Grand Seiko SBGM003 Long-Term Review

SJX revisits his Grand Seiko SBGM003 after 18 months of ownership, offering a long-term perspective on its exceptional quality and value. Building on an earlier review, he reaffirms his conviction that Grand Seiko, particularly this model, represents a tremendous achievement in horology. This post delves into the meticulous finishing of the dial, hands, and case, asserting that Grand Seiko offers unparalleled quality at its price point, often exceeding watches at double or triple the cost.

18 months ago, thanks to a good friend who went to Tokyo, I acquired the Grand Seiko SBGM003. I wrote a review three or four months after the acquisition, you can read the review here . In fact, since then I know 8 others who have bought this exact Grand Seiko. 

A year and a half later, including a recent short trip to Tokyo, I am even more convinced that this watch, and the Grand Seiko line in general, is a tremendous piece of horology.

Why?

The finish and quality of the external components – hands, dial and case – is excruciatingly high. I have never, and I mean never, even after more than a decade of interest in watches, seen another watch with a dial and case of this standard at this price point. In fact, I will venture so far as to say I have never seen components of this quality in a watch of double or triple the price point.

Inside each Grand Seiko lies a movement that is finished largely mechanically, though assembled by hand, without the hand-finished beauty found in European watchmaking. Edges of bridges are razor sharp and the striping (Cotes de Tokyo?) appear devoid of the human touch. The care lavished on the external parts of the watch is by no means absent in the movement – each movement is regulated by hand and accuracy of Grand Seiko, at least based on anecdotal evidence, is superb – it just manifests itself differently. This is a result of a different philosophy, though I have to admit, I have no clear idea of the exact philosophy since obtaining information from Seiko directly, without losing the details in translation, is difficult.

A few months ago during a dinner to premier a great and good new watch from Switzerland, I showed my Grand Seiko to a gentleman who was involved in developing that great and good new watch. He is a manufacturing specialist armed experience in a very prominent Swiss watchmaker, so not only did he have knowledge of watchmaking but significant knowledge of production techniques and equipment as well.

The gentleman was amazed by my Grand Seiko, especially after I revealed the retail price. And he was just being polite, because he did not react with much interest to the plethora of expensive (Swiss and one or two German) watches on the wrists of the other guests. The quality of the dial and hands amazed him, especially the perfect lacquer finish of the dial which he obsessed over. He remarked that the manufacturing process for the dial most likely consisted of lacquering the brass base before polishing it to achieve the remarkable smooth finish. That conclusion was drawn from looking at the hole in the dial for hands; I have to admit, try as I might, I could not quite see what he was referring to.

The only visible shortcoming of the watch, in his opinion, was the case which is polished in its entirety. Given the evident skill in case manufacture and polishing, he felt Seiko should have given the case some contrasting finishing, for example brushed as well as polished areas. The intangible drawback of Grand Seiko he raised was the staid design, something few would dispute.

Last year I discovered an interesting fact about Grand Seiko. In 2008 Seiko raised the list price of Grand Seiko watches by 10%, the first increase in retail price since 1998. That means the first Grand Seiko model to be reintroduced back in 1998 had the same list price for a decade.

Extraordinary.

- SJX