A couple of J.Springs, Seiko sub-brand
Sept 14, 2016 5:37:17 GMT -8
feca67, solex, and 4 more like this
Post by leffemonster on Sept 14, 2016 5:37:17 GMT -8
One thing I look for when buying a new watch is value for money. I wouldn't spend huge amounts of money on a watch for a number of reasons, but mainly because a) I've got plenty of them, b) I only wear one at a time and c) it only really tells me the time...
I've been looking at the J.Springs line of watches for a while now, but only recently realised that they were on sale at the usual discounted prices from Creationwatches in Singapore (note: I have no affiliation whatsoever with the vendor). So I decided to pull the trigger on a couple last week and thought I'd share my thoughts with you.
J.Springs is a Seiko sub-brand, marketed by Seiko Nextage and is part of the Seiko Instruments empire, a wholly owned subsidiary of Seiko Holdings. So it comes as no surprise that all of their watches are powered by SII movements, whether automatic or quartz.
After a bit of pondering, I decided to buy two of their automatic offerings - the BEB080, part of their 'Sports' range, and the NPEA003, part of their 'Classic' range.
The BEB080 is powered by the 21-jewel Y676B SII movement which I understand is virtually identical to the 7S26B.
Here are the specifications -
Stainless steel case
Stainless steel bracelet, 2-button folding safety clasp
21-jewels calibre Y676
automatic movement
Mineral glass
Luminous hands and markers
Unidirectional rotating bezel
See-through screw caseback
100M water resistance
Case diameter: 43mm
Case thickness: 13mm
The case is really quite nicely finished, with quite angular lugs. The finish on the bezel and crown is pretty reasonable as well, clearly not as 'refined' as what you might get on a high-end watch but then I don't have a high-end watch to compare it against! The crown isn't screw-down, which is a shame, but then I'm not planning taking it underwater so this doesn't really concern me.
The stainless steel bracelet has the usual adjustments available through removable links and micro-adjustment on the clasp - just as well as my wrists are quite small. The clasp is signed 'J.SPRINGS' -
The caseback is see-through, screw-down, as common on the majority of 7S26 Seiko models. The Y676 movement is, I believe, virtually identical to the 7S26 save for the markings on the rotor. Comparing this with a couple of my 7S26's is where I see the biggest difference - the quality of the overall finish on the movement doesn't seem to be as good as on the Seiko equivalent.
I've a soft-spot for blue dials, and this one doesn't disappoint. Catch the light correctly and it's almost as good as my 7T92 Flightmaster for colour. The logo is printed rather than applied, and it carries the usual 'automatic' and water resistance markings. Day/date is at 3 o'clock.
The dial has a very subtle concentric-circle pattern applied that is really only visible on close inspection, and there's a subtle change in the shade of blue just after the tip of the markers.
The hands are nice as well, and are typical of this 'diver-style' variant of watches.
No lume shot available I'm afraid, but it's pretty much as can be expected - hour markers, hands and bezel lume pip all glow for a good while when charged!
It wears really well on the wrist and, as in common with the type of watch, has that almost 'commanding' height due to the bezel. It's the first watch of this style that I've owned and, I have to admit, I like it. It's weighty, though not too heavy so as to cause a distraction.
Overall, I'm very impressed with the BEB080 (especially given the price) and am sure I'll be giving it plenty of wrist time!
The NPEA003 is a different watch altogether, and is my more usual 'dress' style variant. Again it's powered by an SII movement, this time the Y675 variant.
Here are the specifications -
Stainless steel case
Leather strap with curved lug ends
21-jewels caliber Y675
automatic movement
Mineral glass
See-through case back
100M water resistance
Case diameter: 43mm
Case thickness: 11mm
What drew me to this watch is the dial - I think it's absolutely gorgeous and, for me, ticks all the right boxes. Roman numerals, blue hands, relatively uncluttered with that hint of vintage/heritage look about it. They also do an NH37 (4R37-equivalent) powered variant which was a few quid more but, for me, the addition of the 24-hour sub-dial just ruined the look of it.
