I consider myself quite an amicable person. It’s honestly not difficult to get along with a wide variety of people so long as you’re open-minded and keep your ego in check. Whenever I spot those who have their differences from me, be it a difference in religion, or difference in opinion on whether pineapple belongs on pizza, I don’t lose sleep over it and carry on with my life. Nine times out of ten I have a hundred better things to do than worry about whether the person sitting next to me orders Hawaiian or not. I don’t throw temper tantrums and shout at people. I don’t get road rage at all. I don’t grind my teeth or make my heart race when things don’t go to plan. You don’t need to smoke weed to be as relaxed as I am…
These days, it’s so easy to become radicalised and tribal in our beliefs thanks to the internet and this weird social experiment of having billions of people connected. Friendly discourse has left in favour of an “us versus them” mentality. I understand why this happens, because it’s comforting to be part of a tribe of sorts. Why else is there a subreddit for Rolex fans, Seiko fans, et cetera?
Although I say I am a very amicable person, the mask begins to slip when we discuss certain groups. I’ll name them:
- Coffee snobs
- Pretentious yerba mate drinkers
- Performative males
- People with zero civic sense
- JDM car stans
- Terminally online Seiko fanboys
I think that’s about most people I have a bone to pick with. This isn’t the place for me to discuss the first five groups on my list, but I can and will discuss the Seiko fanboys. It’s like watching a child go through the dinosaur obsession phase. It’s strangely cute how annoying someone can be about their passion. I owned one Seiko until recently, a Seiko 5. I bought it at 16 as my first mechanical watch. It looks more expensive than it is, feels well put together, and tells the time with the added luxuries of the weekday and the date. It ticks most boxes for an affordable automatic watch.
On a slight tangent, I drive a Ford Figo, a little hatchback made primarily for the Indian and South African markets. It was meant to be basic transportation for the masses that would last you until you could afford to get something better. It’s essentially a collection of the outgoing Fiesta’s parts cobbled together into the shape of a hatchback that looks almost like a Fiesta. The engine was used for years before finding its way to the Figo and the interior trim was designed long before it’s inception. Put simply, Ford won by keeping some people in India employed and got additional value out of their tooling that was due to be thrown away, and the consumer won by getting an affordable car that was reliable and even somewhat fun. That’s what the old Seiko 5 was: Seiko got money from old tech and the consumer got old tech at old tech prices. I’m not here to moan about the old 5 being discontinued, because Seiko’s management teams are not stupid. They discontinued the 5, because that sold for the most part to enthusiasts, the same demographic of people who would happily pay 300 USD for basically the same watch with an orange dial and dive bezel.
Everyone says that Seiko isn’t the value proposition it once was (although when I look at prices in old catalogues and adjust for inflation, Seikos have become slightly cheaper.) Anyway, we can all complain about Seiko. Still, some people defend the Alpinist, Prospex divers and 5 Sports religiously and swear that they’re the best watches out there. That’s why I never bought another Seiko, because I was stuck in the tribal philosophy of “us versus them” and didn’t want to be part of the “them” that are the most annoying of Seiko fans.
Then I bought a Seiko. It’s a “Blue Pogue” 6139-6002. It needs a new bezel insert and some love, but I’m happy I got it. Then I bought another 6139 that needs even more love. I didn’t buy them because they’re Seikos, I bought them because they were affordable project watches. Then I bought a Seiko A158 LCD watch. I like LCD watches, so the brand name had little impact on my purchase decision. Then finally I got a Seiko fashion watch from 1969. I traded my Omega Seamaster quartz for this Seiko plus a Girard Perregaux flying saucer style watch. I liked that it was rare and funky, but I would like no less it if the dial said “Citizen.” I bought a lot of Seikos, but I don’t find myself drawn to the brand above any others. It’s best to just say I bought a lot of watches. I own three Bulovas, but I don’t engage in internet arguments on why Bulova is better than Rolex. I own four Camys, but I won’t try and convince you that they’re the most “underrated” vintage brand. I drive a Ford, but I don’t bash the Chevy guys, because most Chevrolets I see were made by Daewoo, and I quite like Daewoo. I own a Seiko and I have nothing to prove. Whether you think it’s “better than a Rolex” (such a stupid metric) is up to you. Whether you think it’s “underrated” or “best value” or “legendary” is up to you. To me, they are watches; little machines that I collect so that I don’t think too hard about life and become a danger to myself and others.
Sometimes you can like something without being part of a cult-like fanbase. You can also like more than one thing. Dogs or cats? Muscle cars or tuners? Seiko or Rolex? You can reach nirvana by valuing everything on its own merits rather than torturing yourself with endless comparison.
I bought a bunch of Seikos, and it did something to me mentally…
The Escapement Room 