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The "Official" Shogun Thread

503K views 2K replies 418 participants last post by  Evolutionary Reject 
#1 ·
So we have an official Tuna thread, official Sumo thread, official Solar Chrono thread...we definitely NEED an Official Shogun Thread. I know that this will not be as popular as the others given most enthusiast's opinion of the Shogun however I would love to see a nice collection of pictures, thoughts and opinions in one thread. I'll start:

I've had Swiss divers more than any others and in all honesty (and for various reasons) just have not been happy with them. I've owned several Seikos in the past and have flipped them...but always missed them when they were gone. I've also never been a fan of titanium as I preferred the heft of stainless but I did not want to let that limit my choices.

I did my research and the biggest issues I found were the price point and the use of the Monster style hands. Personally I really like the Monster style hour hand...it really lends to the overall design elements of the dial. Another issue was Hardlex being used as opposed to sapphire...again, no issue for me as I prefer this. That left price...so I sold off a few items and that no longer was an issue.

The Shogun was delivered two weeks ago and I've been wearing it non-stop. At first I was taken aback by the light weight...it just felt "cheap". Everything is titanium; case, bracelet and clasp. Despite how it felt it looked like a million bucks! I've got pretty big wrists so I didn't need to remove any links, just the micro-adjustment. I immediately put it on my wrist and all weight issues were forgotten. It's just such a beauty with it finely brushed finish and complimentary polished areas. The lugs are angular, though not to the extent of the Samurai. This aspect of case design isn't always captured in pictures.

I must say, the feel of titanium is just so silky that it really makes up for the lack of weight. In appearance the Shogun is the best of both worlds...looks like stainless but with the slightly darker grey of titanium.

A couple things I do not really like. The included "rubber" strap is cheap...it just doesn't feel cheap, it IS cheap. It does have titanium hardware but it is very thin and composed of plastic...very stiff and non-conforming. I'm also not a fan of the titanium bracelet...it's also quite thin. I guess being titanium bulk is not needed for strength but it just seems "weak"..



 
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#1,477 ·
So, I was changing out the blade in my Webber DE and saw it was time to clean it up. I had some Mother's Mag and Aluminum polish and thought, that'll do. So I cleaned up the razor and put in a new blade (Feathers baby). Then it was time to clean up the razor/brush stand, stainless steel. After that I thought, Shogun? What the heck. So I gave it a clean. Think it worked great. Normally I clean the Shogun with a toothbrush and a bowl of warm water with some dishwashing soap. Works great. Know what? Ever used your Water Pik on the Shogun? Works great to get the gunk out. Understand that my Shogun is a daily driver, my only watch. I wear it to work, mowing the yard, washing cars you name it. So, it gets dirty. I'm sure that others have their own methods but thought I'd share. Here's a not so great photo.

View attachment DSC01116.jpg
 
#1,512 ·
Law of supply and demand really. There wasn't much hype by the time it sold out, unlike the SLA017 Basel appearance that got everyone pumped. A lot of potentially interested people don't even know its out there.

I think this L.E will have an impact that carries over to the regular version. People were debating on how the Sumo was better value or how its best saving for an MM300; the fact that collectors are ready to dish out MM money on any Shogun should be an eye-opener. Already there's a significant premium on a 007 without the Prospex logo.
 
#1,515 · (Edited)
Shogun l.e. - love at first sight. Emailed my Thai connection, paid deposit. Got about 5 different numbers to choose from. Picked the number, asked for pics. Damn - misaligned inner bezel. Asked for another picture - again. Asked for picture of all units AD had on stock - all misaligned (!), one looks like even dial is wrong. Cancelled the purchase. End of love story.

After chinese parts on 62mas l.e. and completely stupid re-branding of GS, I am really sad about Seiko. Staying with good old GS, but honestly, as an avid Seikoholic I am disappointed.

edit: pictures
 

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#1,519 ·
Shogun l.e. - love at first sight. Emailed my Thai connection, paid deposit. Got about 5 different numbers to choose from. Picked the number, asked for pics. Damn - misaligned inner bezel. Asked for another picture - again. Asked for picture of all units AD had on stock - all misaligned (!), one looks like even dial is wrong. Cancelled the purchase. End of love story.

After chinese parts on 62mas l.e. and completely stupid re-branding of GS, I am really sad about Seiko. Staying with good old GS, but honestly, as an avid Seikoholic I am disappointed.

edit: pictures
The 6 looks way off on all 3 pictures . . . what gives? Yet the 9 looks OK, so you couldn't even realign if you wanted to.
I'd think at this price point and with just 456 pieces Seiko would have them all inspected individually. I would say inexcusable rather than disappointing.
 
#1,516 ·
A friend pointed out the very slight misalignment at the 6oclock marker on his, if you stare intently it is noticeable but for me the main concern is the 12oclock marker, chapter ring and bezel and they are all aligned. Compared to some Zimbe turtle, tuna and even the MM300 the Shogun seem overall to be much better. It has received more attention and had more compliments than any other Zimbe I have/had, I think I'd still own one even if the bezel etc were misaligned.

Sent from my ASUS_Z012DB using Tapatalk
 
#1,520 ·
Yes, these are all different serial numbers. AD has 5 on stock and all are "not OK". The inner bezel is visibly faulty part, it should never end up in Seiko watch, period. I recently saw such mistake on Grand Seiko l.e. (GMT bezel). Pretty bad.
 
#1,522 ·
Personally it's something that, as a Seiko lover, I have learned to accept. Sure I wish they all came perfectly aligned but it is something that, if only slight and not in the 12oclock area, I can pretty much ignore. When I look at my Zimbe Shogun the last thing I think about is whether the chapter ring at 6oclock is half a mm out.

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#1,523 ·
You can´t be serious. Nobody sane can accept such amateurism while paying 1.500 USD. And I am really cruel to amateur watchmakers now..
 
#1,526 ·
Yes, serious, especially with pieces like the Zimbe which we are discussing. I'd be less likely to with a standard piece and I can see why people would want absolute perfection when paying more for an LE but at the same time a very slight and not really noticeable misalignment isn't going to stop me from buying such an otherwise fantastic piece.

Sent from my ASUS_Z012DB using Tapatalk
 
#1,529 · (Edited)
I think that if you take into account parallax then twelve is spot on and six is even more tilted but that's not really much of a consolation.

Nothing a watchmaker can't fix during the first watch service occasion anyway. I've found misalignments mostly a pain for when posting WRUW photos than a real nuisance. Macro shots enhance stuff like that.
 
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