Double Unboxing! Double Regret? Seiko 'Willards' SPB151 + SPB153
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- Опубліковано 20 сер 2024
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Back to the future, or back to 'Nam? As will be explained, this one should really have preceded the 153 review but Mr X doesn't have quite the pull he thinks he has! Will mine survive until the SOTC video next week? Stay tuned to find out......... Cheers, Jody
Battle of the Willards: Seiko vs Chinese Specials homages, you need to make it happen just like the Submariner homage comparison. Thanks Jody.
@James Blonde San Martin OR Steeldive would win! Only if they can come up with an olive coloured face and bezel though.
This makes a lot of sense, actually. Good idea
Seiko has much better steel you can't compare Chinese steel is cheap and not cured there are reasons they can do these cheap cases.
@munchkin42 With such a price difference! Who cares?
@@maxp5422 I'm wearing a Seagull 1963 at the moment, can't see anything wrong with the case strangely!
The Willard is one watch that I prefer with rubber straps. The stainless bracelet looks like it came from another, non-dive, watch.
Seiko is awesome. Very few companies allow you to buy a thousand dollar lottery ticket.
Lmao this sums it up nicely. I really want to like these new releases.
It’s funny when he said that I was like yep thats exactly how I used to feel . Then I quit buying them .
@@julioalbino9714 Seiko has poor quality control
Yup garbage quality control, and their movements are wildly inconsistent, atleast in my experience.
Seiko can go drink a gallon of piss as far as I'm concerned.
I've got 9 Seikos - mix of autos and quartz; all of them bar 2 had some defects and/or stopped working. Exceptions being an early 80s secondhand 7548 and a Sportura ana-digi from early 2000s.
I'm now buying F91s and other cheap Casios and putting new batteries into 30 year old Casio DWs which fire up like they were brand new - what a hoot.
5:30 My problem with a 1000$ Seiko is that it looks like any 200$ Seiko.
Also a pin and collar bracelet is a shame for this price.
Pin and collars are pretty secure compared to just cotter pins but they are such a pain in the balls to size. The only other pin system that is a bigger pain are the twin screw pins on a Marathon
What specifically do you find "inferior" with pin and collars? I think they are better than screws. Easy to put in, completely secure, and no mucking about with loctite. I don't see how they are functionally inferior in any way.
Exactly, i bought a 400$ seiko and feel the same way. I would be pissed if it had been a G.
Don't understand the love for screw pins, as found in my 30 quid Air King from Aliexpress?
@@a_single_white_female
Quickly using a small screwdriver is just more pleasant and elegant than pushing or hammering out a steel rod?
I’ve been in two minds over this watch. I’ve got the SteelDive version and just love wearing it but it’s always in the back of my mind it isn’t a seiko . Watching both your videos now on this has pretty much convinced me it’s not worth a thousand quid. I’m going to stick with the homage. It’s got a seiko movement in it anyway and the bezel is ceramic where’s the seiko is aluminium. Plus that reading on the Timegrapher is shocking. A thousand pounds? I don’t think so. Thanks for helping me make my mind up. Excellent video.
Not worth it mate. Which is a real shame!
Yeah, I am happy with my Steeldive too, just wish that the power reserve is a bit longer, otherwise it is a great 6105 homage!
Wel, reading this i think i just wil sit and wait for the mail the rest of the day.
As i am expecting my Steeldive in the next 24 hours.
I got the Steeldive version with a sapphire crystal, ceramic bezel, Seiko movement and machined from a freaken solid lump of bronze for less than 1/4 of the price of one of these!
@@JustOneMoreWatch the day is coming when seiko starts suing all this homage watches because people are buying the knockoffs
I really like Seiko. That said an out of the box citizen diver of 300$ is never a lottery ticket nor off beat and they run flawlessly.
That's Cuz citizen is actually a decent brand that cares about customer satisfaction.unlike trash seiko.what happened seiko?you went from beating or the Swiss at their own game to rampant qc issues on watches u charge 1000 bucks for that don't even have a signed crown.the seiko 5 atlas has a signed crown for godsakes man!
@@jasongennero2080 thats why I'm looking elsewhere for my next mid-level watch. I might just save my money and go to into the upper mid level watches.
