I would not say the construction is sub par. I would say it is well done. Yes it’s unoriginal - it’s a copy of an Omega design, it is intended for people who like that original design but do not want a vintage watch and do not want to or can’t afford an original. I did sell mine because it fell out of my rotation but I would still recommend it if your someone who likes the design.
Great review. I have never been happier with a watch. Its a great design The dial and hands are fat and easy to read The lume is INSANELY bright Its got decent accuracy, mine being -7 seconds per day They can apparently be a bit hit or miss but my fit-and-finish was perfect, and everything aligned precisely. My eyesight aint great, I camp regularly in Scotland where its relentlessly wet, and I have an issue with smaller watches rotating around my wrist. This solves all problems. The lume is so bright that at night, when my night vision is up, I can close my eyes, use my flashlight to charge up the watch face for 10 seconds, turn off the flashlight and use the WATCH to light up the inside of my tent to find things in the dark. Fully charged up the lume will literally cast a shadow off close objects. The big markers and wide hands make it easy to read, plus its obviously very waterproof. Now add to this that its an iconic design, and the archetypal military/scout watch. I am so happy with mine that its a joy every time I check the time. I think this watch gives away the big lie about a lot of "premium" manufacturing these days.... a lot of kit that claims to be from a certain country actually contains elements from China, or is partially constructed in China. Then it gets a quick rub and final assembly in another country and packed as "premium". The SD1970 is what happens when they take it in house, slap in a Japanese movement and sell it themselves. I got mine straight from the Steeldive store on AliExpress and it cost the same as a cheapy watch from Amazon. Yet I got a VERY decent watch. Thank you to you and the other channels that recommended this watch. Its a peach.
Glad you liked the review! This one is a tank. You’re right about the big lie. I will say the fit and finish of some of my more expensive watches is better and the movements are made with tighter tolerances. That being said, if this one breaks I will toss it and grab a new one. San Martin is a manufacturer that puts out particularly good watches for a fair price and copy’s big brands designs. A step up from steel dive. You should have a look at them too. You may find something else you like.😁
An expensive watch that doesn't keep time is a waste of money. A cheap watch that doesn't keep time is a waste of money. SHEESH. THAT IS THE WHOLE POINT OF WEARING A WATCH
Yeah but there are clear differences in how well they keep time. Some +/- 20 seconds a day and some are +/- 3 seconds. Quartz can also vary. Some of those are +/- 1 second a day and some are +/- 1 second a year so there is just a massive range in accuracy out there.
Had mine for about 2 years and I beat the sh*t out of it on a daily basis (I run a pressure washing business and it's constantly covered in crud, grit and all sorts). It's my go to for working, rinse it off at the end of the day and you'd never know that it's a beater. Keeps pretty good time and looks great on a waffle strap.
Upon long term reflection - I think it’s only flaw, and this is really about my preference, is the case color. It makes it so I can’t put a bracelet on it. I primarily wear watches with bracelets. I just find them more comfortable. But everything else about this watch is great and the JDM version is so cool.
Thanks! It’s a Benchmade bugout. It has custom scales and all titanium hardware. The scales are ironwood burl and canvas micarta. It’s one of the very few Bugouts with a partially serrated blade. 😁
Man, I hope they re-release this model. What a beauty! I love how they put the GMT scale on the dial to that you can still use the elapsed-time bezel. Hopefully they will offer it as a true GMT one day also. Agree they really nailed the color-matching on the date wheel.
I still wear it frequently. I have not found a better priced more functional watch yet. It’s absolutely one of my favorites. With such low numbers made I almost never see them for sale.
Just ordered one with no logo for $76 dollars on recommendation from a coworker. Will be nice for knocking about at work. Sounds like it will keep time as well as my Vostok and look good doing it.
@@rightwristonly8796 got it a few days back. Timegrapher puts it at -2 to +1 second a day depending on position. Really impressed with this watch. Only thing that i can say would detract is i can hear the rotor spin and the brushing and red paint on the second hand is not perfect. What few complaints i have are just nit picking. For the money this thing is amazing. I would and have recommended this to anyone looking for an automatic watch.
Oooof yeah you can but I would not. It has a 100m water resistance so presumably it is safe to wear down to 100m, and I have never seen a pool more then 4-5m. The issue is the Chronograph pushers are not screw down pushers. So if you inadvertently push one while your watch is under water you could potentially flood your watch case and damage your watch fairly badly. TLDR - yes but don’t
You can always crack it open as swap out the hand. ETA movements are easy to find parts for. If your not comfortable doing it lots of watch makers could do it for you in a matter of moments.
