Are the Grand Seiko SBGE253/55/57 too thick?

OP, I own the SBGE257 and love it!

I also own the SBGJ255, which has the 44GS case, just like your SBGJ235, and it too is 14.0mm thick.

Do I notice the increased 0.7mm thickness of the SBGE257, relative to the SBGJ255?  Can't say that I do.

Your observation that GS watches wear much thinner than the specs suggest is 100% spot on.  I used to have a Breitling Premier B01 - that thing felt like a hockey puck strapped to my wrist, and it's only 13.6mm thick!  Meanwhile, both the SBGJ255 and the SBGE257 wear perfectly comfortably.

I would say the following: 

• Definitely go try it on in person before pulling the trigger.  Who knows?  Maybe the 0.7mm increase in thickness really would bother you, once it's on your wrist!
• If thickness really is a concern, then potentially go with one of the watches in the Evolution 9 collection.  This monster is 15.8mm thick, but the Evolution 9 case design makes it feel incredibly svelte and comfortable.  Low center of gravity would have convinced me that it was maybe 13mm or 14mm thick at most!

Finally, I would say that if you do decide that you like how the SBGE257 wears, the dollar is stronger against other currencies than it has been in a very long while.  When you look at Chrono24, there are new SBGE257 available for ~$4k at the moment!  All-in, you'd be getting like 35% discount off MSRP if you order one from Japan!

Very popular line today! Is it thick?  Sure. Are most true GMTs in this price point? Yep, stacked modules will do that, but will you notice it?  I cannot say you will or will not, but having tried one on, cannot say it would bother me unless I was wearing it under a dress cuff, in which case, it would not be top 20 choice anyway.  

I have the 43mm Tudor BBB which is totally slab sided and 14.6mm thick.  It is noticeably larger that my other watches, yes.  Is it too big, not for me.  I have a 7.1" (18cm) wrist.  It's not a small watch by any means but I love it and find it very wearable, especially on the RubberB strap I ordered for me (straps make all the difference).  If it had ANY curvature at all, like most GS cases, I am sure it would wear smaller.  Honestly, it's all down to preference.  I think if you are already good with a 14mm watch, you will be perfectly fine with a 14.7mm watch.  

I will offer, I went to a GS event a few months back and got to try on the SBGE 283 and 285.  They are listed as 13.9mm, but they wore much smaller and were incredibly comfortable and close to the wrist.  Probably due the the new Evolution 9 case and bracelet dimensions.  The are more expensive, but so comfortable and beautiful.  Before I went I assumed I would like the 283 better of the two (aesthetically), but hands down the 285 stole my heart.  And I don't usually like the feel of titanium watches!  They are both beautiful though, and worth considering if it's an option for you.  

I like my watches like I like my women thick! 😉…

sorry I just wanted to say that…

Thanks Chick69!!

Appreciate your comments, very helpful indeed. 1- I will not be able to try it on first. 2- Although Evolution 9 series are really superior, they don´t have the "sporty" colorful vibe I am looking for with the SBGE257 (I should have posted the 257´s pic instead); and 3- Have you bought from a Japanese dealer before? I have seen a few posts in chrono24 with a very interesting price (I got an offer for USD 5k brand new from a US dealer) but the USD 4.2k from a Jap dealer is toooo tempting. This dealer I am talking about has about 4.97 out of 5.00 star rating, with more than 1.000 reviews, so it seems pretty legit. The thing is that I live in Mexico, and I did not found one single review from Mexico, so I don`t know how the customs works, or if it is safe, or if I am going to have to pay a lot for import tarifs... I can have it shipped to the US and pick it up though...

Thanks a lot!!!

Answers below!

• I have not purchased a watch from a Japanese dealer before.  However, Chrono24 has the whole buyer protection thing, so you're pretty well covered, so long as you purchase from a professional dealer

https://www.chrono24.com/about-us.htm#gref

• My buddy literally just received his SBGA375 from a Japanese dealer this past Friday.  Because the dollar is so strong, their pricing just keeps falling.  He paid ~$3,600 all-in, after shipping and tax, and who knows why but there were no customs duties charged.  MSRP without tax is $5,200.  So, if you assume a 7.75% sales tax, apples-to-apples, from after-tax perspective, he got something like a 35.75% discount off what he would have paid if he'd purchased from a dealer in the U.S.
• Check out this listing - this is the professional dealer my buddy bought his SBGA375 from.  They specialize in selling to overseas buyers

https://www.chrono24.com/seiko/seiko-grand-seiko-sport-collection-sbge257-mens-watch--id17762740.htm

• If I were you, I would have it shipped to the U.S. and pick it up.  My sense is that the professional dealers who specialize in international sales probably have stuff in place to ensure smooth delivery to the U.S.

