On Point! The Heimdallr Sharky Ocean Monster Review (Homage) 

Thanks!

Thanks!

Excuse me, what about the Heimdall Sharkey movement, can it be used for Diving, this watch doesn't have a certificate from PADI...?

@@orangmiskin7439 doesn't affect it much padi certified just expensive and dsnt mean much

@@orangmiskin7439 does PADI certify watches? Are you sure? I thought it is a ISO certification for dive watches. PADI probably just gets a cut for the use of its logo.

Glad you enjoyed it. How are you liking the olive version. I was tempted by that too for something different.

@@RelativeTime I really enjoy the olive. The fume dial is a good color coordination, including with that greenish lume, everything on mine (and my son's orange one too) is aligned perfectly, and it's averaging plus 3 seconds a day so far.

Yah I think those are on pre-order now. More like the 3rd and 4th gen monsters. Personally I like this one better, as it fits the nickname more.

Ended up just getting the Gen 1 Red Heimdallr Monster.

That's a pretty good price. I think you will like it.

Thanks. I'll have to check out yours. I was also temped by the fully lumed Fugu version. Or the frosted turtle, but I have enough turtles right now.

@@RelativeTime There's so many nice ones they do. I also have their bronze Turtle and a Kanagawa Great Wave as well.

@@RelativeTime I the watch yesterday in orange color, but I was thinking replacing metal straps with vintage black leather. You think it look good?

@@skeletronxxprime6277 should look good. It's hard to go wrong with leather.

Exactly! I don't know why they moved away from the aggressive look. That's where the nickname came from. Don't run from the crazy, embrace it.

LOL! I really should start releasing videos on a fixed schedule, but as it is now I just publish them right after I finish making them.

@@RelativeTime LOL I'm the same, video finished? upload

Good to know. The red one was pretty tempting, but there was something about the pvd coated bezel I liked. Plus I thought there were enough videos on the red one as it is.

I'll try and do a before and after macro comparison on the Titanium case when I put the review together. I really like the bracelet on that one, but it's stainless.

That's a good looking monster as well. I still prefer the dial style of the 2nd gen. Yet I like what they did with the case on the current monsters. The bottom shroud covers the entire crown.

@@RelativeTime it does look great...gorgeous dial and lume colour... Does the Heimdallr have the same sense of quality as the Seikos?

@@stuart150 Yes and No. I think the quality of the hardware is just as good. Yet when it comes to the design part, Seikos always seem a little more refined. Like in this instance the dial color looks great, but I think there is a little clash with the brushed hands. So maybe polished would of been a better choice. Yet I think that small loss in refinement is more then justified in the price and getting a sapphire crystal.

@@RelativeTime thanks Shane, that's really helpful, hard to argue with €125 against €589....

Ironically, Monster is Seiko's one watch where they do get things aligned regularly. The reason they usually don't have the chapter rings aligned is that they're free floating, so hard to align when casing the movement. Monster had tight tolerances for how the chapter ring fits the applied indexes, which would hold the chapter ring in position during the casing process.

That's probably the better way to go. I've had a stainless monster before, so I was more curious about the pvd coated version.

Agreed. Sometimes that's how it is with some Seikos. By the time you hear about them, prices are sky high.

Yeah, would take the plunge as well if they do that

I have an original, and it's definitely worth it!

I really like the bracelet that came with the Sea ghost. I think it's stainless though, but fantastic feel and clasp.

@@RelativeTime Hi Shane, Give it some months , like me, and perhaps the clasp stud will fall (?!) off when putting it on , as it did today. Does anyone think I should contact the seller about the guarantee? Honestly, except San Martin ( no experience of Chronos - similarly higher end Ali brand) I'm avoiding any brands that sell on Ali Express. If the watches are for beaters, or cheap try -ons for an original design - fine. I don't think giving oxygen to such brands, without caveats of q.c. control, gives one kudos.A local reputable watch repairer won't touch them either.Caveat emptor .

@@jaysterling26 Do you mean the push-button mechanism or the pin that links the two sides together? You should contact them to see what they say. The worse thing they can do is ignore you. If they get back to you let me know, I'd like to know how their customer service is.

