The Seiko "Alpinist 1959" SPB243 in "Deep Lake" blue is absolutely astonishing. Is one of those watches that once you wear it on the wrist it looks completely different. There is some "magic" about it.

I've handled both in person and side by side, and while the Khaki Field Mechanical is super nice, I take the Alpinist any day of the week. The Seiko's finishing is unbelievably good for its price, leagues beyond the already good Hamilton's finishing. There's just so much depth and nuance to it, even beyond a lot of Longines and Alpinas I've handled far more expensive than it. I also love how most Seikos slope their lugs so dang ergonomically, so they work for a much wider variety of wrist sizes. You can't go wrong with either, and I always say the three kings of sub-1000 watches are Seiko, Tissot and Hamilton. But there's also a reason why I keep coming back to Seiko, even while I also wear significantly more expensive brands.

I wanted to buy the Hamilton but then decided to go for the Seiko as soon as they released it. Perfect field watch in my opinion. And it looks nice enough to be considered as a dress-watch by most people. I have the green dial version (highly recommend to try it on in a store before buying one. I wanted the grey version but the green just looks so much better irl. It mostly looks black but the green shimmer in light is stunning) and it became the watch i wear the most, because it goes with everything. Truly the best everyday-watch Seiko has in its current lineup. Next i will go for a Grand Seiko Heritage, because it is my grail-dress-watch.

Seiko all day! The hamilton is nice, but that Seiko is just perfect. It does have an “explorer” vibe and vintage charm. I have both the grey dial and creme dial variants. They are now my favorite watches!

I own the cream version of this Seiko (SPB241) and its incredible. One of the best finished watches under $1000. Although 12.9mm seems a little thick, its really not at all on the wrist. It has the perfect dimensions for my 6.5" wrist. The winding action is nice and easy and the 70hr power reserve beats anything else I own. The 6r35 in mine could use a slight adjustment as its about -10s a day, but my 4r36 is +2s a day so I'm sure it can be regulated to be more accurate. Still more accurate than my Swiss Sellita SW200

The SPB155 for me. I've actually used it in extreme environments and it was brilliant! About +-5 seconds with the movement too.

I own the limited edition Ginza version of the Alpinist and it absolutely gorgeous. I highly recommend these Alpinist models.

I love Seiko. It's a great brand. This SPB243 is lovely and the SPB259 even more so. But lately it's getting harder and harder to justify getting a Seiko. When I wanted to add three new watches to my collection I paid less for a Spedmaster Professional, Airman DC4 GMT and Khaki "Murph", new from their respective brand's boutique (AD in the case of the Airman), than what I would have had to pay for the SRQ029, SPB151, SPB259 trio. Seiko used to offer wonderful watches and good value. Whatever happened to that? In the past, if you were a watch guy/girl you'd get a Seiko before any other brand but now you have to look at a plethora of great brands before even considering a Seiko. GMTs and chronographs are few and far between, very expensive and have polarising designs. Most of their desirable models use the basic 6R movement which is subpar for the price. A case in point is the new King Seiko SPB281. A beautiful watch that is 1k more expensive than even the SPB259 which has basically the same movement and arguably a better dial. For example, Longines has a lot of beautiful watches with better movements that are similarly priced or cheaper. A Big Eye chrono is cheaper and way better than any Seiko alternative. For a similar price to that of a King Seiko you can have a Flagship, Heritage Military/Classic and Conquest Heritage. If you have a thinner wrist, a 35mm Conquest Heritage on sale can be found for dangerously close to this SPB243. And that's just Longines. Seiko needs to do more than just bring back iconic designs with basic 6R movements and release limited editions with wonderful dials.

The Seiko absolutely kills it with these new releases. The gray and blue dials look really cool, but the green one knocks it out of the park. Ordered mine today. Never been a fan of the Hamilton pilots watches..too much unnecessary text on the dial for me. Absolutely love your channel, Teddy. Iv'e been watching your reviews for years.......very personable and professional. Totally loved your recent visits to JLC and Longines!

