I was about to comment that, i have no problem if Seiko wants to launch higher priced watches but they really need to make it better than a bog standard Seiko 5.
@@stonecold2176 Absolutely. The red dial on the Seiko is flat, the Kamatsu red dial is a deep cherry with sunburst. The scenario just highlights how much the Orient punches above its weight.
@@xgford94 A better deal how. Give me an example. I mean I'll give you sapphire but in a tool watch hardlex is arguably tougher. That's the reason NASA chose hesalite for the moon watch
The red dial on this Seiko watch does look really nice. I would almost buy one but like you said you can get an Orient Kamasu with Sapphire crystal for under $200. You can also get a Citizen Fujitsibo Promaster Diver with Titanium bracelet and better 9 series movement for around $600. The hour markers on the Bezel of that Citizen diver look almost exactly the same as this Seiko watch.
3 месяца назад
Thank you for sharing those great watches with countris like Argentina. We can not afford any.I am from the 40s and a collector; have seen lots of watches and never thought that 80 years after my birth watches are essentially the same...Gracias desde la congelada Patagonia, Argentina.
The hour hand looks like a kunai, one of the most famous ninja's weapons, so I think it would be better to call it ninja or shinobi instead of mini samurai.
Cool... or even something along the lines of the _'Shog-goth'_ from Lovecraft's Cthulhu Mythos! Though sounds more like Seiko is trying to imitate their competitor Citizen, with Japanese model names like the 'Tsuyosa' and 'Tsuki-yoni'.
A pretty cool mod to do since it doesn't have the cyclops is to just buy a generic smartwatch glass screen protector that they advertise as a 9 on the hardness scale and voila you're pretty much scratch proof without compromising the water resistance. If it shatters just replace it since a set of 5 costs around $7. I did this to my Casioak since I really don't like scratches and it's been scratch free for 2 years now 😂
You can get a king samurai with the same movement, sapphire crystal, ceramic bezel, and made in Japan for like $350…… or you could get this mineral crystal, Chinese Seiko for $900
When the king samurai came out it was more expensive, yes now you can get it for $350 grey market. In a year the price on these new models will begin their descent, just like every other Seiko before it.
Not a bad watch per se, but even 600 bucks seems to me a bit of a tall ask for a 4R35 and Hardlex...I got myself a Phoibos Leviathan for half that money and it scratches the "smaller Samurai" itch quite nicely methinks.
This Shogurai is a beast of its own! I for one love it! It's a beaut! If I had not just bought (and will be making payments on for a year) two Glycine Airman Purist watches, this might be on my finalist list!
I like it. It looks fantastic on your wrist with its multifaceted armour-like case and the bracelet. And I like how muted the red is actually, considering that the watch’s design is pretty loud otherwise. The colour also makes it work better as an everyday wear. The only problem for me is as someone with a 6” wrist this is still too big.
I absolutely love this watch, I hadn’t heard of it till this video and I immediately bought one in black here in England, I always loved my brother’s samurai but it was just too big for me, see this and I got straight on the case, cheers Jody 👍🏻👍🏻
9:41 Oh I love that red! I have the Save The Oceans blue Samurai - I’ve probably had it 10 years now - and I love it. But I am really interested in getting this one as a baby brother. In other words, my boat is floated.
The first thing I do when I get home is to take off my 45mm watch, so there's a lot to be said for a smaller, lighter watch. And I must say that red dial and bezel are nice.
I did a conversion of 600 Aussi dollars to USD = 405.00 USD. I think that is still too much for a crappy bracelet and hardlex crystal. Should be saphire for that price. But inflation is really bad here so I don't know if it is a good price or not. I would not pay that much for it but that is just me.
Japanese yen is very weak just now. 100 yen is just over US$0.62, and I remember when treating yen as cents was a decent approximation. But despite the weak yen it’s still expensive.
@@markiangooley I used to love Seiko watches maybe 20 years ago. I still have a couple of Seiko 5s that I got for less than 75 dollars. I will admit the bracelets were junk and one micro adjust so it would be too big or too small but for the price they were selling them, it was not hard to replace the bracelet with a better one. Back then SKX 007 was 169.00 shipped. The Padi was 250.00 shipped. My first Seiko watch was a gift from my Grandmother when I turned 16 in 1981. It was LCD digital with 5 lines of text. I remember how much I loved it. Now most Seiko watches are just too much money.
