Titanium AND Fully Lumed for $60?? Field Watch from Seiko Alba - AQPJ403 Review 

As Creative Director responsible for managing the Alba brand in the Middle East (UAE, Bahrain, Qatar, most of the GCC) during the early 90s I was happy to see your report on the brand. Other brands I was tasked to work with were Westar and Raymond Weil. I was privileged to attend the Basle Fair back then. After 30 years I find that the major players from the 90s continue to hold their own. And a titanium piece with excellent lume? Wow, I feel like a kid again :)

Yes please!! More JDM, Asian market or under the radar watches. It is very refreshing to take a look away from the mainstream hype from time to time. This Alba has such a good value for money... nothing to complain about.

just put a battery in a 31 year old lorus this morning...square gold plated case/ bracelet...working fine.

My father left me a Seiko 5 automatic 50 years old! It still works today! Hello from Bosnia and Hercegovina!

I live in Scotland so Alba watches aren't very well known here whereas Lorus are. I have a few and they're great watches. You might be interested to know that Alba is the Scottish Gaelic word for Scotland! Love your content Dave, keep up the good work. Many thanks for keeping us watch folks informed and entertained.

Someone who reviews low, and moderately, priced watches. Thank you!

Out of stock in most of world wide watch shops. That is what a Japanese online watch shop told me today: "Unfortunately, this model was sold out and discontinued. It will not arrive again. We are sorry that we can't help you this time." I found one version of this watch in Ebay for 120$ aprox. This watch would be great for my collection.

Been seeing Alba watches on other people's wrists since I was a kid but I never knew they were from Seiko! I would like one of these in the usual 40mm case+20mm lug width, it would be quite a value piece as well even if it turns out a bit more expensive.

Have owned the Lorus version of this watch for a few years. Great little watch and stunning value for about £35 - 40 here in the UK. Oh and the Lume lasts ALL night. Great review, thanks.

Please create more videos like that, Asian brands like alba should reach out the world.

I’ve had my rare black face Lorus Titanium quartz field watch since the early 1990s. Only bought it as a stopgap because I lost a Longines. But it’s now my favourite, not least because it always keeps great time (unlike me) - gains maybe 6 seconds over 12 months! The reason to buy a cheap quartz with a Seiko movement is a no brainer. I paid £35 for mine, when £35 was worth £35. Today the money is worth less, but the watch is actually cheaper!! But I can’t find a black face anywhere. I adapted a two piece 22mm military strap to fit. I have an 8” wrist, but I still love this little watch.

I have a Lorus Lumibrite. What I love most. I can scratch it without concern. I have a reliable watch that I've tested intensely in the outdoors. It's taken knocks rock climbing, plunging into the sea from cliff jumping and tested a good 25 feet snorkeling. They're just beast watch and I have the memories connected to it. I love it so much, I'll actually put it in a frame when it eventually dies.

So where CAN one buy it for $60 ?

Sounds like a keeper. Seiko's doing a great job with these watches. I have an Alba AQGD403, a simple solar model with really excellent proportions and legibility. Curiously, the black text wore off the bezel within about 9-10 months, so they're certainly not over-investing in their manufacture for ~¥7,000. I'd love to understand Seiko's brand strategy. I also have a J. Springs, a hand-me-down from my father, and for about fifteen years had a Lorus. With Pulsar as well, there seems to be no shortage of Seiko sub-brands that offer similar models at similar price.

I bought this watch after I saw your unboxing earlier this year, so, thank you. To say I love it is an understatement. The size is perfect for my 6 1/2 inch wrist, and there's excellent legibility. Plus, it looks great, and plays far above its weight, especially given its price. I also own an Alba solar diver, which is also excellent. But this watch provides great enjoyment whenever I wear it, and it does look great on lots of straps.

I remember getting an Alba dive watch in the 90s for my birthday as a kid... i was the coolest kid in class with a gigantic dive watch on mt scrawny wrists! It was a blessing and a curse, a blessing because it made me love watches, but a curse because i spent a lil too much on them 😂

I have a few Seikos, Citizens, Rue Du Rhone, Bulovas. All great watches, but the most enduring is a cheap Casio I bought in 2010. Apart from a new strap, the watch has the same battery and is still going strong.

