at about half the price. Finally, it would have been great if you had featured pics of the other colors (black, orange).
I got it. I love it’s appearance. It’s lume is powerfull, way way way beyond Certina DS2 divers. But it is annoying that a watch beyond $200 doesn’t have sapphire crystal, 316 steel case, 316 steel bracelet, hands that miss the marks (the GMT-hand’s positions is 50% off mark). The quality of the bracelet and the clasp feels a bit cheap compared to Certina and Tissot steel watches.
In addition, after hand winding my Seiko 5 GMT once every day to every other day for three weeks, I suddenly experience that it’s possible to hand wind it «forever». It’s stop-mechanism «disappeared»… So now I don’t know whether the hand-wind wind the spring at all. It is at least still ticking. (Yes, I will visit the retailer in near future).
I also have a Tissot prs516 steel (quartz) that I payed about $350 at a retail store about 6 years ago, and it got sapphire crystal. It’s bracelet and clasp in 316L-steel is solid and tight. I think Seiko have something to learn from, or am I unrealistic..?
Automatic watches that hand wind will not stop winding like a mechanical watch movement. Automatic watches have a setup that allows the spring to slip, so it never gets over wound.
With your comments comparing this to your Swiss watches… I think you’re comparing apples to oranges. It’s unfair to compare a cheap watch to an expensive watch. And I’m not referring to the price.
Thanks for the video. You mentioned that the lumibrite lasts virtually all night when properly charged, though in your testing it only lasted a little over an hour? Also, though it’s an automatic can this watch be manually wound? In some online descriptions of automatic watches the writer(s)recommend winding the automatic watch before first use.
A question to recent owners: Are current Hardlex crystal a good one and scratch resistant compared to sapphire?
Wish list: Seiko to make the crown a screw down model.
Improve the friction bezel as it turns too easily and make it uni-directional instead of the current bi-directional.
Change the bottom cover from see-thru model to a solid metal.
These needed improvements will not raise the price drastically. I think most owners will agree with my fair criticism.
Beautiful GMT! Between Hardlex crystal, pressed clasp, and price….I think I’ll wait awhile to see if the price drops, though, as you suggest. I love how you brought up the potential of microbrands getting access to this movement! Would definitely open up some budget watch possibilities.
👀
@@JackMasonbrand Well that was a subtle hint! Ha! So, by this fall...???!
@@WatchWitt You just might be onto something...
@@JackMasonbrand Excellent!
@@WatchWitt ua-cam.com/video/pxlvRCqQlwc/v-deo.html&ab_channel=JackMason 👀
Thanks for reviewing this. Many of us had turned our attention to this when it was released. Kind of a big deal, so to speak. Good advice re: waiting a bit for additional colors and a possible price drop.
Just got mine in the mail and it has a horrible balance issue - it's about 5 seconds fast per minute. My local Seiko shop recommended returning it rather than sending it off to Seiko for pretty substantial right-out-of-the-box maintenance. Not sure if it's a Seiko QC problem or what... but it's a disappointing start for a watch I was pretty excited about
I’m planning to add this Seiko watch to my collection
saiko 5 gmt skx looks like a rolex am definitely going to get one asap!!
Seems like a great watch, sapphire would be a great addition. Thanks for another great video. I love things that glow in the dark too : -)
This is a great review!! So in depth and covered everything, thank you!
As an older person I like the cyclops as it makes the date readable without my glasses.
I prefer a true GMT for traveling. I looked at this Seiko but Citizen sells an ecodrive promaster GMT dive watch you can get for $300 with saphire crystal, screw down crown, 200m water resistance, milled clasp on the bracelet with ratchet micro adjust! It also has a 60 minute dive bezel. This watch is way more useful for travelers so you can keep the GMT hand set to your home time and adjust the local time to the city that you are visiting. Automatic office GMTs are really not that useful .. considering you could just wear a $30 Casio and check world time in multiple cities at your desk.
It definitely seems like Seiko has been cost cutting and removing features rather than adding them. This movement is awesome, but it deserves to be in a diver's case with a sapphire crystal.
A travelers GMT is the only option if you travel for work. Anything else simply isn’t acceptable. But plenty of desk divers will buy this up to impress their “friends”.
I agree the jumping hour GMT is ideal, but an office GMT is still workable. I don’t prefer the look of that Citizen watch, but beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
@@Bob_Smith19
Except you won’t impress anyone with this watch, not even in Burkina Faso.
Great video! Were you able to see how big the movement is? I wonder if it could be used in smaller watches.
Love the GMT and waited for this for along time. But no revolution is being started. Such a BIG mistake to not use sapphire crystal. And if I’m not mistaken the bezel moves freely and does not click which is also a mistake
Just got one now for 350 us. Picking it up today