The 'J' logo is applied but all other markings are printed. The 'signature' beneath the logo is a really nice touch I think. Here are some shots of the dial -
Just beautiful!! For me, I think the curved ends of the leather strap are a really nice touch. I've contemplated getting straps with curved ends before but never done it - now I've tried one, I may well get some more. On the wrist it feels really comfortable. Ok, it means you can't lie the watch down flat when you're not wearing it, but then it'll maybe teach me to always put it on a pillow in the watch box!
As to the strap itself, it feels like most of the money I've spent on the watch has gone into paying for this alone; it has a real premium-quality feel to it.
The case is nicely finished, nice smooth lines on the lugs with no rough edges anywhere. At 11mm it's not that much slimmer than the BEB080 although it feels smaller on the wrist.
Again, so I understand, the Y675 movement is based on the 7S26, and as with the BEB080 this is where I can see the difference in quality when comparing it to a Seiko movement. I'm sure it's as robust and will perform just as well a Seiko movement, but the quality in the finish of the components just doesn't seem the same.
On the wrist, it's an exceptionally comfortable watch to wear and looks like it costs a whole lot more than it does. It's completely different to the BEB080, and is my more favoured style of watch, so I'm sure this one will be doing plenty of work for me.
I'm sure that if the 'J SPRINGS' was replaced with 'SEIKO' on either of these watches, then people would be raving about them. The fact that people aren't could be for any number of reasons, but I'll limit my thinking to just two.
Maybe they're a pile of crap? Well, I doubt this is the case; they're part of the Seiko family that we all know, love and rave about so much, and a wholly-owned part of that family as well. I don't believe for one minute that Seiko would allow their good name to be tarnished by a subsidiary peddling poor-quality watches. So ruling that one out, how's about this - maybe it's just because it doesn't say 'SEIKO'...
Well, personally I'm glad that I decided to (slightly) broaden my horizons and take a punt on these two watches. For the price, I think they're hard to beat. Sure, only time will tell if they live up to expectations but if I've got a few more quid burning a hole in my pocket and am thinking about buying another watch, I'll sure give the J.SPRINGS collection another look. If any of you out there reading this have been thinking about taking a punt, hopefully this little review might go a little way to convincing you to do just that. If you do, I don't think you'll regret it.
Nick
I've been looking at the J.Springs line of watches for a while now, but only recently realised that they were on sale at the usual discounted prices from Creationwatches in Singapore (note: I have no affiliation whatsoever with the vendor). So I decided to pull the trigger on a couple last week and thought I'd share my thoughts with you.
J.Springs is a Seiko sub-brand, marketed by Seiko Nextage and is part of the Seiko Instruments empire, a wholly owned subsidiary of Seiko Holdings. So it comes as no surprise that all of their watches are powered by SII movements, whether automatic or quartz.
After a bit of pondering, I decided to buy two of their automatic offerings - the BEB080, part of their 'Sports' range, and the NPEA003, part of their 'Classic' range.
The BEB080 is powered by the 21-jewel Y676B SII movement which I understand is virtually identical to the 7S26B.
Here are the specifications -
Stainless steel case
Stainless steel bracelet, 2-button folding safety clasp
21-jewels calibre Y676
automatic movement
Mineral glass
Luminous hands and markers
Unidirectional rotating bezel
See-through screw caseback
100M water resistance
Case diameter: 43mm
Case thickness: 13mm
The case is really quite nicely finished, with quite angular lugs. The finish on the bezel and crown is pretty reasonable as well, clearly not as 'refined' as what you might get on a high-end watch but then I don't have a high-end watch to compare it against! The crown isn't screw-down, which is a shame, but then I'm not planning taking it underwater so this doesn't really concern me.
The stainless steel bracelet has the usual adjustments available through removable links and micro-adjustment on the clasp - just as well as my wrists are quite small. The clasp is signed 'J.SPRINGS' -
The caseback is see-through, screw-down, as common on the majority of 7S26 Seiko models. The Y676 movement is, I believe, virtually identical to the 7S26 save for the markings on the rotor. Comparing this with a couple of my 7S26's is where I see the biggest difference - the quality of the overall finish on the movement doesn't seem to be as good as on the Seiko equivalent.
