The Great Grand Seiko Crystal/Glue Issue - What do you make of it and does it change your opinion of the brand?
I'll start by saying I'm an owner of an SBGW231. For the first month, I was (blissfully ignorant) and loved it. That is until I started noticing scratches or marks at the periphery of the crystal. A quick google search and I found a few threads of others with a similar issue.
The more I looked into this, the less I became convinced that it was an isolated incident, since I could find this issue on nearly every picture posted of this and similar GS watches online. I've attached a bunch of them to the post highlighting the issue - one of them is even the official GS website photo. This issue was even brought up in this recent Escapement & Watch video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vm7vAnRGcQE
Personally, this has really affected my relationship with the watch. If this were a tool watch I wouldn't care. But the single biggest selling point of GS watches is their finishing quality, and this seems to betray that idea pretty intensely. It isn't also an issue of "only appearing under the loupe or magnification" as I can see it very visibly with the naked eye in regular conditions. I spoke with my AD and he said it was a known thing but that GS would likely do nothing about it if I sent to them under warranty since it is present in so many of their watches and seems to be part of their manufacturing process.
What do you all make of this? It has personally been a huge bummer for me (I can't unsee it!) and has got me re-assessing GS's legendary finishing reputation.
Wow I never noticed that but now I'll be looking for it everytime.
I'm with you there, does spoil the magic of it all and the much talked about care and finish has a little bit of a dampener on it now.
I was already never going to buy anything from Seiko but now I'm really never going to buy anything from Seiko. For a manu to say "Our screw up is such a big problem it would be inconvenient for us to fix so you're up shit creek" is something I wouldn't expect from Daniel Wellington let alone the greatest watchmaker the world has ever seen. There's always a better choice than Seiko - Grand, King or regular. imo
Wow, that’s indeed scary and the reply from the AD is clearly bad. Let’s hope it does not happen with my Shunbun. I understand your disappointment and I hope you will find closure, one way or the other!
It reinforces my belief that 'luxury watches' are not worth the hype. Back in the ye-olde days, the idea was - you buy a watch worth the money. Yes, the price could have been shocking, but the idea was you buy a watch for life, then pass it to your children etc... So it was worth saving for years before buying a watch. Now, it seems, we are being fed that marketing b/s about how magical the watches are (they are not) and how it's worth buying certain brands because they last (maybe) and 'if you are not buying X, if a watch dies, you might just as well throw the watch away' (well... the X brands do the same now - repairing vintage watches becomes more and more problematic). As for 'quality' - we were fed this idea that you have to spend thousands of dollars on a watch 'otherwise, it's a lottery'... Hmmmm how about that... I would rather play a lottery with 100 pounds Pagani than Seiko :)
It reinforces my decision that watches need to be inspected and purchased in person. (Horrors to e-commerce sites 😜)
Indeed this is a no-go even for a cheaper timepiece...
I do notice this affects low WR pieces? This particular model is only rated "splash-resistant".
There goes my last justification for burying a Seiko product.
Wow I never noticed that but now I'll be looking for it everytime.
I'm with you there, does spoil the magic of it all and the much talked about care and finish has a little bit of a dampener on it now.
I'm was honestly scared of making others who already own these watches aware of it.
I was already never going to buy anything from Seiko but now I'm really never going to buy anything from Seiko. For a manu to say "Our screw up is such a big problem it would be inconvenient for us to fix so you're up shit creek" is something I wouldn't expect from Daniel Wellington let alone the greatest watchmaker the world has ever seen. There's always a better choice than Seiko - Grand, King or regular. imo
I have a few Seiko's (All but one of them is from the "Prospex" Tool-oriented line) I've been lucky that all of mine are perfectly aligned with no issues but It is really disheartening to see that QC issues / Manufacturing errors are not only common in regular Seiko's but have branched out to Grand Seiko too. Very sad. For a while I was almost idealizing GS(as well as other watches above a certain price to be honest).
I would never. I state my opinion and I label it so. No one should care what I think nor take anything I say as being expert in any way. I have my opinions and that is all they are. I think everyone should buy exactly what they like and I shall do likewise. Cheers!
If this is truly a wide spread issue then it's pretty disappointing. GS is Seiko's premium lineup so they must pay way more attention to their premium line than normal Seiko watches. Even their normal Seiko watches don't have outrageous manufacturing defects like this. I've owned several Seiko watches in the past and they were all just fine, good value for money watches.
This only applies to their dressier models right? I'm assuming their sports watches use a friction fit to attach the crystal.
I’ve been on the fence about purchasing a GS for about two years.
This is definitely a deal breaker for me.
This is very disappointing to hear but I think you're providing a valuable heads-up too. Thanks for flagging this to the community!
