Seestern S434 review. A homage of the Glashutte SeaQ... or is it? 

Thanks. I agonised over the black or blue for about half an hour. The black and gold will be awesome going by how the blue looks.

Thank you for watching Clay.

Looking forward to the comparison. If Wolbrook indeed is using Chinese Parts, I would assume the quality will be very similar. Interesting indeed.

@@adk7962 the Wolbrook is very nice. I wasn't expecting it to be, but it's very nice. Nicer than the San Martin Sea Q I reviewed a while back in nearly every way

Cheers. I haven't had hands-on with the Wolbrook, so I avoided any direct comparison. I take it you've got a Seestern on the way. Look forward to seeing the comparison.

@@EscapeWheel Wow. Nicer than the San Martin. That’s saying something. Then I would say it’s definitely worth the asking price.

I also just recently picked up a Wolbrook. Not so much bought into the heritage as the movement and fine-tuning that was promised with the Wolbrook version. They promised a -15/+15 per day range and I’m happy to report only averaging +9 sec/day. Which in my book is pretty good considering Omega will tolerate up to +5. Miyota wouldn’t be my first choice but it’s been solid. Also better choices in a vintage aesthetic from Wolbrook. Went with the green indices/numerals and was very pleased. Enjoyed this review from a comparison standpoint, very thorough. Cheers!

Cheers. Thanks for watching.

Hi, I've been wearing it on the fabric strap myself, shame as the bracelet is nicely made, and usually on the fly adjustment is a godsend. Best on the fly I've come across was on the bracelet to an Omega Seamaster Master Co-axial perfect fit every time. It's still a bit luck of the draw with movements in watches from Aliexpress/chinese brands, whether they are gritty or smooth. They definitely used loctite on the screws. I see what you're saying about the batons. Good eye. Thanks for watching.

Awesome and nice to hear they've added an on the fly clasp.

It's a great watch. I've just seen that it's going to be $150 in the anniversary sale. Well worth it.

Cheers, thanks for the sub.

Got to admit when I first read this, I thought it said Unicorn. I was trying to grapple with the meaning, then realised it was Unicron, ha.

@@thewristwatchnewschannel But that would be my kind of unicorn for sure.

Thank you for the kind comment.

@@thewristwatchnewschannel Thanks for your reply. Credit where credit is due. You have a natural talent for this and your delivery is spot on. A refreshing change to other reviewers who are less than interesting, shall we say! 😉

Appreciate it. It's great to know someone likes my ramblings, ha.

Thanks for watching.

Thanks. I had a hard time choosing between the black/g and blue/g. Looking forward to seeing the black/g. Escapewheel watch reviews has got one coming in not sure if it's the black/g but he's got a wolbrook so it will be interesting to see a side by side comparison. It will be worth checking out for sure.

Thanks for watching. I believe the V3 has had a few more visual upgrades other than the larger crown. Better finishing, etc, you should be very happy.

That's interesting. I didn't know that about Doxa. I'll have to do a bit of research on them. Cheers.

Thanks for watching. If you haven't bought one, keep an eye out for my giveaway video as when I hit a 1000 subs, I plan on giving away the S434.

Thanks.

You should already have black dial watch with "golden" details by now. So many brands to get that.

Thanks for the insight into the personal attention. That's something I hadn't thought of at the time.

Thanks for the comment. I think if companies were completely clear about how much of their watches were chinese made a lot of people would be shocked.

It's a great watch. The subscriber giveaway video will be up tomorrow if you fancy having a punt.

im hesitating to buy the s434 because usually seestern revised their products. hope they release one with box sapphire for the v2

Cheers. Thanks for watching.

Thanks! 😀

They haven't released it as a V2 as I think it's the only change, but if you buy an S434 now, it comes with a bigger crown. Still has the 'S' on it, unfortunately.

Glad you like them!

@@thewristwatchnewschannel absolutely! You are one of the best out there!

Ha, not quite, but I really appreciate the comment.

The Sugess logo would have definitely suited the style of the watch better especially the gold variants. 👍

Definitely, either half links or a finer adjustment in the on the fly. I had an Omega Seamaster Master Co-axial for a while, which had on the fly micro adjustment, and it had such a fine adjustment, I could get an exact fit no matter what.

@@thewristwatchnewschannel that’s fair. 4 points isn’t enough by itself. 6 would do it though, but then your clasp is longer which can get uncomfortable.

Another commenter advised me of the Doxa issue. I've been doing a bit of research since. Now owned by the Jenny company who tried to put out their own line of Jenny branded watches, which were doxa styled from what I've seen but didn't take off, then found success by purchasing doxa itself and gaining that needed 'Heritage'. Very intriguing.

Thanks. A few commenters advised me to look into Doxa. The Doxa name was bought by the Jennny company, and from what I've been able to find, it was just the name and access to the back catalogue that was bought just like Wolbrook. Doxa ceased trading in 1980, and then the Jenny family resurrected it in 1997. I see many reviewers touting Doxas heritage as a positive during reviews, but is it really true heritage when there's been a 17-year gap with a completely different company picking up the name.

@@thewristwatchnewschannel good to know! Now as you laid down to facts it seems to be the same for Doxa up as any other defunct watch maker. Doxa, however enjoys much more respect

Thanks for watching.

Cheers. Thanks for watching.

Exactly,and Doxa states they “are not a watch manufacturer”.They barely meet the requirements to be called “Swiss Made”.A Seestern Sob600T etc or the S434 are 90% of the watch they are homaging.