I will never understand why Seiko feels the need to ruin the movement view by printing Seiko on the glass. That's just plain stupid.

All depends what you want. If I want a dive watch that’s an icon I’ll take the Seiko SKX all day but if I want a military field watch seiko doesn’t even come to mind. Hamilton is the king of military watches with the history to back it up.

Overall that seiko is just a better watch, however I just hate the date window on it. For me it's a deal breaker, if only they would stick to that original alpinist design. But that's a preference thing, I know there are some people who won't buy a watch without a date, you can't make everybody happy.

The Seiko here can pass as an everyday watch, so this comparison would be better if it was the 38 mm Khaki Field Automatic. Assuming you can find a nice 19 mm leather strap, the Seiko can be dressed up pretty well. Also, as both a SARB017 and Hamilton KFA (silver) owner, I feel that the KFA's movement, which is related to the one in the KFM, feels very delicate and won't stand up to the abuse that the Seiko movements can handle. The long lugs on the KFA/KFM can be somewhat annoying too. I have yet to try mine on a NATO strap, but it feels a bit strange to throw a NATO on the dressier, silver KFA.

I have a Ginza edition Alpinist and the Baby Alpinist in my small collection and they wear really well. I agree the design of the Hamilton looks exactly how you'd imagine a Field watch to be, and I think the Alpinists are more of an "outdoors" style.

I’ve already reached out to my AD….that grey dial Alpinist is hot! Thx Teddy. Arrived. OMG! This might be the best looking “Seiko Brand” watch I’ve ever owned. The first thing I did was wind it and wear it. The 70 hour power reserve is pretty amazing. The finish is better than any other Seiko I own. I have a larger wrist, so only one link removed. The ONLY negative I can think of is the lack of micro adjustment (1 location). Not an issue for me…but it should be better. I’m really am glad I watched you video. I love this SBDC147 (International version).

Blue collar work day to high brow evening dinner, my blue dial Seiko SPB249 Alpinist has never felt out of place.

Great comparison and review. They are evidently two very different approaches to a traditional style. The Hamilton leans a bit more traditional and subdued due to its matte sandblasted finish, and flies under the radar for when you want to wear a watch without drawing attention. Thanks to its compact dimensions, and specifically its 10mm thickness, it almost disappears on the wrist, especially in the 38mm version. The Alpinist doesn't immediately strike as a field watch thanks to its mix of brushed and polished finishes, and more dynamic sunburst dial. Because of this, I would say this Alpinist is a better direct comparison to the Khaki Automatic - another watch that offers versatility in ways the sandblasted case of the Khaki Mechanical doesn't. Ultimately, two amazing watches at fair price points that one could own happily as either a one-watch collection, or part of a larger collection.

Ive had the hammy for about six months and I love it. As soon as i saw it offered on the blasted bracelet i pulled the trigger. It’s understated no flash yet screams quality. The crystal is something that you have to see in person, its the nicest part of the watch imo. The bracelet is very comfortable and the movement is dead accurate. I love it

I have the SPD 121green Alpinist. I lean more towards dress watches. This watch is a two for one. It is strong and good looking. I think the availability of a higher grade movement might be an Interesting idea. In pocket watch days people were able to modify their watch which gave people a sense of making their watch more special.

I love my SPB243, but it is true about the accuracy of the movement and mine reads at -15 to -21 secs per day. My other seikos with 4R movements are doing better. For those who want to remove the minor scratches on the “clasp” I found that the 3000 grit sand paper matches the finish of the bracelet.

These watches are different enough to own both, and to prove it I do! Though the Hamilton is the automatic version which might be a better comparison to the Seiko than the mechanical. The automatic was still cheaper than the Seiko! One thing on my particular models, the Hamilton is approx +7 spd, the movement on my Seiko is +3 spd. It's not a big deal but just something to note and it is a bit of a lottery. However, it is very easy to regulate the Seiko and get it to almost perfection if you are OCD about it. Yes, the lume on my Hamilton auto is not up to Seiko standard. But I love both of them, the Seiko is a bit more dressy, and have a nice stressed leather strap on my Seiko.