It doesn't change my opinion, they're still a great brand. They just have a problem that needs to be fixed.
Heartbreaking. GS puts so much care and intent in many of the little details that a blatant issue like this should be stopped before it left the factory. I’m pretty sure bubbles in their adhesive doesn’t meet the “Grand Seiko Design Principles“
Well…at least they’re not using Elmer’s to glue it🤓
you don't need a lot of money for swiss watches and from experience the Japanese and chinese watches don't last as long. Be as offended as you want you can't argue with history. I like and own many watches but the Swiss ones will last to give to my grandchildren. My latest Swiss watch is cheaper than a lot of Timex watches.
Straying off topic here, but Swiss watches at the affordable end tend to be made from Chinese components and just assembled in Switzerland. Only 60% of a watches production cost has to be incurred in Switzerland (including labour costs) for the "Swiss Made" label to legally apply, and that's very easy to achieve given the low cost of Chinese made components and high labour costs in Switzerland.
Basically If you're buying a Swiss watch that's cheaper than Timex, you're 100% buying a mostly Chinese watch.
Straying off topic here, but Swiss watches at the affordable end tend to be made from Chinese components and just assembled in Switzerland. Only 60% of a watches production cost has to be incurred in Switzerland (including labour costs) for the "Swiss Made" label to legally apply, and that's very easy to achieve given the low cost of Chinese made components and high labour costs in Switzerland.
Basically If you're buying a Swiss watch that's cheaper than Timex, you're 100% buying a mostly Chinese watch.
The Swiss do the quality control and regulating that the Chinese don't do. The low end Swiss like Tissot and Certina also have useable warranties and service. ETA do not let their stamp stay on anything but the best quality. Take any Chinese watch and service it to make a good watch as the factory slaps them together.
The poster was already criticising their watch so what did you expect?
The Swiss do the quality control and regulating that the Chinese don't do. The low end Swiss like Tissot and Certina also have useable warranties and service. ETA do not let their stamp stay on anything but the best quality. Take any Chinese watch and service it to make a good watch as the factory slaps them together.
Oh come now .. this is bordering on nationalistic language. Swiss vs Chinese vs Japanese. If you go to the forum, there are plenty of complaints on Rolex. Or pick any other "Swiss" brand. If anything, you will find that Casio has the most consistent QA of any watch brand.
The point of this post was that this type of defect should never appear on a watch at this price lvl. And the response from the AD (if true) is rather alarming and worth mentioning in this forum.
Interesting topic, quality control, I live in Western Australia and for me to buy a Swiss watch from a dealer requires a 5 hour round trip to Perth, However I have become so disillusioned with the poor quality of items arriving through mail order (or taking so long to arrive I had forgotten I had ordered it!) that I have resolved to making the long journey and buying from a real shop. The op's experience has reminded me that I will need to take my loupe with me..
My swiss watch was $170.00 and has a powermatic 80 movement which will last a lifetime. Thats cheaper than most Seiko's. Swiss watches last the longest and most of them are reasonably priced. Sorry to hear your offended by an opinion here.
The Powermatic 80 movements and all ETA C07 movements are essentially use and throw movement. End of life, sourcing parts or trying to service the movement is essentially out of the picture. You pay $180 for service where Swatch service center just swaps the movement out of a new one. Only the case and dial is constant.
I have my grandfather's Seiko 5 from 1976 which to date runs well, serviced once in its whole lifetime. Any watch if taken care of will last you a life time doesn't matter if it is Swiss or Japanese.
I have two GS and neither have this issue. I’ll be sure to check for this before buying my next one 😀
I’m surprised. I’ve never heard this. A GS was def on my future lists now not at all of this is indeed possible
It's the reason for awhile I was actively shopping this watch and have since stopped paying close attention to the model and the brand. I do think others have tried to remedy through GS and have been turned away, "as designed".
I sincerely hope you get a different result OP, best of luck and keep us posted!
I am on the Edge of pulling the trigger on an SBGW231 and this is one of the things that holds me back so far.
However, this is due to the fact that I can’t decide whether I think it looks charming and vintage-y or if it looks like a defect 😅
Sorry for your experience, I have three GS - Skyflake, Winter and quartz GMT, no issues with them at all. They are among the best finished watches I’ve ever seen. Maybe an issue with newer models? I’ll bring a loupe next time I go to my AD.
I do own a sbgw231 and it looks like I am spared from that issue. 😮💨
I am worried though. Is it going to show up with time? If it is a glue issue, is GS going to change their glue? Do they even know the problem?
Do we know that GS glue their crystals? I assumed it would be pressed down?
I prefer the bubbles to the Rolex Rehaut