Have SEIKO Crossed a Line? | NEW Release SLA055J1 & SLA057J1 

Great video! I have just purchased the SLA057 from an authorised UK dealer today. RRP for a 600 unit limited edition watch being £4,100 and I paid £2,695. Over a year later, Seiko AD's still haven't been able to shift all of the watches which speaks volumes about Seiko's ambitious pricing! 😆

I think 4600 dollars is a fair price for sla055. It has a look of Lx line but with 8L35 . If as you said it should have 9s movement then it would be at the price of LX which is about 6000 dollars. By the way the 8L35 movement are more durable than the fancy hi beat 9s . Thanks everyone:)

Total emotional video of watch preference. I owned few Tudors, Tags, Omegas and a Rolex, some of the Tudors couldn't continue 3 years and the Tag just stopped working after exactly 2 years! Believe it or not, the Seikos that I own are the watches with least problems yet they are the ones that I dive with! If you love Swiss watches try not to hate other brands. I own both Swiss and Seiko's.

I got a sla057 at 3k, and for that kind of money I think it was a great buy.

Everything about this watch was making me want to purchase it. It’s thinner than the mm300. They are finally addressing everyones criticism of it. The 8L35 movement is a fantastic movement. In house movement. Very much a better movement then the eta. The dial is excellent. Seiko finishing is better than all the other watches in their price range. This watch is not as nice as an Omega or grand seiko. But it’s definitely better than an Oris, or a tudor. I can easily see it selling for this price. Except…. There is no fucking bracelet!!! Why the fuck would I buy a 4600 dollar without a bracelet. That seiko has better dial, better movement, better finish and better hands than any of those watches that you listed. It’s also a seiko design and not just a copy of someone elses design like many swiss watches are. It does not just have an ETA slapped into it. The 8L35’s that i have are more accurate than any of the ETA’s or sellita movements that i have. I would take that 8L35 over any of those. The crown action is much nicer on the seiko. Seiko asking 1200 dollars for some of their SBDC line watches with shitty sloppy 6r35 movements and misaligned everything and jingling jangling bracelets is far more irritating to me than this watch. I actually think this watch us really nice. Not as nice as say an Omega planet ocean or a sub but definitely better than an aquis or a bb58. Too Bad they didn’t make a bracelet for it. I might have been interested.

Great video. I agree with a lot of your points especially considering the value, and Seiko does need to be careful moving forwards. However I often don't buy watches based on value, but my own preferences, I don't buy to impress other but to enjoy them myself. I've recently picked up a SLA043 as my first higher end watch, no doubt I'll get some criticism off people for it, but I've always preferred the Seiko Design DNA to the Swiss watch designs and for me the SLA043 was everything I was looking for in a modern retro inspired Dive Watch. I happen to prefer it to the Tudors / Omegas / Breitlings in a similar price range. I suppose it depends on what elements of a watch you prefer, I'm all about Case Shape, Dial and Indices rather than accuracyof movement etc, I do agree that Seiko definitely need to improve their accuracy a lot more on these offerings to be taken more seriously. Keep up the great work. Regards Rosco

I have the sla043, with the 8l35 movement. It gains about 2 minutes a week. New price was £4080. I also have a tudor bb in steel and gold. New price is £4800. The tudor is more accurate, only 1 second a day , but the seiko is vastly superior in build quality. The date wheel on my tudor usually sticks on the 5th of every month , I've not had this issue with any seiko. The seiko I can wear doing anything and it still looks mint. The tudor seems to pick up scratches just wearing it around the house. There's pros and cons to any watch, but these seikos using the everbrilliant steel are basically grand seikos and are just as good in terms of build quality as omega or rolex. An omega seamaster 300, cost over 4k on a rubber strap too, but its not as good as the seiko overall. The 8L35 movement should be regulated by seiko at this price, but its still a great robust movement. I paid £2350 for my sla043 used, and for that money makes it exceptional value. Omega have inflated their prices more than seiko , for basically the same watches, but don't get the same criticism ? Rolex and tudor have done the same. Seiko are completely in house , building every component, unlike a lot of their Swiss rivals. Seiko sla models are not cheap, but they easily compete with the Swiss in terms of value for money .