I'm not a mechanical watch fan but I LOVE THAT ALPINIST! It not only conjures vintage Explorer/Seamaster but the light amber on dark grey looks one of those (amber on black) that's got a patina by fading slightly in the sun after YEARS of adventuring in 'The Empire'. Add 200m WR and a Goldilocks 'just right' 38mm case and what's not to love??

After my Swiss HAQ failed me twice in 4 years (couldn’t keep up with my usage I guess, or I suspect there’s possibly something fundamentally wrong with the ETA F07.411) I think I’ll give an automatic a chance again. Going Japanese with the SPB243 this time I think. The 6R is a proven, reliable and tough movement, and I’ll have a go at putting it through its paces. Hopefully the Prospex name lives up to what it promises.

Great comparison Teddy. I picked up this Seiko Alpinist model up recently and I love it. It makes an arguement for a one watch collection (just don't tell my wife) and I view it as a poor man's Aqua Terra as it is robust and can be dressed up or down in my opinion ( there's a comparison video😉).

I have the limited edition Ginza version of the Seiko here. I actually really like it’s bracelet, which I wasn’t expecting. The best mechanical watch I’ve purchased so far IMO. I don’t notice the thickness at all really, it’s fine. My only caveats are the infamous Seiko accuracy…it started out at around +10 seconds per day, now it seems to be -10 per day. I really wish Seiko would find a way to regulate their movements on a large scale, as they make a lot of them. And the faux-tina which I didn’t think suited the watch, despite its heritage inspired design. Also, pertaining to the baby Alpinist. That watch was actually what I was initially interested in purchasing at my local AD. I did check it out, then I checked out the grey/brown dialed 1959 Alpinist you showcase here. And the latter just came across as the classier option to me. The former’s textured dial, which was my main attraction to it, on close inspection, just seemed rather cheaply applied, to my eyes anyway. It reminded me of glitter on an Xmas card! Which I found rather disappointing. The applied indices and more faceted design of the bezel and bracelet on the 1959 did it for me more in the end. Even if I found the dial to be a bit plain at first. So I went home to think about it, then shortly afterwards Seiko released that anniversary Ginza dialed variation, without the faux-tina. And that clinched the deal! They’ve also now released new variants with a vertical “string” like motif on the dials and the same white (with green glow) Lumibrite on the hands and indices as the Ginza. With dial options in blue, green or brown. All very nice indeed! 😁👍

Thank you for showing bigger wrists with smaller watches. I commented I would like this on the 36mm Rado Captain Cook and I m glad to see you guys already done this change. I have big wrists like the camera man (19.4) and wear watches from 34mm and up, so please keep this up. It's great reference for me.

I think the alpinist SPB243 might be my favorite watch of all time

As an owner of a KFM, this is Hamilton all day long - if we are judging them as field watches. The history, looks, thinness, wearability and accurate time keeping win the day. (Yes, the Seiko has polished areas that catch the light. That is nice as an everyday piece. It’s not a good feature for a military field watch.). I would, however, not go for the bracelet. With 20 mm lugs, this is a strap monster. Think of all the NATOs you can buy with the $400 or $500 bucks you saved! Now, if we are judging it as an everyday wear that you can dress up, then it’s the Seiko. But, that is not what the KFM is going for.

i have this alpinist and have finally lost my desire to pursue a rolex explorer. this watch does it for me. very nice ... and i love it on the bracelet. With that said, the new Japanese alpinist dials are now available and if I had the option would have got the blue with the rope like texture. really amazing, evoking a gran seiko feel. I also have a Tissot PRX 80 with the blue strap and am considering the Tissot Seastar 1000 in the black and gold 36mm, as my next watch, putting a black silicon strap on it. Rolex, Omega and Tudor are just too overpriced when I can get Seiko or Tissot ... and as you can see with the Seastar 1000, I am warming up to quartz. I love my PRX 80 design so much, i'm going to get a quartz version just as a kick around.

