As someone who owns an alpinist, I agree that this watch is versatile with its elegant aesthetic yet durable build quality. It still is crazy to me that this watch has a depth rating of 200m. All this said, this watch is not versatile when it comes to pairing it with outfits. The green dial unfortunately makes it tough for me to wear it as much as I would like. Regardless, a great built watch that is a bargain for the price point.
Teddy Baldassarre Yes, this watch commands one to dress around the watch not the other way around. I think that is what has kept me from getting it in the past but it's starting to really grow on me. For the price point, it really does have a lot going for it and if they ever do discontinue selling, I'm sure the prices will climb some.
For clothing, I prefer earth tone colors, even at work. I work sales for an industrial HVAC company. While I agree the green case will not match a lot of clothing applications, in my case, a pair of jeans, paired with an earth tone shirt (company logo of course) ... this watch is absolutely perfect for me. I think it all comes from your lifestyle and personal clothing preferences. In my case, I prefer Lucky brand Jeans paired with North Face or Columbia button shirt and an awesoeme pair of Redwing boots. This Watch is a cherry on top for me. Minus the strap. I do not care for it. But watches are personal. Get what YOU love, now what everyone else does. obviously the reasons I like this watch may not to a walmart greater or a dressed up CEO that prefers a Patik or Rolex. This is my personal sweet spot that fits my lifestyle and I love it@ best of luck .
Rewatching this in 2022 and man, Jory!; you have lost weight and look great brother! Keep it up. It’s been fun spending “time” with you over the years.
Agree this Alpinist is super versatile, and actually pairs well with almost any outfit. Green is way more neutral and complementary than folks think. I've settled on burgundy/almost purplish leather, so it's become my New Orleans / Mardi Gras watch, with the bold green-gold-purplish combo.
Have to agree, Jory! I've had mine for about a week, and it's my favorite watch at the moment! I haven't replaced the supplied strap yet, but I use a deployment buckle from another watch, which makes it more tolerable. I'm gonna tart this up with a Strap Code bracelet in the coming weeks!
love your stuff Jory. A bit less "ok ciao" and "chuffed to bits" than a certain other watch channel on youtube. I've gotten into smaller watches because of you. Ordered a 37mm Orient and it should be coming in tomorrow!!
Have started the 3 watch $1000 unisex (6.75 and 6.25 wrists) with 38mm and 20mm lugs. Various straps should provide variety of looks for all three. The sport is already purchased Seiko SKX013, the EDC will be the Alpinist. The dress watch will most likely be the Hamilton silver sunburst thin line classic as the SARB035 did not quite have the look desiring. Hamilton, Timeless Classic Thin-O-Matic Auto, Men's Watch, Stainless Steel Case, Leather Strap, Swiss Mechanical Automatic (Self-Winding), H38415581 So need straps that work with black dial skx, green dial and silver sunburst (60s Mad Men look). Been looking at Barton's and Toxic. HR green polished croc? Enjoy the vids, appreciate your time in sharing the passion.
I like all the strap choices. The watch is so versatile, all you need is a strap change and you go from hiking to swimming to dinner party. I love mine. Thank you for the suggestion of the mesh.
T3 - another great video. Had as much fun watching it as you did making it. I have an Alpinist. I bought a brown leather NATO as it looked great on your wrist. Now I’m going to have to get the green NATO and the shark mesh. Cannot disagree with the title of the video - the alpinist is surely the most versatile watch in the world! Well done!
I agree it is very versatile, even this green one. The new one, white for example, it is even more versatile. But the size is 39.5mm actually, not sure why some people say it is 38mm, maybe they believe it is the same as SARB033 but it is not.
I think people dismiss the factory leather too fast, I think it's hard because it needs to he worn in, but I am used to working boots that are so hard New, they need to he worn in to be useful at all, but once worn in, they are incredibly comfortable and almost indestructible, while more mainstream boots will be comfy right out of the box, but can't last 1/4th the lifetime of a working boot. I might be wrong, but maybe it's the same with that Seiko leather. Other than that, a cordura or a 2-piece nylon for me 😜
True. There is a quick solution though. I applied two layers of a leather balm on both sides of this strap. Now it's as soft as any other genuine leather one.
Quality aside, I just don't like the style of the stock strap to begin with. I definitely feel like Seiko cut corners on the strap to make the watch itself an incredible value for the price. Which I am totally OK with since it's so easy to change straps and everything else about the watch is awesome.
