Seiko mod review: our workshop's view and 10 things to check before you buy
Two listings open side by side. Same fluted bezel, same grey sunburst dial, same jubilee bracelet. One costs a third of the other. From the photos, there is no telling which will last you ten years and which will stop before the summer. It is the question almost everyone asks before buying a first Seiko mod: is it a good watch, and how do you avoid a bad one?
Our workshop's view fits in two sentences. A well-made Seiko mod is a very good watch: its Japanese automatic movement is robust, documented by the manufacturer and serviceable by most watchmakers. But everything else depends on the workshop that assembles it, and that is where the differences lie. Here are the 10 points to check before you order, what the law already guarantees you, and the checks to make the day the parcel arrives.
What a Seiko mod does very well
The heart of a Seiko mod is its movement. For its 4R35 and 4R36 automatic calibres, Seiko's official manual gives a power reserve of about 41 hours, a frequency of 21,600 beats per hour (six per second, hence the smooth sweep of the seconds hand) and an accuracy of +45 to −35 seconds a day, worn on the wrist between 5 and 35 °C. Honest figures for a mechanical watch.
The second strength is less visible: repairability. Seiko recommends a service, with dismantling and cleaning, roughly every 2 to 3 years. A movement this widespread can be serviced by most watchmakers, with no wait for an unobtainable part. That is a real difference from a fashion watch with an anonymous movement, thrown away at the first fault.
At SmodParis, our three-hand watches run on a Seiko NH35, our open-heart models on a Miyota automatic calibre, and our chronographs on a Seiko VK63 meca-quartz. For the bigger picture, read our guide what is a Seiko mod?
The 10 points to check before you order
A solid movement does not make a solid watch. The dial can be badly fitted, the date can jump crookedly, the warranty can turn out to be nowhere to be found. Here is the checklist we would use ourselves to buy from another workshop.
| Point | What you want to see | Warning sign |
|---|---|---|
| 1. The movement | A named calibre: NH35, VK63, Miyota 82S0 | "Quality automatic movement", with no reference |
| 2. The dial | The workshop's own model name | The name or logo of a luxury house |
| 3. The crystal | Sapphire or mineral, clearly stated | No information |
| 4. Water resistance | A figure in ATM or metres | "Water resistant" with no figure |
| 5. The warranty | At least 2 years, in writing | Less than 2 years, or nothing in writing |
| 6. Returns | At least 14 days to change your mind | "No returns, no exchanges" |
| 7. Delivery | A written lead time before you pay | "As soon as possible" |
| 8. The workshop | Who assembles it, and where | No address, no name |
| 9. Reviews | Dated reviews, negative ones included, with replies | Only five stars, all from the same month |
| 10. After-sales | A contact for servicing or a fault | A form that never gets an answer |
On the watch itself: points 1 to 4
A named movement. A serious workshop tells you what it puts in the case. If the product page stays vague, ask: the answer, and how long it takes to arrive, say a lot.
A dial with no borrowed name. This point is not up for debate. French customs point out that counterfeit goods are prohibited and that a private individual can be penalised: a fine of one to two times the value of the item, confiscation, and up to three years in prison. A watch bearing the name or logo of a luxury house is no longer a mod, whatever its price.
The crystal. Sapphire crystal rates 9 on the Mohs scale: it resists everyday scratches far better than mineral glass. It is not compulsory, but the information should be given.
Water resistance, stated and understood. The figure on the caseback is read against the ISO 22810 standard, and it is not a diving depth:
| Marking | Suitable for | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| 3 ATM (30 m) | Rain, splashes | Shower, bath, swimming |
| 5 ATM (50 m) | Shower, bath, surface swimming | Diving |
| 10 ATM (100 m) | Swimming, surfing, water sports | Diving |
| 20 ATM (200 m) | Skin diving, marine activities | Scuba diving: choose a dive watch certified to ISO 6425 |
Our GMT Mod, for example, is rated water resistant to 3 ATM: a city watch, to take off before the shower.
On the seller: points 5 to 10
The warranty: 2 years is the law. Good news: part of the answer is already written into French law. Every professional seller owes the legal guarantee of conformity for 2 years from delivery of a new item. During those 24 months, a defect is presumed to have existed at purchase, and repair or replacement must cost you nothing. A workshop advertising a "6-month warranty" is not doing you a favour: it is taking one away. Ours covers 2 years, movement and assembly.
Returns: 14 days, too. For an online purchase, you have at least 14 calendar days to change your mind, starting the day after delivery. The seller must refund you no later than 14 days after being told of your decision. If the seller did not inform you of this right, the period can be extended by up to 12 months.