THANKS A LOT!!!! I Believe I´m pulling the trigger

I chatted with those guys a couple weeks ago in person.  Very organized and professional 

Japanese dealers will be like most regular Japanese and truthful to a fault 

Whoa!  You met with IPPO???  

I am that masked man. The person that bought the 375.

There are 3 Japanese dealers on chrono24, including IPPO. They all seem to have the same prices. The dealer sets the price in Yen so the price will fluctuate a few dollars from day to day.

The purchase couldn't have been smother. I ordered Friday (Saturday in Japan). The watch shipped Tuesday. Arrived in Indy Wednesday. I completed a small amount of paperwork for FedEx (online, while the watch was flying across the Pacific). It cleared customs Wednesday morning and was on my wrist Thursday afternoon.

A couple of notes on pricing.  Chrono24 will add sales tax at the rate set by your state. In theory you may be charged import duty. I did some research and figured on a $3600 watch the duty would be something like $270. But I wasn't charged anything.

I was a bit nervous buying a watch without trying it on. But I checked watchcarts and the price I was paying was below the price for a used watch. So I figured, what have I got to lose?

Feel free to contact me if you have any questions.

Oh yeah. Here she is...

Thanks for your comment... let me break it down: 1- I agree, I own a couple of Black Bays myself (blue smiley and a Harrods), and yes, they are very thick, but for some reason they sit great on my wrist (although Tudor shows absolutely no interest in hiding thickness). 2- I do love the evolution 9 series, but for me, something is missing (colorwise), I agree with you, and without having handled any of those, I believe I like the 285 better, in addition, the price point is a bit out of range for now. Cheers

Congrats on your watch it is awesome! I would like to ask you a few questions if you don`t mind:

1- How were you notified about the paperwork you had to filled out? the thing here is that I am shipping the watch to my cousin, who lives in VA, and I don´t want to cause any inconvenience.

2- Did you have to drive to the Fedex store (or anywhere else) before receiving your watch? again, just trying not to bother anyone.

Thanks a lot, I might have further questions!

Cheers again on your 375, wear it in good health!

They'll email you a PDF file to complete. It's very simple. They mostly want your SSN.

FedEx brought it to the house. It did need a signature. 

Sorry! Who is “They”??

Sorry! Who do you mean by “they”?

Customs has an import form. You'll be sent a fillable PDF. It asks for your name etc. Which they already have. Then they ask for an import number. There are 5-6 different kinds of number. If your not a licensed importer you just add your social.

Ok… and I guess this import form will be sent to the person receiving the watch right? 

It's emailed to the email address on your order. That person can forward it if they want. 

I'm not an expert on any of this. Just sharing my experience.

I would expect that the social security number given to the customs folks should match the name on the order. But I don't know. 

Thanks a lot for the support! Will keep you posted. I will go “open kimono” with Ippo, and ask them for everything to go under my cousins name

Sounds like a plan. Good luck. 

Do you get manufacturers warranty and all the paperwork when you go this route? As you know, I've been eyeing the 255 for some time now and this would be very persuasive for me to finally pull the trigger.

Like, would purchasing from a Japanese dealer get me in the GS9 club, or would I have to buy from a stateside AD for that?

I've had the SBGE255 on my wrist many times and I think it wears no different than my Omega Aqua Terra, which is 13.6mm thick. I see no material difference between the two watches and my wrist is on the average to smaller side at 6.75". I could totally wear this thing as my every day piece (I live in Florida, rarely wear long sleeve shirts, so the thickness wouldn't bother me from a dress perspective). Great wearability in this line.

Yes, of course.  It would be akin to someone from Japan buying an Omega from the local Ben Bridge Jewelers.  If it's an authorized AD selling the watch, it comes with the 5-year manufacturer's warranty.

$4,233 from Ippo Japan on Chrono24!  Not a bad deal at all!  Yay for the strong dollar!!!

https://www.chrono24.com/seiko/seiko-grand-seiko-sport-collection-sbge255-spring-drive-watch--id18040786.htm

I asked ippo for the warranty… they said the watch comes with GS international 5-yr warranty. However, I did not find Ippo ok GS website as an AD…

I received my watch a few days ago... well, not me, my cousin who lives in the US, I will meet him in a few weeks. The buying experience with IPPO was soooo smooth, I guess everything is in place (my cousin is not a watch person, so I rather not ask him to wind the watch for testing), did not have to pay any customs. I will show you pics when I get her... thanks a lot to @HotWatchChick69 @CliveC for the support!

Congratulations!!

FedEx sent me an invoice about a week after I got the watch. For a $3400 watch the import duty was $156 and fedex handling fees was $40.

The duty on the movement was a flat $0.75. The case was 6% and the bracelet 14%. IPPO split the value as 50/30/20. See below...