I recently bought the stainless steel Lorus version of this watch. After seeing the video on 'Watch me with watches', I bought a 30mm sapphire crystal from Ali Express and swapped out the mineral crystal on the watch. I put it on a NATO strap and now it's perfect!

I feel like everyone should buy a well spec'd quartz watch early in their watch collecting career. its a great way to learn what you like and don't like. Also it allows you to save for the expensive automatic that you want, and the automatic will feel like a huge upgrade

I have the stainless steel Lorus Lumibrite model mentioned in this video and love it a lot. Couldn't resist the allure of a fully lumed dial combined with a titanium case though and just pulled the trigger on one of these. I like the cleaner layout of the dial over the Lorus. I'm a big fan of the channel and would love to see more JDM models covered to help set the channel apart from other watch RU-vid channels. I love my Casio S100 Oceanus and Seiko Dolce SACM171 which are both JDM only models.

I have the Lorus stainless version. Comparing lume to my dive watches, it is much easier to read lumed hands against a black background than black hands over a fully lumed dial. The thinness of the black hands makes them disappear against the lumed dial after 20 minutes. The eye loses resolution at lower light levels. Lorus lume brightness was comparable to the C3 dive watch in the short test.

I just purchased a 38mm Atlas Titanium watch from the Momentum Watch company here in Canada. It comes with a 20mm lug spacing which l think is a better proportion. Although I still sometimes think that 38mm is a bit small, but it is a classic size.

I bought one of these a few weeks ago and love it. (I had to get it on eBay for about $85.). I put it on a Vario bund strap. I know that’s not a look everyone appreciates. However I really like it! Thanks for making us aware of it!

I looked for this watch when I went to Japan and ended up buying one through Ebay from someone selling it from Okinawa. Mine was brand new but the Lumen is not that bright, which is okay. It's light because made out of titanium and has the retro chic look to it. Mine came with the metal band. I really love this watch. Thanks to Seiko Alba.

I bought one of these, though it is the black dial version of this! Thanks to your review I found one of my favorite watches i've had recently! Ive worn it most everyday since buying it! Albas are absolute gems! I got mine on the titanium bracelet and i'm thrilled its not a hair puller of a bracelet! The titanium is really lightband pleasing to look at. The only downside is they seemed to have forgotten to lume the numerals or indicies on it. The hands have good lume but that is my only complaint about the black dial version! But i much prefer the classic look of the black dial instead of the full lume dial! But anyhow thank you for telling people about this watch!

i know its a bit late, but thanks for the great review for this watch ! got one for my bf birthday, albeit not the AQPJ403 model as it is not available. instead got the AL4215X1 : fully lume dial 42mm diameter automatic movement (no hacking available) flat mineral glass display case back stainless steel 10bar water resist he liked it so much that he even put on a 9H glass protector on it !! i thought these things exist only for mobile phones :(

Well Dave, I was going to tell you what you already knew but I decided to watch and learn first. I'm still frustrated over the Seiko "Explorer" which I can't find in green or any colour. I managed to get something similar from Seiko though. This one will frustrate me too. I bought the Lorus with Lumibrite for zilch and found out about the similar titanium one afterwards. Why not combine the two? I thought and that's what you've reviewed today. Seiko seem to be upping the quality of Lorus watches with an automatic movement (7s26) now available here. The Pulsar quartz range is great bang for the buck too (I have a Speedie lookalike). Yours is a great watch, it's a great video and I learned something. The search begins. 👍🇯🇵🇬🇧

After watching your video I was trying to track down this model but seems not readily available here in Malaysia. I do see the other variant with similar specifications except it's stainless steel with only 50m water resistant. At the end I got myself a smaller, discontinued used Alba APBT 211, which comes with titanium body, 200m WR (no screw down crown), 35.5mm diameter quartz. Not full lume black dial and no drilled lug lugs for easy strap changes. Still I am liking this type of cheap, robust field watch. Looking forward to seeing more video on interesting affordable watches coming from Japan. Thank you for the great work.

