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Post by saul on Jan 12, 2020 12:33:22 GMT -8
In the supermarket this morning. Sidled up to a stranger. A man who works with his hands. A man who spends his life outdoors. A man who appreciates tools and uses them.
"Excuse me, I really like your Tuna."
"Huh?"
"Your watch. It's a Tuna."
"This? It's a Seiko."
He had no idea. He likes Seiko. This is his first Solar (SNE498). I quickly explained what a Tuna was and the lineage back to 1975. He seemed tickled that anyone would notice his watch or say complimentary things about it. I could tell by the way he wore it cinched tight and the amount of wear on the band that he never took it off to do dirty, dangerous things.
We live in an Ivory tower of obsession. I never would have thought that I would see someone wearing a Mini Golden Tuna, or any shrouded Seiko diver, who wouldn't even know the nickname let alone some history.
Seiko doesn't make watches for us. They make watches for him.
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Post by acace1 on Jan 12, 2020 12:43:47 GMT -8
Sounds about right to me.
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mikeyt
Needs a Life!
Krusty Olde Pharte
Posts: 4,821 
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Post by mikeyt on Jan 12, 2020 14:02:57 GMT -8
They don't even know who we are....
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Post by SeikoPsycho on Jan 12, 2020 17:47:07 GMT -8
They don't even know who we are.... Yeah, We're the bottom feeders who care the most..........lol |
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Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Jan 12, 2020 18:10:12 GMT -8
I'm willing to bet that Seiko heard us; thus the plethora of classic reissues. Where it went wrong is they went on to make dozens of parts bin watches to appeal to the masses. By wrong, I just mean that they lost us  |
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Post by 59yukon01 on Jan 12, 2020 18:28:14 GMT -8
Well to be honest they are just watches. 😉 I have fun with them but my obsession falls way short of most around here. 😊
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Post by nordlys on Jan 12, 2020 19:02:44 GMT -8
I think this applies to the "fanatics" and the "normal buyers" for just about every brand and every product. There's typically a tiny, obscure corner of the market occupied by the brand fanatics that obsess over every tiny detail of the models released and can tell you the history of every single reference, and then there's the much larger corner occupied by the normal buyers who probably don't even care all that much about the brand of product they're wearing. They just wanted a nice product, saw said product in a shop window or showroom that looked nice to them and fit their lifestyle... and bought it without thinking all that much about the purchase. Same thing occured when guys used to ask me about my first car. I'm not a car guy in the least... It's just a mode of transportation to me. My first car was a black 1995 Pontiac Firebird, which I bought not because I liked the history of the Firebird or Pontiac in general, but because I got an amazing on it from a friend of a family friend, it was in great condition for the age, the $2800 asking price was a little less than I had saved up from my under-the-table jobs that I had been working for the prior two years, and it looked really cool to my 16 year old eyes (luckily it was the V6 model so I didn't end up killing myself). I owned that car for 7 years. During that entire time, I never bothered to look up the history of the Firebird or learn anything about cars in general. I had several "car guys", at least one a year it seemed, who would come up to me and say "Nice Firebird!" and the proceed to try and strike up a conversation about Firebirds or Pontiacs in general (I assume they were Pontiac fanatics). It took them approximately 30 seconds to realize I knew absolutely nothing about the car and that I couldn't care less about whatever they were yammering on about despite my attempts to feign interest, at which point they would find a way to politely exit the conversation. The point of the story is: A vast majority of people who buy a product will probably never become fanatical about it, even if it is a product that has developed somewhat of a cult following over the years (like Seiko Divers... or Firebirds...). Companies don't design or market products for the fanatics, they design and market them for the average consumer, and the fanatics just happen to become fanatical about them in the process. And the tl;dr?: They don't love us because we're weird.  |
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Post by saul on Jan 12, 2020 20:13:24 GMT -8
I'm willing to bet that Seiko heard us; thus the plethora of classic reissues. Where it went wrong is they went on to make dozens of parts bin watches to appeal to the masses. By wrong, I just mean that they lost us Although the SNE498 is a bit of a magical interstice. It distills all the best design elements of its forebears into a tough, attractive, wallet friendly, fire and forget tool watch that can appeal to both the uninitiated masses and the fanatic. |