I have been holding off this watch because of the polished bezel. Why didn't Seiko use a rushed bezel? Anyway it is discontinued but still available on Amazon so I will probably get it regardless because it is very attractive and I don't have a green dial in my collection. Please keep up the good work....
My Alpinist is now on a Hirsch James Dark Brown from their Performance Range. Most comfortable strap I have ever had. Meld of rubber and leather. Looks soooooo cool.
A simple way to get the best out of factory straps is to use a good leather conditioner on them. It softens the leather and protects it from moisture and exposure to the sun. My choice is Mothers Leather Conditioner. It makes a huge difference. It requires multiple applications but well worth it.
Excellent stuff 👍🏼 love all the strap suggestions. I might even go crazy and put it on a bund strap. I’m looking at some hand crafted one of kind leather stuff on Etsy. I’m also looking for a new go to watch I can wear almost everyday and for multi-purposes and this is it! I wanted a bezel for quick timing swim/jog workouts and I forgot this had an internal rotating bezel. I saw someone say this isn’t a dress watch either but I agree with you, you can definitely dress this up, don’t fear the green that’s just too conservative if you do. I would wear it in business/casual dress situations like meetings, interviews or business travel. If I was dressing for an extremely formal serious event maybe not but anything below that dress wise it would work great. The only strap observation I had and was my concern with the HR Cordura strap for swimming is if you have spring bar failure you might lose it while swimming. I would swim with the NATO as well. Great stuff again, thanks 👏🏼
My husband watches you & got me here. You have a beautiful collection. I can't wait to see the Grand Seiko. I love the Alpinist. The green is gorgeous. I love, love the mesh band. I do not like the leather with contrast stitching. The Cordura band looks awesome. I'm a fan of Seiko. From my own watches, my favorite is my Seiko SNE383 with Crown & Buckle Lizard Camo NATO. Red is my favorite color. For his birthday, hubby got the SRPB41 which looks stunning, even better than the Cocktail Time. :)
I have one, but my SARB035 is even more versatile. The cream dial goes with everything. I usually wear my 017 to work on a vintage looking brown leather with beige stitching that matches the hands. For a true outdoor look i have a tan Barton cordura strap. I do love my 017.
Went with matte black leather NATO with shiny stainless steel loops. The black leather brings out the black on the direction / compass circle inside watch & the black compliments the green dial, and the gloss stainless steel loops match the stainless steel case. Plus since it’s NATO ... don’t have to worry about loosing watch if spring bar pops off while in the woods hiking or hunting.
After much research on a budget we bought this for my son for his 18th birthday. He wasn't to impressed til I got him the jdm steel bracelet for this watch. I like it better than any other choices out there. Took a while to find one but it was worth it for us. He loves it now.
I've had the Seiko Alpinist for a couple of years. I replaced the original band with a leather ColaReb. It lasted about a year before it became unglued at the watch spring bar. Luckily, I caught the watch before it fell off my wrist. This experience made me replace it with a one-piece NATO 3-ring ballistic nylon band which I find much more comfortable to wear and much more secure. I do, however, like the look of the shark mesh bracelet that you displayed. I don't know if it's possible to make it look more dressy or classy since the Seiko Alpinist looks too "rugged" to be dressy or classy. It's like trying to turn a 4x4 pickup truck into a fast sports car. The only NEGATIVE thing that I've found with the Seiko Alpinist is that it loses about one-minute every week.
Love the Alpinist. Enjoyed seeing it on the shark mesh. But would love to see it on an army green cordura or even a desert tan cordura I think they might be fantastic
Hadley Roma is where it's at with quality. I just got a HR navy blue gator for my Hamilton Jazzmaster day date. When it comes to mid tier 90% of the time companies go cheap on the strap knowingly the new owner will swop them out. My favorite for the Alpinist? The leather nato... lol
Agreed regarding Hadley Roma quality. Did you know they have an oyster bracelet that fits the Alpinist perfectly. Screwed links but hollow end links. It's not too thick like the Strapcode offerings, wears a lot more like the OEM Seiko bracelet but doesn't cost 200, I paid less than 50 for it.
I have mine on a khaki/gold Marine Nationale stretch nato which complements the face perfectly and is so practical. The Milanese was a revelation though!
