[Help] Alternative to Seiko SBDC001 "Black Sumo"

[vitruvius]

Greetings everyone.

First of all sorry for my bad English. And sorry if this is a repost.

I bought my Seiko SBDC001 "Black Sumo" yesterday (May 26th) and already (unfortunately hours after the purchase) found misaligned hour marks on 12 and 6 o'clock. To be honest, I'm very disappointed. I just spent my hard-earned USD640 money but Seiko didn't give much effort to have those hour marks aligned perfectly.

So, I decided to let go off my Sumo and replace it with non-Seiko diver's watch with the same or better specification (finish, movement, and toughness) and doesn't cost more than USD800. It doesn't have to feature diver's rating, but at least 200m water resistant and good lume with stainless steel bracelet. Automatic movement (hacking) is a must. And since I'm a newbie to this horology stuff I need your suggestions.

vitruvius

[stevenkelby]

Can you show any pics of the Sumo problem?

Maybe consider an Ocean 7 LM-5?

LM-5 Dress Diver with Domed Sapphire Bezel

[bricem13]

Hi

I had same issue and ship watch back to seiko for replacement. Please do it so that seiko can be aware of the issue!

btw it is a so great watch, 100x worth to ship it back

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[Rojote]

Personally, you can buy 10x the watch in one of the infamous Micro/Boutique brands. Do a little research in the 600-800 range and you will be amazed!

[raze]

Sorry for your misfortune I know how it feels to put money on something and have it be defected. Im actually going through something similar now. Well, I think you should document it first to help other members here and please share pictures. Also I would like to know how was the after sales service? Did they offer a replacement? Refund? Were they difficult to deal with? Anyway, my recommendation for another diver would be a Steinhart Triton 100 ATM, Triton 30 ATM, or Dual Time or you could also wait for the rereleases from Halios mid June.

[Kent108]

Name one.

Personally, you can buy 10x the watch in one of the infamous Micro/Boutique brands. Do a little research in the 600-800 range and you will be amazed!

[Rojote]

Name one.

Again, do a little research Kent...

[hordeton]

I had a blumo with a very slightly misaligned chapter ring. At first, it upset me, but after owning the watch for a week, I decided I couldn't live without it long enough to send it away for repair or refund. To be honest, in this price bracket, I think Sumo is king. It has the finesse, heritage, and robustness to compete with an SMP but at a fraction of the price. I agree with OP that these quality inspection issues should not be so commonplace from such a reputable manufacturer especially for a watch in this price bracket. Having said that, it's still the best watch in the $400-$700 bracket. I would put it above Laguna, Helson SD 42, Benarus Remora, Blue Ring, tortuga.....all watches that I've owned. You do get a lot of watch with the Micros, and they have excellent build quality(overall), but none of them have the elegance and originality that the Sumo has.

[dmckean44]

Again, do a little research Kent...

The Sumo is extraordinary value for the money. Most everything else in the $600-$800 range is ETA and Miyota movements shoved into Chinese catalog cases. The Sumo is a work of art in comparison.

[anbu]

Where did you order your watch, I'm curious?