Off topic but what do you think of Seiko’s 38.5 solar diver? Sapphire and starts at $299 for the sne573

Hi Guys, and Girls, I as an old Watch enthusiast can say no more than to totally agree with this, THAT'S WHY invests more in a brand that has always been in the "Silent" advertising but always delivered the same good quality as Seiko and in the last 2-3 years even better quality: "Orient", buy an Orient Triton or Kamasu, you get more than you have paid for, with Seiko, unfortunately, it is the opposite. Bought mine Orient Kamasu for a little more than a year ago and still has deviation of 6sec. a day!, hacking movement, sapphire crystal , 200m waterproof, good lumen, Made In Japan, all this I got for $ 300. I also love Seiko Dive Watches especially Turtle Prospex and Samurai models but, Seriously?, $600? for these models. As long as an Orient Neptune costs $ 150 less than "Seiko Sumo" and additionally easily "knocks all screws out" of this Seiko?, Well, it is not a difficult decision where I should invest my money.

You're the type of reviewers TGV and Mark constantly warn us about. The type of biased reviewers who review watches they've never had their hands on.

If Rolex makes people beg for their watches, why not charge insane prices for a simple Seiko diver...the whole watch market goes in a direction, which isn't great for the customer.

my favorite brand watch~~Seiko😄 Of course grand seiko is great,but it is too expensive for us to buy it,any suggestions for Presage Ocean Traveler GMT Night Blue Ref. SARF013?I want to buy this watch,but not sure is it worth about $1200？is 6r64 movement good or bad?

Love a good 👍 rant-keep them coming!

I agree 100%. I have owned the SLA025 and SLA039. I love the design and on-wrist feel of the unique mono-bloc case. But, the accuracy (+7 and +10 s/d) was ultimately the reason I sold both. It is unacceptable that a 5k USD watch is not better regulated. I will not own another Seiko high-end diver. They represent the worse value for money of any watch brand in this price range.

Is it including diashock function?

I agree, Seiko pricing is absolutely ludicrous for this watch without a high beat movement. The only Seiko I will likely purchase is a Grand Seiko with a spring drive movement, because it IS the best movement available. I predict that the Seiko in this quasi review will soon be available in a Pagani Design homage with a NH35A movement. I have numerous NH35A powered watches accurate to less than 2 seconds a day!

If you don’t like it, don’t buy it. This is a very niche product. Seiko makes something for everyone. If you feel you’re too good for Seiko then waste 10k on another brand.

Seiko fanboys will be angry lol I like the look of the Seiko 65 and 68 style divers, but it really seems like they are selling a name rather than a product now. It's almost as if they have bought into the internet hype along with the fanatics.

Totally agree with you! The problem is with Seiko you can buy very simular designs for £1000 from Seiko. You don't see Omega or Rolex gutting their brand with £1000 divers. Seiko is just doing it the other way around by gutting their brand with £4000-6000 watches and not fixing their QC issues (I have saw QC issuies on these watches already) and you hit the nail on the head with the movements!

First, Seiko's most expensive watch at the time, their grayish blue version of the 62MAS re-issue, was so priced because of the so-called "ever-brilliant" steel, a super-corrosion resistant steel comparable to what Rolex makes their Submariners out of; this SLA055/057 uses this same steel, so, It would be logical to think that is the reason for much of its price. Also, it is a very limited edition of 600 for the black one and 1,300 for the blue one. BTW, the 8L35 is used because it was specially made for dive watches, it's a lower frequency than the 9L55 for durability, but it's still much higher beat rate than, say, the 4R35/6R15 movements. So, considering past models and what you're getting, no, it's not too high a price. Is it worth it? Frankly, I don't find ANY so-called "luxury" watches to be worth their price. As a fanboy of Seiko Turtles, I prefer my SLA051 gray dial Uemara edition, but would have no problem paying for one of these if I had been a lover of the Marinemaster style line.

