Seiko Club Singapore Museum

Seiko watch questions for newbie

withheld
Seiko watch questions for newbie
Hi All,



I chanced upon this forum from HWZ and would like to seek advice from you all :)

Among all the brands, I have shortlisted Seiko for my new watch due to its quality and affordable price.



I browsed online and found out there are a lot of models/series to choose from.

Hence, I need some recommendation based on the requirements below to narrow down my search.



1) Budget around S$600

2) Suitable for office work and casual - Slim wrist user

2.1) Is metal or leather strap recommended?

3) Looking for Automatic Mechanical watch (I'm new to this as previously using G Shock GA Series Quartz watch)

4) Water resistant

5) Scratch resistant? Hardlex vs Sapphire Glass?

6) Date function

7) Transparent back

8) Preferably as rare/limited edition if possible



I have some questions below:



1) Does Seiko automatic watch have light function or Luminous on the ticks so that it is usable in the dark?

2) For automatic watches, does it all comes with stopwatch function which is known as Chronograph?

2.1) If not, does chronograph watches generally more expensive than normal automatic watches?

3) Do we need to send for servicing and maintenance like yearly and how much roughly would it cost?

4) Is it recommended to buy watch winder?

4.1) Does it require power? Battery/Power adaptor?

5) Where to buy/Warranty?

5.1) Is it better to buy in retail shops/online? Or the price does not differ much?

5.2) Which is the recommended place to try and purchase? Bencoolen and Big Time (Commonwealth)?

5.2.1) I realized Big Time website shows Seiko JDM, does JDM mean it parallel import those Japan edition which is not commonly sold in other Singapore stores?

5.3) What is the warranty to take note of? International warranty? Or in-house warranty is sufficient?

6) Please let me know if there is any other things for newbie like me to take note of when purchasing my first automatic watch? E.g. Date may have to manual set frequently due to February got 28 and 29?



Hope someone can enlighten me.

Thank you very much! :)
lunarin79
Re: Seiko watch questions for newbie
welcome :)



1) Does Seiko automatic watch have light function or Luminous on the ticks so that it is usable in the dark?

[color=#00BF00]Seiko does have Light function but it's only the digital Spirit model:SBPG001





Brightz Model: SDGA003.





For dress watches, yes, there are lume on hands for some models and there are lume dots on the markers. DIvers lume are needless to say, haha.[/color]



2) For automatic watches, does it all comes with stopwatch function which is known as Chronograph?

[color=#00BF00]Yes, Seiko does have auto chronos. Vintage models such as 6139, 6138, 7016, 7018 etc. And these vintage models generally cost between $180 - $700 depending on model & rarity but one thing about vintage auto chronos, there are alot of aftermarket ones out there and it will be good to do homework on any model which you are interested in before buying.







For current auto chrono models, there are velatura[/color]





Brightz





Ananta





Grand Seiko







2.1) If not, does chronograph watches generally more expensive than normal automatic watches?

[color=#00BF00]Yes. A current auto chrono models starts from S$2k onwards to S$10k[/color]



3) Do we need to send for servicing and maintenance like yearly and how much roughly would it cost?

[color=#00BF00]To be honest, we do not send for yearly servicing.[/color]



4) Is it recommended to buy watch winder?

[color=#00BF00]Personally, I do not use a winder as I prefer to manually 'kickstart' my watch. Maybe other bros here using winders can advice you on this question.[/color]



4.1) Does it require power? Battery/Power adaptor?

[color=#00BF00]Power?[/color]



5) Where to buy/Warranty?

[color=#00BF00]buy warranty?[/color]



5.1) Is it better to buy in retail shops/online? Or the price does not differ much?

[color=#00BF00]We will buy from our usual places (K2, People's Park Complex, Mustafa) for Seiko.[/color]



5.2) Which is the recommended place to try and purchase? Bencoolen and Big Time (Commonwealth)?

[color=#00BF00]I would say Mustafa[/color]



5.2.1) I realized Big Time website shows Seiko JDM, does JDM mean it parallel import those Japan edition which is not commonly sold in other Singapore stores?

[color=#00BF00]Yes.[/color]



5.3) What is the warranty to take note of? International warranty? Or in-house warranty is sufficient?

