The discontinued Alpinist SARB017 is a special watch, but buying one these days can be a mine field. Well, I stepped on one. Join the best online community for talking watches: WatchCrunch.com
Dude right before I was about to click buy on this watch your video came up on my youtube feeds. I am so grateful to you for putting this together. Definitely helped me better evaluate the watch in the pictures prior to making the purchase. Appreciate you man and your honesty.
We appreciate this honest video! I have been getting into the journey of collecting Seiko Alpinists and this is a quick reality check for me to avoid pains in the future.
I bought my SARB017 at the start of 2020 for £375 and remember at the time I had thought about it for months but not pulled the trigger. At the time it was a lot of money for me but I'm so glad I finally did and although I have a couple of much more expensive watches now, it's still the one I get the most excited about every time I check the time. It's also the watch that, for better or worse, got me into Grand Seiko. I'm sorry to hear your repurchase ended on a sour note. That gold tone on the other hand, that's a beauty!
Your honesty is to be commended. You could’ve stayed silent and saved face but you did the honorable thing in service to our hobby. Hopefully you will one day be reunited with your old friend. Thanks for the video.
Glad you were able to catch it and let others know. This is an expensive hobby and there will always be those that will try to profit from it. I'm sure this won't affect your love for the hobby.
I am really grateful for videos just like this. I bought and sold a fake vintage seamaster. I never knew until the guy I sold it to had some repairs done on the watch. Obviously I offered to buy it back but I thought I could tell real from fake and the criminals just keep getting better!
Thanks for this. Good for you, on all levels, for making this video. It would be interesting to hear about your fake Panerai experience. I ended up buying a fake IWC (many years ago) and it put me off watches for a long time.
I bought one of these way back when the Alpinist was discontinued, fortunately the seller accepted return and refund, but it disheartened me on the model. Kind of wish I did try and get a real one back then because I've been loving the newer Prospex release. I even bought a Strapcode bracelet for the fake one, luckily it fits the new model after four years in the drawer.
Wow. Great Vid! immediately check my SARB017. All good (I bought new from Japan 3 years ago. Watch came with all the tags codebar, price in yen etc, crown turns about 2 turns before locking). FYI, the buckle on the original strap is not SEIKO signed, it's normal.
Great video Max!! With inflated prices for older 1990's tech (SKX for instance) they did inadvertently create a space for fakes. UNfortunately in your case you got a fake that is inferior to the original. But like Fake Panerai and say Fake SKX's the fakes come with superior upgrades. ps. the 6r15 has it's issues with barrel and mainspring constantcy not sure it's "better" than the titan 4r35. Longer poower reserves come at a price.
The sarb035 and SARB017 was both available at Amazon Canada store. I only had the money for one so I made the decision to buy the sarb035. I regretted the purchase and wanted the SARB017 Alpinist instead. After months of checking Amazon every single day and emailing them if they will ever restock, for the 8 months checking everyday it restocked and was happy it’s in my collection. Currently it’s on a strap code jubilee bracelet and it’s heavy af but looks pretty. Might go back with the uncle Seiko bracelet in the future.
good cautionary tale! yes I see a lot of franken watches on ebay with variety of dubious seiko parts (dials, logo, case etc), harder to tell when the whole watch is fake, does ebay offer any money back if goods are fake?
Max, I'm sorry you got taken, but thank you for sharing and helping to enlighten the rest of us. As for all of the "just go buy from an AD" comments, I respectfully submit that not all of us live near an AD, and some of us may not want to be fleeced by one, anyway.
Well…ouch, Max: I was lucky to score a new Alpinist 017 (via Long Island Watch), just before Seiko announced their axing of the entire SARB line. Couldn't imagine giving the thing up, and I *have* let go one or two watches I could kick myself for now. I knew the "Feiko" situation was bad, but hearing you retell getting burned makes matters worse. Glad the SPB210 is working for you, though I do sense that you'll eventually reacquaint yourself with a *real* 017 eventually. (BIG thanks for this PSA.)
A more detailed comparison than the other review I saw, and easier to spot the fake. I didn't have to open up the watch to get the truth. I'm convinced I have the real one now. Thanks.
This happened to me a few years ago with an 017 off eBay. Had to send it back and bought a new one off Amazon. I did a video of it on my channel but I had a crappy phone at the time however, my description of all the tells was pretty much the same as yours. PS Also bought a fake F91W and also got my money back on that one. It's wild out there.
I’ve stopped wearing my Sarb017 if and when I’m driving- not joking, I can’t stop staring at it. The dial is mesmerizing, especially in the sunlight! So after a few mishaps that fortunately didn’t end bad, I decided to separate those two things…
sorry for your loss brother. we learn the hard way. money comes & goes, it can be replaced but the enthusiasm & anticipation one awaits to enjoy is lost.
I knew immediately when I saw your previous video that the watch was fake (the rounded SEIKO emblem was the dead give-a-way). I contemplated shooting you a private message to let you know, but 9/10 times that approach is met with denial/hostility, and I didn't want to start any beef. Major "OH SNAP!" when I saw the thumb-nail for this video. Good on you for putting this out there and letting folks know! Cheers!
Been a owner of SPB210 for two months now, it’s a superb watch. After regulating its accurate to +/- 5 secs a day depending on how you set the watch at rest. But one thing I was sure from the beginning is to buy it from an AD. I was able to register with Seiko also without any issues.
I also bought the SPB210 from my local AD. It is a beautiful addition to my collection. It has remained within 10 seconds of the atomic clock for weeks. Love it!
Great video. There's only one point i can't agree with, if you really want the sarb017, get the sarb017, it is simply great, even at 700 to 1000$ i do think it is good value when u look at the specs, finishing and history of this piece. The same can also be said for the sarb033, those watches represent, in my opinion, two of the greatest values ever.
sorry to hear about your experience. I bought watches from ebay too. Were you able to get ebay to intervene and get a solution for you with the seller?