They seem to really be trying to force the Seiko brand upmarket. Not sure how well it will work. Collectors have a set of assumptions on what you get with Seiko and when you are moving into Grand Seiko. A casual may not care much about the movement but at this price surely this is for collectors who do know and care, yes? I do not get it.

I haven't heard any 8L35 movements being -10 or +15. On your Breitling point, I needed to have my Avenger regulated because it suddenly slowed down to -10 a day after 1 year.

Great review.

Hi Sam. Nicely done! I'm conflicted on this topic. I have a box of Seikos, but none newer than from 1985. So I get the ethos that led to them being what they are. What Swiss or German brand can claim they've done for horology what Seiko has done, with things like vertical integration and innovation? Exactly zero. So, if Seiko wants the same level of respect and honor that the Europeans get then why shouldn't they? People in the watch community accept it when a Rolex goes for thousands over MSRP, or Omega turns out yet another expensive version of the Speedmaster. Seiko deserves to be accorded this same acceptance. I also think it may be doing a disservice to dismiss people who buy these LE Seikos as FOMOs, as if their all a bunch of dimwits ready to be parted of their money? I suspect we are. So here's why I'm conflicted: their poor QC. IMO this is where Seiko fundamentally doesn't understand why, like Rodney Dangerfield, they get no respect from us. Until they figure this out and correct the problem they'll not get my dollars. But I do hope they do.

I managed to get one half price (used - mint) can't wait for it to arrive. I have seen over the last few years you can normally get at least 30 percent off most of the expensive seikos new if you wait a while I just brought the alpanist reissue for 1350 uk pounds half price form a UK jewler. I love it and it's running 1.3 seconds fast per day. Thats about the same as my King Seiko with the same movement. So maybe I am lucky with these 2. I have had 2 CW chronometers and both were 5/6 seconds a day fast just about within C.O.S.C.. and a C9 (not a chronometer) blue wich is about 20 seconds a day fast

Can’t get my knickers in a twist. The whole watch world takes the piss. Don’t see why Seiko shouldn’t join in.

I agree completely Sam. I don't have a problem with Seiko charging more for a LE watch but is this watch LE, other than price gouging. There is some more you can buy that is better quality for less. Thank you for another great video 😊👍

Not “6000 ltd edition of one 1300 of the other” as you mentioned. Rather 1300 of the 55 and 600 of the 57. You also say it’s highly unlikely you’ll get it at a discount if you’re lucky to find one at all. I found one in seconds and paid £2600 for my sla 57. They’re out there if you go digging.

7:00 seiko presage bracelets may be pins and pipes but they are beautifully finished

The difference between some of those other watches you mentioned and this Seiko is those watches will drop in value significantly and won’t be worth much in a few years. If this watch performs anything like the SLA017, it will still be worth in 3-4 years at least what someone paid initially and possibly more. This is as close to Grand Seiko as you can get without paying $8-10k for a diver. I just picked one up new for $3300 and it’s worth it to me at that price.

Spot on!!

For reference, S-eiko's P-ricing B-lows and S-eiko B-oys D-on't C-are

Totally agree Seiko has lost their mind. Why would anyone buy a seiko over $1000 when you can get a very nice Swiss or German made watch.

Right there with you. Especially when compared to swiss luxury brands. At the same time though, I'd rather have a high end Seiko than a Chritopher Ward though...not trying to be a hater. I just feel that Seiko brings more name cache than CW the way Omega does over Seiko.

You have to have them on your hand to compare not just by looking at pictures at specs online

True that Seiko is missing the mark in many people eyes from what i've been seeing online, yet their sales only seem to go up?

To be honest, I find all the Marinemaster-type watches a bit keenly priced, but this one is outrageous. Five grand for a Prospex? They're having our eyes out.

Seiko made their international reputation with well made quartz timepieces for the everyman. That reputation was well deserved. These days however, Seiko is neither fish nor fowl. With a proliferation of price points, they are a marketing managers nightmare. Meanwhile, the average mall shopper can not tell the difference between what is cheap, and supposed to be expensive.

