[Donato777]

In a very general way, are Seiko and Citizen watches considered to have about the same quality, i.e., fit and finish, accuracy, reliability, bang for the buck, etc.? I have owned many different Seiko watches and have been very happy with them all, and recently I purchased a Citizen eco-drive diver, only because I liked the textured dial and the price was right. I could just as easily bought another Seiko if I had found one designed like the Citizen. So what do owners of both think - are they pretty much the same? (I know that there are individual Seiko models that are superior to certain Citizens and the reverse is probably also true, so I am looking for general opinions from those who have experience of both.) Thanks!

 

[bourmb]

I don't like to compare brands, esp. behemoths such as Seiko and Citizen who make millions upon millions of watches yearly.

Just some comments about both.

In general, Seiko makes mechanical watches. Citizen don't.

Seiko's solar technology isn't as well established as Citizen's Eco-Drive.

Seiko though, has its own kinetic & Spring Drive technology.

The top end Grand Seiko/Credor/Galante/Spring Drive, as well as the Citizen Chronomaster/Campagnola have a good degree of hand assembly/hand finishing/artwork.

WRT fit and finish+materials and movements, the overall quality of Seiko and Citizen watches found in the mall are excellent, $ for $. Citizen does have an edge in their bracelets, esp. their sports/pro models but they're still sticking to mineral crystals for most of them. Seiko's hardlex is marginally better.

It boils down to features one would like on the watch, usually. I'll be hard-pressed to think of alternatives for many Seiko and Citizen models. For example, a perpetual calendar chrono or a perpetual calendar day/date accurate to 20s p/y.

What is the order of heirachy for the Seiko sub-brands?

 

[flores42]

personally, have had better experiences with citizen, all experience coming with dive watches. to me the citizen watches are more comfortable, although I've had to change the citizen rubber bands more than the seiko rubber bands. All the citizen watches I've owned have been quartz and all the seiko brands being automatic, so the accuracy issue is unfair, being that my seiko's have been off for a while. So all in all, I personally like citizen more, but for the most part have enjoyed both brands. I do see them as very comprable brands and very similiar in all aspects, just perfer citizen.

 

[John MS]

In a very general way, are Seiko and Citizen watches considered to have about the same quality, i.e., fit and finish, accuracy, reliability, bang for the buck, etc.? I have owned many different Seiko watches and have been very happy with them all, and recently I purchased a Citizen eco-drive diver, only because I liked the textured dial and the price was right. I could just as easily bought another Seiko if I had found one designed like the Citizen. So what do owners of both think - are they pretty much the same? (I know that there are individual Seiko models that are superior to certain Citizens and the reverse is probably also true, so I am looking for general opinions from those who have experience of both.) Thanks!

In a very general way, yes they are considered equals IF you are comparing watches with similar prices and feature sets. Both companies have a well established reputation for producing very large numbers of watches while maintaining quality.

 

[OnTimeGabe]

They both make quality watches, and any fan of Asian timepieces should have room for both in their collection. I think you see more talk about Seiko in the collecting community simply because they produce a lot more mechanical watches, and those are generally more popular among the WIS crowd. I agree with others that Citizen generally has better bracelets at the same price point (solid end links, forged push-button clasps, etc). On the other hand, Seiko's Lumibrite is the gold standard for lume, and Citizens rarely glow as brightly. As for rechargeable quartz models, you've got solar-powered Eco-Drive versus motion-powered Kinetic, which are both reliable and effective technologies. And as far as styling goes, Seiko tends to be a bit more traditional, while Citizen tends to push the boundaries (those are gross generalizations of course). In the end, it really comes down to personal preference and how much you like a specific model. I'm a big fan of both.

 

[b3nry]

I like both brands. When I want an automatic I'll probably go Seiko. If I want quartz or "quartz accuracy" I'll go Citizen as the Eco-drive doesn't need a battery replacement.

 

[WIS_Chronomaster]

Good reasoning

 

[cnthwz]

I think Citizen's Eco-drive is usually cheaper then Seiko's Kinetic but slightly more expensive then Seiko's Quartz. A good choice if you do not want to replace the battery and do not want to pay for a Kinetic.

 

[SimonSaysBleed]

What is the order of heirachy for the Seiko sub-brands?

I believe it is:
Seiko
Pulsar
Lorus
I may be missing one tho...