I've a soft-spot for blue dials, and this one doesn't disappoint. Catch the light correctly and it's almost as good as my 7T92 Flightmaster for colour. The logo is printed rather than applied, and it carries the usual 'automatic' and water resistance markings. Day/date is at 3 o'clock.
The dial has a very subtle concentric-circle pattern applied that is really only visible on close inspection, and there's a subtle change in the shade of blue just after the tip of the markers.
The hands are nice as well, and are typical of this 'diver-style' variant of watches.
No lume shot available I'm afraid, but it's pretty much as can be expected - hour markers, hands and bezel lume pip all glow for a good while when charged!
It wears really well on the wrist and, as in common with the type of watch, has that almost 'commanding' height due to the bezel. It's the first watch of this style that I've owned and, I have to admit, I like it. It's weighty, though not too heavy so as to cause a distraction.
Overall, I'm very impressed with the BEB080 (especially given the price) and am sure I'll be giving it plenty of wrist time!
The NPEA003 is a different watch altogether, and is my more usual 'dress' style variant. Again it's powered by an SII movement, this time the Y675 variant.
Here are the specifications -
Stainless steel case
Leather strap with curved lug ends
21-jewels caliber Y675
automatic movement
Mineral glass
See-through case back
100M water resistance
Case diameter: 43mm
Case thickness: 11mm
What drew me to this watch is the dial - I think it's absolutely gorgeous and, for me, ticks all the right boxes. Roman numerals, blue hands, relatively uncluttered with that hint of vintage/heritage look about it. They also do an NH37 (4R37-equivalent) powered variant which was a few quid more but, for me, the addition of the 24-hour sub-dial just ruined the look of it.
The 'J' logo is applied but all other markings are printed. The 'signature' beneath the logo is a really nice touch I think. Here are some shots of the dial -
Just beautiful!! For me, I think the curved ends of the leather strap are a really nice touch. I've contemplated getting straps with curved ends before but never done it - now I've tried one, I may well get some more. On the wrist it feels really comfortable. Ok, it means you can't lie the watch down flat when you're not wearing it, but then it'll maybe teach me to always put it on a pillow in the watch box!
As to the strap itself, it feels like most of the money I've spent on the watch has gone into paying for this alone; it has a real premium-quality feel to it.
The case is nicely finished, nice smooth lines on the lugs with no rough edges anywhere. At 11mm it's not that much slimmer than the BEB080 although it feels smaller on the wrist.
Again, so I understand, the Y675 movement is based on the 7S26, and as with the BEB080 this is where I can see the difference in quality when comparing it to a Seiko movement. I'm sure it's as robust and will perform just as well a Seiko movement, but the quality in the finish of the components just doesn't seem the same.
On the wrist, it's an exceptionally comfortable watch to wear and looks like it costs a whole lot more than it does. It's completely different to the BEB080, and is my more favoured style of watch, so I'm sure this one will be doing plenty of work for me.
I'm sure that if the 'J SPRINGS' was replaced with 'SEIKO' on either of these watches, then people would be raving about them. The fact that people aren't could be for any number of reasons, but I'll limit my thinking to just two.
Maybe they're a pile of crap? Well, I doubt this is the case; they're part of the Seiko family that we all know, love and rave about so much, and a wholly-owned part of that family as well. I don't believe for one minute that Seiko would allow their good name to be tarnished by a subsidiary peddling poor-quality watches. So ruling that one out, how's about this - maybe it's just because it doesn't say 'SEIKO'...
Well, personally I'm glad that I decided to (slightly) broaden my horizons and take a punt on these two watches. For the price, I think they're hard to beat. Sure, only time will tell if they live up to expectations but if I've got a few more quid burning a hole in my pocket and am thinking about buying another watch, I'll sure give the J.SPRINGS collection another look. If any of you out there reading this have been thinking about taking a punt, hopefully this little review might go a little way to convincing you to do just that. If you do, I don't think you'll regret it.
Nick
with feca67 on this posted watch's. (Good Point Sam)