I knew about and own a Lorus, it is sort of known in Canada. My dad had a jewelry shop there and wanted to offer a lower cost but still decently made watch, and he went with Lorus. A brand I still look to today. Appreciate hearing about this!

I have the Lorus Lumibrite one of my very favorite watches. I have 7.5" wrist and the Lorus wears perfect. Just love to wear it. You hit all the reasons why. I would like to see more of the JDM or other unobtanium for those of us in the US and Europe. Thanks for great vids!

I received Alba ABPT211 years ago and it's the best watch I've owned. Day to day taking a beating in freshwater and hard impact environments. It has withstood everything. 34mm, Titanium, 20BAR water resistant claim ( even stock strap was not as bad as one user reviewer complained ). I currently have Citizen "Garrison" that i bought for battery/power longevity and cost. It is a fine watch with stainless steel, 10BAR ( shitty stock strap ). It has done well so far. Somehow the crystal ( glass face protection ) on the citizens has accumulated more scratches compared to alba in shorter period of time and the back has rubbed away some of the ( laser etched? ) information while the alba is all stamped and clear as new.

Love this one! I owned a Lorus Lumbrite but sold it because I want to get this Alba, an amazing little watch. The only shame is it's not as easy or cheap as it is to get it in Japan.

Heey thats my watch. Yes it's awesome. The best thing is, it is so light. The strap doesn't last long but it can always be replaced. The crystal managed to stay scratch free for nearly a year and that's with me working in a warehouse accidentally knocking it into steel and concrete many times. Perhaps it has something to do with the curvature of the crystal but it still looks great after two years now. Only the strap is starting look a little ragged.

Yes, I bought one through Japan Mall. I'm very happy with it, the lume is insane for such an inexpensive watch. If I had one gripe it's that the strap is a little on the thin side, it's actually quite comfortable but not sure about the durability. This of course is a minor concern as I plan to have fun putting it on different straps. Thanks for the review of such an interesting and inexpensive watch.

I have the predecessor- 200M wr without a screw down crown, 35mm. Had to replace the movement. I think I paid around $90, four years ago, shipped from Japan. Also have the Lorus version, $40, Walmart, 3 years ago. Yes, crazy good lume on both.

I have a full lume dialed watch from Momentum. They really do look cool in the dark.

The value of this one is insane for the specs and it's just a shame that it's not easily available in the UK. Thanks for sharing, great job with the video.

With a 10” wrist I am afraid this will get lost on my wrist! Although in the 80’s it would have worked. Thanks for the great content

I'm a huge fan of Seiko. I've been buying nothing but Seiko 5 Sports Automatic watches for years. But this one is very interesting to me. Thank you.

This is something that I would wear. It's difficult for someone like "me" to wear a watch, because nothing fits my style. I'm a big manly-man, but too much shine or too many dials and gizmos and I feel like I'm trying too hard - as if placing a banana in my trousers. I'm neither an astronaut, nor do I dive. I liked (the look of) the Traser H3, but for what it is, the price is stupid. I'm also a bit of a lume freak - but I blame that on radiation poisoning as a lad hiding under the blankets fascinated with my grandfather's glowy watch in the late 60's, lol. I did have a Timex Datalink (model 50?) in the late 90's with a tan faux leather strap that I liked .. but hadn't yet done my due diligence as to what "water resistant" meant at the time. Whoops. The fact is I have no actual need for a watch (I have both a phone and a car .. and rarely care what time it is anyway), and feel foolish wearing 'just' jewelry - but this is different somehow. I want one. It doesn't yell silverback displaying the dollar store Porsche key fob on the tavern bar - even though the key itself is for a 14 year old Pontiac with a baby seat, or the opulent 'neeners' of a Submariner .. I think they got this very right even if they perhaps didn't know why. First of your videos I've found, but if this is who you are - look forward to watching .. no pun intended - more.

