This is hands down my current favorite AliExpress Watch. I think you’re the first one to review this. That B-Roll was phenomenal, both in camera work as well as Seestern doing a great job with the details. I like it so much, I’m not even upset about the 19mm lugs or the two holes of micro adjust. Thanks for the great review!
Much appreciated man. Some watches make the Broll look easy and this is one of them. It wears so good and is proportioned so well that, like you, I'm not too bothered by the 19mm lugs...thankfully about $20 in straps has me covered for any outfit.
@@EscapeWheel bought mine in red yesterday. Couldn't find any video reviews of it at the time but saw this today and I'm even more excited now. Great work on the b-roll and video!
The Grand Seiko sbgm 221 is my grail watch, but can't afford it at this time, and when I saw this watch I jumped on it right away . It is almost identical specs wise, other then the polish, and the movement , and water resistance its perfect!!! Mine should arrive a y day now looks amazing!!! Yours is the first review of this beauty! Well done!!!😊
Beautiful watch without the huge price tag. This brand has slowly built a reputation for good quality [not superb by any means] at a reasonable price. The blue leather strap really pairs well with this timepiece.
I can't afford a Grand Seiko, so this will be my next 'attainable grail' watch. The brown and blue straps make the watch stand out even more. Good review 👍🏼
I’ve been looking for a review of this watch for the last 10 days and could only find one and it disappeared. I’m really excited about ordering this watch. I just wanted to see somebody’s professional opinion. Thank you for posting this.
A second awesome offering from Seestern. I hope they keep the name: Sugess doesn't mean anything, Seestern is German for starfish as you know, so like Sternglas it has a much more authentic ring to it than something silly like Sugess. And Seestern is an important business district in the city of Düsseldorf, Germany, some twenty miles from where I live
I agree... Sugess name and font are just nasty like so many aliexpress 'brands". Seestern actually means something (somehow related to diving) and I find the branding unique. The sea star is cool and the the Great Wave off Kanagawa case back that also includes the sea star is simply stunning! I would love if they would use it on all their watches!
I'm not usually into something like this, what I would consider a more dressy watch; but this is a real stunner. I mean, WOW, the polishing, the bracelet, the cream dial (that's supposed to be the boring one lol), the clasp, everything just looks executed perfectly. Lastly I wanted to say this watch isn't kind of a strap monster, it's absolutely a strap BEAST. Every one you showcased looked amazing. I am really blown away with what you get in this watch for only around $200. Excellent review!
I can't get over the finishing on the dial and hands, a huge step up for them. Hopefully the QA/QC is good to go and we don't get any junkers out there. Awesome review as always!
Hell yeah, I was waiting for this to get fully reviewed. John did a mini mention but no review per say. I love my seestern doxa homage so I'm now a seestern fan.
They may not be quite as sharp or refined as San Martin but they BRING IT..quality to price is hard to beat. They are pretty close to my top 3 Ali brands.
@EscapeWheel I agree so far. My san martin 6200 Vintage Diver homage is extremely well built and a little more refined in areas from the seestern 600t homage. The crown and bezel action is where I noticed the biggest difference. That and the regulation. However, my seestern did freeze outside for 5 hours in negative degree weather, so I think the movement is a bit fried. Possibly, that has resulted in some issues that I've noticed with the crown action.
For a watch paying homage to a GS with high beat movement, I’d much prefer a Miyota 9075 since it’s a 4 Hz movement. But this is a nice looking watch nonetheless. 😊
I bought the Seestern S435 (S.S., blue dial, Seagull ST2130 high beat movt) from the Surgess official store on Aliexpress about 3 months ago...and remain stunned by the quality coming out of Seestern. Terrific watch. Wearing it most days. However, I am also wearing the S446 GMT, from time to time. Bought this GMT model (with the black dial, red GMT hand) about 2 months ago, same store. Again, Seestern hit it out of the park. Quality, fit, finish...fantastic.
Thanks Steven, I bought this watch after this review and I am very happy with the purchase. It's a stunning watch at this price point. Quality of dail and crystal is next level.
Looks great on that strap, great design work from Seiko and well done homage from Seestern, I have the Seestern Doxa homage which was also quite well executed. I also own watches designed and manufactured in house, but I can appreciate a well done homage, especially if it comes in non factory colors etc. Thanks for the review.
Hunted one down after watching this video and I finally have it. Wow. This has to be an all-time favorite. Even with the small clasp, it wears so comfortably and it's such a beautiful watch to stare at. Makes me wonder if a GS is actually necessary.
the same can be said about all these homage brands. I honestly cannot see myself spending over $1K on ANY watch, let along multiple thousands. and these homage brands are killing it with giving us 90% of the experience for a small fraction of the real deal's price. it's hard to beat.
Great review as always, Steve, thanks! And I totally agree that this watch should’ve gone under Sugess not Seestern. Not a big deal of course but I’m with you on that one.
One thing I really like about some of the grand Seiko 's are some of the surface dials are really phenomenal...I kind of wish they would put a little more attention into the dial surfaces themselves. It's not just about offering lots of colors it's about really making them look complex and/or rich... Like even the enamel dials are really luxurious looking. And I just don't ever want to see another display case back on a Seiko NH30 series again!
What a great looking watch!... Love those dauphine hands. Need it to come down in price a bit more for me. I'm surprised they went with the Seestern name on this (as this is more utility watches).. rather than Sugess, which I thought was their formal style watch brand.
