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I finally saw one of these in person (green one). Wow. It looks cheesy in photos, but is really charming in reality. I totally get the hype now.

I always thought the SARB017 was a goofy-looking watch online-couldn't understand the appeal. Then I bought one just to see what the fuss was about. Once on wrist, I got it. The watch has such an undeniable charm: I don't know if it's the size, the two crowns, the green and gold, it all just works. Feels extremely high-quality and "dense" too. I wore it during my entire pilgrimage on the Camino De Santiago, which I hiked with my father the summer before I started law school. I will likely never sell my Alpinist.

SARB 017: Today's classic; tomorrow's icon.

Great analysis, IDGUY. Personally, the Green-Gilt SARB017 makes total sense to me, because when I see the hands and dial, I’m immediately taken back to the 1940s and 50s. The watch pays homage to the era of daring explorers like Tinzing Norgay and Sir Edmund Hilary, and it was an era when sports watches and dress watches weren’t clearly delineated. Just look at what watch Tenzing wore. It wasn’t a Rolex Explorer, but a special Oyster Precision, a piece that would by today’s standards be categorized as a dress watch with a sporty case, much like the SARB017.

Those early 90's Alpinists are beautiful. Have the SARB017 and never selling it!

Another great video thanks @IDGuy

I have the new Black Alpinist. It’s awesome. I gave my 017 to my wife and now I’m going to get the new Green Alpinist.

A beautiful review.

A much needed review, nice one🇬🇧

The SARB017 defies traditional logic of what is good design or not. It's just beautiful in it's quirky way. not many else like it.

This is a gorgeous rugged timepiece just like the man who will wear it incredible incredible incredible incredible Seiko you do it again!!!!!

One of the reasons the Alpinist is so beloved in the watch community is its case sizing. Note the SRPA95 doesn’t get the same attention.

At first, I did not like the watch, I didn't understand the hype. But after seeing the watch on the metal, encouraged by your review, I pulled the trigger on the SPB117J1 a few days ago. Excellent video!

An excellent review of the Alpinist, one of the most beloved watches in our hobby. Your videos continue to be the gold standard on KZfaq. Well done as always sir.

the cream dial is stunning , but boys that date wheel background needed to be cream too.

Great vlog

The SARB017 will always be my first mechanical watch. It gives me confidence, while at the same time it's saying: "I tell you time. Now tell me: 'what am I?'" A classic keeper.

Love these videos! (Do one about the glycine airman pls ;))

Im loving it

The best seiko model

Good looking!!!!!

That SSASS version looks absolutely amazing...

Wooo!

wow. what a video!

Great review. Compass scale on the internal rotating bezel is very close to useless. If they only changed the scale, this would be an incredible piece - 12 hour GMT, countdown timer, or even a standard diver scale. All so very useful!!

Adore my 017, beautiful watch.. Like the new cream dialed one, but dislike the cyclops - not a fan of dates on watches anyway tho. Don't like the blue, too anonymous & the new black one is trying too hard to be a Seiko Explorer.. I like the dressy style but with rugged construction, so much more appealing to me than the overdone divers. Interesting video as always, Cheers 👍🏻👍🏻

I have one, I love it. Could easily understand why others don’t. Everyone’s a critic

I got a SPB117J1 on a Jubilee bracelet. It really made it come to life.

I'm in love for the black ref !!!

IDGuy, I have no experience with compass bezels, but I know that you find north by reflecting the crystal in the sun somehow. Do you think the sunburst dial finish would affect this in any practical way?

Forever!!!! Art

Great review. Definitely a wonderful, eccentric watch. I thought I'd sell mine, but persevered and now I love it. It grows on you, like all the best designs. The green and gold represents warm sunshine and the safety of grass-covered, lower slopes on a mountain. If you've spent time in lethal weather above the snowline, it makes sense. For me, a great winter watch, now ruined by the tacky Playstation/X Box alike Prospex logo and the cyclops. The unnecessary PS logo is particularly glaring on this watch - sharp, crass and angular, slap in the middle of a classically styled face.

Does green and gold work well as a pairing? HECK YES! GO PACK GO!!!!