I'm with you about Citizen. I initially liked a greater percentage of Seiko's styling and ignored Citizen for a while, but then found a couple Eco-Drives that had the looks I wanted -- and both are flawless.
@@royroblox agreed. I've had a promaster Aqualand for 25 years and it's still running fine. Also picked up a new eco drive Aqualand bn2039 a few weeks back, stunning watch
@@jeff1176 that’s what I do
I've bought the blue willard for 1600 usd (such a price in my country) and i'm completely satisfied. I put seiko 5, the turtle and the willard together on a table and saw the noticeable difference. Willard looks like a high quality watch. Even my wife who knows nothing about watches told the willard is probably the most expensive one. In the same time it is the smallest watch. Even in comparing with seiko 5 the bezel of the willard looks a bit smaller. If u buy blue willard u get additional silicon strap, 6r35 caliber with 70 hours of moving, sapphire, diashield (it works), a piece of history and personal number of yours limited edition watch. Does it worth it? I'm sure it does. Thats why i buy watches. But if u want "just a not overpriced watch" u can buy Mi band or something like that. It's also telling the time.
Seiko are the only brand where homage versions of their watches are the sensible and often recommended option. Fanboys only for this one.
I was gutted after buying a Turtle, it was boyhood grail watch. Then I saw the "homages" with aligned chapter rings and the lumed bezel. I love my turtle, but sometimes that misalignment makes me sad even after 3 years. I've got a 70s automatic Timex which gains 2 seconds per day which is better than my turtle. I'm not sure if I will be buying Seiko again until they get their QC sorted.
indeed
shoulda bougt a Heimdallr or SteelDive or another 'homage'.
I have a heimdallr 007 and it looks far more expensive than the skx007..
Yeah, it seems like the homage versions are actually better. I have a Heimdallr 6105 on a three link bracelet, waiting for me to unbox when I get home off the road. I have to admit, my expectations are high: they do nice work and they regulate the calibers. I'll bet you everything will line up, too.
That price!The Horror..the Horror!😂
Seiko started trying to move up market.... After that, their, uh, ideas, methods, became... unsound.
Well played, sir.
I wanted a Seiko..... and for my sins, they gave me one. Brought it up to me like room service.
Bought a SteelDive 1970 Willard homage a month ago. Been my daily beater & I cannot endorse it enough. With an NH35 movement, it is essentially a Seiko. Highly recommended!
I'm wearing the Steel Dive Willard as I'm watching this. Maybe I just lucked out, but it's pretty amazing for $100.
It’s an awesome and better watch at 1/10th of the price - only the fanboys and people who don’t know any better are buying this Seiko version
Same here. Great watch for the buck.
What about originality?
@@maxp5422 well how original is it for seiko to reissue an old design and charge a small fortune for it? I know what you mean of course and I am being a little sarcastic!
I have one as well. Fantastic watch. The bracelet of the Steeldive even looks better than Seiko's effort
Can`t wait for the Seiko vs STEELDIVE Willard video !!!
Only have one Seiko in my collection. It was a gift from my girlfriend, awesome little quartz chronograph. For some reason every time I’m thinking about getting a Seiko for myself, something else beats it out!
Same here. I was considering this watch. But ended up buying a Hamilton. It feels I dodged a bullit after seeing the review.
@@MrPleers You’re way better off with a Hamilton over a Seiko just about any day. There are exceptions but that’s a good choice right there. What Hamilton?
@@lastofmykind8 The Pan Europ. I'm surprised that Seiko did not bother up their QC on a $1000- watch. Not to mention the unsigned crown.
I reviewed the blue willard and A BIG DRAW FOR ME WAS THE ALUMINIUM BEZEL INSERT. Not a fan of BLING ceramic and sapphire inserts. My willard is doing 0s/day in 2 main positions. Sometimes Jody a watch is more then just a spec list.
Hey jody is your willard fully charged. never seen 1ms error before. Make sure to give it 100 wind ups. not the usual. the 70hr power reserve makes it a bit finicky. You think its full. then give it an extra 30 winds and think its full and yet its still not. I've been tricked a handful of times that its full and I deal with seikos everyday. so wind it up before testing. 100+ turns minimum.
Couldn't have said it any better FT!
Fully agree about the insert. All the generic ceramic comments get old. Not all watches need/ should have ceramic. Would ruin this watch IMO.