HOw long was it since you found out it's fake? Ebay has a return policy for fake units, but of course, you can't return a watch a year after you bought it but I think you can open a case with Ebay if it was within a month or two.
Appreciate the honesty and the PSA. I too have owned the 017 and it is beautiful. Have since sold it off and gotten more into Orients. No guarantees I won't buy another Alpinist though, that Laurel model is classy!
I've been starting to think about about picking up a Pogue recently. Never really thought there could be fake Seikos out there. Thanks for the heads up!
I didn't expect an Alpinist to be fake, but there are thousands of fake vintage Seiko saturating internet. Just check on Seiko Mickey or Donald for exemple, it's a disaster. As of my knowledge, those are made in India. In the same bad fake range, you'll also find a lot of Orient vintage.
I feel for you, hopefully you can get some sort of restitution through ebay. Being cheated sucks and it leaves you with the same feeling as if you were robbed. Not exactly the same but I lost a watch that was very personal to me, stolen by a person I trusted. Don’t blame yourself.
Great video brother. Its very helpful for us buyers with little to no knowledge. Fakes are so harmful. I get homages like san martin. They homage many seikos but its clear what they are doing with great quality. Fakes are a no no.
Yes it is, no magnification glass and no ugly Prospex X marking, the dial has a different green as well, the SARB017 is an elegant collectible meanwhile the SPB121 is just "standard". Obviously I'm a 017 owner :p
I'm sorry for this bad experience! But I have to tell you something ; Seiko sarb017 is not the OG green alpinist , the original Seiko green alpinist is the SCVF009 ;it was released in 1995.
Oy! I just purchased an "unworn" Sarb017 on eBay. It hasn't arrived yet. I wish this video was available a week ago. BTW, how do I get one of those WatcrhCrunch pullovers???
I bought a “refurbished “ 017 that is one of those sophisticated fakes off eBay a couple of years ago for $260. Even bought an Uncle Seiko bracelet for it and the end links wouldn’t fit!! It keeps good time, has a sapphire crystal, and looks great- case looks totally legit and I can’t ethically sell it, so I’m just going to enjoy my $260 purchase forever!
Sorry for your bad experience, I've read into this thread that you've been refund so it finally ends in a good way. I've got the SARB017 and 3 other Alpinist, the 017 is great, but I would recommend that you'd check on the Rock Face SPB355J1, I own one as well, it is a stunning piece and above the 017 in my opinion.
One thing I don't understand is why the Chinese counterfeiters don't establish their own watch brands. They are clearly able to produce very attractive watches at low prices. All they would need to do is change the logo from Seiko to something like Great Wall or Golden Dragon, change the strap and the color of the dial to avoid patent or copyright infringement, impose some basic quality controls, and produce a few ads attesting to the quality of the watches. Another thing I don't understand is why they waste their time counterfeiting Seiko when they could be counterfeiting Omega or Rolex. It can't be much more expensive to produce a fake Rolex than it is to produce a fake Seiko.
I came across this same exact fake Alpinist in hand. It is scary good how close these are to the real thing and you wouldn't think twice about it, even with a genuine Alpinist next to it. You really have to have a keen eye to spot the fake. Let alone, most would be caught off guard due to the fact that it's a Seiko! I also covered this watch on my channel and it's unbelievable what has come down to the watch world.
Great video, just wish I saw it before I bought my alpinist last week and yes, it’s a fake. First thing I noticed was the color was a darker, flat green. The movement was a NH35 and the Seiko logo and line around the date window are what you said are fake. Seller was asking $850, I offered $700 and was accepted. Never heard of people faking Seikos so didn’t think twice about it. 😑
Same thing happened to me 2 years ago. a "refurbished" alpinist for $270. I should've known better than something too good to be true. 100% do not promote counterfeit products, its criminal. Subsequently threw it away and purchased a baby alpinist in the fume green dial. Perfection. The lack of crown guards and smaller case is wonderful!
This is really unfortunate. I'm sorry to see that you were the victim of a fraud. I'm lucky to own one of the last SARB017 and I know I would have been devastated if I was to discover it was a fake.
I was just able to finally get mine and had the refer back to this video just to make sure I got the real deal I ended up paying $700 with taxes just to get the watch pretty much for itself those strap in the bracelet that came with it was for 6 and 1/4 or 6 and 1/2 I haven't 8-in wrist. Spent a year looking to get one and finally got it😊 And I'm absolutely happy with the older one versus the newer ones
very good video! replicas can used for people who wanna try a watch but its not sure about it! best move is all companies do what swatch do with affordable speedmaster version, in my opinion!
There are even fake f91w watches on ebay. It's just crazy. I bought one and noticed the display seamed to be off centre and after some research it indeed was fake. Crazy on a £10 watch.
I wish someone would disassemble the movement so we could see the difference. Personally, I think the fake looks okay on the outside. I'd probably never notice the minor differences if you hadn't pointed them out.
One other 'tell' you do not mention is that the lume pips around the dial each sit in a raised gold tube. You can see them with a loupe. The fakes have lume directly on the dial with no gold.
Now on I have decided to buy watch I will buy from the retailer. No more websites or anything else. Pay more, may be 200-300 bucks but get genuine stuff. Worst thing to buy is a fake of any branded stuff. If I want cheap, I will wear unbranded or cheaper brand. But always from retail shops.
@@WatchCrunchOfficial I checked UncleSeiko(Unclestraps) and it seems the Sinn 356 II takes the same bracelets as the Sarb017, so it must be a factory Sinn 356 H link bracelet.