I am partial to a red dial and this one works for me, sadly as with almost all recent Seiko releases, the value doesn’t. Pressed clasp, no sapphire and a non colour matched date wheel for half a grand?
I might have called it the Mini Samurai, but it’s still on the big side. Maybe either Wakizashi or Tanto, the smaller blades carried by samurai. On the plus side, the hour markers apparently line up (otherwise Jody would have said something), so perhaps the price reflects the build quality. I’m *not* going to bellow about needing sapphire because it’s obvious that Seiko’s still holding to the philosophy that Hardlex makes better sense for a dive watch that’s going to be used as a dive watch (i.e. a scratched mineral crystal is still going to be protective compared with a shattered sapphire crystal ).
I love my Seiko’s and this red one really attracts me but for the price I’m on hold, I think I will wait for a sale or them to come up second hand on eBay. Great video as ever.
I never thought I'd say this .... *BUT* for what Seiko keeps offering, I can get that and more from San Martin for a very competitive price. I'm no longer paying extra for "name and prestige" when the overall product continues to not match in value.
Another minus to Seiko is that they don't even have an appeal card for their movements, because EVERY OTHER bozo with a microbrand has their movements in their watches too. I honestly love Seiko's design language (and the fact that they drill their lugs) but god they're such a bad deal nowadays
got my 39mm with the white dial on the 3-link "Bader" bracelet watch on amzwatch 3 weeks ago and am loving it to pieces. Absolute fantastic watch that wears super comfortable on my 6.75 inch wrist. Chose the 3-link over the 5-link bracelet for the toolless quick adjustment. Way more comfortable than my Longines Hydroconquest 41 mm.
i just picked up a san martin white dial GMT, kind of tudor bb pro, and it's spoiled me. amazing what you can get for so little money. unfortunately this seiko can't compete
@@bobmeur 😂 I recently bought the ‘living fossil’ Citizen Promaster Diver NY0084. It has milk bottles at 6 & 9 o’clock positions. On top of that, it also has the bonus - baby diaper / underpants at 12 o’clock. As a father of 2, I am wearing it with pride. 🤣
I was super hyped for this..... then I saw the new red dial tsuyosa in plain stainless steel at my old work place.... glad I saved some money lolll and got a nice looking dial
The hands, imho, are absolutely offensive. With a base movement, dull dial and no sapphire. Even at 600 this one gets a very hard pass. There is a plethora exquisite microbrands to choose from housing the NH35, which does happen to be a solid movement.
I liked the date magnifier on the King Samurai but like the new hands better as they reach all the way to the hour marker. It was easy to mistake the hour time in the dark or low light on my King Samurai white dial so I sold it.
I love Samurais. Have several. I do like the slight shift in design, and if you're going to do a date at 4:30 having the text oriented this way is definitely the best way to go. Having said all that it's underwhelming. And it is primarily because of all the other features that are endemic to this tier of Seiko: the Hardlex, the cheap clasp on what isn't really a bad bracelet otherwise, the plebeian 4R35. Seiko is just softballing it in with this one, and I'd rather spend my money on something with more pizazz. Cheers!
Just a silly price. If this was an Aragon it would have Sapphire and be less than 300 AUD. I only buy real JDM Seiko’s….. I see no point in a Chinese built watch with a Malaysian movement at the prices they want.
I love my latest watch purchase. I got myself a new Seiko Dark Manta-ray Samurai with the Sapphire crystal, ceramic bezel and stamped warranty card off eBay for $300 USD. I paired it with a slightly used Strapcode bracelet with on the fly adjustable clasp for $30 and it easily looks like a $1000 or more watch. The msrp on these new seikos is laughable. It’s a large diver but not cartoonishly large
I am so happy I got an Alpinist SARB017 back in 2017. Seiko prices seem crazy nowadays. No sapphire and not made in Japan at that price?! Beautiful watch though.