How comes people criticize companies such as Pagani Design / San Martin etc. for copying watches when larger companies like Seiko and citizen have been "influenced" by more luxury designs for years. And this model is literally a homage of tissot prx. Seiko has been copying rolex gmts, daytona in their recent Speedtimer chrono. Every brand does it but if a chinese brand does it its bad. They're literally giving a Nh34 gmt for 50 pounds with a sapphire crystal 100m water resistant and then u look at seiko's GMT no sapphire chunky and misaligned dial for 350 pounds. People who still think that brand like seiko and citizen are bang for the buck are either blind or doesn't even know shet about watches.

Cheers. Nope, no sharpness.

Nice watch the Lausanne. Over £10,000 dollars is a heck of a stretch for the SeaQ.

Thanks for watching.

Yes, bigger crown and a few other subtle changes on the v2 think they're on v3 or maybe even 4 now.

San Martin is my fav

You're absolutely right. I haven't had hands-on with the wolbrook to make direct comparison. Escape wheel watch reviews just messaged and advised he's got a wolbrook to compare it will be well worth watching his review when it comes out.

For a reason that I do not know, just from the images on screen, the Wolbrook looks more fitting to 2024.

It's the pinion of the Seiko NH35 it's taller than other movements, so nessatates a larger gap between the dial and the crystal to accommodate the pinion, especially if double domed is being used.

Oh, I am delighted to learn this. Per my observation, there are some watch enthusiasts, particularly those in the retail, re-sale or vintage business, who start with the dollar price of a watch and from there decide on its value or quality. So I learned from them this week that the gap from dial to glass was an indicator of a cheap watch. I heard this in a review of Invicta divers. I am not at all an Invicta-stan or detractor; I have never touched one. Nor am I a watch expert at all. But I had a sense that the reviewer was grasping for reasons to hate it when what he detests is its price. (Many may also dislike the company's garish watches, sales tactics, & the owners' use of their wealth but that is something else.) And then I started looking around at watches like Marathon's and saw quite a gap from dial to crystal. And I saw the same reviewer praise a watch from a cool micro-brand (probably another that uses the Seiko NH35) that also has such depth. Being from Los Angeles, I know how hard it can be to assess value when price and social class taste are pushing in the other direction, so I can't be too critical of the reviewer. But I am so happy to have this bit of info. The movement seems to rule so much else in watch design. @@thewristwatchnewschannel

You'll find a lot of inconsistencies with reviews, especially if the reviewer is being paid. The NH35 made it possible for a lot of these chinese brands to get going. Back in the day, a Loreo was considered good quality as a chinese brand. Now, the likes of San Martin are knocking on the door of the Swiss entry-level brands and in many technical ways, surpassing quite a few. Invicta is not for me more because of the designs rather than anything else.

Oh, I want to add that after your review I was curious about Wolbrook's ownership. It seems like it is Clinton Watch Co. So I fell into that rabbit hole and tried to learn something about them. I did not really succeed. Clinton was once a very well-known brand in the US. The watch-assembling founders had emigrated from Kiev to Chicago after the Russian Revolution and there started the company; their relatives started Marathon. At one point they owned Belrus. Now some finance guys are teaming with Bulova people to try to revive Belrus and they seem to have some nice designs.... Looking at Invicta & some other names on Jomashop site, all based in Hollywood, Florida (Florida and Utah are states known to be home to many scurrilous firms) and looking at the many watch brands of a company called Resultsco, I am wondering if there is something about the watch business that lends itself to dark operators. Do you know if anyone is vlogging or writing about this subject?

Could the problem be blue dial with blue AR?. The Octopus Kraken had a matt dial. I had an Omega AT with a blue dial and clear AR for a while. I never experienced that washout. Quality of AR/Crystal, maybe?

Cheers for comment. Unfortunately, I can only film in a small box room or the kitchen, which is why I started with the WNC background. I'd appreciate any suggestions that could be better, though.

I getcha. Its different. But I think even a small area with the right lighting would be better. Just my opinion, the content is great and better than most. Cheers! @@thewristwatchnewschannel

Justify it however you want but you know that these are knockoffs of the real thing. No different than wearing a Rolex homage or a Chinese lookalike iPhone.

Wales

I lost love for many Swiss entry-level brands as well. When I discovered the quality you can get from the Chinese manufacturers. Having 'Swiss made' on the dial doesn't mean much if the watch isn't as good.

What movement would you have preferred?

@@thewristwatchnewschannel PT5000 at least

Oes.

Ha, apologies.

Ha, thanks, Seesten, unfortunately, is the least of my pronunciation worries.

@@thewristwatchnewschannel easy to improve your skills: before shooting a video just take your time to check out the right formula in french, italian, german, russian, japanese or anything else just finding the right original sources of the maison horologère! 😎 No more BLANPAAAN, PÈNERAI, LENG AND SON etc... 🤣😇😵‍💫

I hope to review more microbrands and established brands in the future. My current financial situation dictates what I can review. IMO, homages have their place within the watchspace ecosystem. Always have, always will. Not sure if you watched the video. One of my points made was that Glashuttes design came out after Wolbrook back in the 60s as Wolbrook released their skindiver in the early 60s where as Glashutte in 1969. Glasutte's Sea Q is based on that design from the 69, so you could say it's a homage.

Wouldn't a fake have a fake label on it?

just because a manufacturer puts their own logo on a fake doesn't change the fact that it remains a fake

Levi Strauss invented blue jeans. Are the thousands of other blue jean brands just fake Levis?