What You Get When You Buy a Grand Seiko

cazalea · 2015-08-20T11:01:26Z

Discover what comes with a Grand Seiko purchase, beyond the watch itself, including packaging, documentation, and brand philosophy.

I thought today I would try to answer a commonly-asked question about buying a Grand Seiko watch:

What do you get when you buy a Grand Seiko? (and by that I mean "what do you get in addition to the watch?")

This is a nitty-gritty questions asked by those on the verge of handing over their money on a mail-order sale. If you are able to visit an Authorized GS dealer, of course you can learn the answers for yourself.

There are many other questions which we've tackled over the years since I started loving Grand Seiko:

Why buy this Japanese brand rather than a Swiss or German luxury watch? What's different? What's the same? Will it last? Is it exciting? Can I get service?

But for now I will take you on a tour and try to answer the What do you get? part.

THE OVERVIEW

Of course, you get a collection of hundreds of small steel mechanical parts, some glass, perhaps some gold, some titanium, some leather and a sprinkling of jewels.

Next, you get a piece of the heritage of a company (Seiko) founded in 1881, and a division created in 1960.

Grand Seiko is focused on the pure essentials of watchmaking.
Grand Seiko strives to provide lovers of fine watches with the ultimate, functional watch.
Each and every Grand Seiko is as accurate, as reliable, as legible and as comfortable to wear as can be achieved.
Grand Seiko is everything a luxury watch should be, with no unnecessary elaboration or undue decoration.
Just pure, simple and basic watchmaking raised to the level of an art form.

OK, that is the intangible bit. The goal. The statement. The target. Now we want to know "What are the actual deliverables?" (as they say in corporate life).

THE DETAIL

Unlike many other fine watch companies, GS does not burden you with an enormous and awkwardly-shaped box with multiple outer boxes and cartons.

As with their watches, GS provides " everything a luxury watch package should be, with no unnecessary elaboration or undue decoration."

I took 3 representative samples from my collection - a manual wind watch, an automatic, and a Spring Drive. They all come in a box:

There might be a white sleeve that keeps this blue box closed in transit. I guess I've discarded (or the dealer didn't provide) most of the sleeves.

Either the sleeve or the box will have the model number. If you buy one, write this down because it's the key to the Seiko Kingdom.

This is SBGR025, a cream-textured-dial white titanium 3-hand watch.

Inside a nifty folder, you find its test results and date of testing. On many newer watches, GS only tells us that the watch exceeds its standards, rather than showing each result.

Next you will find an instructional booklet outlining what to do OR not to do with your Grand Seiko.

Moving downward, we come to a velvet inner box, wrapped in rice paper.

Inside the box is a comfy padded cushion (as you might expect in your coffin someday) and more GS logo and stamps. And of course, a watch should be in there too.

Under the velvet box you will find the guarantee booklet and the card which should have been stamped by the dealer and filled in with the relevant data. Most of mine are stamped and not filled in.

Under that is another booklet on using and adjusting the watch.

This is in multiple languages and covers a range of models. The certificate above told me this is a 9S55A, so I got to the 9S55 pages.

This is my addition to the package and highly recommended. Since I can't possibly remember all the reference numbers for my several-dozen GS fleet, I print a page showing the watch from various angles, its new price, main specs and so forth. Then I can link the box to the watch.

Here's another package. This comes with the SBGW033 model, one of 300 and my most beautiful GS.

For some reason it's brown and not blue.

9S54A is a manual-wind caliber. The certificate contains the test results for the watch, when it was originally sold.

The brown pseudo-velvet box (its outsides have deteriorated due to storage by the original order in humid conditions in Singapore)

I had the watch serviced in 2008 and the receipt looks like this.

Here it is in Japan, with the guy who possibly made it and probably remade it.

Moving on to the Spring Drive

Same kind of box, same rice paper, and a new booklet about the Spring Drive technology.

Detailed explanation with graphics. No English, but at the time this watch was for the Japan domestic market only.

Operating manual

Warranty booklet and card

Nice velvet cushion again, and the rice paper "lifter". I also have put my spare links in here and the hang tag. The bracelet, which I have sized but never used, should be here too. But it's in the bracelet cabinet instead.

There is another type of guarantee card and booklet in this box.

Thanks for taking the time to follow through this long post without getting to see a clear view of the watches. Here they are. I leave it to you to identify which is which!