That depends on how comfortable you are with thicker watches The cushion case makes it wear well even on smaller wrists. The good thing is if it’s too big for you it isn’t that expensive. You can find it for under $100 so it’s not a massive loss in cash if you don’t wear it. If I had a 6.5” wrist I would probably think it was just a tad too big mostly based on its weight.
Don’t you have to open the hood to review a car. It would be a better review I believe if you talked more and showed the inner workings Al little bit. Not criticizing just a cretic. Thank you for taking the time to review my friend.
It has an NH35 and I believe I mention that. It’s such a standard and widely used movement that there isn’t much for me to talk about that isn’t covered in much greater detail by someone else. Have a look for NH35 review and I’m sure you will find loads of in depth content. 👍🏼
@@rightwristonly8796 That's true!! At times it looks like I got the Blue Dial. Same goes for my Heimdallr version. 1/3 of the time I glance at it and it looks like I ordered the blue when in fact I ordered the black. Yea it just makes it look more expensive. The AR coating is best when applied on a DOMED sapphire like the real Seiko re-issue. You're spot on!
If your ok with a bigger watch. I have mine away because I tend to favor 38-40 mm watches. I just find them more comfortable. The only watch above 42 mm i wear is my Casio GA-2100 and it has some unique dimensions and is very light so it works. I also have an oval shaped wrist which makes most watches wear smaller. TLDR: if you don’t mind wearing what I would call an oversized watch then then go for it - it’s a tank
Yeah it’s a copy but that doesn’t mean it’s bad. In fact it’s good, that’s the whole point. It’s like what Tokai, Ibanez and Edwards did with Gibson and Fender guitars in the 70s/80s.
I think it’s great. Especially because I think it’s 75-80% as good as the actual seiko. I don’t wear it often because there are a lot of watches in my collection that are more comfortable but I’m finding it really hard to bring my self to get rid of it. It’s just such a great value and looks pretty good.
Oh I like the islanders a lot. I don’t want to buy one but Mark seems like a nice guy. I have met him and he was a pleasant guy. At least there is a real person behind that brand. His colorways and dials are better but you have to pay more for that. The 1970 is a better choice if you want to beat the crap out of it because that’s what it’s for. Cheap and replaceable while still looking pretty dang good.
It wears so well it’s really a question of wrist shape. If you have more of an oval shape wrist like me it will fit just fine. If you have a very round 6.75” wrist then it may be a tad big but at that point it’s about taste. I have a 7” wrist but I measure around the wrist joint where I wear my watches. Many, probably most, people wear there watch up higher essentially on their forearm. On the wrist bone a flat profile watch like this makes all the difference in comfort. If you wear your watches higher you have more latitude in watch profile because there is not active joint below it.
A man that doesn't 'baby' his watches. Excellent. I cringe every time I see or hear a new watch owner cry over every little scratch. Whats the point in buying them unless you are going to wear them? Excellent video. Nice watch. Do you still have it or did you flip it?
Wearing it today! It’s so good I bought a vintage Omega speedmaster 4.5 with the same case shape but more complicated movement. I’ll have to make a video at some point.
yo cambie el clasp y los spring bars por unos de 1.8mm de diametro, tuve que agrandar el orificio de los endlinks pero quedo mas seguro y bien el brazalete. saludos desde Mexico
I really liked this watch. The coloring is really nice. I’m more a turtle guy than a tuna guy (except on toasted rye with mayo) but I’d buy this one. Solid review.
I let this one go because it never got wrist time …..I think mostly because I am a bracelet guy. It wears so small and comfortable I always toy with picking up one of the new color-ways. I had a turtle as well that I nodded, and as much as I liked the turtle the steel dive is cheaper and wears and looks almost identical. Glad you enjoyed the review. Really trying to find time for my moonswatch review 😳
It had it, I loved it but it was TOO heavy, and it left me "iron smell" on the wrist (and it's Chinese...coincidence?). I had to return it, but it's a great looking watch.
Beautiful watch. Too bad they’re sold out. Also, please make more videos. I notice your last one was a year ago. Why’d you stop? You’re actually pleasant to listen to.