LOL 🤣

Do you mean the dial or the bezel? I'd say the dial stands out a little more. It kind of depends on time of day.

@@RelativeTime I was thinking the dial because in the review you said it often looked black.

It really is. Heimdallr knew what they were doing with this one.

Wow... good eye. Yup it is. Had some credit with drop and since they were only going to focus on audiophile and keyboard stuff I used it on the knife. I didn't know much about it beforehand, I just $80 in credit I needed to spend on something.

That's called a lume pip. 😎

@@RelativeTime I know what a lume pip is lol! I meant the top left of the triangle appears smudged.

Thanks! I think Seiko did that with the 3rd gen, but then they went and added a cyclops.

I know what you mean. When I heard they were going to do a frost monster dial I got excited, until I realized it's only on the new ones.

@@RelativeTime lol , I saw a Gen 2 (one left) @ WalMart for $430 . Forget the reference # but was PVD with gradient orange . I was in shock 😲 🤣

@@islandterror5198 at Walmart?? Wow

That red one looks great, but I was curious about the pvd version. Who knows, maybe I'll get another.

Well in this case it's the same reason that Marc at long Island created his line SKX watches. Seiko killed off the series and he knows there is still a demand. With this one, Seiko killed off the 2nd gen monsters a while ago and toned down the look on the 3rd and 4th gens. So it's a way for those that liked that those more to get a new one. The other side of the coin is that with the homages of currently produced watches (turtles), they are using better materials. i.e. Sapphire crystal and ceramic bezels. So not only are they cheaper but offer higher quality (maybe...). As for original Chinese designs... I've seen a few. The thing is they don't always sell as well. People tend to want something different enough to stand out, but not so different that it puts them outside their comfort zone.

@@RelativeTime just to point out, that we are talking about no name chinese producer. The materials on paper dont means anything. Chinese makes a lot of knocksoff, parts that they use are questionable, even if those are Seikos calibers.

@@rutrem09 do you have this watch? What parts are "questionable" from your experience? Along with this brand, others such as San Martin, Merkur, Cronos, Steeldive, etc. all have many satisfied customers who've gotten many years of use from their purchases. Many of these owners have Seikos, TAG, Hamilton, etc. and have no issues putting these watches in their rotation as well. Why do you suggest China is not capable of producing anything of quality? I was unaware every product coming out of China is substandard to the rest of the world. As far as history, every company has to start somewhere and a few of the aforementioned have been around for some time now.

@@militaryminedid2011 China is one of the 5 biggest economy in the world , and is not acceptable anymore that they have a special green light on steeling others companys around the world designs,inovation,patents and infos, as the chinese does for years on all levels, from watches to cars, over electronics... I finally want to see their original products, designed,named, and produced in china. Those homages are just another lazy product, masked with sapphire glass on top to make u feel premium.

@@rutrem09 you also do realize China can, and does produce some of the highest quality products in the world too. I'm sure your iPhone and apple products are trash quality right? Chinese made isn't an insult, because if you pay more for the production, you'll get a higher quality product. Look up fashion and stealing, it's inherently tied to one another, dismiss it as much as you want, but watches fall under that umbrella of fashion, which makes it fair game, usually the main reason why compare that make consumers goods stick around, is high quality consistency and price for quality, with brand name also being a factor. If a different company can produce similar level of quality, listens and adapts to customers wants/demands, and have more reasonable prices, you'd be more understanding. Look at it as underwear, say you have the Calvin Klein ones, they're pretty decent quality, very well known because of the ads and media references, but they're pretty overpriced for what they are, and the name cashe isn't really there as much. Only a niche group might get it if you wear them. You find yourself at a Costco, the generic brand they have makes the same thing and it's cheaper. Realistically know one will really know what you're wearing or care, unless you're in the niche. Which isn't big at all. Same goes for watches, rarely will you run into regular people who care what you're wearing on your wrist.

