First Grand Seiko! A bit uconventional model, but big thanks to this community!

So a week or so ago I posted a rather ignorant topic here on watch crunch: "I don't get the Grand Seiko hype". They looked plain, simple, etc. I also lamented that most models felt too dressy/shiny and not enough had "tool" like aspects to them which I rather prefer.

I was quickly (and rightfully so) shot down on my beliefs and that I needed to truly see and feel them to understand and appreciate their beauty. The finishing, the intricate dials, the amazing beauty and accuracy of the Spring Drive, etc.

I decided, okay, fair point, but I still couldn't find THE ONE for me. As mentioned, most of my watches gravitate towards tool /GADA style formats. As much as I appreciated the beauty of the Snowflake, White Birch etc I just couldn't connect given my preference.

Then I stumbled on to this beauty from their sport diver collection: REF SBGA229. I fell in love. I quickly realized with days of research that many even preferred this diver to the legendary Rolex Submariner as a direct comparison. I became obsessed and ordered it from an authorized reseller from Japan.

All I can say is WOW. YOU were all right. In the hand, in the flesh, Grand Seikos are quite simply astonishing in terms of build quality, craftsmanship and overall feel. The light play against the polishing is insane, both from a case and inner dial components. I was fascinated and at one point wondered if my hour markers were made of diamonds the way they glittered, no joke! And then in some other lighting stuation the watch takes a step back into the shadows and remains muted and unassuming.

This watch is everything I wanted. 200m water resist, a dive bezel that looks like it was dipped in the smoothest black ink paint, spring drive, and insane finishing and time keeping abilities.

Only a FEW small nitpicks: I can't see the beautiful spring drive movement, but as a diver, I'll forgive it. The bracelet is certainly not the best, a bit bulky at the clas0 BUT it does have micro adjust! Now don't get me wrong, it's not a BAD bracelet. Just that I've seen and felt better ones.

But that's it. Only 2 minor things that really aren't a big deal. The rest of the watch is simply aces, and I almost felt a sad pain in my heart when I removed the Panerai Luminor 177 from my wrist to put this on when I first got it. I instantly knew the panerai would get far less wear time after getting the Grand Seiko.

Anyways, I know this is a long post, but for anyone on the fence about GS: TRY them in person. It's a gamechanger.