Seikoholics Will Freak Out When They See These!

 

Seiko enthusiasts are a lovely bunch. They profess their love and devotion to things Seiko akin to religion. They can spot a "Feiko" from a mile away and, while some are very welcoming to the modding community, are very critical when it comes to copy cat watches. While Seiko themselves doesn't even bat an eyelash on watches that imitate their legacy, Seikoholics are the self proclaimed gatekeepers that supposedly protect the brand and save the people from these wannabe monstrosities that, in my honest opinion are not that bad...in terms of looks anyway.

Before you scroll down and look at these monstrosities, there are a few things that we need to understand.

1. Anything not made by Seiko and has the brand "SEIKO" on any part of the watch, is fake!

2. Any watch assembled, even from original SEIKO parts, and does not look like anything Seiko made is still a fake.

3. "Any" form of modification makes the watch a fake.

4. Selling these "Feikos" is a crime. Buying them is therefore also a crime.  A crime that, as far as I can tell, is openly committed, but never punished.

5. Don't even attempt to explain your watch to a Seikoholic. Everything is fake unless it's a Seiko.

Those are what a true Seikoholic believes in. I, on the other hand, not so much. I have made watches with the SEIKO logo proudly emblazoned on the dial. I have also sold 2 and gave away 1. Bear in mind, at the time I started making watches, there were no sterile dials that I really liked. Sterile dials are dials that have no branding. So, if I make a watch that, even if it looks like a branded watch, but has no brand on it, it's is therefore not fake.

Take for example the watch below.

The one on the left is obviously an iconic Seiko watch. The one on the right is obviously trying to imitate the original, but is not trying to be a Seiko. If you noticed, no branding. It's as generic a watch as it can be and no one will argue that it is a fake, but it's not original either. In my opinion, this is what "homage" means.

But we are not here for homages we are here to show off some blatant "Feikos" that will make even the most open Seikoholic puke in disgust.

This is my "Pearl Diver". As you can see it has the "SEIKO" logo on the mother of pearl dial. 300m? no way! It has marine master style hands, an SKX007 style case, and an NH35 for the beating heart.

This is my take on a patriotic style watch. Again, these are not original Seiko parts, this was made from parts I sourced online. Turtle style case, mother of pearl dial, NH35 movement, sapphire crystal. I sold this one.

The Star Wars "Rise of Skywalker" tribute watch. Submariner style case. Black dial with white crack design that pays tribute to Rey Skywalker's lightning ability. Yellow handset that pays tribute to Rey's lightsaber. White ceramic bezel that pays homage to Rey choosing the light side of the force. This had a dark side twin that payed tribute to Kylo Ren, but I sold that one.

Square diver. Looks a lot like a B&R. Not much to say about this one. It's square, it's huge, and it's heavy. I gave this away. The watch next to it is my very first attempt at watchmaking.

The Yacht Master. Rose gold submariner case. Rose gold mercedes handset. Black ceramic bezel. Sapphire crystal with cyclops. NH35 movement. This was a commissioned build. I made this one on the kitchen table after dinner.

My SARB033 homage build. Oyster perpetual style case. Sapphire Crystal. NH36 movement with black day and date wheel. Dauphine hands. No brand so not a fake. Gotcha!

My tribute to Captain Willard. I call this "Willard's Rage". Seiko 6105 style case. Lumed wave dial with a red sun. NH35 movement. Sapphire crystal. This is the watch I'm wearing now. It's an homage for sure, but not a Seiko...because it does not say "SEIKO" anywhere on the watch. Bite me!

My original SKX007J1 that I modded by replacing the dive time bezel with an aftermarket pilot bezel. "OMG! What have you done? You modified your Seiko and made it a Feiko! Bastard!" Relax Seikoholics! Don't get your panties in a bunch. I have since removed the pilot bezel and replaced the original dive time bezel. You happy now!

My original SKXN95 from 1997. The original crystal broke so I replaced it with a sapphire crystal. Relax Seikoholics! Don't get your panties in a bunch. I love this watch and I will own it until I die. I had to do something to protect the dial.

If that's not enough, here are more photos!