I have no issue with this release or the price. Mm300 is 3k. There titanium watches come at a higher price point. Everbrilliant is their premium steel and placed above titanium. Plus inflation of all goods in general. This seems inline woth the watch industry in general. I do have a question, why do you find the 8L movement inferior to Swiss counterparts?

I think Seiko does this kind of thing with every tier they sell. Even for watches they only charge a couple hundred dollars for, they put Hardlex crystals on their watches when other companies charging the same price use sapphire.

Theres a shift in the playing field now. Players dominating a certain market segment have gone stale, while new brands entering the segment are taking their place Microbrands and niche boutique brands (ie halios chris ward etc) are killing seiko at the entry to mid level. With seiko floundering at higher price points On the other hand, funny enough, grand seiko and tudor (before thought to be ew and meh watches…. Because rolex jr and “why would you spend that much on a seiko)) are giving omega and rolex a run for their money at the luxury level And the nautilus watch company now Has rolex nipping at their heels, with rolex gunning to be the brand with most prestige clout and exclusivity (rolex used to be just good tool watches, while patek was the choice for bourgeoisie)

Spot on. Well reasoned analysis. Inspired a new subscription. Well done!

In my opinion this watch is for Seiko die-hard fans. I feel it is no meaning to compare some specs etc. Regarding the movement accuracy, Japanese are known for generous approach and they rather mention worst numbers than it actually is. Again, this might be pricey, but as a whole design, and level of detail - aka GS, it is absolutely fantastic piece.

Time is the most valuable commodity on the planet and you sir just overcharged me when you could literally could have made this video 2 minutes long. 😀

That Uncle Seiko bracelet is a treat to size is it not? 🤣🤣

I’m over Seiko. I’ll keep my Spring Drive Tuna, but that’s it.

I’m holding out for the Super-Fanboy Ultimate Collector’s Edition with the misaligned bezel.

This would be an interesting watch if it had springdrive in it. As it is it's not very interesting.

I will see if I can get my hands on a serious grail ⌚

I agree 200 percent 👍

Yeah, it's a crazy price. I'd rather have the Breitling, very well made and sure to be accurate. Not sure about Norquain. Don't like C Ward, they all look a bit off to me design wise. Or I'd look to Grand Seiko.

It cannot be said any better than you have said it, I agree completely. This should have been a Grand Seiko with a Grand Seiko movement. Bad decision on the part of smart people over at Seiko. It is beautiful watch for the money. Limited addition does not justify the additional price.

I agree the price is high, but who payes retail? I have this one. It is a stunning watch. The finishing on the ever brilliant steel is amazing. The dial and indices are outstanding. Yes, the movement should be regulated. Very happy withthis one. I bought this instead of a GS spring drive diver. Too bulky, and look at me watch. Not interested. I have 3 SLA ever brilliant steel divers. The055, 043, and i am wearing a 039. Also have a 049 Naomi Uemura. He rocks! I think if you shop smart , the SLA series can be great value for some real nice watches

seiko usually over states their inaccuracy-- They under-promise and over-deliver. Now on that alignment QC issue... save that for another video... :)

The strap is not unpar with the pricetag but It has a GS movement, is just not Hi-beat!! If you never had an 8L you have to know japnese ratings are understate and overdeliver all the way. In reality those movements do much better. Definetly a good price for this watch. That is basically a GS with all the hand finishing, quality, GS movement etc. Grand seiko automatic divers go for way higher price. This is practically a GS for half the price without the GS logo. The only thing you are not getting is the hi-beat but at half the price of a GS seems fair.

It's too expensive , but as some comments says around 2.5k its a bargain. I can live with that but its a beautiful watch 😊

£4100 RRP discounted to £2.5k..or Pre-owned £2k. At these prices it make more sense to

"To put a movement in it that you can get in a much cheaper watch" the Rolex YM 42 uses the same movment as the DJ36.. many brands do this

That’s nuts. I just bought my Doxa 600t Pacific LE Titanium for $2950 AUD that’s like $2100 USD 🤷🏻

Seiko is about to move up big time where there no time pieces loving them

All agreed man

Well a few years later there are still a few available, and I managed to get it for £2214 brand new from an ad which is imo a nuts deal. Funnily enough I also once owned the super ocean you mentioned and it’s silly to compare the two, the seiko is far superior in every way even at full price.