I like the direction of the updated black dial Alpinist. The silver indices reduce the formalness of the watch, but overall the watch still seems like a nice, finished piece, instead of a stark tool. I have to say though, as someone who spends a lot of time outdoors, white dials are easier for me to read in various outdoor light conditions.

Nice video...I have been bitten by the Sarb17, but do like the new black dial edition...however I would not call this new model an alpenist, rather a new field variant. I may have to add the SARB17 to my collection before they disappear. I prefer the older model.

I've seen a recent review of the 017 version which i would say is the definitive version.......

Seiko's sudden fascination with cyclops needs to end. All new Prospex watches are being fitted with a cyclops for some reason I cannot fathom... Did anyone ask for this? Because from what I've seen most people don't like cyclops.

The SSASS dials are a beauty

I like the black dial version.

Seiko is number one

Strange piece...the green and gold reminds me of the leather and wood paneling of a gentlemans club, not a tool watch!! The blue works...oceanic...but the black is the tool watch!! Two things that put me right off....wavy mercedes hands and the bloody cyclops...and you know why ; )!!

Perfect balance

8:17 Anyone know the model number of the blue Alpinist? Thanks!

Excellent video with a nice bit of history. However, I didn't understand why you'd need to belabour the point about riding the line between the dress watch and the sports watch. The industry is awash with obvious and much loved sports watches that get used in dressed-up settings: DateJusts and DayDates, Explorers, AquaTerra's, Carrera's, one could even make the case that it applies to Globemasters and Engineers. Then there are plenty of smaller brands like Sinn (556l) and Archimede (Outdoor) that offer similar concepts. Even the venerable JLC Reverso started its life as a sports watch, mind you. And I'm not even remarking on the slew of field and pilot's watches that are a bit more under the radar. A sports watch, yet dressy, seems to be the desired choice for quite a few of us. So I never say the Alpinist as anything but a sports watch, and treated it as such. In fact, I treat my Grand Seiko this way, as it has a metal bracelet, 100 m WR and very rugged 9F quartz movement. So I wonder who you have been talking to that finds the green Alpinist polarising for any other reason than colour-scheme. That said, I'm eyeing the silver and cream versions to add to the collection.

Just as I had experienced disappointment with the skx replacement Seiko delivers a restorative with the black alpinist.

Rugged yet dressy. Perfect for the trek to the casino at St Moritz!

To comprehend the design of Alpinist dial one should look into the culture of Japanese on how they have complicated taste in term of maintaining the cultural context married with contemporary.

How do you believe the new alpinist will effect the prices of the SARB017?

I enjoy mine very much, so I don't need this new version. I like that the compass bezel is also green, but I don't like that white date wheel. It's an eyesore.

symmetrical-wise, the alpinist line would look nicer if they place the cyclop date window at 6.00, particularly for the tilted arabic indices.. just my 2 cents

The understated alpha man watch..... A real sasquatch

Now search for "Archieluxury Alpinist" for an (less thought through) opinion of someone who fell on the "disapprove" side of the mentioned divide in the community on the alpinist.

👍🏼

It appears that Seiko, like Rolex, are attempting to move "upmarket" and are shifting their brands up in price, whilst simplifying the 5 to fill the "fashion" slot.

The Black and Green as nice to me but the dial is just too small on the wrist...

Black and cream aren’t new to this Alpinist case - if you research better you will find them... They had been discontinued before the hype for the green SARB017 and fetch even a higher and more rediculous price as the blue Hodinkee version...

I don’t think that Seiko considers the “2020 Alpinists” as actual Alpinists, as the word has been abandoned...pity! BTW- I just received the SBDC093 (Champagne/gilt) and I’ll tell you, it’s a thing of beauty👌

I owned the blue LE and flipped it because it looked nothing like the initial press photos - something Seiko screws up regularly - it was way too blingy in person. The green and gold leprechaun colorway is not for me. It has an 80s vibe I can see being paired with a brown polyester suit. The black Prospex model with indices instead of arabics... that's calling my name.

Wow. You clearly haven't done much research. There was a black, silver indices SARB015 and a cream, gold indices SARB013 that were brought out when the SARB017 was released. They had a shorter run, but were still brought out a the same time. In 2020 there is a new one. A silver/cream dial with silver indices. That and the blue one from last year are the only new ones in recent times. The "red" series, the SARB series and the 2020 series still all came out with similar colourways.