Hello from Germany. I bought the Hamilton khaki field as we do a lot of trekking in the Black Forest so a good field watch, that's tough, durable and easy to read is very useful. However to say the Hamilton lume is a little bit weak is an understatement. The lume is absolutely terrible and quite useless when you consider this is a field watch. This Seiko is nice but more dressy than field style. I did sell the Hamilton and got myself a G-Shock Mudmaster for the trekking instead. Solar powered, temperature guage, compass, barometre and altimeter, always perfect time, excellent lume but also with a backup light, sapphire crystal, tougher, cheaper, more reliable than any other watch!

After getting a Hamilton Khaki Field, which broke due to water damage, i decided i needed a new field watch which was actually rugged. I tried this seiko however it was just a bit too chunky and nearly as reflective as my old hamilton. I found a french brand called Serica and it is superb. If you want hamilton styled but with manual wind, screw down crown (200m), anti reflective and a vintage feel give the Serica 4512 WMB a look. Very good for smaller wrists and more micro adjustments as it comes on a bonclip bracelet.

Only dealbreaker for me is the non screw-down crown on the Hammy. Seiko every day!

I just bought the SPB243, same color. It's a better choice than the Hamilton for 2 things : A more sober dial : more elegant in my opinion. The date : an important information for me.

Seiko: 200m water resist, automatic, date. Hamilton: history and design. I have a Hamilton 42mm mechanical khaki but really wish it had better water resistance and date window. Also, the Hamilton 42mm has a different and worse bracelet than the 38mm version. That is annoying and makes no sense.

Seiko Alpinist, no doubt

Alpinist and it's not even close,iconic name,iconic design with a heritage and history to match.

The green Seiko Alpinist looks stunning.

Love the Seiko, and just ordered an SPB243 of my own.

As a veteran, I really enjoy the Hamilton time piece. Due to the fact that it has the 24 hours on the dial. That's how the military communicates their time. Also, I will be transparent and I am brand bias and loyal to our American roots.

i have the seiko sbdc147 and its great... 200 meters, screwdown crown, solid endlinks and milled clasp. and also, NO FOGGING !!!! excuse me hamilton...

the seiko is beautiful. man if I can justify spending more than 300€ on a watch, I’ll buy it

I love my little Hamilton Khaki Field Mechanical. No date to set, just set the time and give it a wind, so retro!

That B Roll music in the intro was super epic 😂 video production going ⬆️⬆️⬆️

I have what I would consider the bigger brother to this model Hamilton Khaki Field, mine is the brushed stainless 42mm Khaki Field day/date automatic with 100m WR that has the same matte black dial lay out as the model reviewed, I've had it since around launch in late 2018 and I love the look of a vintage field watch and quality Hamilton offer, with the H-30 movement this watch runs within 2 seconds a day, it's as accurate as my Seamaster Planet Ocean, very happy with my Hamilton, it's a great watch.

The Seiko is an attractive watch, but it doesn't look like a field watch.

I will also say the Khaki Field Auto is the better comparison with 100m WR too. I have used a black dial one as a work at the factory watch a couple of years now and it has proven to be robust and comfortable, and mostly on a variety of single-pass NATOs. Very few better all-rounder watches at the price.

Nice. I see Seiko SRPG27 is the better field type to compare with.

As a guy with both a Hamilton, and a Seiko Alpinist....I'll pass on both of these. The issue isn't either of the watches, as they are...it's the SIZE of both watches. 38 mm, for me, is just too small. But luckily, both have larger versions available. For me, the 39.5mm Alpinist is close to too small, and the 42mm Hamilton pushes my upper limit, (again, due to lug length). I do enjoy them both, though. Bigger guys, keep looking. You can find nice options in both lines.