My only problem with Seiko is their refusal to regulate their fantastic 8L35 for accuracy when it leaves the factory. It’s a shame that buyers like me have to get it regulated for accuracy. Once regulated the movement is absolutely spot on . Get in with it Seiko. Rolex watches are all deadly accurate and a movement like the 8L deserves to be treated better by Seiko.

I share the same thoughts about seiko. Good entry level for beginners but as I am 4 years in this hobby, seiko disent do anything for me now. Swatch group watches are better now : QC, novelties, better movement (longer power reserve, antimagnetic etc)

Very over priced for sure but I can already order if I want for around 3200 euro grey market also it has the new ever brilliant steel case which is spec wise the thing most seiko divers don't have other than the recent blue dial LE 62mas and 6159 reissues. Would I buy it...no I instead got my sbga229 GS for less than the rrp of this new model

Relax, it’s just a watch, it’s peanut money for some, so if they want it they’ll buy it . It will probably sell out , proving it wasn’t overpriced anyway. But you’re right it doesn’t represent good value on a comparison chart . There’s far more things to stress about , I mean gave you seen the price of sprouts at the moment? 😀

it seems to have been forgotten that Seiko once almost destroyed the Swiss watch industry so don't underestimate, swiss made arrogant hypocrites...

Well it appears to be high priced and that may be an attempt to climb in pricing becaus they believe their brand is more worth. Why not, however that may be mistake. I mean what are you paying for on highly branded products like watches and champagne? You are paying for marketing. For full size 4 colour in magazines, sponsoring of F1. That is not cheap and you may wonder how much is left for marginal product qualitiy. Quality is always perceived. You may have a different opinion and that is okay

Nice rant ... but this SLA is in fact better built than a Submariner.

....seiko with their piss-poor QC have totally jumped the shark. their misaligned bezels and chapter rings and mind blowing +- 15 seconds per day accuracy ratings were fine at the $300 price point.....but at $5K?? You'd have to be a total idiot to buy one. Oh, I looked up this movement as well. Seiko is recommending a 2-3 year service interval (yea, that's more frequent than your average ETA). While it will indeed barely outperform a 7S26 it's sure as hell not worth the asking (or discounted for that matter) price.

Street price is already in the low $3k's. I picked up the 55 for $3,100 last week on ebay.

👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 Well said !!! I stand with your statements. Someone needs to tell the honest true about Seiko prices and QC issues.

Seiko's pricing has gone off the chart, for unlimited releases of limited editions as simple or lazy as just by changing the colours. Look at the recent Thailand edition of monsters which are priced at over 3 times of actual market prices of normal monster. Ridiculous! Something is very wrong with Seiko, or somebody who doesn't know the market is in charge of the product pricing. I am a Seiko fan but sorry Seiko, I have been spending my money in other brands cos your pricing does not make sense at all.

This one seriously has Sam cracked! This release is intended for those limited edition fanatics who can piss away the cash. I have found plenty of fun with Seiko in the $300-1000 range. Any more than that I see diminishing returns, unless its an LX or GS.

Great video and very true and bloody sad

Ever brilliant steel + 8L35b movement for less than 5000EUR, take my money!

They are my favorite watch brand but If you pay retail for any Seiko you’re a sucker. This watch can be had for around $3k which is exactly on par with the mm300

6k for a Seiko? Yeah right...

All the big companies, no exceptions, don’t care one bit about customers, all they care about is money. Anything they make or do, some things you may like or agree and some not, it’s all for the numbers, nothing is for you as a customer. I’m not talking about watch companies only, but all of them. Knowing this, I would assume Seiko knows what they are doing. I wouldn’t touch their overpriced stuff but at the same time I don’t feel they owe me something. I feel even worse about Rolex, 10k to 20k for an ordinary (admittedly very well made) mass produced steel watch ? Why would any horology enthusiast would buy that instead of a JLC ?

