Seiko is right, and we should say so first
On 6 October 2025, Seiko Watch Corporation published a notice about counterfeit and modified watches. You can read it in full on their site: Seiko's important notice, 6 October 2025. We would rather you read it yourself than take our summary of it.
The line that matters most to anyone who owns a Seiko mod is this one.
"Neither counterfeit watches nor MOD watches are covered by our warranty or quality assurance."
That is correct. Seiko does not warrant a Rosevari watch. They never have, we have never suggested otherwise, and it would be strange if they did warrant a watch they did not assemble. A brand is entitled to define what it stands behind. Seiko has defined it, clearly, and we have no argument with the position.
The notice also says this.
"We do not endorse or authorize any modification of our products."
Also true. Rosevari is not endorsed by Seiko, not authorised by Seiko, and not affiliated with Seiko. We have never claimed to be. If you have ever read anything on this site that gave you the impression otherwise, that was a failure of our writing and we want to know about it.
What you are actually buying
Here is the honest description, without softening.
The movement inside a Rosevari watch is a genuine Seiko automatic: an NH35, NH34, NH38 or NH70 depending on the model, or a Seiko VK63 meca-quartz in the chronographs. These are Seiko's own movements, made by Seiko and sold on to watchmakers around the world. That part is real.
The assembled watch is not a Seiko product. It is a Rosevari product built around a Seiko movement, and it is not sold as a Seiko. Our dials carry our name or no name. Our listings say what the movement is, what the case is, and who made the watch. The word mod is in our product titles and our page copy, because that is what these are.
Those two sentences sit side by side without contradiction. Genuine Seiko movement. Not a Seiko watch. If anyone selling in this category told you otherwise, they were not being straight with you.
The parts question
The notice describes modified watches this way.
"These are watches that have been modified with fake or unauthorized components, often labeled as 'aftermarket' parts. We do not endorse or authorize any modification of our products."
The useful thing we can do here is tell you exactly what is in ours rather than argue about terminology. Cases are 316L stainless steel. Crystals are sapphire. Dials, hands, bezel inserts and bracelets come from independent parts manufacturers who supply the modding market. None of them carry Seiko branding. None of them are represented as Seiko parts. The movement is the Seiko component and it is the only one.
We disclose every part on every listing. That is the whole policy. If a part changes, the listing changes. You should not have to email a watch company to find out what is inside the watch.
The warranty that actually applies to you
This is the practical bit.
Seiko's warranty does not cover your Rosevari watch. Rosevari's warranty does. Every watch we build carries a 1 year warranty, handled by us in Australia. Not routed to an overseas service centre, not passed to a third party, not dependent on anyone else agreeing to look at it. If something goes wrong inside that year, you email us and we deal with it.
That matters more than it might sound. A warranty is only worth the distance between you and the person honouring it. Ours is short. We built the watch, we hold the parts, and we are in the same country as most of our customers.
Beyond the year, the movement itself is one of the most widely serviced automatics in the world. Any competent watchmaker has seen an NH35. Parts are inexpensive and available. That is a genuine advantage of building on this movement rather than something obscure, and it is covered in more detail in NH35 vs NH36 vs Miyota and how long Seiko mods last.
On the safety and water resistance point
The notice raises quality and safety concerns about modified watches. Rather than debate the framing, here is the number.
A Rosevari watch is rated to 50m, which is 5 ATM. In practical terms that means rain, hand washing, getting caught in a shower. It does not mean swimming. It does not mean diving. It does not mean a hot tub or the surf, and we will not tell you otherwise, because the rating is 50m and 50m is what it is.
Any watch that has been opened depends on gaskets being seated correctly and the case back being closed properly. Ours are checked before they ship. Even so, water resistance on any watch degrades with time, temperature and crown wear, and a rating describes a factory condition rather than a permanent property. The long version is in Seiko mod water resistance. The short version is to treat 50m as 50m.
If you need a watch you can swim in, buy a watch rated for swimming. That advice costs us sales and we give it anyway.
On intellectual property
The notice also says this.
"We strive to eliminate illegal sites and counterfeit or modified products to protect our intellectual property rights."
Seiko is entitled to protect its trademarks, and counterfeits are a real problem for every watch brand and for buyers. Our position is the one we have always held. We do not put Seiko's name, logo or model designations on anything we sell, we do not represent our watches as Seiko products, and we do not use Seiko's branding in our marketing beyond identifying the movement accurately. Our fuller thinking on the difference between a homage and a counterfeit is in homage vs replica vs fake.
What this changes for you
If you already own a Rosevari watch, nothing changes. Your warranty was always ours. Your watch was always a Rosevari built on a Seiko movement. The notice did not alter either fact. It stated a position that was already true.
If you are deciding whether to buy one, the notice is genuinely useful information and you should weigh it. Buy from us if you want a 316L steel case, a sapphire crystal, a genuine Seiko automatic, a watch built to order in about two to three weeks, and a warranty you can chase in your own time zone. Prices run A$289 to A$399 with free worldwide shipping.
Do not buy from us if what you want is a Seiko. Go and buy a Seiko. They make very good watches and they will stand behind them, which is exactly the point they were making.
More on all of it in our FAQs and what is a Seiko mod.
Made to be looked at twice.
What is a Seiko mod · Water resistance · Movements compared · FAQs · About
Sources
Primary references for the technical and regulatory claims above.
- IP Australia, Trade mark infringement - how Australian law defines trade mark infringement.
- ACCC, Consumer rights and guarantees - the statutory guarantees that apply on top of any warranty.