TELL me your thoughts on a Seiko or Orient (divers watch)

[warhawk]

Hi Gents: I hope all is well with you & your families. I have been thinking about purchasing a good divers watch. I am contemplating on either the Seiko Monster or an Orient. I know I can read reviews from Amazon but I much rather hear your reviews.

So... tell me what you think about the Seiko Monster or Orient divers watch. Thanks in advance for your responses.

WARHAWK

 

[mhdena]

I like some of the Grand Seikos.

 

[bjh618]

I've got a vintage seiko with a nato strap and love it. Very good watch for the money.

 

[CRG]

I don't care much for the Monsters for some reason, but I recently picked up a new Seiko SKX007, which carries the traditional diver look. Picked it up for $200 with Jubilee bracelet, though I wear it with a black NATO. It has a lot of heft for the price and is very well regarded. A beautiful, timeless piece that I would recommend to anyone.

 

[Krona Kruiser]

Seikos have a very wide range of Diver's watches and there are so many to choose from. I have a Pepsi Mako from Orient and love it as well but recently I've been eying quite a bit of Seiko's too. Too bad I don't care for the look of the Seiko Monsters but the 5 Sports series have so many amazing combinations that there is at least one that you would like. Here's a really cool blog dedicated to Japanese watches: http://yeomanseiko.com/

 

[lister]

I've got a Seiko diver's watch (not the orange monster) that I've had for twelve years and done a heap of diving with. It's got a nylon double loop band (taking the advice of the skipper of the boat I learnt to dive on that if you can't afford to lose it you can't afford to dive with it (and at $700 I'm not taking chances ))

anyway, love their watches, absolutely rock solid and a joy to wear. My daily driver is a Sportura and I'll continue with Seiko I reckon (champagne taste/beer budget notwithstanding)

 

[Legion]

I don't care much for the Monsters for some reason, but I recently picked up a new Seiko SKX007, which carries the traditional diver look. Picked it up for $200 with Jubilee bracelet, though I wear it with a black NATO. It has a lot of heft for the price and is very well regarded. A beautiful, timeless piece that I would recommend to anyone.

+1.

I have the Seiko SKX011 (the Japanese made, orange faced 007) and it is a very well made watch. 86 the rubber band and get a Maratac.

 

[lister]

That Maratac band is almost identical to what I was describing...

 

[Krona Kruiser]

Here's a pretty neat video review:

 

[Brian S]

I'm a longtime Seiko diver fan. I have an orange monster (for sale) and an skx007. These are very tough watches and they look and wear great.

You cannot beat the SKX series watches on bang for buck and quality of materials.

http://www.badgerandblade.com/forum/media/29965/full

 

[benvh]

I like my SKX007. Ordered it with a sapphire crystal, aluminum chapter ring, custom MM style hands and a dial from a SKX171. That being said, I love it. Kind of a placeholder until I can save up for something a bit better, but it does the job nicely.

Ben

 

[CRG]

I like my SKX007. Ordered it with a sapphire crystal, aluminum chapter ring, custom MM style hands and a dial from a SKX171. That being said, I love it. Kind of a placeholder until I can save up for something a bit better, but it does the job nicely.

Ben

Love that sapphire crystal. Is it domed? Where did you order from?

 

[joel]

I like Seiko over Orient. The Orient name/logo looks and sounds cheap to me. Just my .02

 

[Krona Kruiser]

I like Seiko over Orient. The Orient name/logo looks and sounds cheap to me. Just my .02

I felt the same way until I actually had one in my hands.

 

[benvh]

The crystal is domed.

I ordered from Harold (yobokies). Check out his website www.yobokies.com. Careful though, there are a lot of options and you might drive yourself crazy deciding what you want. You can email him for questions/availability/pricing. I've ordered both a modified watch and parts from him and my experiences have been great. Would definitely recommend.

Ben

 

[CRG]

The crystal is domed.

I ordered from Harold (yobokies). Check out his website www.yobokies.com. Careful though, there are a lot of options and you might drive yourself crazy deciding what you want. You can email him for questions/availability/pricing. I've ordered both a modified watch and parts from him and my experiences have been great. Would definitely recommend.

Ben

Thanks. I already have a stock SKX007, but I really like that sapphire crystal.

 

[benvh]

If you want to get the crystal replaced, I bet Jay at motor city watch works can help you. I had some work done there also and it was a great experience.

Ben

 

[Pete]

I own three Orients and three Seikos. I can't say that I strongly prefer one over the other, and I feel you'd be getting a lot of watch for the $ with either brand. If nothing else, I might say I find Orient a bit more interesting, only because they're not as common as Seiko. I bought the Orient Blue Ray shortly after they became available, and I love it.

Unfortunately, I've found customer service with Orient Watch USA to be marginal at best. Two of the three Orients I own were purchased directly from them. My first purchase went off without a hitch. My last purchase (Blue Ray), they initially sent me the Black Ray by mistake. No big deal, mistakes happen... but I found it quite disheartening that it was somehow MY responsibility to pay for return shipping? So, two weeks and an additional $10+ later, I finally received the watch I ordered.

If you decide to go with Orient, order from Amazon.

 

[djh]

I would choose a Seiko over an Orient.

 

[CRG]

If you want to get the crystal replaced, I bet Jay at motor city watch works can help you. I had some work done there also and it was a great experience.

Ben

Thanks - I appreciate the recommendation. I've connected with a great service guy on the Seiko and Citizen Forum, but he doesn't always replace crystals. Not sure why.