 

[rmiller]

I believe it is:
Seiko
Pulsar
Lorus
I may be missing one tho...

You want to slot J.Springs in there as well. I would have them above Pulsar on interesting watches, where others could disagree.

 

[Blake]

I have only owned one seiko. Its been a good watch so far. Never had a citezen.

I think i heard that citezen sells more and is more popular in the stares, and that seiko has more sales and is more popular in japan.

Both watches are great in my opinion if your considering buying a seiko or citezen try it out. You'll be impressed with either

 

[Donato777]

I have only owned one seiko. Its been a good watch so far. Never had a citezen.

I think i heard that citezen sells more and is more popular in the stares, and that seiko has more sales and is more popular in japan.

Both watches are great in my opinion if your considering buying a seiko or citezen try it out. You'll be impressed with either

Thanks everyone. Since my original question, I bought a Seiko SKX007 and a Citizen Eco-driver BN0020-07E. I wear the Seiko as my everyday beater on a Zulu strap. It's a great watch and a classic. The Citizen is nice too, but very heavy (24mm lug).

 

[MichaelPedersen]

I like them both a lot. I prefer Citizen designs over a lot of the Seiko design decisions. My only complaint with the Citizens I have owned in the past is the metal used in them must be softer because they are scratch magnets. I still think nothing but the best of them. Trying to acquire an early Navihawk Pro-Master right now, we'll see how she does.

 

[Isthmus]

What is the order of heirachy for the Seiko sub-brands?

I believe it is:
Seiko
Pulsar
Lorus
I may be missing one tho...

You want to slot J.Springs in there as well. I would have them above Pulsar on interesting watches, where others could disagree.

And AKA, Alba, Spoon, Credor, Lasalle, Grand Seiko, Lukia, Wired, RooX, Orient and a bunch of others that are not coming to mind.

Then there are dozens of sub-brands listed underneath each brand (and particularly seiko)

 

[ronin67]

In a very general way, are Seiko and Citizen watches considered to have about the same quality, i.e., fit and finish, accuracy, reliability, bang for the buck, etc.? I have owned many different Seiko watches and have been very happy with them all, and recently I purchased a Citizen eco-drive diver, only because I liked the textured dial and the price was right. I could just as easily bought another Seiko if I had found one designed like the Citizen. So what do owners of both think - are they pretty much the same? (I know that there are individual Seiko models that are superior to certain Citizens and the reverse is probably also true, so I am looking for general opinions from those who have experience of both.) Thanks!

I think the whole argument is a waste to be quite honest. I have been a Seiko fan since 1986 and never owned any decent time piece besides Seiko, until last week, when I bought my first Citizen Eco-Drive. I bought the Citizen because the face appearance and smooth design flow appealed to me. After getting it, I was very please with the overall finish and I must say I prefer the wristband over current Seiko wristbands (my opinion).

In general, I like wrist watches allot and own from many Japanese Brands (Seiko, Citizen, and Casio). Love Casio for the G-Shock watches and the new higher end Edifice and Oceanus lines (more then likely will be my next timepiece). All those years I was Seiko only, I missed out on other great Japanese watches. Still love my Seiko watches though. Sir, my apologies for taking over two years to respond to this post.

May God Bless!:-!

Ed

 

[jason_recliner]

Seiko and Citizen are good! And Casio!

 

[nhoJ]

Seiko and Citizen are good! And Casio!

Rolex is better than all of them combined.

 

[ronin67]

Rolex is better than all of them combined.

Someday, I do want to get a Rolex, just see what all the hype is. Been looking at a few. Looking into the technology field, Rolex stays traditional for the most part. They don't touch any Japanese watch in the newest use of technology. They are more a status symbol to show off. To be honest, when I get one, I won't wear it that much, too afraid to damage it. I think I'll just pick up a copy in Korea for $75.00 :-d

May God Bless!

Ed

 

[Pint of Brew]

Rolex is better than all of them combined.

And totally irrelevant too. A Hugo Boss suit is better than a pair of Levi's and Timberland shirt combined but you don't play football in the park with your nephew wearing a suit, do you?

Now whether a Rolex is better than a GS, is a different question and not one related to the post, either.

 

[brett kenny]

Citizen wipes the floor with Seiko on every level they play together.

Seiko has by far the cooler name