Before I retired, I was unable to wear wrist watches at work for a variety of reasons. Since I retired my interest in watches has grown, and I have the start of a collection. Unfortunately the watch I really want (Seiko SARG005) is out of production and hard to find at a decent price. The more expensive Alpinist in any color would satisfy my "need", but the price is a bit steep for my budget. So, the Alpinist style watch goes on my "holy grail" list. I may skip the 2020 version in the faint hope that someone realizes that cyclops are annoying and ugly.

I would love to see an alpinist with a 6L movement

@0:55 LOVE the COOL 'Alpinist' font they used on the Champion, et al - with the bold assurance of *WATER PROOF* . No 'Alpinist' dial lettering modernly. IDGuy, I think you showed but didnt mention the cream dial with the grey hands - SBDC089. That said, the *black dial rules* - and wisely devoid of the off-putting 2/4/10 numerals. Doesn't 3/6/9/12 somehow seem a better choice of numerals? Suggesttion to Seiko designers: Lose the corporate 'X' and the word 'Automatic' on the dial then put back 'Alpinist' as it was done so well...I will hold off comment on the Cathedral hour hand looking too much like a swimming sperm cell. Zenith version is sharper: timeandtidewatches.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/Zenith-Pilot-Type-20-Extra-Special-Silver-1-.jpg

The sharktooth alpinist isnt a new design. Black compass alpinists always had the sharktooth indices. The red sharktooth alpinist was the reference scvf007, the sarb sharktooth alpinist was the sarb015. The spb117/sbdc087 merely continued the sharktooth tradition of the black alpinists.

After some 40 years of not requiring it, does Seiko think we all went blind suddenly?

Seeing people's comment about elevating the Alpinist to GS and Alpinist Snowflake. This makes me thinking. How about GRASSLAND ALPINIST? Btw, the black dial is looking cool. The reason it looks like navigation is because of the black dial is used on total utilitarian watches for wars.

I wanted this and a skx007 until I found the citizen ny0040

The Alpinist isn’t a watch I’d pay 💰 to be serviced down the road.

We need a nihongi 008

That x is drawing the eyes on it. I dont like it, whoever design it needs to go back to design school.

I never understood the obsession with this piece. The cathedral hands are gaudy and the green/gold dial hurts my eyes. It probably angers me because it could otherwise be a nearly perfect watch... At least the newest black dial version looks much better, now if only those hideous cathedral hands were replaced with something more in line with the rest of the dial I'd say it's well worth the money

The Red Alpinist still legend.

The French Renault Alpine is pronounced Alpeen, with the stress on the ee. When I first heard a French friend mentioning this Seiko, I thought he said Al-Penis, some strange sort of Arabic-British insult. Anyway, back to watches.......

The vintage models I think are very attractive, I am sorry if you don't like this but the new one is nothing special. The price is a lot of money for what you get. Not even sapphire crystal. The vintage ones are really nice. It's just a basic watch with a rotating bezel. I am pretty much done with Seiko and their rediculous prices on their newer models.

Cyclop is an unique feature invented by Rolex. It’s not appropriate for other watches including Seiko

Iam not a huge fan of the cyclops but if it had always been there, i think I could live with it. But to just pop one on totally out of the blue is ridiculous

Don't like the new black version. They should have used the same design aesthetic as the other new ones.

Is this a Prospex or an Alpinist?

4:26 so does Rolex Explorer, Air-King and Milgauss etc. it's not *that* unique to mix styles like that

I think the 1990's red Alpinists are the coolest.. The new prospex line are an abomination lol especially for that price.

Channel Saport

Congac ostrich band

This whole issue with whether the Alpinist is a dress or sport/utility watch. Honestly, who the heck cares? Nowadays you often see people wear a dressy watch with bermudas and loafers, and a dive watch with a suit. So long as the overall aesthetics is not too extreme, like a 50mm Invicta with a tux, just wear what you like and feel good wearing.

the older model has a better design.

Seiko-overpriced inaccurate movements. They lost me a long time ago!!

It's a hideous thing.... it's like they took some watch parts, thrown into a box with glue, shook it up and come up with this..a hideous thing that can't hold time..

It got ugly and the price nearly doubled. It's not a great deal anymore.