Great review as always Steve, thank you! I'm very happy that you reviewed this watch as I've been very interested. It really seems to be a great watch with no major negatives at all. I like the dark blue dial. Have it in my basket just finalizing my decision on color, but I'd like to buy it while it is on sale and with the free strap. Thank you again for sharing.
I'm not really sure. When side by side with other cream dials I guess it may have a very slight green tint to it...also the lighting/camera may play into that as well...hard to say. Can't say I've seen the green tint IRL when the watch is on its own.
Awesome review as usual. This dial color belongs on a brown alligator strap IMO. Can you measure the case thickness? I think you’re right that it’s around 10mm.
I scratched the crystal minorly on my GS SBGM221 and the crystal would be $500, so a whole watch for less than the cost of the crystal for the real thing haha
thanks for the review.. I have one question .. I wonder the bracelet on seesterns fits GS SBGM221 ?thinking of the cost of original bracelet of GS this bracelet can be an option I guess..
Quite nice, but there always seems to be flaw in these Ali Express watches. The bracelet brushing is both in the wrong direction in places and crudely done. Maybe buy it and put it on a strap. It looks good on the brown leather strap shown.
I think it's a beautiful copy of the Grand Seiko. But, it's a copy and I'd feel kinda weird wearing it. Especially if anyone who knows watches commented on my "Grand Seiko".
Nice review! Was waiting for this model. The gmt hand... is it not flamed blue? But still it catches light like a flamed blue. Is that possible even if it isn't flamed blue?
3 ways to do blued hands that I know of...flamed, painted, and chemical...I believe this is the chemical way...it's much too perfect to be flamed, and much too nice to be painted.
I bet they use a synthetic sapphire coating over glass just like Apple does on their camera lenses. I'd bet MOST of these Chinese watches with sapphire's are just that-a coating
I don't mind affordable watches, but I dislike it when an affordable piece outright copies the design language of another well known watch. It's like comparing apples and oranges, a Land Rover with its Chinese cousin the Land Wind. They are not the same. If you can afford it, please treat yourself to either a real Grand Seiko or another beautiful luxury watch (life's too short!). If you can't, there are plenty of affordable and ORIGINAL watch offerings (at various price points) from Casio, Citizen, Timex, Hamilton, Nomos etc.
I disagree. As long as IP rights are not infringed, from a pure legal standpoint...then go for it! I own my share of luxury watches from the likes of Rolex, Glashutte, Breitling. I also own so-called homage watches. Why? Because there are times when I absolutely do not want to wear a watch that costs in excess of $15K. When I am on international travel for business or simply walking about town...I tend to avoid the luxury watches because I value my arm more than any watch. I also tend to limit use of the luxury watches to special occasions. I used to wear the Rolex daily...especially during its first decade of ownership...but when it comes to maintenance...at $1200 a pop...I am better off limiting its use to special occasions going forward. The Glashutte, with its 39 jeweled inhouse mov't w/extra complications (power reserve, moon phase, date) is even more costly that the Rolex to maintain. As for copying...there is so much prior art with these utilitarian devices...it's an impossible argument and purely a matter of degree. For instance, I just bought a Seestern S436...which is purportedly a homage of the Glashutte SeaQ. However, the SeaQ is a homage to the GUB diver (G.O.'s East German predecessor; from the 1960's)...which was a blatant nock-off to a French-made diver from the 1960's. Who has rights to the design? At this date...the answer is that the key design elements are in the public domain.
@@jb678901 Whilst I do see your valid points, and yes it is not illegal what they are doing, I still don't like it when designers copy. From my perspective as a former Industrial Designer, I know what it feels like to have your hard work stolen by another company. I used to work for a furniture company, and a sofa I designed won the 2008 MIFF best sofa design for that year. Within a couple of months we noted there were Chinese knock off's reaching our markets, and it sucked cause I spent a good part of a year designing, prototyping, testing the design only to have someone else literally copy my work and put on the market as an inferior cheaper product even though it 'looked' similar, and used similar if not poorer materials and finishing. If I'm not wearing one of my mor precious time pieces, I wear other options, such as a Seiko Sharp Edge, a G-shock, or my Mondaine Quartz. Everyone has their own opinion on the topic. After all, there are only so many ways you can design a watch, a chair, a table, and I respect everyones choices should they want to wear fake Rolex, or a Fossil watch. ✌
@@jb678901 It seems that most watches take something from previous conservative watches, today's watches are not as original as the first versions. I am with you, the best watch is the one that matches the user.
I don't know if I'd go that far...but I sure wouldn't really appreciate the extra that goes into them...$4K for a nicer movement and better polishing and brand history? Eh 🤷
Well, to be a counterfeit, it must violate IP Rights. Feel free to show us exactly where these IP rights have been infringed. From what I can see: Trademark infringement - No Copyright infringement - N/A , no Patent infringement - No Given the magnitude of prior art and the utilitarian nature of a watch, it would be nearly impossible to claim an infringement. However, I remain all eyes and ears. Please proceed with your argument(s).
@@rioriggs3568 That's painting supporters of counterfeit goods as smart shoppers and people who buy legitimate products as chumps. The IP was STOLEN. Companies like Seiko, Rolex, Omega, etc invest millions of dollars in developing products and employing workers. They deserve to be supported by enthusiasts. If you choose to support sweatshops that produce stolen designs, you are no friend to the watch community. Be a good citizen- save your shekels and buy the real thing.