4:25 limited edition because they will make an unlimited version a year later like the 62 MAS reissue, and then they will change the dial to be fugly a year after that so the old dial “unlimited” watches will be even more collectable

Seiko is a good brand, but those prices how you say, are not justified, i was looking after a movemnet fora seiko ,the price was abot 900 euros, and the movement was at discount for 25 dollars , i was only thinking how crazy is this, selling a watch for that amount of money ant putting in such a caliber. I have to say the calibers cost normaly 250 to 300 dollars on that site they where about 25 dollars, its crazy now with watches, The same thing with rolex, those are also overpriced

£4100 RRP discounted to £2.5k..or Pre-owned £2k. At these prices it make more sense

I think you must have the watch with you to review it

This is pure limited edition bait, plain and simple. I mean clearly you will get better accuracy out of the watch than stated on the site as even my SRPD91 keeps better time than that but that is besides the point. Like you said it should have a high beat or spring drive for the price, then I could understand it.

You do rants dont lie and its always against Seiko. Change the name from Seiko to Omega and no-one would bat an eye.

Get a COSC certified Christopher Ward C60 for about $1000 . That is so funny I put this comment before you mentioned it!

8L35 is an unregulated GS movement finished at micro artist studio

Seiko are having a laugh. I love my Seikos but lately they seem to think slapping a high price on a watch instantly makes it a luxury piece. You didn't even touch on the continuing QC nonsense. You didn't have to, it's so common it's become a meme at this point.

U r right

I'll take Tudor over this all day long!

It's crazy that you have to spend over 4000$ to get a Seiko that has decent alignment LOL

One thing about these new seiko's is the somehow slimmer looking case and bezel. Looks stunnng. But at this price it should at least give it the Spring Drive movement. Then i would consider it.

i do not suscribe to all the newer seikos. i was able to get a NOS sbdx017 marinemaster with marinemaster on the dial, not the prospex "X" on the dial. seems like seiko releases a limited edition and then another next month and the month after that. not as exclusive as they make you believe

I think it's not so hard to understand. There's playing the Rolex game! Greed is eternal, and it seems to be working. There are a lot of very, very good, and respected watches for that price. Don't get mad, just don't think that is a good investment. Except for Grand Seiko, value is going to drop quickly.

If you ever owned a 8L35 before, you would know it's a hit and miss. But for that price, no thanks.

You’re only saying that because it says Seiko and disregarding all the high quality materials and craftsmanship. Some of us will gladly pay these prices. We buy for ourselves not for others.

This watch is hand made in Grand Seiko factory,nuff said!!

The price of other matters is the reason why I sold all my Seiko's and switched to Citizen!!! Seiko is not my brand anymore!!!

No arguing here, I think you nailed it. The general public doesn't care and will buy buy buy but it messes with those of us who know enough about Seiko to know what they're doing. That is why I'm not buying any Seiko for the foreseeable future. I don't support companies that have zero regard for their customers (QC, prices & now this). It won't make any difference to them but it does to me.

I heard somewhere that for this watch and only one more, which was cost 6000 $ they use special very expensive aloy and only 2 watches have it and more than half of price is case price, thats should answer your questions and peoples in comments. I have Black Bay, Oris small second and in past Omega seamaster 300 ( stolen ) and I have Seiko sla021j1 and in my opinion Marinemaster is better watch than all 3 swiss watches I know personally, my old oris will stay with me but Tudor soon will go to make place for seiko LX, I fall in love with Seiko. And I do not care at all about few second this way or other, watches already 20 years ago looses time telling function when phones landed in our hands. I have almost 30 watches and I stop measure movements years ago. And 8l35 movement is a grand seiko hand made bullet proof thing, only for some reason they didnt regulate it, all watches with this movement do not more than 5 second a day even if Seiko says 20 or something like that.