Delivery: a written lead time. According to France's National Consumer Institute (INC), the seller must state clearly, before you order, the delivery date or lead time; failing that, delivery must take place no later than 30 days after the contract is concluded. A phrase such as "as soon as possible" is presumed unfair. A hand-assembled watch takes time: at SmodParis, allow 1 to 3 weeks, with free delivery in France.
An identifiable workshop. Who assembles it, where, and how do you reach them? A Seiko mod is not an industrial product: the quality depends on the hands that fitted the hands. Our watches are assembled by hand in our Paris workshop.
Reviews worth reading. A score alone tells you nothing. Read the negative reviews and how the seller replies, check the dates, look for customer photos. Delivery times kept, a problem solved quickly: that is what you want to read.
After-sales. A mechanical watch lives for years. Ask who looks after it if it fails under warranty, and afterwards. With a Seiko movement the answer is simple: the workshop first, then any competent watchmaker.
Signs that should send you running
Some signs are enough, on their own, to close the tab:
- A luxury house's name on the dial, or the promise of an "authentic" watch at a low price.
- A very low price for an automatic movement with no reference given: the savings have to come from somewhere.
- No written warranty or returns terms before payment.
- A seller pushing you to pay outside the shop, by a method that leaves you no recourse.
- Identical photos from one site to the next, a sign of a watch resold without ever being seen.
The day the parcel arrives: 5 checks in ten minutes
Your watch is here. Before you wear it, take ten minutes to check what no photo can show.
- Wind it with about twenty turns of the crown, as Seiko advises for a stopped watch, then watch: the seconds hand should move steadily, in quick little steps.
- Look at the dial in the light, tilted slightly: no dust, no fingerprints, indices properly aligned.
- Check the hands line up at noon: the hour and minute hands should sit on top of each other.
- Test the date: it should change around midnight. If it changes at noon, the time has simply been set on the wrong half of the day; move it on 12 hours.
- Measure the timekeeping over three or four days of normal wear. A few seconds a day is normal for an automatic; a minute a day is not.
If your watch stops overnight, do not worry: it is almost always a matter of power reserve, which we explain in my automatic watch stops overnight. And if something is wrong, the 14-day returns period is there for exactly that.
In the workshop we often see the same thing: the happiest buyers are the ones who asked two or three questions before ordering. For a first understated automatic, the Roman Dial and our blue-dial watch with a fluted bezel are two good starting points; for travellers, the GMT Mod and its 24-hour bezel, whose story is told in what is a GMT watch?
Frequently asked questions
Are Seiko mods good watches?
Yes, when the assembly is done with care. The Seiko movement is robust and well documented: about 41 hours of power reserve and an accuracy of +45 to −35 seconds a day according to the manufacturer for its 4R calibres. The end result depends on the workshop, which is why it pays to check the warranty and returns.
Is a Seiko mod a counterfeit?
No, as long as it bears its workshop's name and no name or logo of another house, and is never presented as authentic. A watch that uses a luxury house's brand without permission is a counterfeit, prohibited and penalised by customs.
What warranty comes with a Seiko mod bought in France?
A professional seller owes the 2-year legal guarantee of conformity on a new item, on top of any commercial warranty. At SmodParis, the warranty covers 2 years, movement and assembly, and returns are accepted within 14 days.
How long does a Seiko mod last?
For years, provided it is looked after. Seiko recommends a service roughly every 2 to 3 years for its automatic calibres. Because the movement is so widespread, most watchmakers know how to service it.
Can you swim with a Seiko mod?
That depends on the stated water resistance, not on the movement. Under ISO 22810, a 3 ATM watch copes with rain but not the shower; you need 10 ATM to swim. Check the figure on the product page before going in the water.
Sources
- Seiko, 4R35 and 4R36 calibre manual, "Caractéristiques" (41 hours, 21,600 beats, accuracy): seikowatches.com
- Seiko, same manual, "Service après-vente" (service every 2 to 3 years): seikowatches.com
- Service-public.fr, "Garantie légale de conformité": service-public.gouv.fr
- Service-public.fr, "Droit de rétractation pour un achat à distance": service-public.gouv.fr
- Institut national de la consommation, "La livraison : vos droits et recours": inc-conso.fr
- French customs, "Infractions douanières en matière de contrefaçon": douane.gouv.fr
- Seiko, same manual, "Caractéristiques de la montre mécanique" (20 turns of the crown) and "Dépannage" (date changing at noon): seikowatches.com and seikowatches.com
- Wikipedia, "Water Resistant mark", ISO 22810 standard: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_Resistant_mark
- Wikipédia (French), "Verre saphir", hardness of 9 on the Mohs scale: fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Verre_saphir
- Photo: ofuss, Pixabay Licence, via Pixabay (https://pixabay.com/photos/watchmaker-horology-craft-6861400/)
- Roman Dial photo: SmodParis.
Further reading: the movements in our watches and giving an automatic watch for under 300 euros.