A Seiko where everything lines up?!?
Huh, are you sure it's not fake? lol
I ordered a feiko off of wish out of curiosity and no joke, the chapter ring and hands were aligned better than any authentic seiko I’ve ever owned. It’s honestly a reasonable question to consider with these 😂
It’s a Seiko HOMAGE!!!🤣
that would be like a Mazda mx5 that doesn't make a noise.... :P
I had to get my eyesight checked to be sure ;-)
Saw this watch 2 days back at the Seiko boutique and alignment was OFF !!!
Both of these watches are real beauties. However from reading the comments here, it seems a real shame that Seiko are losing so many Seiko enthusiast customers, to Chinese made homage watches. Surely it couldn't be so difficult to get it right at this price if the Chinese can more often than not do so at a much lower price. My SPB149J1 has the same issue with the bracelet clasp, slight misalignment of the lume pip on the triangle, movement accuracy is fine but now I would be scared to see what it's like on a timegrapher. All said and done though it is my favourite watch and I love the feeling I get when wearing it. Another very enjoyable video Jody, looking forward to your SOTC video.
Never. Not at half the price. Seiko has balls...
I just got the Steeldive "Willard" recently for £89. It's really good, very happy with it.
I had both. Both are beautiful, flawless, the polish of the steel is unlike anything I've seen (I think it's the Dia-shield, which I can vouch works great). I put the bracelet on the green one and kept it, but flipped the black one as I honestly preferred my Merkur because: IMHO, the indices reflect better so that the dial looks more iconically "6105-ish" to me (I think the size difference partially accounts for it, and the heightened polish too) and, for some weird reason, the black on the dial looks faded, and I don't mean very dark gray, it just looks like Seiko tried to make it look aged or something. And they're all like that so it is apparently intentional. Yet, no "faux patina" on the markers. Not sure what they were thinking there. The sunburst olive green on the "hulk" version is beautiful, though, and the indices show up better and the bracelet is possibly the best Seiko has ever made, giving my Marinemaster 300 bracelet a run for its money. Only minor complaint is that the end links aren't solid.
Extremely happy with mine. Runs perfect (0 +/- spd). Everything lines up. I think the bracelet is decent too but like it on an uncle Seiko rubber best.
I’ve had a San Martin homage,with signed crown for a year and a half now that I thoroughly enjoy. Royal blue on a jubilee bracelet. Cheers.
Not a fan of Seiko’s, but I am a big fan of Citizen dive watches.
Under appreciated and overlooked. They certainly deserve more attention.
Seiko, Seiko, Seiko. A thousand bucks and you still can't get it right. 😢
I don’t regret my Steeldive SD1970 purchase at all, especially after watching this! No misalignments or BS to speak of gratefully.
No wonder you were critical of the Seiko at this price point Jody!
Something about this homage/re-issue just seems gutless the more I think/see about it.
My Addiesdive SD 1970(basically a Steeldive)which I bought for £72 in the Aliexpress 11.11 sale arrived yesterday.On the time grapher it shows nil beat error,nice high amplitude(301)and plus 3 seconds a day.Apart from a slightly stiff bezel,which aligns perfectly all round and which will loosen in time,there are no other QC issues,so I am very well pleased.Maybe Seiko should buy from these Chinese companies and stick their name in the dial!.
Great video as usual Jody,thanks.
I don’t own a 6R, but I have had 4R movements that had a disturbing amount of noise on the time grapher when fresh out of the box. Luckily, the noise cleared up. Had a break-in period, I suppose.
Well, here's hoping my unboxing of the Heimdallr 6105 Willard goes a bit better! I've got one on a three-link waiting for me when I get home, and in my experience it is likely to be perfectly aligned, well calibrated and gorgeous.
As a Tuna owner/fan, I feel that Seiko is increasing prices faster than they are improving quality.
Put the Willard on an Uncle Seiko waffle strap. It will wear and look 1000 times better. Cheers.
Thanks for the honest review- you helped me dodge a thousand dollar bullet!
Another great video! Sums up why I can never quite bring myself to spend around the £1k mark on a seiko even though I've often been tempted! We really shouldn't be feeling nervous when opening the watch box at that price for alignment issues etc. The willard does look great though!