This is by far one of my dream watches. I would wear it literally everyday. Sadly, i can't find it in my country (Uruguay). Men... i just love that green dial so bad...
Jory, great video. Have been waiting for this one since you teased it. Of the four straps you recommend, I prefer the two Hadley Roma straps. To me, the green dial and gold numerals / indices call for a strap that will make them POP.. Any steel strap on the Alpinist in my opinion drowns the dial.
Hey Jory. I have tried many combinations on my Alpinist, but I finally settled on the Angus Jubilee from Stapcode/Miltat. You should try this look on for size.
I have a submariner type bracelet from strapcode. They have one in all brushed stainless, but I went with the mixed brushed stainless on the outer links and polished on the inner links. This matches the mixed brushed and polished stainless of the watch itself. I would say the resulting look is a fairly good alternative to a Rolex Milgauss (without the magnetic field resistance, of course) for 1/20 the price.
I have quite a few watches. After seeing the watch on this channel I bought one, and I also bought a Strapcode super jubilee bracelet. Now I don't feel like wearing any other watch. People notice it but can't figure out what it is. I am probably the only guy with this watch in my country. But, I also want a coated sapphire dome for it. Can I buy one somewhere? Please someone help me find one.
i love my Alpinist and i wear it as much as my speedy pro... i tried several variations but finally settles on a tan alligator leather strap. It is a phenomenal timepiece.
Great review. I have mine on a handmade leather strap by WatchGecko. I also wear it on a green ostrich HR. Summer it's nato straps. As an aside. I had heard talk of Seiko discontinuing this SARB017. I don't know if that's true or not, but have seen a few sites that are out of stock. My thoughts are that if you are on the fence about one or have been putting it off, you might want to get on before it's too late. Just a thought. Anyway, great content as always, Jory.
First of all, great mic!!! Big sound improvement. Second, i love the SARB017, beautiful watch. I would choose a cognac leather strap or the mesh. I would love to replace the inner ring with a (clean looking, like Bamford makes them) 12-hour ring for a second timezone, yeah i know it's a fieldwatch, i'm just peculiar ;-), because i'm close to the GMT timezone (+1) that's very handy
I think it's a little too thin and looks funny on the SKX. I've always called these bracelets coarse grain milanese mesh, whereas shark mesh is made of bigger metal loops that move independently and have open ends instead of bar, about 4mm thick. Those look a lot more substantial and sporty than the milanese, but still the look doesn't jive with me on either of those watches - looks great on my cushion case Citizen diver however.
Loved this video, this guy is super entertaining! And such a fan of horology I can tell I’m going to get a lot out of the other videos on this channel. Thanks for this
I own and enjoy this watch the only thing that I do not like about the watch is that it is a little small on my wrist and would enjoy it more if it was a true 39 or 40mm.
This watch seems to hold its value well despite the new Prospex version. I think I'd kep the old strap in the box in a closet somewhere. That being said I think it looks very sharp on the leather or Jubilee.
Hey Jory, thanks again for a very entertaining an informative video! I've been with your channel since the beginning (awful audio :( ) and watched almost all of your videos. I Just wanted to say thank you for your passion for watches an your youtube channel! For todays video I have to say that i really like the Sarb017. It really looks amazing an the quality is there. I'm a bit sad you didn't show it on the oyster bracelet from strapcode, which would have been my favourite choice. But I know you're not the "mainstream" guy, so you chose the sharkmesh instead. But is the Alpinist the most versatile watch? I don't agree. Sorry! Every day when I open my watchbox and try to decide which one I'm going to wear, there's always one watch I stop and consider wearing it. No matter what I'll be doing that day. And it is the Seiko Sarb033! I think you can understand ;) Greetings from Germany!
I also own an 017 and wear it all the time it is awesome. I am looking for an equally versatile and robust piece but with a white or cream dial....any suggestions?
Needed a brown sting ray but I liked the brown leather one you showed. I liked the color of the NATO but the extra length the shows gives a bulky look, the black strap looked ok but if you could get that in the NATO green it would be cool. I could not get used to the straight metal bar on the mesh bracelet, the Rolex bands would have been good to see. The watch is on my list now
MrJamescord Check out TGV's The Urban Gentry video on ways to wear a NATO or Zulu strap. You can lose the bulk on a NATO if you use one of his methods.
