Grand Seiko Boshū Review

Usually watch reviews have paragraphs of flowery language before coming to a conclusion. I shall reverse that with my conclusion first and then flowery language to support my conclusion. The Grand Seiko SGBW287 Boshū is everything one would want in an elegant, understated luxury watch. In my month of wearing it, I have found not one niggle, flaw, or compromise that has detracted from this watch.

The SGBW287 is part of the flow of season series of Grand Seiko's elegance collection. The flow of season series are a set of four watches with textured dials representing the "delicate change of seasons". The SGBW287 Boshū dial is a rich burgundy color reflecting the pinnacle of autumn before winter makes its arrival. While many people have started to roll their eyes at every new GS release mentioning some kind of inspiration from nature (How much inspiration can a watch have from the early morning dew of the Winter Equinox in the deep forests of Japan?), in the case of the SGBW287, it fits. The textured dial reminds me of the texture of a leaf so in this case I say let the romanticism of nature and mechanical chronology continue its waltz! The applied indices and dauphine hands catch any hint of light thanks to the Zaratsu polish and it is one of the most delightful parts of the watch. I have found myself testing how dark can a room get before I can no longer see the time.

The case of the SGBW287 is a return to the classical size of watches at 37.3mm. For my 6.5 inch wrist, it is quite comfortable. The famous Zaratsu polish of Grand Seiko (yes I am well aware this finishing technique is not unique to Grand Seiko but it wouldn't be too far off to say Grand Seiko has mastered the technique to such a level that they can maintain quality at their scale of production) is a visual delight.

The movement powering the SGBW287 is the manual caliber 9S64. With a power reserve of 72 hours beating at 28,800 VPH, the 9S64 is a testament to the technical prowess of Grand Seiko.

The strap that came with the SGBW287 is a beautiful burgundy alligator strap that compliments the dial. While I have replaced it with a bespoke strap, it had nothing to do with the strap itself. It was quite comfortable.

Should you get this watch? Simply put, yes. Even if you aren't a fan of red dials, the flow of seasons series has 3 other pieces to choose from. But you should hurry as they are being discontinued by Grand Seiko.