I should say - im currently pining over the seiko sharp edge series - they look incredible!
I like Seikos but can’t see myself getting this one. For the price you would expect the movement to be spot on with minimal beat error. I’ll stick to my Steeldive homage
Honest review again, a lot of money for a Seiko that you have pray it's ok when you open the box. A lot of micro brands are better value and build quality.i just ordered a Gruppo Gamma divemaster 2 for $530.00, they have a great reputation for quality ,ETA movement and out standing finish.
The GG is an $800-$900 watch. Plus, they are huge. It's sort of a different category.
I owned a 6105 when I was in Vietnam. It was just OK. I bought it because it was a cheap PX promotion. Anyway, I moved on to a Glycine. Let's face it, if it wasn't in Apocalypse Now, none of the young fellas would have ever heard of it.
Do you have photos of the glycine? I'm trying to find old photos of Combat Subs
To be fair, the other Seiko divers (62MAS, Turtle, etc.) are also popular among the watch crowd, and they didn't have any help from Martin Sheen. They even got re-issued sooner than this one. But I'm sure the movie connection has helped elevate this one above where it might otherwise have fallen in the pantheon.
@@mattewj1268, sorry, but no.
@@BlindProphet413, my point is that the original was nothing great. I am also saying that the new watches, in my opinion, are over priced. However, only the buyer can determine that. If you like these watches, more power to you. We are free to buy what we like. 😉
Same thing can be said for Omega SM, Panerai, etc..many become hot commodity because some celebrity or movie featured it.. i had a Gevril Tribecca which I sold for $550, soon John Mayer wore it and went up to $4000-6000 literally over night.
Appreciate your honesty , just because it'sa Seiko, doesn't mean it's always a winner.
The design is absolutely wonderful.. thanks Seiko.
I have four of Steeldives homages to the 6105. Black, blue, green and a black/bronze.
I've had them for a couple of months. Only problem is from day to day deciding which of them to wear 😃 absolutely wonderful. I don't own a seiko original. Thanks for the video, good as usual. 👍🌟🌟🌟
Thanks Jody for a great review! This review has pointed out and reaffirmed why I have not given Seiko a purchase in well over a year. Of the more than 15 watches that I purchased this year three or more would’ve been Seiko in the past. Less-for-more...That’s what you get now from my once favorite brand. Cheers!
The snow is because of the cloth you used. I was having similar issues until I removed the cloth lol
Love the history behind this model and they fit very nicely to wrist, I just dont think I'd ever want to own one myself!
Me: "When I was a kid, the term 'Made in Japan' had serious negative connotations"
Seiko: "Hold my Sapporo!"
Sapporo is disgusting
My Seiko Willard is perfect. Very happy with the Seiko divers at this price point. Bought a couple online. No issues at all.
Likewise love mine too ,had a couple of homages didn’t do it for me .Quality side by side is night and day different.My bezel lines up perfectly no issues .love it
I was hoping/waiting for "Heeelllloooo and welcome to Just Two More Willards!" lol
Ahh Seiko!
Ive spent quite some time justifying the price of my new Alpinist SPD123J (the cream and gilt dial variant) lately.
The movement in it and the SPB Willard are the same and the RRP is the same ballpark.
I picked up my Alpinist BNIB for $700AUD, including delivery & full warranty.
I love it and I believe it's well worth the $ - in fact I reckon it's well worth the $900AUD that you can easily buy it for online now. Reason being, whenever I ask someone who's critical of the price of the Alpinist for an alternative that offers everything it offers for less $ (respected heritage brand, fully in-house ᴇᴠᴇʀʏᴛʜɪɴɢ, Japanese made, proven reliability & after sales support, easy & inexpensive servicing etc., etc.) they just look at me blankly. 🤷♂️
The Seiko SPB Willard does not pass that particular test IMO.
I don't agree that the mm & a 1/2 missing from the case diameter is not noticeable. Put the original 6105-8110 next to the SPB and SPB looks,... all wrong.
When I can pick up a San Martin Willard from AliX for $300AUD incl. express shipping, the usual shit-house buying experience is improved, but even considering that you are pretty much fucked if you have a QC issue, I didn't have any of the legitimate concerns that Jody had with his Seiko when opening my San Martin Willard.
