Grand Seiko, Love It Or Hate It?
This is the, in my opinion, a true revolution in the watch industry. And no, before you ask, the middleman hasn't been cut out. The Spring Drive movement combines the luxury of a mechanical watch with the precission of quartz. So why isn't Grand Seiko up there with the likes of Rolex and others when they clearly have a ticket due to their inovation. I haven't heald a GS in my hands, so I can't speak with experience, but for the price tag, GS really deliveres with (certain) design, dial patterns, the movement for the money. But does that money stay? Well, GS has a depreciation of around 5-20% depending on certain factors ( deacons-jewellers.com/blogs/news-events/10-things-you-should-know-about-grand-seiko ), but they tend to hold their value. So where does the hate come from?
Edit, sorry about the previous link, it has safety issues, but this is a shortened link that will lead you to the GS article
I like talking watches. So, engage with me in my comments! (meme on the banner from Time+Tide watches)
You see a lot of GS fans on WC. @Max put out a Youtube that compared GS to Omega. Outside of Omega chronographs and divers that makes sense to me. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l40R0g8U0ts&t=1s
Don't think GS means to compete with Rolex.
Do people, besides Nico, whose opinion is worth exactly .00 cents, actually hate on GS? I’ve yet to meet anyone who doesn’t appreciate them. The dudes flexing their fake Rolexes on someone else’s parked car don’t count.
And they depreciate a heck of a lot more than 20%, but most watches do.
I love both vintage and new GS. Especially the smaller watches with no date complication. I think I would take a SBGY011 over the OP. But at the end of the day it's a Seiko and unlike many of its competitors Seiko sell inexpensive watches as well.
Do people, besides Nico, whose opinion is worth exactly .00 cents, actually hate on GS? I’ve yet to meet anyone who doesn’t appreciate them. The dudes flexing their fake Rolexes on someone else’s parked car don’t count.
And they depreciate a heck of a lot more than 20%, but most watches do.
Thank you!
I love both vintage and new GS. Especially the smaller watches with no date complication. I think I would take a SBGY011 over the OP. But at the end of the day it's a Seiko and unlike many of its competitors Seiko sell inexpensive watches as well.
Thanks!
You see a lot of GS fans on WC. @Max put out a Youtube that compared GS to Omega. Outside of Omega chronographs and divers that makes sense to me. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l40R0g8U0ts&t=1s
Don't think GS means to compete with Rolex.
Thank you too!
From a marketing perspective, they have Seiko in the name. For the price bracket, some people will be looking for a different name, despite being unaware of the astounding innovation that came with the spring drive.
For 90% of consumers it's a name game, particularly in the watch market. As I'm sure we're all aware.
Shhh…I don’t want the prices to go up further. Wearing my White Birch right now. It’s a real collection killer.
Ignorance.
Grand Seiko is a top echelon player. Their finish, dials, and house made movements are as good if not better than most Swiss maisons. Grand Seiko's Zaratsu polish is a trademark finish that is iconic in its own right. I don't know how people can "hate" a brand, but in my opinion GS is a brilliant watch that allows its products to speak for itself.
Yeah not sure I've seen the hate in recent times but maybe I've missed it. What you say is right though in terms of what's good about GS. I recently corrected my wife on what the time was based on my Spring Drive versus her Fitbit, and I was right. I had that much confidence in my timepiece that I argued with an electric watch lol.
I've tried them on over and over. I've listened repeatedly to watch-friends extol their beauty and designs. They just don't do much for me. I respect what they are doing but I've never had an urge to add one to the collection.
My collection is currently complete and thus closed. However, if I choose to expand GS is going to find a place. Excellent watches, and undervalued in the preowned market imho.
You buy Rolex to impress other people, GS to impress yourself imho
Do people, besides Nico, whose opinion is worth exactly .00 cents, actually hate on GS? I’ve yet to meet anyone who doesn’t appreciate them. The dudes flexing their fake Rolexes on someone else’s parked car don’t count.
And they depreciate a heck of a lot more than 20%, but most watches do.
Hold my beer…
One of the biggest (and probably only reason[s], tbh) why GS gets so much hate is due to their diehard, screeching fanboys. Not saying it's everyone who likes or collects GS, but there are those loud and brash few who so strongly overpower the others that they make everyone else seem like they're exactly the same. It's quite annoying and disheartening, but that's simply the reality for any hobby, I suppose.
