Seiko vs Citizen - Which Attainable Japanese Automatic Diver Is Right For You? 

As a Citizen fan, I'll hold my hands up to bias. Here in the UK, Citizen watches are consistently cheaper than Seiko who have a poor reputation here for QC. One point you don't mention is warranty, Citizen has a 5 year warranty extended to 6 if registered online. That is a lott of peace of mind compared to Seiko's 2 year warranty. Teddy, enjoyable video as usual, Happy Holidays Watch needs!

I scored a brand new Seiko Prospex Special Edition PADI for $49 at Clothing Warehouse. What a great day that was!

Heritage... Citizen won my heart over with their Challenge Diver barnacle story (watch found in the ocean, encrusted with overgrown barnacles... still worked. Reissued it too from recollection.)

I was a little ambivalent on the Fugu and thought it was a little too aggresive but a nice lady on a plane complimented me on the Fugu so now the Fugu is my daily.

Thank you Teddy for measuring the DIAL! That should be part of EVERY review, not just the case. Addresses legibility. I have and love both of these.

I want to thank you for a great video comparing these two. I'm a big Citizen fan and both companies offer fantastic diver options. One thing you mention that I think gets overlooked is Citizen lume. I have watches from the late 1990's that still have lume when newer watches have gone dark. Have a great Christmas everyone!

I just picked up a Promaster because although I think Seiko makes some great dive watches, that's what everyone seems to be wearing. I'd rather be the odd man out wearing my Citizen with the quirky left side crown.

I rotate between a 41mm DJ with a customized dial i had made and a 1/999 JDM exclusive pepsi fugu. Love both of them, the day date and timing bezel are just handy functions to have wether you dive or not.

Enjoyed the head-to-head video format. More like it please.

Have both, wear both, love both. I feel like lately Citizen has been working harder to put more value per dollar into their watches, and are definitely putting more resources into their QC as Seiko has entered a period of laziness almost. Both watches rule though. It’s interesting to hear that lots of real divers, and especially US special operations units, choose not only to wear Citizen but it’s mostly the Eco Drive Promasters. One less thing to go wrong I reckon.

Recently picked up a Seiko spb317 and I have to say they really knocked it out of the park with that model! Wearability is bang on with nice vintage skin diver looks to boot!

Citizen is and should have been the clear winner. Hands down!

I'll go with the Citizen here; I just like the look of it better. When I was looking for a dive watch, I went to get a Sieko as that is what you do, but ended up with the Citizen Promaster Aqualand. Great watch and the Eco-Drive is fantastic. But out of these two automatic watches, I just like the Citizen better.

It was obvious from the outset you were going to choose the Seiko, but as you did note, they are very close in pretty much all categories. Since either will serve well -- arguably equally well -- it comes down to personal preference.

Teddy, very thorough assessment very thought provoking! Thank You!

Very fair review Teddy. Merry Christmas!

7:26 should be enough reason to go with Citizen. My citizen bezels actually line up. (For seiko, you just have to goto the store/AD to check the QC yourself before purcashing)

I could see this "vs." series becoming a big deal for this channel. Great video! Interested to hear whether the Orient Kamasu would spoil the party here?

At the same price points, my Citizens are a step above the Seiko's but the Seiko has a crazy strong following. You are buying into a brand with Seiko, you are buying a better watch with Citizen.

I actually do scuba diving, and for me, functionality was top priority. I wanted an automatic, but I ended up with a few things that stuck out to me with the Citizen I bought. I ended up getting the eco drive promaster with the bracelet, which I had to get from Italy because it wasn't sold in the USA, because it was relatively inexpensive for a first nice dice watch, the skx was stupidly overpriced (discontinued), the bracelet had a ratcheting dive extension which I use daily just because my wrists swell sometimes when I exercise and get hot and I don't like a lot of play(plus for diving), and the lume is great. It does fall off kinda fast, but in a dark room in the middle of the night (just as it would be diving deep or in low light) it has just enough brightness that I can tell relative time. Plus I hate the light pip on the seconds hand being reversed to the balance side like on most seiko watches. Like, I get that it's an ocd thing for me, but that is half a minute off in the dark when it doesn't need to be. Like I said, it's my quirk, but I really do hate it. So I went out for an auto and got a solar quartz for function. I still want an auto, but the Fugu has a far inferior bracelet to the solar quartz even though it (used to) cost a lot more. I do like having a nice looking watch, but in the circle of people I am around function matters a bit more than just style, and the Citizen does both. P. S. Seiko 5 "dive style" is a joke and people should boycott that overpriced junk because seiko is ripping people off for less function and they know it. Maybe I'll buy "the barnacle" next.