I'd much prefer to have Seiko on the dial of my Willard but I'm not going to spend over $750AUD for the privilege, especially when I think - all things considered - both watches offer about the same.
Cheers mate and good vid.
A.
It's nice Jody, just don't think I'd spend a grand for it...
I own a 1969 6105. My grandfathers dive watch. The lugs are 19mm and the crown guard doesn't look right. I think the accuracy of the movement is spot on though. Lol
As a silver stacker I got a belated idea today.
Could a watch be made of high grade silver rather than stainless steel? Some 92.5% coins stay pretty OK over the years.
It we ould add some heft and make the watch more of an investment. 5 troy ounces is $125 right now, so not too bad but could make it a bit of a baller later on. Imagine a $200 high grade Pagani silver sports watch?
I prefer aluminium and pin and collar over ceramic and screws but at 1k the movement should really be flawless. so much competition at that price point.
Awesome review! I have the SPB237J1 and Ive been wearing it for almost 2 months straight, witch is unusual for me since i tend to change watches daily. I love the NATO strap's that comes with it. Only issue with it is that it wears a little high on the wrist since the NATO strap is thicker then the straps I am used to. I have been lusting for a SPB153J1, the olive green basel and dial is amazing and the rubber strap make the watch hug the wrist really nice. Keep the Seiko reviews coming!
Got a bronze Steel Dive with all bronze bezel. Great watch. No Seiko envy at all.
Discount: the most romantic word for a Scotchman
Can't blame them.
Scotsman . Scotch is a drink
@@Supersyncopation
I think there's a significant overlap.
But "freebie" is orgasmic!
@@Supersyncopation well Scots are probably 50% scotch since they consume so much booze lmao
Nice unboxing and sticker peeling. I’ve got the Black Willard on bracelet and love it. Thinking of the Blue Willard. I think they are beautiful watches. Everybody can’t love the same watches otherwise life would be boring. Nice video. 👍
Man they are nice but seiko is kinda trolling price wise. Like seriously 1000 dollars for something debatebly better than a 200 dollar san martin or even a 100 dollar steeldive. I wish Seiko had put hands more similar to the original as well. I honestly don't see that much difference between seiko homaging a Seiko, and another company homaging it.
Good point! This is Seiko homaging itself.
Dunno man, I bought a San Martin and a heimdallr, was disappointed in both.... They just feel as cheap as they are so I tried a spb149 and it difference is night and day. Wasted a bit of time and effort fluffing around with homages which I could've avoided.
It's crazy when you think that the more you can spend on a Seiko the more it becomes not worth it. They're in a bit of a rut at the moment and it's mostly down to QC.
He says after just buying himself a Captain Willard 😂🤣
Ahahhaha! Did you?
@@JustOneMoreWatch The green is too alluring. Tesco Clubcard vouchers in Goldsmith's halved the priced; rude not to!
OK, that's fair enough. It is a sweetie at the right price. Enjoy!
I bought myself a king turtle manta ray a few months ago.
650€ 4r36 movement and misaligned chapter ring and bezel.
Hard to reason why i paid so much when my dad paid 99 for his pagani with better quality control and same specs
This video put me off the Willard for a good while. Then I saw the blue version and had to have it! Zero regret. Mounted alternately on an Uncle Straps Z199 and a blue isofrane.
Seiko lost my business a long time ago. These little imperfections are not about OCD, my complaint is that it is sub par quality. Here's my question. Guys who hate quartz, doesn't it bother their OCD that automatic watches can't keep accurate time?
Yeah.That's exactly why I am very much a quartz only guy!
Yes thats why I Like accurate autos
@@zman8340, just curious, which automatic watches keep perfect time?
@@gregalonzo747 I never said perfect . But I’ll take +/- 2 a day . I think thats quite extraordinary for something mechanical . If it was all about perfect time no one would need a watch anyhow . The phone I’m typing on would suffice .
@@zman8340, now we are arguing semantics. Hell, a smart watch keeps better time than an automatic. I find that amazing, but not enough to buy one.
Glad to see I am not the only one with Bezel OCD. Love the rubber strap. Both are great pieces
This right here is exactly why I buy homages instead.