ALBA is very common her in south east asia, sub brand from seiko group, afforable watch, really great perfomance with seiko quality, here you can buy alba watches with saphirre glass only 30-40 usd, really love alba

Great watch I could only find one or two on eBay but at extortionate prices. Almost £100. But I managed to get hold of a Seiko Alba Titanium Vj32-Kjfo Mens Quartz which is also titanium and has a lumed dial (or the dial lights up) I’ll find out when it arrives. But great channel 100% one of my favourite watch channels on RU-vid

Speaking of frustrations (9:43), trying to track down the exact product code (eg AQPJ403) and finding similar ones and not knowing what the difference represents (eg AQPJ401). Usually the differences are insignificant (straps, colors), but sometimes you just gotta be sure! e: It seems as though most of the AQPJ are $95+ and the AQPK are $40 to $60, but may have a brass body.

I bought this watch when you showed it a few weeks ago. I love this little thing. The only small issue I have is that the numbers and dial look just a little cheap looking, but honestly its still a great looking watch with great lume.

I need a watch like this for my daily use at work on the night shift. The day and date are referred to often as we fill paperwork in dimly lit environment. Excellent and informative review👍

Just found one today. It's exactly the same but now the dial has added "water resist" and up the rating to 20 bar. It was going for 50% off. Glad I picked it up after this video.

Field watches really got going in WWII and the Vietnam conflict and in those days field watches were about the size of this Alba. It looks just fine on your wrist Dave, so if you like it, wear it. It's easy to wear a watch that is too big (like the 50mm monster I bought on the cheap for my brother-in-law) but it's really hard to get down to too small. Fashion is fickle so ignore it :-D

wow, this is a perfect combo. full dial 'lumibrite' and Ti... Would be a popular model if the brought it over to Lorus. Albas are hard to find in the US.

The Lorus available on amazon uk is I think the RJ655AX9. £50 . It really is a value proposition for these autumn evenings. Edit. Argos ( UK retailer ) £29.99

Thank you for the great review. I notice what looks like a Bible on the desk behind you. That is wonderful. God Bless. Have a great day!

yeah, it's great to see watches more available in the asian markets, both for their often having a different aesthetic, and because it's fun to hunt them down [edit] oh, and that brown leather strap you paired it with, really sets it off in a way i can't quite put my finger on -- a sort of bauhaus/scandinavian quality

Timex makes one that is very similar looking with an illuminated background on the dial, but I don’t believe that it has a titanium case. The Timex watch was about USD $75.

I have a Seiko solar watch (Stainless steel, black face, arabic numerals, day/date). I am not sure if it would be considered a field watch. I love the solar power. I paid about $110 on Amazon about ten years ago... And the solar feature has kept it running all this time. The only fault is that the luminescent numbers fade almost instantly.

So this watch is discontinued, and came out in 2019. Great you're doing a review on it, but we can't find or buy it.

Not sure if anyone cares, but I just received the very similar AQPJ401. Initially looked like the same model on a folded titanium bracelet, though I did notice the hands looked a little grey. Turns out it's not full lume... Just hands and the day/date wheel. A bit disappointed but still a snazzy watch and pretty good deal for the price. For anyone considering it also keep in mind the bracelet is pretty short. I could fit it just by using the micro adjust on a 7.25" wrist.

Saw your video yesterday, was thinking about the Seiko SRPD53K1, was almost double of what I wanted to spend! Bought the ALBA AL4209X1 Tokyo Neon Men Automatic as a birthday gift to myself today! Can't thank you enough for this video! (169 USD here in India)

10th grade, 1978, got a Seiko for my birthday. Had a golden/amber face. Thought I i was so cool. Fell off my wrist while driving my Subaru (when they were cool, not woke, le s bo cars) by my girlfriend's house and waved at her. Ooo la la.❤ Crunch.

Alba / Lorus fields look fantastic. Great dimensions and no-brainer pricing. Wish they weren't so hard to source.

