There’s a lot of conventional wisdom in the watch world. How many times have we all heard things like “Rolex Daytonas? In the 70s you couldn’t give them away!” Or, “The Swatch saved Swiss watchmaking.” These ideas permeate watch culture because in an enthusiast community, frankly, there’s not a lot of daylight between how we all feel about these things. We love watches, we share stories and very often opinions as well.
One trope that I’ve heard a lot in recent years is the idea of Grand Seiko as a great undiscovered watch brand. Oh, if only you were in the game years ago when only 4 American watch nerds knew who they were!
The secret has been out for awhile. While Grand Seiko isn’t “everywhere” here in the US, it’s not as exotic as it once was. They have definitely been discovered, and where in the past it may have been the the go-to brand if you needed something stealthy that was incredibly nice but under the radar to the point that nobody else would have heard of it, let alone own it, well, that’s just not the case any longer.
Sometimes when the reach of a brand grows, the quality suffers. Less money is poured into design, and more into marketing, and things start to get stale. Grand Seiko seems to have avoided this pitfall, at least for now, as evidenced by their slate of releases over the last 2 years since being spun off as a distinct business apart from their Seiko lineage
The Grand Seiko SBGJ203 is a hi-beat GMTGMT A GMT (Greenwich Mean Time) complication is a feature found in some watches that allows the wearer to track two time zones simultaneously. It typically includes a 24-hour hand and a bezel or a second hour hand that can be adjusted independently of the main hour hand to track the time in a different time zone. [Learn More] with an independently set local hours hand, and it’s probably, in terms of pride of ownership, my favorite watch. I had always been told that you have to see a Grand Seiko in person to appreciate the level of quality that goes into each and every aspect of the watch (this is another one of those common watch community tropes, and it happens to be true). The first time I held this watch, I was dumbstruck. The finishing isn’t just up to a high standard, it’s done in a way that is unique to Grand Seiko.
The polishing for one. Take this watch and lay it down on top of a newspaper, and the text is reflected back in the mid-case without any distortion and perfectly clearly. Look at the hands through a good loupe. They are so sharp they are suitable for surgery (if in the hands of a very tiny surgeon, of course). The hour markers. Again, through a loupe they have detail that is impossible to see with the naked eye, and you wonder to yourself how a human being created this.
These little details, and the way that the artisans who work at Grand Seiko create them, are really unlike anything else I’ve encountered in watches. And I think the reason for that is that there’s something uniquely Japanese about these things and the way that they’re made.
And then there’s the dial. In the Grand Seiko vernacular this is known as the Mt. Iwate dial. Mine, as you see here, is black, but there’s another variant in white with largely the same effect. It’s not exactly a sunburst dial, but there are these radiating ridges coming from the center of the watch, meant to reflect the expanse of Mt. Iwate, visible from the workshop where these watches are made. It’s simply not possible for me, as an amateur photographer, to capture the effect accurately. But when you see it for yourself in the right light, it is quite mesmerizing.
The whole presentation leaves you with the impression of a great omakase in one of the world’s fine sushi restaurants. There’s a craft to the laborious and exacting process of making this watch, just as there is in presenting perfect cuts of fish. The accumulated knowledge from years of study and hard work is present in the finished product and there’s a great level of care that’s put into these things. Yes, there’s technical precision, but there’s also an emotional and cultural transference in these objects that I just don’t experience in Swiss timepieces (even ones that I love) that are in a similar relative price range.
I do have a criticism of this watch, and it’s the same criticism I have of the many wonderful entry level Seiko dive watches I’ve owned over the years: the bracelet. It’s not a great bracelet. Let me put it another way – it’s not a bracelet that matches the extremely high quality of the rest of the watch. Good thing a less than stellar bracelet is literally the easiest thing to fix on a watch – you simply remove it, and add a strap of your choice. I had a few custom crocodile straps made for me and I think it further elevates the handmade charm of the watch.
