small-luxury-world
[Patek]
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Grand Seiko, in the metal ....
Today I visited the first AD in my country, which is an official dealer for GS. They had some pieces in stock.
My favourites have been the simple ones and only one of them was in stock:
(SBGW001J)
My first impression was - nice! Perfect size on the wrist and I liked the design, which is very understated - somehow.
But it looked like if there was no antireflection coating (compared to a Lange on my wrist). From the papers it should have one,
but it was very "shiny". My second issue was the crown, which looks a little big and the quality/finish is below the finish of the case.
Am I too picky? My expectation was very high, because of the praises from several people here.
The other one I was interested in:
(SBGR061)
It was not available and it is not that easy to get in my market (I was told). The crown looks similar, from the pictures.
Thought one of these could be nice for the office, but now I am not sure anymore.
Looking forward to read your thoughts about the coating and the crown.
Thanks!
Oliver
Available on the marketplace
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Grand Seiko, in the metal ....
Today I visited the first AD in my country, which is an official dealer for GS. They had some pieces in stock. My favourites have been the simple ones and only one of them was in stock: (SBGW001J) My first impression was - nice! Perfect size on the wrist ...
I'm not sure about the anti reflective coating
except to say that it has never bothered me. It does have a high domed saphpire crystal which may result in different sorts of reflection than a more typical flatter crystal. I kind of know what you mean about the crown in the sense that it doesn't seem t...
Thanks Richard ...
for your reply. "it is a very 'Japanese' watch with a feel and asthetic quite unlike high quality European watches" That was my impression as well. Like my Mazda MX5 which I used to own in the past. It was a nice looking car, offering lots of fun, for a r...
I'd describe it as having a feeling of utilitarian luxury.
Solid, very conserative, retro styled in a 60's Tokyo kind of way. Impecably finished. A simple yet highly evolved manufacture movement which is highly accurate and super stable in all positions. It appealed to me as a perfect office watch also. I think S...
When Seiko Japan....
1. Creates a network of authorized dealers (including one east of the Mississippi River.... is that too much to ask ?) 2. Further clarifies how one is to get his/her GS serviced without having to send it all the way back to Japan and waiting for God-knows...
Then you will have to wait a bit longer....
While Seiko is the brands that makes 300K to 400K watches a year (most of which are quartz), the worthy watches for watch nuts like us is relatively small quantity, and resources in that department is quite limited, with top watchmakers having been awarde...
"the worthy watches for watch nuts like us!"
Hi Ken, if you say worthy , what do you have in mind. Inner values? I really try to understand that product - Grand Seiko. So far I don´t get it, if I consider the money they ask for. The winding of the watches felt very smooth and the accuracy should be ...
I just meant generally...
Like I stated, Seiko makes perhaps 300 or 400K watches annually and most of them are relatively cheap quartz. So, I meant to say that the most of those USD20 or USD100 watches are not worthy to discuss here among watch nuts like us. More to your point - I...
Your loss
These are exceptional time pieces. I have sent a Patek to New York and not seen it for 3-4 months. I am still violated by the cost. I sent a Grand Seiko to Japan and had it back in 3 weeks. It cost under $300 including shipping. Seiko is a superior produc...
"exceptional time pieces"
Hi, could you please help me to understand exceptional in this case? Thanks! Oliver
Why Grand Seiko is exceptional in my humble opinion
Hi Olivier, Here is why I think GS is exceptional as an owner of several as well as having seen both factories. 1. Case work is excellent, especially on the cases with contrasting polished/brushed finishes; the edges are sharp and carefully done. The mode...
SJX, thanks for your reply ...
which is appreciated a lot. Just one more question: Why do they go that far in most of the details, but leave out the crown? At the moment the crown is the only reason for me not to buy one. Just a tiny detail, but even for that kind of money I like to ge...
The crown
Hi Oliver, Which aspect of the crown disappoints you? The relief GS logo or the knurls on the crown? - SJX
The crown looks ...
somehow raw , to me. Together with the bigger size it is in full view. The GS logo is hard to see, but that is no problem for me. Oliver
Interesting.....
How would you com are the finishing of GS with Blancpain and/ or JLC? Thanks Cheers
Interesting question ...
and not that easy to answer. All three brands have offers in different price levels. I will try. Lets compare the price level € 4-10K, steel cases, Leman line from Blancpain, Master line from Jaeger and GS. In this case I would say Blancpain is superior (...
I disagree
I think GS is superior to both BP and JLC in terms of dials and hands, as well as case work. Decorative movement finish JLC and BP win out, and I'd assume functional finish is similar. - SJX
Interesting ...
" GS is superior to both ..." Not sure if we talk about the same watches. Are there different quality levels for the markets? Would love to discuss the topic with one example (at least) from each brand in our hands, to understand your points on that. In j...