I have both. It is the best way to enjoy the positive of both brands. I am in the Uk and agree that citizens are usually more affordable and with a greater warranty. I love both

Hello Teddy, I really appreciate your posts. I've been hooked since your Vostok video 18 months ago. You do a great service. Thank you. Seasons greetings. Mark.

I stumbled upon this video today and I am so pleased to read all the comments supporting Citizen. They are so good for the value they provide. Also, I am in favour of Ecodrive/Quartz as compared to an automatic. I am going to buy my first Citizen (Super Titanium bracelet) soon. 😊

I bought one of the red-bezel Fugu Citizens a year ago to give away to a customer. It's very nice--but quite big on my spindly wrist. IMO it could really use drilled lugs. I wish they would introduce a series of smaller, classic-sized divers--about 38-39mm would be nice. I have a very old Citizen diver about that size (I've heard it called the "baby diver"), but I would never get it wet. It's pretty old and been rebuilt a couple of times, I'd guess. Citizen has better QC and manufacturing perhaps because of their world-class status in machine tool building. They are the world's number one in their (niche) market of CNC swiss turning lathes, so within the company they perhaps consult between divisions for best practices in machining, tolerance and QC. I've always been amazed at the quality per price of Citizen watches, even the cheap ones.

Teddy, more comparisons please! Loved the video

Perfect comparison. And I just bought that exact Fugu. Great stuff

Hi Teddy, thanks for an excellent comparo. I own both makes, but I do have more Seiko models. Now that you are a Seiko Dealer - you will certainly have many watches to review and compare. Cheers mate.

I bought a Seiko Turtle about a year ago. It's rekindled my love of watches. I bought it because I love the heritage of the Captain Willard watch and the Turtle looks pretty damn close to a Willard.

I’m just about to relax,have a cup of tea and watch this video. This better be good 🎉🎉🎉

I'm glad to see Citizen featured here. I recently bought my first Citizen, a Promaster Land Titanium. I liked the photos online, the size was right for my arm, and I thought I'd try an EcoDrive as an alternative to my mostly automatic collection. I was really impressed. It seems nicely finished, the dial is very attractive (blue), sapphire crystal, and to me a great bracelet. I did have to order it from overseas, but it only ran a bit over $400 USD. I still need to have the bracelet adjusted so I've had the box propped up in its case to stay charged. I check daily and it's still in sync with the time on my computer. I'm sure others have, like myself, associated Citizen watches as being inexpensive watches sold in the big box stores, but found that like Seiko, they have a range on watches that top out in the high 4-digit range. All things said, I still think Seiko has the best dial designs across their lines, from Seiko 5 to the Grand Seikos.

I've had the dark blue manta seiko turtle for a year. The 4R36 is great movement. It hacks and just goes. Put a Nato or a bracelet on and it's a new watch. Put eggs on a boil and set the dive bezel. It's a great everyday watch. King turtle has sapphire crystal.

Great breakdown - thanks, man...

good stuff teddy im a citizen fan but i also have seiko sweet vid keep doing ones like this :)))

Great video! I'd love to see more of these types of videos for sure. I'd personally go with the Citizen, because I simply don't like Turtle cases.

i want to learn how to work on automatics but didn't want to spend a lot to learn. so, about 7 years ago i started looking on Ebey for automatic watches and found 80s Seiko and Citizens for cheap. even today u can get either watch from 80s for 20 to 40 a watch running. even cheaper not running. they are prolly the easiest autos to learn. then u can move up in price and movement complexity. iv mixed and match them missing around. i still can't believe u can go to Ebey and get an 80s Citizen or Seiko auto that looks damn near new for as little as 35 bucks. gold platted even.. lol.. thank u sir for all the time u spend making us these videos.

Do more videos like such amazing stats and true comparison !

I would love to see a video series that put together a solid three watch collection from different brands. Perhaps starting at the affordable end with Citizen, Seiko, and Tissot by providing a Sport/Dive, Dress, and Field/Everyday option within each brand.

I've loved Citizen every since I used to look at them in the Jc Penny catalog as a kid in the 1980s

Would take the Citizen every day of the week. Better quality control, less expensive, way better warranty and I actually like the design more. But ultimately I wouldn't go for either but for a ProMaster with Eco Drive. Keeps time reliably for decades, no fiddling when not having worn it for a few days, really nice and slim and super affordable. My uncles were avid divers back in their day and they all wore Citizens, so I grew up with them around and they to me just are the quintessential Dive watch. Little fun anecdote, when getting a tattoo last year I had my ProMaster on and was asked if I dive by another customer in the shop as her dive instructor has the same watch.