[color=#00BF00]If you purchase a P.I (Parallel Import) piece then the shop will offer its own in-house warranty for it. We usually prefer P.I sets[/color]



6) Please let me know if there is any other things for newbie like me to take note of when purchasing my first automatic watch? E.g. Date may have to manual set frequently due to February got 28 and 29?

[color=#00BF00]Yes, for automatics, you will have to manually q-set the dates unless you get a quartz perpetual Calender model. But there are no Perpetual Calender models for automatic models now.[/color]
balzebub71
Re: Seiko watch questions for newbie
Since from HWZ then you just posted a WOT haha...



Budget of $600, forget about a Chronograph if u want a mechanical/automatic watch. A modern Seiko mechanical chronograph will set you back 2k plus to 9k depending on movement.



For a daily wearer I always recommend a bracelet instead of leather as it will be more durable.



For your budget I would go with a JDM automatic like SARG009 and SARG003. Both are versatile and can be worn with casual or office wear. Both are 6R15 powered which is a very decent movement with potential for great accuracy and 50hrs power reserve.











Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
lunarin79
Re: Seiko watch questions for newbie
or a SARG015

balzebub71
Re: Seiko watch questions for newbie

"lunarin79"

or a SARG015


Curious is the bezel fixed or rotating?





Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
lunarin79
Re: Seiko watch questions for newbie

"balzebub71"

[quote="lunarin79"]or a SARG015


Curious is the bezel fixed or rotating?





Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk[/quote]

fixed bezel,lol

withheld
Re: Seiko watch questions for newbie
Hi All,



Thanks for the prompt replies :)



I would say Automatic Chronograph looks really cool but 2K onwards its way above my budget :p

However, there are a lot of Seiko Quartz with Chronograph that is within my budget.

But I wish to collect and purchase my first Mechanic Automatic watch :)



I also chanced upon some of the mentioned SARG series which I think is cool enough and within my budget.

I think I will need to go down to the recommended shops to try.



Two questions below:



1) SARG003 comes with this Compass Dial function? May I know how do I actually use that? Do I need to determine the sun direction thingy and turn the watch bezel?

2) Does all the mentioned SARG003 commonly sold in Singapore or only available in selected places?



Thanks.
balzebub71
Re: Seiko watch questions for newbie
Yes SARG comes with a internal rotating compass bezel which honestly I can't remember how to use and will likely never use?



Never seen it in shops here. I would buy it from Rakuten, usually the cheapest.





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lunarin79
Re: Seiko watch questions for newbie
We dun use the internal compass bezel,haha. Just like most of us here doesn't dive but 2/3 of our collections are diver watches ;)



And the crown to operate the internal compass bezel is non screw down, any major movements frm the wrist will still accidentally adjust the position of it.
withheld
Re: Seiko watch questions for newbie
Thanks for the info.



Can't seems to find the watch in rakuten (sg). Only rakuten global do sell but nvr try before.

Think will go down Mustafa or peoplepark to take a look. Hope they got sell.

If the price is nt much diff as online, think will buy it in the spot.
jtfoo
Re: Seiko watch questions for newbie
Last time sls got one jover chew where u can buy warranty. Now he has mia.
lunarin79
Re: Seiko watch questions for newbie

"withheld"

Thanks for the info.



Can't seems to find the watch in rakuten (sg). Only rakuten global do sell but nvr try before.

Think will go down Mustafa or peoplepark to take a look. Hope they got sell.

If the price is nt much diff as online, think will buy it in the spot.


Mustafa & PPC does not sell JDM models, if you are looking at JDM models, try Big TIme or Thong Sia
Yeoman
Re: Seiko watch questions for newbie
Wah... the amount of research you do for buying a mechanical watch is as much as the research people do to renovate their BTO flat. :mrgreen:
balzebub71
Re: Seiko watch questions for newbie

"withheld"

Thanks for the info.



Can't seems to find the watch in rakuten (sg). Only rakuten global do sell but nvr try before.

Think will go down Mustafa or peoplepark to take a look. Hope they got sell.

If the price is nt much diff as online, think will buy it in the spot.