Congratulations for another great unboxing video ! I always appreciate when you put the watch on the timegrapher, one of the aspects that sets you apart from the dozens of youtubers that keeps mumbling their thoughts on the watch with few or any useful information.
Each movement is different though in regard to accuracy so it is pretty meaningless.
I’m judging from your tone of voice that you will NOT be keeping this one. GREAT VIDEO JODY!!! 🤐😷🥴
SOTC coming this weekend, you'll find out!
@@JustOneMoreWatch hey, Seiko says they're moving upmarket.... Nothing mechanical under $250-$300.
@@gnarl12 Since when were there a bunch of Seiko mechanicals with retail prices of
Still the best watch channel on UA-cam
Videos like this are the reason I bought the steel dive.
Still looking into one of the new turtles if I can get a sale tho
I have the black Willard X. It’s a beautiful watch. A step up in quality over my Turtles. It’s a nice homage to my original 6105-8110 but just doesn’t have the wrist presence in shape or weight to the legend. I prefer my Turtles on the wrist over the Willard X. It’s such a shame as it could have been an incredible model. I suppose they didn’t want to go near the hugely expensive limited SLA version. They all need a rubber strap as well!
I used to love Seiko but now I hate them.
Now I love Orient and Vostok 😍
Don’t worry guys, i asked him 😍
For $700-800 it would be a great buy, or at $1000 if it had the brushed ceramic bezel that Seiko used on other divers..... Amusingly, the King Turtle kinda has it beat spec for spec excepting the power reserve.
It's not clear to me what's in Seiko's head at this point. I was a huge Seiko fanboy in years past, but as the QC issues became more and more apparent I sold off all my Seiko watches. The poor value for dollar Seiko currently offers vs the competition in many of its mainstream mechanical watches is almost offensive at this point. Admiration and love for Seiko's history and past products has carried them a long way, but its not going to cover up sloppy execution and bloated pricing forever.
Absolutely fabulous watches I especially like the green rubber strap version 👍😀 thanks Jody good video
For the movement in the watch I think the amplitude is too high. 6Rs are usually quite low. Jody is trying to steer me towards the Uemura.
Great video! You've convinced me that my US$134 Haimdallr 6105 homage was definitely right choice 😁
What does snow on the time grapher mean?
And for those exact reasons... Is why i jumped ship to San Martin.
Simply put, S-eiko's P-ricing B-lows and S-eiko B-oys D-on't C-are
That beat error is shocking on a brand new $1000 dollar watch. Evidence yet again that the 6R movements are seriously hit or miss on the QC and are to be avoided.
Just proves the Steel Dive and San Martin watches are better value for money albeit if you accept it's not an original design....But I just can't see the value in how much Seiko is charging.
I've got the Seiko Willard and also a steeldive homage and yep you got it the steeldive was better than the Seiko and a lot less money lol 😆
looks great but too many flawss and already prices are dropping!! think they dropped the ball on this one,
Had the sla033 for a few years now and it's build quality is mint
I'd love a willard new or old, but I'm sick of gambling on watches that likely don't line up well if at all.
Honestly I still prefer the Mini Turtle: it wears like this one, but the price is reasonable. I like this Willard in green, but I do not think that this watch is a 1 thousand dollars watch .
I am a Seiko lover but a grand spent should not result in the 'fingers crossed - am I a winner?' feeling. My bet is flipped by next week.
Enjoy the watch Jody! Maybe it's worth giving it a try and regulating this movement to a better beat error. For some reason I prefer the green version SPB153. It also would spare you the shaky clasp. Cheers!
I don't understand why a watch of this price doesn't have a signed crown. And the misalignement bingo shoeld not be happening either. I was considering this watch for a short while. Glad I did buy another watch instead.
I love the dark green dial! I know it is not worth the money, however the design is gorgeous. Would love to see a Unimatic watch review if you can get your hands on one. Best regards!
May not be a limited edition but I would do the mini turtle for the price point.