Sometimes when I wear this thing I think to myself that I could very easily and happily collect Grand Seiko exclusively for the rest of my watch collecting life. There are so many interesting levels to this brand – the different movement types (and the incredibly rare and highly regulated versions of each movement), the heritage case shapes, the special editions and their funky dials. I never get as excited for a new release announcement as I do for those from Grand Seiko, because I know it will be something that is interesting, even if it isn’t exactly my cup of tea.
This watch has the dimensions and heft of sports watch, and it’s water resistant to 100 meters, so feel free to wash the dishes with it strapped to your wrist. But the extremely elaborate finishing, particularly the zaratsu polishingZaratsu Polishing Zaratsu polishing is a type of polishing technique used in watchmaking, specifically for the polishing of steel components, such as the case, lugs, and bracelet. It is a process that uses a spinning circular disk with an abrasive surface. The craftsperson, holding the watch part, applies a certain level of pressure and uses a specific angle to ultimately achieve a mirror-like finish. [Learn More] on the case, propel and accentuate the formality of the piece. It’s thickness, though, is not that of a discreet dress watch. What we’re left with then is a substantial piece with a lot of presence. It’s flashy, and it will be noticed, just as if you were walking down Main Street with a traditional samurai sword on your back, you’ll be spotted with this thing, and I think that’s the desired effect. It’s not a tool, it’s an ornament, and a beautiful one.
A bit about the hi-beat GMT movement: those who are familiar with the GMT function of the newest iteration of the Rolex GMT Master II will be familiar the Grand Seiko’s independently set hour hand. This isn’t just a more useful way to make a GMT watch (being able to quickly adjust local time when, for example, stepping off a plane without stopping the watch’s movement), it’s makes for easier resetting of the watch on those rare occasions when you put it down long enough that the power reserveRéserve de marche Also known as Power Reserve. A watch's power reserve refers to the amount of time a mechanical watch can run without being wound. The power reserve of a mechanical watch can vary depending on the size of the mainspring, the efficiency of the gear train, and the rate at which the mainspring releases energy. If a watch has a Power Reserve 'complication' it simply means that the status of the power reserve can be seen on the watch itself (either on the dial or movement side of the watch). [Learn More] stops running. It’s also amazingly accurate, and in my very unscientific tests it gains maybe a second or two every 2-3 days. The sweep of second hand is noticeably smoother than a typical mechanical watch thanks to the high frequency movement, nearly resembling the perfectly smooth arc of the Spring DriveSpring Drive A Spring Drive movement, pioneered by Grand Seiko, is a type of mechanical watch movement that combines the traditional mechanics of a mechanical watch with the precision of a quartz watch. It uses a mainspring as the source of energy, just like a mechanical watch, but instead of using a traditional escapement, it uses a quartz crystal to regulate the release of energy. The Spring Drive movement is considered to be highly accurate, and is known for its smooth, gliding seconds hand. [Learn More] movement.
In my personal “journey” of watch collecting, picking up my first Grand Seiko was a significant experience. I feel like I immediately downloaded a ton of information on value for money, the nature of Swiss versus Japanese watchmaking, and what qualities really make a watch valuable to me. Grand Seiko might no longer be under the radar, but they are definitely still doing things that other brands don’t, and that holds a lot of appeal.
Beautiful review Zach and those pictures sure show what GS is all about! Very unique case shape as well for Grand Seiko, I was very surprised when I first saw it in real life, very different. Angular, sport, shiny and unique.
Please do not rave too much about Grand Seiko, it’ll give them bad ideas about raising prices (again) >_<
Beautiful shots and great write up! Love the Iwate dial GMTGMT A GMT (Greenwich Mean Time) complication is a feature found in some watches that allows the wearer to track two time zones simultaneously. It typically includes a 24-hour hand and a bezel or a second hour hand that can be adjusted independently of the main hour hand to track the time in a different time zone.
[Learn More]! You aren’t helping me with this review lol
Hi I wana know if I trade my Rolex 214270 Explorer l for this watch GS sbgj203 is a good deal for me. I know is hard this one.
just reading this now, apologies – The 214270 has a higher market value than the GS, certainly when talking second hand, the Explorer retains value far better than the GS.
In the current climate, a straight up trade between both, would not be a good deal.