I understand the point you are trying to make.. Yet it happens more often then you think. With software one famous example is Apple stole the idea for Mac OS from Microsoft. Who in turn stole it from Xerox. And as for medicine... you have Generics. Yet back to the homage point. Everyone has their own stance on that. In this case, I think a lot of people are buying these as you can't get them new anymore. The design has been dead for a few years now. So I don't think people are buying them because they can't find or afford a current Seiko. As much as Seiko doesn't have what they want anymore. Let me ask as I'm generally curious about what people think. Do you think there is ever a point where an homage is ok? Are different materials, or different colorways good enough? Or does there have to be altered design elements? What if the model has been discontinued?

Well, look up what happens in fashion, it's incredibly common (if not the whole foundation) to lift designs, and just relable it. The whole beauty industry too, most products are white label goods made from a few vendors that famous people or big companies stick their name to, and sell it. This is basically the same thing, only difference, heimdallr is improving the materials used, and lowering the price. Also, have you never been to a grocery store? There are generic brands for almost everything. Amazon rips off the best selling things, goes to their manufacturers and produces the same quality products with their name at a larger scale to lower their cost and cost to the consumer. It literally happens so much, if you look into it a little. Like store brands goods are direct copies of well selling items in the store.

I don’t see the problem. The design died years ago and I am happy to be able to get this particular look/homage

Like I said, the other issue to pay attention to is the Homage or H-factor. Of which many people have their minds already made up on. As for this specific one, the inspiration is definitely gen 2 monster. Which is no longer in production. Yet beyond that, is there a specific reference that this is an exact 1:1 on? For me personally, there is a fine line between copy and homage. Where I don't particularly feel comfortable about it if all they have done is placed their name on the dial. Here they have made their mark in choosing different color schemes, fume gradients, as well as the pvd coating. Although I can see that not being enough for some people.

Like I said. The monster design has always been rather polarizing.

Like I said at the end. The homage factor is something to consider, and most people know where they fall on that. For me personally, I much prefer it when a brand puts some of their own touches into it. Rather then just slap their name on something. Sometimes it's a fine line. I think there is also a longer conversation to be had, specifically about the recent wave of Seiko Homages. The ones that are based on no longer produced models and using improved components.

Like I said at the end. The homage factor is something to consider, and most people already know where they fall on that. I think there is also a longer conversation to be had here as well, specifically about the recent wave of Seiko Homages. The ones that are based on no longer produced models and using improved components. Like if a brand abandons a design, is it ok to pick it up and use it later on? I'd be curious to hear what people think.

@@RelativeTime I think it is definitely ok to homage discontinued models ... especially if the specs are better. Classic example Seiko Captain Willard; discontinued and hard and expensive to find. Then a series of great spec homages came out (i.e. Steeldive) then Seiko reissued it for about $1,000. They still sold because many prefer the Seiko name but value for money the reviews were pretty consistent (by almost all reviewers) praising the Steeldive Captn. Willard homage. They all had their niche and market (the originals, the homages and the Seiko reissue) and they all sold well. I also doubt that many of those who bought the Steeldive would have pony'd up the $1k to buy the Seiko reissue. So they took little market/sales away from each other.

@@karlsenula9495 In a lot of ways these are sort of "Super Homages" As most of them are close (or better with materials) in terms of quality. I've been debating making a video talking about it, or even doing a live stream/ chat. As I'm generally curious what the opinions are of the viewers.

@@RelativeTime great idea .. I'd think opinions might be pretty polarized. Those who like and can afford the originals seem to be very opposed to homages or super homages ... others who can't afford the originals or who cringe at the moans and niggles and spec issues with the originals love the homages. I'm personally torn. If I like a look I'll go with a well spec'd or better spec'd homage ... if I LOVE the look I may get the homage to start but will want and or get the original. My current watch collection is 40-45 watches for reference.

@@RelativeTime Its an interesting discussion... if I decided to start a RU-vid channel and call it "Relative Time." With the same topic of discussion, hey even use the same words but let's try a British accent or an Australian one instead... copy everything other than the accent wouldn't you feel a bit peeved if it was aired on RU-vid...wouldn't it detract from your fine output? Surely it's up to Seiko to decide if it wants to bring back older designs not others?