I just bought my first dive watch. It was the Seiko 5 Sport or the Citizen Promaster. I went with Citizen. I love the Eco Drive and the watch was significantly thinner. I will however get an aftermarket metal bracelet in the future to have an option to change from the rubber band when I want. I am thinking about picking up the Seiko Turtle, as it is beginning to grow on me and I love the blue/red bezel. Thanks for these videos. I am new to watches and will never afford a luxury brand, but can see by watching you there are plenty of fantastic options out there for a great price. Looking at the Seiko Presage with the frosted blue face too. So nice. Merry Christmas.

My citizen is 7 years old and has kept nearly perfect time ever since.

Fun video! Teddy, consider making this a recurring segment. With that said, I disagree giving Seiko the price category because it’s cheaper for two reasons: 1) the movement in the Citizen is objectively better given the deviation specs, and 2) you’re getting a sapphire crystal on the Citizen. So you’re just getting MORE watch and therefore the price point differs. Keep up the good work 👍

Totally agree, but take a look at the new Fugu black custom face with yellow chapter ring. I love it but will at some point get the Seiko Turtle as well. I also have the Seiko King Samuri with white face. Would love to have the black face also. Excellent comparison video.

Great Video! Have you thought of making a video comparing seiko and it's swiss competitor Tissot?

I own the discontinued SRP789 coke bezel Turtle. I don't know how I got that lucky, but the bezel has 0 play and aligns perfectly.

I clicked on your link to the Seiko, and looking at the PADI model, it first shows it has a sapphire in the overview section but further down under case shows Hardlex. Anyway, I bought the green Citizen Fugu a few weeks ago ($420US if I recall) - after years ignoring Citizen and sticking to Swiss watches…I’m very impressed. The more I look at it and wear it, the more I appreciate it. For the money, I think it offers maybe even better value then my quartz Tissots. The lume is incredible. It lasts through the night and is as bright as my Luminox. I might pick up a Seiko at some point, but I’m really glad I got this Citizen. One thing about the green - it can look black (bezel and dial) if not in real good light. Once in the sun the dial has a real nice green metallic look. I like how it does that, but some may want it to be a “definite” green all the time. Great video.

Hi Teddy after the your video I bought a citizen Ny0100 titanium 😅 between the Seiko and citizen

My first watch is a citizen solar-powered model. 10yrs later still is fine, as compare to my seiko gshock TAG have issues.

New to the channel and binging all your vids.. just scooped up my first big boy watch and went with the 44mm speedy. Looking for my next pickup. Wandering if you can review the tag Carrera 02. I know tag has been getting allot of hate, but with the good looks and new movement was wandering your thoughts

Both great watches. I love Citizen, especially their Eco-Drive watches and I own quite a few. The Fugu is excellent but I went for the more retro 70s style of the Turtle (the King Turtle which is a little more money). Good video. I like your comparison videos.

I was surprised when for the first time I handled a Seiko Prospex as to how cheap it felt compared to a Citizen Ecodrive with similar pricing.

The biggest thing about Loom is that it depends on a. The light exposure of the Loom itself, hence why hands usually glow better because they can be lit from the bottom side with Reflections from the dial, and then also how thick the loom is. The thicker it is the more light it can Emit and for longer. Because by the time it gets down to let's say 10% brightness, there's just physically more light coming out and it might look more like a thinner piece of loom at 50% brightness.

I was not aware of a lot of this information!

Teddy, can you please do a video about the best practices (how, when, where, etc.) for selling a used watch. Thanks!

My Turtle's chapter ring is a smidge out, it still bugs me after 5 years. But this watch is great and every time I see mine (never seen anyone else with one), I'm glad that I got the watch I wanted as a kid.

Teddy- I'm new to your videos but I really appreciate them and find them very informative and useful! I'm sure you must receive many requests to cover brands, but I'd love a review of the best pieces from microbrands, like Baltic, Farer, Boldr etc. (I have the Boldr Expedition 1- 2022 release and I'd love to hear your take on the company/watch!!)

Hi Teddy. Love your vids. What do you think of the Bell & Ross BR- X5 ice blue

I tried on the Fugu at the mall. It had the green dial. I almost bought it but then I also need to try a Seiko divers before I decide.

I have both watches but if I really had to pick one it would be the citizen it keeps excellent time it's rugged and it looks and feels smaller on my wrist

Great Video Teddy ! Do you plan on speaking about upcoming Japanese brand Minase soon ? 🤩

Im happy with both brands also have a lot of Adina watches from Australia.

Outstanding video

Love them both that said when I passed advanced open water I was gifted a Citizen NY0040 from a gent who was a commercial diver he told me Seikos are pretty but Citizens just work

I'm loving what Citizen has been doing with their designs and the feel of the watches. Definitely a fan and have been adding Citizen pieces to my rotation

Could you do a comparison of Seiko Solar vs. Citizen eco drive?