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tritto
WS Benefactor
Posts: 5,869
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Post by tritto on Jan 12, 2020 21:56:36 GMT -8
I think this applies to the "fanatics" and the "normal buyers" for just about every brand and every product. There's typically a tiny, obscure corner of the market occupied by the brand fanatics that obsess over every tiny detail of the models released and can tell you the history of every single reference, and then there's the much larger corner occupied by the normal buyers who probably don't even care all that much about the brand of product they're wearing. They just wanted a nice product, saw said product in a shop window or showroom that looked nice to them and fit their lifestyle... and bought it without thinking all that much about the purchase. Same thing occured when guys used to ask me about my first car. I'm not a car guy in the least... It's just a mode of transportation to me. My first car was a black 1995 Pontiac Firebird, which I bought not because I liked the history of the Firebird or Pontiac in general, but because I got an amazing on it from a friend of a family friend, it was in great condition for the age, the $2800 asking price was a little less than I had saved up from my under-the-table jobs that I had been working for the prior two years, and it looked really cool to my 16 year old eyes (luckily it was the V6 model so I didn't end up killing myself). I owned that car for 7 years. During that entire time, I never bothered to look up the history of the Firebird or learn anything about cars in general. I had several "car guys", at least one a year it seemed, who would come up to me and say "Nice Firebird!" and the proceed to try and strike up a conversation about Firebirds or Pontiacs in general (I assume they were Pontiac fanatics). It took them approximately 30 seconds to realize I knew absolutely nothing about the car and that I couldn't care less about whatever they were yammering on about despite my attempts to feign interest, at which point they would find a way to politely exit the conversation. The point of the story is: A vast majority of people who buy a product will probably never become fanatical about it, even if it is a product that has developed somewhat of a cult following over the years (like Seiko Divers... or Firebirds...). Companies don't design or market products for the fanatics, they design and market them for the average consumer, and the fanatics just happen to become fanatical about them in the process. And the tl;dr?: They don't love us because we're weird. That's awesome! Thank you. |
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jringo8769
WIS
The life we have is a Gift from God....live it to the fullest every day...Thank God for it...
Posts: 1,570
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Post by jringo8769 on Jan 12, 2020 22:21:02 GMT -8
Well to be honest they are just watches. 😉 I have fun with them but my obsession falls way short of most around here. 😊 Very well said my friend I love fixing and repairing them.. Getting them back together and working But obsessing over some of the variations is a slippery slope to me I do love classic lines and timeless designs ... Most of this new stuff is not going to last the test of time in my opinion like the originals Remakes to me have not been much interest unless they improve design problems but remaking to make sales...no thanks God Bless,John You just make stuff that looks like the original and put a big price on it... So what Look at Colt Firearms They built beautiful firearms and now are trying to do the same things Seiko is doing with poor results and poor quality Less is more when it comes to this stuff |
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cobrajet25
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"Underweared curmudgeon!"
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Post by cobrajet25 on Jan 13, 2020 3:57:55 GMT -8
Seiko doesn't like us because we care more about what they made than what they make.  |
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HiBeat
Global Moderator
SEIKO Iko Iko GDTRWS
Posts: 8,663
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Post by HiBeat on Jan 13, 2020 7:41:05 GMT -8
Seiko doesn't make watches for us. They make watches for him.
I've been writing about this same thing for some time now Saul.
Luckily they still cater to our crowd with SOME offerings, but by and large they are taking the brand upscale and making watches that appeal to the most important demographic they have, the masses in their 20s and 30s.
The Prospex "X" which isn't an X and the new Series 5 stylized 5 that isn't a 5 are all part of their plan. It's underway !
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Post by saul on Jan 13, 2020 8:22:39 GMT -8
Seiko doesn't make watches for us. They make watches for him.
