I often see watch enthusiasts here and on YouTube forgetting some essencial things:
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Watches are an object in which “The beauty is in the eye of the beholder”. It’s not brand name or bragging credentials that make a watch good or even the design. It’s the personal taste of each of us
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The price doesn’t make a watch better. The variety and styles of watches can appeal to everyone regardless of their budget. Despite this, people buying fashion watches or less expensive brands, still face backlash
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Mechanical watches are not always better than quartz and quartz isn’t always better than mechanical. They cater to different types of audience. Usually the community acts like mechanical is always inherently better.
All things considered, it’s wonderful that there’s a brand of watches out there that provides finish and quality that matches a Longines or JLC for a quarter of the price and it makes its own movements for mechanical watches: Seiko.
Seiko, is what the entire Swatch group no longer is. It’s a independent watchmaker. Their Grand Seiko models, rival and even surpass Rolex watches in finish, quality, dial textures and more.
If Seiko was a Swiss brand, it would be the world’s biggest and most valued watchmaker
Having said that, why is it then that there’s so so many complaints about: the glass type they use, the Quality control which fails slightly in like 1/1000 watches? Why does anyone think Citizen can beat Seiko when Citizen’s movements are now a long way from those of Seiko?
Why aren’t more people grateful that a brand like this even exists?
Brings me to the final point: - Watches don’t have to say “Swiss made” to be good. Something that despite true the community also acts like isn’t true.
First: I love seiko. Great products, incredible history, fine watches across the board.
Regarding fashion watches, I just think they are, for the most part, a rip off and that’s why people look down on them. They look like what they’re not (a quality product). The classic argument is that you could get a much better seiko for the price.
The mechanical/quartz debate doesn’t exist in my mind. There are fine examples of both at any price range and they’re ultimately very different things doing the same thing… very differently. You buy a quartz for simplicity and accuracy, you buy a mechanical because you have a fondness for intricate machines, you buy a super quartz because you love technology… they all deserve love.
Now seiko finished like JLC? Nowhere near. A luxury item stands miles away from a consumer good. Yew, grand seiko does rolex quality and finish, but they are their own entity now - I’m not sure you can just throw them under the seiko umbrella.
But again, seiko is amazing. They do ALL their parts in house. Crystals, quartz and batteries included.
I don’t think a lot of watch enthusiasts look down on the brand, it’s got everything a good watchmaker should have.
Great comment dude. I think you got where Im coming from for the most.
I edited the JLC paragraph because I was trying to imply obviously that the comparison was with Grand Seiko, it’s a semi independent sub brand but it very much is still on the same umbrella.
GS itself is seen poorly vs Rolex or JLC and you can see this from comparing value retention rates. It’s not Swiss even if it’s as good or sometimes better
I hope that the community doesn’t look down on them because…point of this comment is, it’s better than some Swiss brands actually. For example I think many Seikos look far better than a Formex watch.
The argument for the fashion brands is actually completely valid as I found out after even a Casio lasting more than a fashion watch
This isn’t true, Grand Seiko is just a Seiko brand name, like Presage, or Prospex.