Hey Teddy! can you please do a comparison video between Oris rectangular, Longines DolceVita and FC classic rectangle watches. Thank you

Citizen for me! Reliable and can handle the tough life of my diving job.

I just bought seiko watch today and I've got additional 20% discount.. feeling Happy 😊

The alignment on my Turtle was fine, but i did buy it in a store and checked before I walked out.

Think I would have to go with the Citizens. Case, and some details I just find more appealing.

Don’t have the turtle, but I have the Seiko 5 diver which is pretty similar. Can’t talk on the Citizen, but I love the Seiko. Great watch

Teddy, could you do a video on best pvd coated watches?

I've a citizen eco drive perpetual 8700 nearly 15 years.....Still perfect time keeping and looks fantastic....citizen all day for me although seiko are fantastic value also. Grand seiko= dream watch

One greatest advwntage of the turtle is that has curved edges casing design, thus wont bite your hand if you have to bend your wrists. I have seen people wearing the turtle in the gyms doing intensive pushups with no problem at all. Very comfy to wear.

I'd say get them both you can't loose 👍

I don't want to jinx it guys but so far my king turtle is super accurate at maybe loss of 1-2 a day. I leave is crown up overnight and it seems to keep it at about that rate for a week or two. I'm REALLY picky about accuracy (I really should buy quartz more than I do) and often reset my autos every few days but this one I am super impressed with. Both look like lovely divers btw.

wonderful video !!!!!!

Great video. The fact that Citizen operates most of their watches on Eco-Drive makes it the clear winner for me. There is a very high risk in compromising the waterproof integrity of watch if you change the battery. Also even though there has been massive inflation in the world these past two years, the price of the citizen watch is now between $350 to $450.

Could you cover Gorilla watches? I'm so intrigued by them but have very little knowledge of them.

As a Seikoholic I've always given credit to Citizen. I haven't owned any Citizen watches (not yet) but I do have many microbrand watches using Miyota movements.

I personally prefer Citizen’s lineup on whole & some of their EcoDrive offerings in particular. Both brands offer great value.

I'm an authorized dealer for both in georgia and I prefer the seiko samurai over the seiko turtle and the citizen fugu

Thank you for your content. I need some insight. I presently have Rolex Sub , Rolex Airking, Cartier Tank, Grand Seiko sbgr055. I’ve been undecided for four months on a 5th watch. Can’t decide between GO Seaq or Blancpain bathyscape. Like both but can only afford one. Any thoughts?

Well done 👍

Thanks

Great video...

Curious to a match up in the same brand. The OG Heritage Analog G-Shock AWM-500 vs the Ever so Popular CasiOak GMB-2100.

Teddy please bring back the Watch Anthem, it's epic and people love it.

My Seiko SARB collection is my go to, especially my 037. My Rolex Explorer sits in the safe 🤦🏻‍♂️. Love Seiko!!

I've got that citizen. The bezel is great, the crown action is superb and I love the lume but the crystal needs ar otherwise it's just irritating and 44 is pretty big. Also the keepers on the strap wouldn't let the strap through and it pinched like mad. I've not got that seiko but I've got the seiko mini turtle at double the cost. Crystal has superb ar and the movement is better. Strap is heavy, bezel action is ok. If I could mix the two I would.

I'm probably in the minority because it's always talked about but I'd love to see more videos focussed on citizen and seiko especially their less talked about watches as both offer some very unique dials utilizing some great complications (citizen specifically)

I’ve been wearing a Seiko on my wrist, going all the way back to my pre-teen years….love Seiko, but Citizen is really winning my heart over….I now own more Citizen than Seiko…..LOVE my FUGU, even though I’m a big “turtle” fan….. I would love to see more information out there on Citizen….

I didn't have to make a choice between them. I got myself King Samurai, King Turtle, NY0040 full loom with 8204, and NY0040 blue sunburst with 8204. I love both watch companies.

Saw the lume totally different. Also the price in Europe is cheaper for the Citizen. And as for heritage I'd give it to Citizen. Their ny0040 has served in the Italian Navy, and most divers do wear Citizens. Looking forward to buy my NY0150

I have a Seiko 5 and a Citizen Pro Diver (quartz). I like them both but I give the nod to Seiko.

Love the lum on my Seiko, but can't understand why they put lum on the back of the second hand? Rather confusing at night.

teddy please review the new longines green dial spirit zulu time

Whats better Citizen, Bulova, Orient ,Seiko ? Thinking of buying my 1st watch soon..

Citizen is a great brand. Have one right now and it's my best watch ever

Hello! I wandering what to choose between Seiko SPB103J1 and Citizen NY0151-59X. What is your advice?