Seiko's budget brands rarely get much love. Keep it up! :-)

I was just wearing this one a couple of days ago. Indeed, not *quite* as good a bargain when shipped to the US from Japan, but still a neat little watch with a super-legible design and almost shocking brightness. I agree that the strap might not hold up to too much abuse, but it is an extremely pleasing variation on a military sort of green. It just pops in a way I can't quite pin down. And I never paid attention to the lug width; As it happens, the bulk of my spare straps are 18 mm, so I'm psyched to start swapping them in!

Would love to see this fully lumed Alba with an automatic movement. I would probably try to get my hands on one then. Love watching JDM's that are hard to get here in Europa. Makes it all the more enjoyable when you finally get your hands on one. Like my JDM SARB017 Alpinist, non-x.

I’m stationed out here in japan, looking forward to hunting for this watch.

Your channel is a big help to people like me in Europe who appreciate the heads-up you give on JDM pieces. I already have a Lorus titanium field watch and was about to pull the trigger on the Lorus with lumibrite dial even though it's in steel. Luckily I saw your video in time to change to this titanium Alba. Thanks :)

Hi Dave I live in the UK and I purchased the Lorus stainless steel version of this watch which I purchased only last year. It's an amazing watch which I managed to purchase for only £25. I really love it but as you say the strap is very thin so I bought a nice leather strap for it. Great legibility with it though and the second hand hits the minute markers every time. I also purchased both versions of the Lorus Titanium field watches and they are really great and very comfortable to wear. The green version is polished Titanium and the other version is matte but still looks great but both are priced on Amazon UK at £59.99 which is the same price in the shops if you can find them as they seem to sell very fast. Thanks for showing this Alba.

I had a JDM Alba, I used to get so many compliments.

Grabbed an Alba three years ago when I first started getting into the hobby. Love it. As far as the loom, Timex is the one who came up with the concept they are using on this piece. Timex Indiglo has been around for a long time but it's a fun and easy way to see the time at night. Enjoyed the review.

I like the easy to read numerals, day date function and the lumibrite face. Looking forward to finding this watch.

I don't think these will replace my Bertucci watches but this was interesting. The price is incredible.

I've ran into these a few times on Ebay. Very tempting. Thanks Dave.

Definitely love seeing the JDM models, difficult to get info other from you watch RU-vidrs!

A bit like a Benrus Type 1 - but $1500 cheaper. We can get these Albas on eBay in Australia, but for roughly $150 US. Not quite the same bargain.

I have the Lorus, despite the fully lumed dial, it's less legible than I expected, basically because the hands are quite short and the dial ist cluttered with bold writing. Better than most watches, but not as good as my clean Seiko, and Citizen divers, where you only see the hands and indices at night. The Alba seems more balanced!

I own the Lorus Lumibrite stainless (40 Dollars when buy it months ago!) very good and accuracy of + 1sec/month !!

Yes, JDM watches are cool to be able to see other than stock online images. 👍🏻

I started loving this watch. I don't know why. In my instagram, it keeps popping up as I was aiming for seiko green dial watch which I loved to buy in future. But this "Alba" suddenly popped up along with "Kueo" watches from japan. Both are of different styles and complementing each others. Eye catching , prices are affordable, not to think too much luxury and too much spending money on it. But with limited budget , we can buy one or two watches. I surely buy one Alba automatic green dial watch soon. 👍🏻Thanks for your video to make me understand about this brand🤝🏻

Funny how different field watches within the brands of Seiko group are and what a monster you would get if you would combine all their strengths… I have the lorus titanium field watch and it is frustrating that they only put lume on the hands, even if there are tiny markers on the dial where you could put a little spot of lume for indexes. I also got a Pulsar solar field watch with black/grey sunburst dial (PX3219X1). With 39mm it also fits nicely but the lumed hands and numbers on the dial are so weak in comparison to the other Seiko watches I own. Was having a look on alba field watches as well but could not find reliable infos on wether the numbers and hands of the watches were lumed or not and how good that lume was. Also they are a bit hard to get here in Germany.