Rakuten global is okay one la. It is like Japan version of amazon. I am going to order a SDGZ013 from there (hopefully)





Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
withheld
Re: Seiko watch questions for newbie

"lunarin79"

[quote="withheld"]Thanks for the info.



Can't seems to find the watch in rakuten (sg). Only rakuten global do sell but nvr try before.

Think will go down Mustafa or peoplepark to take a look. Hope they got sell.

If the price is nt much diff as online, think will buy it in the spot.


Mustafa & PPC does not sell JDM models, if you are looking at JDM models, try Big TIme or Thong Sia[/quote]

Thanks for the information.

I called Thong Sia the sales person said don't have stock and mentioned that the model is quite old already. The person also mentioned they don't intend to import new stock.

Big Time have the model that I want but it is limited therefore need reservation if really interested.



May I know how often does Seiko JDM come out with new series?

As I am contemplating whether to get the old model or wait any new series.



Thanks.
withheld
Re: Seiko watch questions for newbie

"Yeoman"

Wah... the amount of research you do for buying a mechanical watch is as much as the research people do to renovate their BTO flat. :mrgreen:


Haha, newbie first time mah and really want to appreciate mechanical watch :p
withheld
Re: Seiko watch questions for newbie

"balzebub71"

[quote="withheld"]Thanks for the info.



Can't seems to find the watch in rakuten (sg). Only rakuten global do sell but nvr try before.

Think will go down Mustafa or peoplepark to take a look. Hope they got sell.

If the price is nt much diff as online, think will buy it in the spot.


Rakuten global is okay one la. It is like Japan version of amazon. I am going to order a SDGZ013 from there (hopefully)





Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk[/quote]

Nice watch. The shipping is around USD10 and does it comes with tracking?

Maybe will consider to try.



Thanks.
lunarin79
Re: Seiko watch questions for newbie

"withheld"




Thanks for the information.

I called Thong Sia the sales person said don't have stock and mentioned that the model is quite old already. The person also mentioned they don't intend to import new stock.

Big Time have the model that I want but it is limited therefore need reservation if really interested.



May I know how often does Seiko JDM come out with new series?

As I am contemplating whether to get the old model or wait any new series.



Thanks.


SARG003 considered old?



it was released early last year if not wrong.



u wana try the big 3 jap online seller?



SeiyaJapan

http://www.seiyajapan.com/products/seiko-alpinist-automatic-sarg003"http://www.higuchi-inc.com/index-e.html" rel="noopener noreferrer">http://www.higuchi-inc.com/index-e.html"http://c-watch.co.jp/ww/sarg001.html" rel="noopener noreferrer">http://c-watch.co.jp/ww/sarg001.html" false;
withheld
Re: Seiko watch questions for newbie

"lunarin79"

[quote="withheld"]


Thanks for the information.

I called Thong Sia the sales person said don't have stock and mentioned that the model is quite old already. The person also mentioned they don't intend to import new stock.

Big Time have the model that I want but it is limited therefore need reservation if really interested.



May I know how often does Seiko JDM come out with new series?

As I am contemplating whether to get the old model or wait any new series.



Thanks.


SARG003 considered old?



it was released early last year if not wrong.



u wana try the big 3 jap online seller?



SeiyaJapan

http://www.seiyajapan.com/products/seiko-alpinist-automatic-sarg003"http://www.higuchi-inc.com/index-e.html" rel="noopener noreferrer">http://www.higuchi-inc.com/index-e.html"http://c-watch.co.jp/ww/sarg001.html" rel="noopener noreferrer">http://c-watch.co.jp/ww/sarg001.html" false;[/quote]

Thanks for the info.

Anyway, I just realized that SARG003 the front face is using 13 (1pm),14(2pm) ... 23(11pm) etc..

Most of watch I saw is using normal 1,2,3,4,5,6,...12 or no digit at all.

Find it a bit weird if I represent 8 am as 2000 hour though. Haha.
watchlooker
Re: Seiko watch questions for newbie
If you are interested in a vintage Seiko chrono, you can still get 6139 for under your budget and slightly more for 6138. But you have to research on them to be sure of getting a original one. Good luck!