I've been writing about this same thing for some time now Saul.
Luckily they still cater to our crowd with SOME offerings, but by and large they are taking the brand upscale and making watches that appeal to the most important demographic they have, the masses in their 20s and 30s.
The Prospex "X" which isn't an X and the new Series 5 stylized 5 that isn't a 5 are all part of their plan. It's underway !
Well, yes, but in this instance they are fulfilling the mission of making an affordable and cool tool watch for the every man. The fact that when I wear mine I know a lot more about where it came from and why it exists is of no concern to them.  |
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Post by rainier on Jan 13, 2020 9:17:10 GMT -8
All of this discussion has made me wonder what the latest Seiko mission statement is - here's their Company Message from the CEO direct from their website's company/message section:
“Always one step ahead of the rest”
This was the vision of, Seiko’s founder, Kintaro Hattori, and it has inspired our company through over a century of watchmaking. An unflagging quest to increase both the precision, utility and beauty of our watches has resulted in many world-firsts. In 1969 we revolutionized the watchmaking industry with the Seiko Quartz Astron, the world’s first quartz watch. And in 2012, when we launched the Seiko Astron, the world’s first GPS solar watch, it was immediately recognized as the new global standard by markets worldwide.
As we look forward to the next decade, our commitment to our founder’s vision will remain undiminished, but we aim to add a new, extra dimension to the watches we offer. As well as innovative technology and a finely honed approach to design, we aim to create watches that have a strong emotional appeal and that will enrich the lives of our customers. Time is to be enjoyed and our aim is to touch people’s hearts worldwide, adding a touch of fun and excitement to their lives. These ideas come together in a new expression that will guide our future. “Moving Ahead. Touching Hearts.”
Shinji Hattori Chairman & CEO
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Myles
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Post by Myles on Jan 13, 2020 15:26:04 GMT -8
Speaking of sightings in "the wild", recently a guy I work with complimented me on my SKX009. He was sporting an SKX007. I'm pretty sure he's a watch geek, as he referred to my SKX009 as a "Pepsi" variant.
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Adrian-VTA
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Adelaide, South Australia
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Post by Adrian-VTA on Jan 13, 2020 15:46:27 GMT -8
They've heard you. The thing is that they are an "avant garde" style company. Always pushing forward and inventing. Going back to the past is kind of a retrograde approach for them. They are what they are because they made new stuff and didn't just make the same watch since 1949 like another brand I can think of.
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HiBeat
Global Moderator
SEIKO Iko Iko GDTRWS
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Post by HiBeat on Jan 13, 2020 15:58:35 GMT -8
They've heard you. The thing is that they are an "avant garde" style company. Always pushing forward and inventing. Going back to the past is kind of a retrograde approach for them. They are what they are because they made new stuff and didn't just make the same watch since 1949 like another brand I can think of. That other brand is actually doing new things now, maybe a lot late to the party. Plus using Tudor to grab the younger demographics. |
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tritto
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Post by tritto on Jan 13, 2020 16:29:34 GMT -8
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Post by nordlys on Jan 15, 2020 0:03:10 GMT -8
They've heard you. The thing is that they are an "avant garde" style company. Always pushing forward and inventing. Going back to the past is kind of a retrograde approach for them. They are what they are because they made new stuff and didn't just make the same watch since 1949 like another brand I can think of. I appreciate Seiko's constant innovation on the design front. After all, that drive to constantly innovate was what brought us the "Grammar of Design" concept in the first place. Even if some Seiko's recent design choices are not my cup of tea, I would rather be a fan of a company that throws out a wide net to move forward with their design language as opposed to a company that makes a few hit designs and says "Alright, that's good enough. Let's just change the font of the "Swiss Made" designation every few years and flip/flop between open and closed 6s and 9s. Our collectors will go CRAZY over that." |
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Post by phil on Jan 15, 2020 12:37:15 GMT -8
Thanks for pointing this out. Never heard of them before but I am very tempted to go for the green one. |
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