I can’t remember my last impulse buy, I was searching for this half way through the video. Titanium for that price is crazy, I’m not massively keen on the full lume dial but I only have black dialled watches so this should be a nice change. Thanks for the heads up.

I just bought Alba Epsilon Full Titanium casing and bracelet solar here in Japan for 13$ 😊

I found myself one Alba Field Gear with full lume dial, 200 wr and screw-down crown. Although, it's a stainless steel case instead of titanium. Cost me the same 60 bucks.

Nice. I didn't know about Alba until I moved to Asia either. More please.

Not a big negative on mineral crystal glass. Consider.....sapphire is scratch-resistant (true) but is more easily prone to fracture failure if banged hard. In contrast...mineral crystals can scratch easily but are more shatter resistant. Solution?---> clear vinyl lens-protector over a mineral glass. The protectors are avalable in 3-pak bulk purchase at times from Ebay or Amazon...and some sellers will actually cut them to size for you. I buy a few 31 mm paks for my Citizen field watch.... and replace the covers maybe every 3 years when the edges get bugggered. In the meantime they are totally clear and you don't even notice them. The even have a sense of being anti-reflective....all good !!

Searching numerous vendors web sites, not a single one has this in stock. Very aggravating. Per your review, the perfect watch for my but NO one carries it any longer. What a shame. Nor can I find an updated, newer version.

Great video as always Dave, would love to see more JDM products

A very nice no frills watch.

Thanks for the video. I had never heard of Alba. A similar watch without the big lume is the SNE, which is very wearable. I like seeing the jdm watches.

Might help if you had a link to the actual watch in the review.

Really cool, thanks for the intro to the brand! For the price it’s not too shabby! It’s too small for my wrist but will make a decent gift for a friend! 👍🏻

Wow, $60 for this! I'll be on the look out for Alba (and maybe Lorus). I've seen Alba in Philippine ecommerce sites.

I have both the lorus titanium and lumibrite...love them both.

I'm frustrated myself, because this could be the perfect casual / off work watch but I can't seem to get ahold of one. I wear a Casio f-91w at work because I didn't have to worry about it, but I like something a bit more traditional looking when I'm not at work and this seems right up my alley. I could probably get a more premium watch that I know I could trust, but while I depend on and use a watch daily my interest doesn't fall heavily enough on watches to spend much on them.

i have alba's solar powered field watch w/ a leather zulu strap on it. no complaints!

There's also the Infantry MDC as well. Very similar style, $20USD.

you captured the lumination beautifully, great job

ideal for me in construction.more so cause sometimes i forget what day of the week it is ! ha lol i did not know alba and lorus were seiko so thx

wish i could find it today, super slick

Very cool! I don't know how I missed this one until' now, but, apparently my *watch conversation* w/ a customer yesterday caught the ear of the spying-microphone on our phones and through the 'magic' of big-tec, decided to suggest this in my feed.. lol Anyways.. 1st time learning of the Alba brand/name.. I used to be ridiculously big into watches / time-pieces.. Some will remember the Male-version-of-QVC on TV back in the day, where Invicta used to be sold.. I'd stay up and watch the different models, and usually just say out loud: "It's gotta be nice"... Fast forward: K-Mart stores start going extinct, so I wander into one to find that they actually had some Invicta models.. Going out of business Discounts? Yuuup! So I liquidated my savings and bought every single one that I could! =D [They're still all unopened in their clear retail cubes - NOW, I'm starting to think that I might just finally break into them] Great vid, Great heads up, and thanks for sharing! Sam -

I've heard of Lorus but not Alba. This is a sweet little watch. It would make a great gift or stocking stuffer. 👍

two years later and that watch has doubled in price to 120$

My vintage Grand Theft Rolex has a plastic crystal. Great video.

Nice review Dave. Great legibility and value. Whenever I visit Japan , I would see Alba’s sold in local stores (Equivalent to Target, Walmart here in US). What do you think of their automatic watches compare to entry level Seiko?