I have and love them both, along with more common forms of Alpinists. The Seiko can be adjusted fairly easily, the Hamilton not so much. My Khaki runs -1 sec, which I hate. The Hamilton is also hand wound and it's not dressy at all.

The Seiko here is an another league vs the Hamilton in everyway but accuracy. I think this comparison should have been done with the Hamilton Khaki Field Auto which has more sophisticated finishing, dial, and automatic movement to compete with the Seiko.

I love the Hamilton Khaki's...I own a vintage Hamilton military issued field watch from 1981 and its one of my favorite watches.

The Alpinist is more of a dress field watch, perfect for the gentleman archaeologist supervising a dig in Egypt. I just ordered the cream dial SPB241.

The Seiko Alpinist is my choice by quite far! 👌

The more fair comparison would be to use the Automatic version of the Hamilton instead if the handwind version.

YES! I love these comparison videos! Edit: good video. The 50m of WR is a turn off

What an intro with that cinematic music almost like a little trailer

I would get both; the Seiko is nice enough to be a dress watch, the Hamilton looks like a true Vietnam war era field watch. Different usages.

I own both (pvd khaki field) and the green SPB245. The Alpinist is far superior all round for a daily wearer. I have mine on a Strapcode straight end beads of rice bracelet to jazz it up a bit.

I got the cream 1959 Alpinist and I picked up a Japanese microbrand called Kuoe. The silly part is 1. My G-Shock can outperform all these field watches in the field. 2. I am supposed to be saving up for a Tudor Ranger…sigh.

Thank you Teddy. It's dark, cold and I'm not well. The distraction is most welcome. I could listen all night and all day. I'm for the Alpinist but looking into the Bulova Hack. 🙏🏻🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

Im a big fan of my Babby Alphinist but have the slightly older and slightly cheaper ($700 v $750) SPB-159. He's right about the reflectiveness though. It does run a few seconds slow (4 to 6 range) which isn't the greatest but not quite as bad as his 14 seconds fast,.

Great video, sir!! I always appreciate how you state (and display) all of the specs. I’d also love to see weight of watches in grams in these stats. (For future videos ?)

In my option, the Seiko is like the Toyota of watches - reliable, trusty, and practical, making it a solid choice for those starting out. The Hamilton Khaki is often compared to high-end field watches from Rolex, Longines, and Tudor, etc., giving it some elevated level of excitement, glamour, and credibility that sets it apart from the Seiko.

I’ve been waiting for someone to talk about the SPB243! I snagged one as soon as it was released and love it.

Congretulations for the video and the channel. I am from Brazil and love your job!!

Easy win for the Seiko, it's clearly the better watch - but would expect it to be , it costs more. The Khaki is much more iconic & historic tho. I went for the khaki King myself, both of these are just too small for my tastes. Cheers 👍🏻👍🏻

Having owned the khaki field and a Seiko (SRPC07), I would choose the Alpinist.

The Seiko is so much better looking than the Hamilton KFM.

Not for nothing, but military field watches don't want strong lume - that'll get you seen at night - and that's bad.

It comes down to the dials for myself so I would choose Seiko and pay more for a better finished dial that’s not as busy.

I just purchased a Hamilton Navy Scuba Green Dial on Thursday. I like the older style Seiko Alpinist better. Thanks for your great video's.

I have both Seikos and Swiss watches, I tend to use the Swiss most because they are better at telling the time. If pushed to choose it would be the Hamilton, but I'd find the extra for a Khaki King which is better than either of these.

These "smaller" Alpinists are really thick for the diameter. My wife and I have nicknamed my SPB157 the "chunky monkey".

That baby alpinist has been in my cart for 3 months now! Definitely my next watch. Thanks for great content like always.

I had the Khaki Field Mechanical. I loved it and I also had many Seiko watches although not this particular one. Honestly, when a company like Tissot can make the Powermatic 80 with a silicon balance spring in their watches and price it at $700. There’s no excuse for any other brand to not do something similar. I’m not a snob and I know anti magnetism isn’t the be all end all, but I do believe that I todays tech heavy world with phones, tablets and computers constantly around us and we using them daily , it is very important. Nothing is more annoying then having a watch run fast because it’s been magnetized.

snk809? i thought this was seikos best field watch offering it was my gateway watch

Something that I have been wondering about; with all the specifications that we are presented with as default, why is weight never mentioned?