That’s a pretty underwhelming watch for $950, or even $600. Seiko is getting a little too proud of themselves these days. Hardlex, and a Malaysian movement? No thanks.
I've recently began my obsession as a watch collector. And i must say- out of all the luxury brands I've been researching, for me the amzwatch's watches are the most intriguing.
I like this red one, though overall the model line is a little underwhelming. I love the size adjustments for sure. I might consider getting this red one (at a discount, naturally) at some point. I really don't have a watch in my collection in that color range and it might be fun once in a while. There may not be a lot of buzz, but the number of views in 1 day shows there is interest.
There was a red Samurai euro only special edition "Shu-Iro" that I saw in a shop in Greece last year and I still regret not buying. This is really nice, and the dimensions are definitely much more manageable. The thickness is great. But, pressed clasp and hardlex for that money? Just criminal. You can get an Ali Express diver with better specs, an NH35, and drop a Seiko dial in it for a quarter of that money and you've got a better watch. Madness from Seiko. And that's speaking as someone who did pay RRP for an SPB297J1....
Its too expensive really but i love this watch. Seiko clearly trying to hit more mass market/ increase prices. Being sold in several uk high street shops. It is a lovely design at a great size.
Great video, very accurate analysis. In my 4.5 years in the game as a watch collector and enthusiast, I collected a lot from MaMaCoo I was thinking I was able to get a blue SD but I'm not vip enough, but I'm not giving up. Hehe. Great video.
Needs to be made in Japan and have a 6R movement, at a minimum. That is the entire point of the Prospex line, supposed to be higher tier. Looks cool but ultimately a confused watch. Try again Seiko.
I'd love to see you review the SPB315J1 slim turtle. I feel it's the ultimate seiko diver and Grandaddy of the Willard. It's a great Black Bay alternative with sapphire! I picked mine up for 500gbp from authorised dealer as probably wouldn't pay more but for that it's good value. An under the radar future classic imo
Simple... The "Ronin" Ronin is a Japanese term that can be translated to 'wave man. ' Ro means wave, and nin means man or person. The term was used to describe the masterless samurai who were constantly in flux and floating, like a wave Got to say ideal for a Japanese dive watch👍🏻 Any royalties would be appreciated or a free watch as i cant actually afford one and am sporting an early Marlin.
The problem is, from a cultural standpoint, the term “ronin” may be “cool” in Western culture, but in Japanese culture it has the sense of “drifter” or “homeless person”. Not exactly appealing terms for a marketer. One of the reasons the original Samurai got its nickname is because the original had been advertised on TV appearing on the arm of an armored Samurai underwater. The ad got associated with the watch (and future iterations), hence the nickname. Seiko models tend to derive their nicknames from buyers, not marketers. One will eventually sprout, but not necessarily the one that Seiko marketing will have in mind. (Personally, I prefer the Santoku as a nickname.)
I think it looks great but I will purchase my first Black Bay Tudor this fall with the red bezel on a jubilee bracelet to mark the end of my master's program. Thanks Jodie!
Mini Samurai will do. I think Seiko are testing the market with this offering and if successful they might do 'King' versions with sapphire crystal and ceramic bezel insert.
I find this watch to be beautiful 🤩. The Samurai and Shogun by themselves I don’t find as attracted to as this one. The dimensions seem pretty spot on to me. But for that price, I would expect at least sapphire crystal and a better bracelet.
I would call it Daimyo 大名. Shogun 将軍 is the King. Only one. Daimyo 大名 is the Lord. The Kings that rule regional country that obey to Shogun. Samurai 侍 is the Knight or the Fighter. They were all in that class.
Love the color, size, and dial/case design. Can forgive the unsigned crown and date window. Cheap clasp is a concern. Hardlex at this price is a deal breaker.
The date is upright even though it is at 4:30. Nice touch there Seiko. Next time please make the digit bigger (no cyclops), and color match with the dial.
I prefer the one wih the chapter ring. The rehaut on this doesnt look good. Least with some other seiko watches like the Spb185 there is a champfer on the crystal to sorta hide the rehaut.
