# 24 Hour Watches Only a Niche Market? Where Are Seiko and the Others..........



## Red Rover

As I have learned about, and now acquired, a 24 hour watch, I think how great it would be if a company like Seiko or Orient, or (add your example here_______________) offered a 24. Imagine a $200-400 watch with a decent auto movement, famous Seiko lume, style, and durability. I can only come to the conclusion that the market is not big enough for Seiko and the rest to spend resources making 24 hour watches. But, a little searching reveals that they did market some nice 24 hour watches at one time. Here is a vintage photo I found on the Internet that shows a Seiko 24 that looks pretty dated. Does anyone know when/why Seiko stopped making 24 hour watches? I would love to be able to get a 24 hour seiko diver, especially if they offered the 12 on top. Do they still have a 24 available in the JDM?

I guess the downside would be pressure on the top end companies like Glycine that still give us the opportunity to buy top shelf 24s, and we don't really want that. But still, a 24 hour Seiko diver would be .............. :-!.

Right now we have Glycine making great, but more expensive 24s, many Russian affordable 24s, and some very cheap 24s that I wouldn't spend my money on. It would be nice to have another option.

(From International Watch Works site, looks like a great bead blasting job on a Seiko 24)


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## Dennis Smith

That's actually a 12/GMT Seiko...the red had to the left is the 24 hour hand.

You may see more affordable 24's by large companies in the future.

When I got seriously into watches in 1988 there were almost no automatics to be found for me...just Rolex and Seiko divers. The only 24 I could find was a quartz Glycine 2000. 

Since then the market has gone crazy, with the help of the internet. Parts sourcing is much more global, making "$1,200 watches" like the new Early Bird very affordable at half that price. There are MANY more 24 hour watches out there now at all price levels than ever before. My guess is it will remain a niche market but will continue to grow proportionately to the watch market as a whole.


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## Red Rover

Dennis Smith said:


> ...... There are MANY more 24 hour watches out there now at all price levels than ever before. My guess is it will remain a niche market but will continue to grow proportionately to the watch market as a whole.


Thanks Dennis. From my perspective the choices seem limited, but you have been following long enough to explain that availabilit and options have improved greatly over the last years.

And now, looking at the 12/24 Seiko GMT as you pointed out, I like that design better than most dials. It is actually easy to read th 12 hour portion, unlike some.

RR


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## Xaque

I've never considered myself an "expensive" watch person. 

The only reason why I chose to buy a Lum-Tec and Fortis Flieger 24h in the first place is because Timex doesn't make a "cheap" 24hr analoge watch. 

Automatics/winders have a very specific group of owners... I wonder how many more people would own 24hr watches if there were more quartz options. I imagine a 24hr Timex in the Expedition series would be a big seller. 

Don't get me wrong, I certainly love and appreciate my fine automatic Fortis now that I've owned it, and I can't imagine myself ever going back... but I would have owned a 24hr when I was much younger if there were some mainstream <$100 options.


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## philden

Swatch occasionally bring out 24 hour models. I recently bought this one:
Playa Look
and there was also a similar model which was nearly all green. Mine came in a funky eyeball shaped box!

Phil.


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## PHILOSOPHERDAN

At present there is a chicken and egg situation – people have little choice of 24 hour watch so may not be able to find what they like at a price they can afford, and often people know nothing about 24 hour watches, so naturally 24 hour watches do not sell in great quantities. Yet whilst they are not selling great quantities, major manufacturers are not interested…

This reminds us we should really encourage others to wear 24 hour watches. The more demand there is for them, the more will be produced, and the better value they will be. 

Perhaps also we should all write to manufacturers such as Seiko, Citizen etc pointing out the growth in the market, and asking them to bring out 24 hour models. If 24 hour watches became popular then these companies would sell a lot more watches as people replaced their 12 hour watches with 24 hour watches. 

Airnautics, Glycine, etc are currently successful in the 12 hour watch market, so in the long run more demand would benefit them, even if it meant larger manufacturers produced 24 hour models.


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## Red Rover

When did Fortis discontinue their 24?


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## sheepshearer

i think the Fortis 24 is in the current catalogue (black PVD)

as for 24 being niche, well it is. it works for me but i know it drives most people mad.

maybe another big manufacturer will bring out a purist 24 but i suspect it will be some senior manager's whim or a skunkworks project rather than something the corporation intends to get rich on.


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## Dennis Smith

It seems like Japan is the major missing component. I'd love to see 24s from Seiko, Citizen, Casio. You'd think their local population would love it, being an island nation with international relations. Come to think of it...we have all nationalities here on this forum, but I don't think any Japanese. Weird. It's not a cultural thing in Japan is it...preferring 12 hour? :think:
I don't mean for this discussion to go political or anything...just an interesting observation this morning.


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## Xspect

I think a 24 hour version of a seiko monster, citizen eco drive, or I'm pricing myself out of buying one but a grand seiko or a spring drive.


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## Red Rover

Xspect said:


> I think a 24 hour version of a seiko monster, citizen eco drive, or I'm pricing myself out of buying one but a grand seiko or a spring drive.


I don't think the fat hands and indexes of the Monsters would make a good 24. What I would love to see is a purist version of the discontinued SBQJ015 Perpetual Calendar GMT. A HEQ accurate 10-20 spy at less than $500, with a semi-diver, semi-dress, semi-pilot look and Seiko lume would be a big seller in my mind. A must have :-!. And while their at it, true 24 hands AND a 24 GMT hand. None of this 12/GMT stuff!










Review of the Seiko SBQJ015 Perpetual Calendar GMT - TopSpecUS.com


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## francis 24/24

Actually Seiko made a true 24-hour watch aka "levante" :








Picture from aai's site.


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## Xspect

francis 24/24 said:


> Actually Seiko made a true 24-hour watch aka "levante" :
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> Picture from aai's site.


I think I'll have my watchmaker change the face and hands of that one. The hour hands are just too distracting.


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## PHILOSOPHERDAN

Red Rover said:


> I don't think the fat hands and indexes of the Monsters would make a good 24. What I would love to see is a purist version of the discontinued SBQJ015 Perpetual Calendar GMT. A HEQ accurate 10-20 spy at less than $500, with a semi-diver, semi-dress, semi-pilot look and Seiko lume would be a big seller in my mind. A must have :-!. And while their at it, true 24 hands AND a 24 GMT hand. None of this 12/GMT stuff!
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> Review of the Seiko SBQJ015 Perpetual Calendar GMT - TopSpecUS.com


You could always buy one of those and get a watchmaker to remove the 12 hour hand. Then at least you would have a pure 24 hour watch...


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