Seiko 1959 🤩

I like the Hamilton, though personally I own a khaki field titanium.

I bought the Hamilton for my son. I bought the Seiko Deep Lake for myself.

i hated the original seiko alpinist until they bring back the retro inspired newer versions , now looks much better in the dial and markers design . i purchased the ginza alpinist. i will never buy the hamilton just because it never have a screw down crown .

Teddy, I have a question for you. If you could magically go back in time and bring a Rolex from the 1960's, how would the build quality and materials compare to a modern watch? If we pretend the brand wasn't a Rolex what do you think a watch of that build quality and materials would retail for?

Seiko. It has much more presence.

Pls. Make video for some square dial watches

The Seiko is a better watch, except for the movement. If they regulated them like Rolex does, they would own the market.

I realized my Seiko 5 Sports field watch also utilize the 4R36 movement, and from what I measured it’s faster for about 15-20 seconds per day.

If only seiko can have their accuracy in the +- 5s/day territory. Im still looking at the sarb033/35.

I own both, love both, except the Seiko is better….200m vs 50m, ccrew down vs push/ pull….Seiko better.

Seiko really knocks it out of the park when it comes to design but I'm so sick of their crappy movements. For the asking price, I think you could definitely find better options.

I find the Seiko very pretty

Hamilton should put a screw down crown on the Khaki.

I like the new SEIKO!

Nice comparison, but I do prefer the Hamilton myself.....both are nice, the price clinches it, the 50 m is sad!!!

Metal bracelets on field watches? Come on Man! Just kidding. I'm sure glad I bought my SARBO17 Alpinist along with the 65, 35 & 33 not to mention the Khaki-King and the Oris Big Crown Pilot all in 2017! Folks thought I was crazy buying watches like that but they just didn't understand the watch enthusiast! To think watch collecting would be considered an investment which it shouldn't. I just happen to come in at the right time. Granted I didn't know much about watches or had the money for the bigger boys, the Zenith, Vacheron Constantin, Alpina, Longines, Junghans, and Montblanc were reasonably priced along with Seiko, Orient and Citizen at that time and look at them now! Watches that were between $500-$2500 are now practically unattainable. Who would have thought certain watches would become icons. I've got a Snoopy Timex along with the PacMan series, a couple of Micro Brands from that particular year, the Squale 1521 Urban Gentry Limited Edition watch and Marc's Red October Limited Edition watch. A collection that is near and dear to me but I'm sure there's collections out there that supersede mine. Everyone has a collection that sparks there passion and wallet. By no means was I trying to be a watch snob. Just another Geek Hooked & Addicted to Watch Collecting. Happy hunting ladies & gentlemen!

The seiko looks kinda tidier, would love it for everyday use around the office. The Hamilton for when you are in the woods, fishing.

I have found the 6r35 movement accuracy disappointing, I have a few seikos with this movement and accuracy is all over the place

To me field watch is a tool watch that should be able to withstand every situation from crossing a river to a bare bone knuckle fight. Hamilton just isn't that. It would die when crossing a river or freshening up in a lake. It looks like a field watch but it isn't one.

Another great video, but depressing about Seiko accuracy. I was really keen on an SPB123J1, using the 6R35, but after hearing your results I did some more reading and found others had similar experiences, the movement losing or gaining a lot of time each day. I know these are no Grand Seiko pieces, but surely in 2022 a company like Seiko with it's experience could do better. Even +/- 10s per day would be fine.

I have to say I would get both of them Seiko and Hamilton makes some very awesome watches

Almost 600$ for a watch with 50m wr is a damn joke. The alpinist is beautiful even if it is about 100$ too expensive.