Seikos Take a Bit More Time to Love, But the Love Lasts Longer

 

Johnny writes:

I'm loving my Seiko SNAD05. It took a day or two to really grow on me, but that's what I find with Seikos: They take a bit more time to love because they aren't as flashy as Invictas, but their subtly and class really settle in. I'll try to post a few pictures on my blog tomorrow morning.

Comments

[jonnybardo]

Whoops, it should say "subtlety" not "subtly." My bad.

But yeah, I stand by that assertion. I just started to write an analogy between Invictas and flashy women, and Seikos and classy women, but then my postmodern sub-identity flashed a warning of "misogynist objectification" and I stopped.

But there's something to it. Some things (or people) look better at first and then decline in aesthetic value and affective attraction; some things (or people) aren't as instantly attractive or flashy, but grow on you. And Seikos are hardly unattractive - they're just not flashy or "blingish."

I've been wearing my SNAD05 for a few days now; usually I swap my watches out every day or two. Today I was planning on wearing something different, but just didn't feel like it. I'm worried that I'm starting to go through something similar to you, sort of like waking up from a state of bedazzlement and realizing that Invictas aren't all that after all.

Don't get me wrong: I still love (most of) my Invictas, but I'm thinking seriously about selling a third or even half of them (which there are "only" about 20 of), and picking up a few more Seikos. I would start with those watches I never wear, then move to those that I rarely wear. I'm guessing that when all is said and done I'll be down to about a dozen Invictas. A couple years from now I could see my collection consisting of a dozen Invictas, a dozen Seikos, a few Citizens, and a handful of other watches. But who knows.

[herculodge]

I wonder if a year from now I'll have more than 5 Invicta watches in my collection. I keep selling them off and opting to wear my Seiko Black Monster. I've woken up from an Invicta dream or something.

[herculodge]

I can see why you're wearing your Seiko more than the Invictas. It's more of a manly watch. Invictas, once the dream wears off, seem like gaudy costume jewelry.

[jonnybardo]

Out of curiosity, if you had to get rid of all but give Invictas, which would you keep?

I'd definitely keep the Capsule 6661 and SAS 0524, and probably the SAS 5219, SAS 6903, and Venom II. Depending upon how I like the Ocean Reefs coming in the mail, I might swap one out for the Venom.

[jonnybardo]

All but "five", not "give." I type fast and rarely edit, so I can get a bit sloppy in my verbosity.

[herculodge]

I like my Capsule, my Ocean Reefs, and my SASs, and my Force Masters. I may sell the rest. We'll see. I think I'll go two weeks without Invicta and if I don't miss them I'll start to sell them off.

[Angelo]

Is Invicta, Ginger and Seiko, Mary Ann? I think you guys are acting hastily. I only have two Invictas----it's possible that you both just overdosed on them or something. I have a Sea Spider (matte black and gold) and an Ocean Reef that Herc sold to me. I love them both. I just wore the Sea Spider yesterday. Guys----stand back for a moment and reconsider what Invicta is: They don't pretend to be Breitling or Rolex----they are just a company who sells fashion forward watches at a moderate price. I think there's most definitely a place for Invicta in watch collections like the ones you describe. Maybe someone with Bill Gates money would opt for watches starting in the thousands, not the hundreds----but for most of us, spending more than a hundred dollars on a watch is a serious collector purchase. We're not talking about a fifteen dollar drug store watch. Invicta does pretty darn well at providing value at their price point. I think a lot of thought and creativity goes into the design of their watches, material selections----and even how they are named and marketed. They're fun. What's wrong with "fun" as a component of collecting? I especially like the fact that they will combine carbon fiber, silicon, high polished metal----and other materials---all on the same watch----and somehow make it work. Are some of them over the top, in size and in "wow" factor? Yes. But you don't have to buy those and if you have them, you can sell them----as there is a strong market for those watches, still. The beauty of Invicta is their variety----and in many cases, their value for the dollar. I compare them to Nixon----and I think you get a much better deal, all things considered.