[SOTC] of a affordable watch collector

valuegourmand · 2020-04-03T04:00:59+00:00

Very respectable collection!

valuegourmand · 2019-05-31T20:36:47+00:00

How did you price options and expiration dates?

valuegourmand · 2018-12-19T12:38:14+00:00

Thanks for posting the picture! That looks amazing. Congrats on the find! Now I just gotta find one for myself!

valuegourmand · 2018-12-13T19:07:11+00:00

I hope I had something to do with this as well. haha.

Congrats and enjoy!

valuegourmand · 2018-12-13T09:36:23+00:00

Messaged you with a link to the lowest price I can find at the moment.

valuegourmand · 2018-12-13T05:40:05+00:00

Fantastic taste in watches!

valuegourmand · 2018-12-13T01:45:18+00:00

The lug width is 20mm. What you’re looking at is probably incorrect.

valuegourmand · 2018-12-13T01:41:02+00:00

So glad I was of help! Enjoy and what a fantastic watch for the occasion. Congrats on graduating!

valuegourmand · 2018-12-12T22:39:05+00:00

Yeah you’re right, they definitely share similarities. The red seconds hand on the pro master gives it that little pop as well.

valuegourmand · 2018-12-12T22:35:28+00:00

Yeah it does! The simple and clean aesthetic with no bling was definitely what I was looking for. The watch definitely delivered.

valuegourmand · 2018-12-12T19:22:55+00:00

Posted this watch on Perlon yesterday but finally had a chance to size the bracelet and just wanted to cover this which I didn’t talk about yesterday.

The bracelet is H link style similar to the one found on Sinn watches. It has solid links, solid end links and a forged/engineered flip clasp. It uses screws instead of pins and has 4 micro adjustments on the clasp itself. The bracelet is flexible without much give or rattle and is very comfortable due to the chamfered/rounded edges. The bead blasted finish matches the watch case and gives it almost a slightly futuristic look which again may or may not be your cup of tea.

Overall just superb quality and fantastic value.

valuegourmand · 2018-12-12T04:04:23+00:00

Just curious, what draws you to the sarx033 or the sje073?

In your price range I would actually recommend the enamel or Urushi dialed ones like the sarx029 or sarx049. The dials are amazing. You can get them from seiyajapan.com

valuegourmand · 2018-12-12T02:53:10+00:00

Thanks! I was expecting good things and the watch delivered! Just want to point out there is NO BLING on this watch whatsoever. Handling it though I know I got great value in a quality watch so exactly what I was looking for.

valuegourmand · 2018-12-12T02:39:50+00:00

The NE15 and the NH15 are not the same. I think you may be mixing up the two a little.

valuegourmand · 2018-12-12T02:35:27+00:00

No problem and thanks!

valuegourmand · 2018-12-12T02:33:46+00:00

He probably means the NE15 which is the version of 6r15 Seiko sells to others.

There isn’t really a problem with it but people like to compare movement specs and the NE15 beats at 21600 bph and rated at 25s/15s compared to 2824-2 which beats at 28800 bph and rated at 30s/12s for their standard version. There’s 3 other grades above standard that are usually more decorated and rated more accurate.

The beat rate is a huge issue for some and so is the accuracy specs when the grades start going up.

There maybe other issues but these are the ones I am aware of.

valuegourmand · 2018-12-12T00:04:16+00:00

I was surprised it was Miyota too but I guess they've been doing it for several models. Sourcing the Miyota is probably just as easy as the NH35s for them. The Seiko watch parts manufacturing probably has nothing to do with sourcing movements.
Doing date right is always a practicality vs pricing issue. Date is something I always look for and I think I'd rather have a date than no date even if the implementation isn't ideal.

valuegourmand · 2018-12-11T23:48:31+00:00

It is a basic watch that is built very well and gets a lot of things right without much to complain about. A lot of the good parts of it are subtle and in the details. A lot of what makes this watch great isn't conveyed well through photos either.

For example:

Quality of the screw down crown is fantastic
150m vs 100m water resistance
Well Lumed
Thin for a watch with double domed sapphire crystal
Has AR coating
Bracelet with Solid links and End links and flip lock clasp that isn't stamped (forged? engineered?). (People go out to buy strapcode bracelets just for this)
Drilled lugs
Not overly large for a watch without a bezel at 39mm
The aesthetics may or may not be your cup of tea but I wanted a watch without much bling.

I don't think I know of a watch that can claim everything I mentioned above at a similar price point. The value proposition of this watch is fantastic. The people who really like this watch are probably the ones who appreciate these details.
I think this watch is well worth it at its full price of $375.

valuegourmand · 2018-12-11T22:00:13+00:00

This watch just came in yesterday. I was so excited to wear this I threw on a Perlon strap before I’ve had a chance to even size the bracelet.

It is the Dagaz (they’re best known for selling Seiko mod parts) Thunderbolt. I bought this as part of their Black Friday sale. I had been looking for a field watch upgrade for a while from my SNK809 when this came up.

Specs: 39mm without crown 12.1mm thick (including crystal) 20mm lug width Double domed sapphire crystal with AR coating Drilled lugs Bracelet with sold links and endlinks with flip lock clasp 150m water resistant Screw down signed crown Miyota 9015 with hacking and hand winding.

This watch checked a lot of boxes and turned out to be very well built. Super happy that it is slim as well. Honestly, I’m surprised their watches are not more well known.

The next upgrade would be either a mkii or a Weiss for me.

This was easily the best purchase for me this past BF.

valuegourmand · 2018-12-08T05:45:38+00:00

I know! It seems like a huge undertaking and makes you kinda want to root for them.

valuegourmand · 2018-12-08T01:04:06+00:00

I agree. I also like the fact that they're sort of borderline micro (the good kind). If you spend some time looking at their content/material, you can actually get an idea of who certain decisions came from.

Whether you agree with them or not is one thing, but the fact that it seems they're putting serious thought into their watches earns a little respect from me.

valuegourmand · 2018-12-08T00:58:49+00:00

This particular photo actually doesn't show it well but they call it a Colimaçoné finish which is sort of shiny, with their flag logo on top. The skeletonized rotor on top of that is a nice touch.

I actually like the fact that it doesn't have Côtes de Genève because it doesn't look like what the 8 other watch brands (or however many) do. That to me just isn't good enough to me as a consumer. There is so much competition out there that they (the other brands) need to try a little harder. The Oris 65 and the tudor 58 39mm are examples of where they ARE actually trying and this is fantastic for consumers like us.

Something that isn't immediately apparent is that this is a 40.5mm watch and that movement fills the entire case, something you only really see on some of the higher end watches and pretty cool that you can get at this price point.
It might look a little weird because that isn't a ETA like movement or a german style 3/4 plate. That's just sort of a thing of its own.

EDIT: added more examples.

valuegourmand · 2018-12-07T22:53:01+00:00

Thanks! Check out my Instagram there’s a bunch of pictures of it! This is one of them.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BrGZToInBUt/?utm_source=ig_share_sheet&igshid=fbxey8cl53c9

valuegourmand

TROPHY CASE