If you put the steel dive next to the Willard you can see the size difference and also the dial size is smaller. I bought a Steeldive 6105 - good watch, for the money, I then bought a San Martin 6105 also a good watch for the money (slight alignment issues with indices at 6), then I bought a Willard as did like the other 2, but something off a little. The Willard does have better detailing and finishing on the case, the size is 2mm smaller and fits better, the box sapphire glass just pops that bit more - it all lines up correctly. So despite trying the cheaper ones - and nothing wrong with them, for me the original Willard, both fits me better (and I think) just looks that bit better. Is it worth 10 x as much? Probably not & not arguing Seiko variable quality control as seen it on other Seikos. The steel bracelet on my €390 Steinhart, is as good, probably a touch better than the one on the €1000+ Willard. Put my Willard on the San Martin rubber waffle strap (softest one out there) and very happy. Timekeeping after 1 month +2 or so a day.
My gawd that beat error. I'll stick with my Miyota 90xx movements, rotor noise and all.
Jody's Seiko Willard...GONE!!!! Or it would have been going on vacation!
I'm just happy these genuine Seikos have the crown at 4:00, not 4:15 like the "homages".
These are gorgeous, as are the 62MAS reissues. I wish the movements weren't rubbish. My $75 vostok has a better movement. My $500 Steinhart has a MUCH better movement. Smiths makes a lovely mini Williard with regulated Seiko movement and zero quality control issues. I am never selling mine.
If it has to be a Seiko, the hardlex turtle is more than enough, and you can find pretty good deals on the black faced rubber one. Not so many moons ago....1.500 bucks bought you a Marine Master, with a 8L35 movement, A Sumo with 6R15 was roughly 500 bucks and the SKX ruled the world.... All is lost. I missed pre prospex times.
Amen brother!
But the Prospex logo is so cool, y’all!
Why isn’t “AUTOMATIC” under “SEIKO”?
And why don’t they put that godawful Prospex logo ONLY on the case back?
In three years they’ll release a super-limited edition with more text on the dial than a G-Shock. Pure class.
Nice watch Jody but not for 1k. Why not ceramic insert, and don't tell me vintage look because they used sapphire. Bracelet seems a bit narrow against the case and the links are pins. There should have been screws. The bracelet thickness also seem wrong, against the case thickness and the buckle reminds $100 watch. Won't compare with Chinese homages as I don't own any but will definitely compare to many micro brands that offer more balanced proportions, great bracelets/clasps and for a fraction of the price. Some of those use eta, some miyota with the same accuracy as this one if not better. Someone said that by your tone won't be be keeping it, I agree. Thank you for one more great review, enjoy watches in good health and keep posting vids for us:)
Usually chinese clomages get a lot of hate, but not with steeldive, heimdallr and especially with San Martin.
my favourite seiko diver ..........smells like victory
$1,000??? Let's see the quick maths...
Sapphire crystal - $50
Movement - $150
Stainless steel bracelet - $50
Assembly and other costs - $100
Cost of bezel and indices alignment - $50
Sales margin - $100
Martin Sheen wore it in the movie - $500
-----------------------------------------------------
TOTAL - $1,000
Seems legit. Bwahahahahahahah
Another great video brother! I just got the SPB143, and you hit the nail on the head about unboxing a 1K plus watch with fear. I can tell you’re flipping that baby 😂
I got the blue limited edition of the Seiko x-Willard (SPB183) last week. I came with a perfectly aligned bezel and it's a great watch. But it does not get a lot of wrist time, i actually prefer my NoLogo Steeldive Willard-Hommage.
To me the Seiko Willard Re-Issues are like Angelina Jolie: Nice to look at, but that's it.
I don't care that my skx runs like +/-20 seconds a day. It was 200 bucks back when I bought it and I've worn it through hell for the last 6 years but I don't know how I feel about buying a 1000+ dollar SPD or spc even if I have the money for nicer watches but I still prefer the Seikos...
I would say go for a Turtle , much more reasonable if you want the look at stay brand loyal with Seiko or go Steel dive for the true Willard look at a tenth of the cost.
Flipping it soon then are you Jody.
Agree mate. Turtle and Samurai are the best on offer from Seiko these days.
I don't know about anyone else but this is what I'd do instead of this watch for roughly the same cost: Lecronos Racing for Vintage, Vario 1918, Hoffman Racing 40 mecha-quartz with yellow/mustard dial, Steeldive 6105 and Citizen BN0151-09L and I'd still have some change left over
I am forever slagging off Seikos on forums because their price and QC issues. Yours is an example why. I used to own a Heimdallr version of that, and it looked better