Speak of the "Grand Seiko"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PoiURV2AxX0&t=54s
The most important consideration is how does it make you feel. That's something no one can measure. Sure, they lose money on the secondary market. Sure, their product catalogue is convulted beyond recognition. Sure, they have crappy numbers instead of names for all their watches, but if you gave me a choice to wear GS or wear any other swiss brand for the rest of my life, I'm going with GS :) The heart wants what it wants and very few things in the world make me feel as special as a GS
I think their dials look good but the bracelets are horrible and not even competitive if someone wants a sports watch. I think GS excels on dressier style watches.
I really, really like the bracelet on my White Birch.
I love it Period!….
😉
I wish they had tapering bracelets with toolless microadjustment for their sports watches, and that their base spring drive movements (not the manual wind ones) could be a touch thinner to bring cases down to 10.5-11mm, but other than that I think they’re absolutely top notch. My SBGX009 gets a ton of use on various straps and is absolutely beautiful.
It is interesting to me that for such and enthusiast-driven brand, GS has not yet improved their bracelet tech as it seems to be the #1 knock on the brand (btw I love them and think that outside this gripe, and releasing too many individual references every year that they can do no wrong). However, I’ll say that I do enjoy the traditional 3 link oyster style bracelet and the beads of rice one that they use for the SBGW series in the heritage collection. The three link that has the polish on the outer edges of the center links I’m not a huge fan of.
My favorite watch brand - not my favorite designs - but favorite brand. I like how they have a clear vision on their brand principles, pulling their dial designs from the nature surrounding their facilities. Their “nature of time” angle is also interesting; speaking to their dedication to developing spring drive over decades. Grand Seiko isn’t try hard - they just are. It’s respectable. The reason I don’t own more is b/c of their design choices with the bracelet (given up on seeing an update anytime soon) as well as with their more mass produced models. If I were their CD I’d cut the collection back to 10-15 watches in the stable and 2-3 limited to 300-500 drops a year. There’s really no reason to saturate the market like they have; GS is a brand so adored for their design and horological ethos yet still have a way to go with editing their collection. Less is truly more.
Any thoughts as to why they haven’t improved the bracelets yet? They have been receiving this specific point of feedback for years, and for such an enthusiast-driven brand, doing so would seem like such an easy win. If this thread is any evidence, they’d have a lot of folks willing to buy one or a few more Grand Seikos if they invested in this area.
Any thoughts as to why they haven’t improved the bracelets yet? They have been receiving this specific point of feedback for years, and for such an enthusiast-driven brand, doing so would seem like such an easy win. If this thread is any evidence, they’d have a lot of folks willing to buy one or a few more Grand Seikos if they invested in this area.
I think it goes back to their production cycle and ethos - thinking in decades rather than years. Maybe they have one designed but it’s years out - maybe it all comes down to cost or tooling w big Seiko.
I think it goes back to their production cycle and ethos - thinking in decades rather than years. Maybe they have one designed but it’s years out - maybe it all comes down to cost or tooling w big Seiko.
All fair points. If I’m a gambling man, I’d bet they’re closer to bracelet improvements than reducing the amount of annual releases. That seems imprinted in their DNA along with the flowery inspiration sources for the watches.
I like GS, only thing slightly annoying is the number of LE they produce and in recent years they have started putting spring drive movements in normal Seiko watches. This move I don't understand, maybe they need to think more about the GS brand positioning?
Resell value of GS watches is not great and in my opinion, it's impossible to completely ignore the resell value when you are putting down so much money.
If you can look pass these, GS is an amazing brand.
I'm a fan, GS make great watches. My GS Quartz GMT is the only watch I have that has had numerous people notice it and either compliment how nice it is, or ask what it is. I've never had questions about my Tudor, Oris or Omega (CK859) watches. It seems even the normies who aren't into watches appreciate their styling and finishing.
I personally LOVE GS! I cant afford them and I am priced out of many. Im open and own many quartz watches thru the years so that mechanism is special. If Rolex had those old oysterquartz it'd want to be like the GS of today👌🏼
I Love GS. The only thing I dont like about them is the price…
No hate here, I have one and have had a couple. I love mine, finding the one for you as they make way more variants than say a Rolex I think is part of why there is some hate.
I would t say they are revolutionary, but they are highly executed beautiful watches with great traditions and advancements in timekeeping technologies.
Best explanation I can give is that there a lot of passionate GS folks out there and sometimes a die hard passion breeds hate or disregard from others when one feels so strongly about one thing rather than the other.
Interesting topic, I neither love or hate GS, I don’t aspire to own one I find them a bit old fashioned and I’d be reluctant to buy one based on the fact that as a brand there are seikos at budget prices. I know they are not GS. I do appreciate the absolute precision and quality of the pieces though and I can see there’s a market for them. To me it’s just a brand I have no affinity for and I don’t think I’m alone in that. No love no hate.