Grand Seiko SBGW293 Review

Picked up an SBGW293 last week. This isn't a watch I hear too much about, so figured I'd share my impressions.

Basic facts:

• 36.5 mm x 11.9 x 42.7 x 18 mm lug width. (I have a 6.75" wrist FWIW)

• Manual wind 9S64 movement with 72 hrs power reserve

• Brown dial, brown leather strap with deployant strap

• Drilled lugs, 100 m WR

Why this watch: I wanted a classically sized dress watch but not a vintage watch. I have a linen silver dial Seiko Dx vintage watch so wanted a dark dial which further narrowed my criteria. I have never had a brown watch but I am a fan of the rich, warm feeling it evokes so was pretty set on a brown dial watch. There are surprisingly few brown dial dress watches (in my price point anyway which is under $5k) under 40 mm so I didn't have too many options to pick from. The other contenders were the King Seiko SPB285 or SPB365 but the larger bezel and flatter lugs gave a more sporty and casual look as opposed to the more elegant look I was after.

Pros:

• Gorgeous finishing. The dial, markers, and case are superb as would be expected of GS. Not much else to say other than it looks better IRL than in pics. I was worried the dial may be a bit too boring but the sunburst really is well done. The watch has a very warm feeling. Love how simple it is. No unnecessary printing on the dial. No blocky date window.

• Wears very well. The dimensions on paper are not ideal for a dress watch. The biggest issue I was worried about was the case thickness. Would it be nice if it was under 10 mm thick? Sure. That being said, it is thin enough and it is really well balanced. The case shape, as the cliché goes, hugs the wrist beautifully. There is a reason why the 44GS case is an icon. The compact lug to lug isn't too short and the 18 mm lug width was the correct decision.

• Wrist presence is great. It doesn't feel like a fragile, dainty watch as some dress watches are wont to do. It wears more like a 37 than a 36.

• Crown action is good. The other thing I was worried was that the crown would be too small. Maybe I just have elfin fingers (I don't) but it is grippy and not a chore to wind. As someone who hasn't owned a manual winding watch in 3+ years, it took a minute to get used to the little ratchety sound the winding makes; I am used to the silky smooth silent winding of an automatic. I am told this is normal so that's nice.

• The strap is surprisingly good. I have worn my fair share of leather and crocodile straps and this is easily the nicest I've worn. Very supple. Great color. no complaints. The deployant clasp is nice and small and does the job well. Not sure why it has drilled lugs; seem unnecessary as this isn't a watch that I would imagine pairs with a nice variety of other straps. Oh well. This watch is meant to live on a leather strap and I don't miss a bracelet option.

Cons:

• The thickness. I did just say it isn't a big deal, but it would be nice if it was a bit thinner. Sure, it has 100 m WR, but that seems....excessive. I'd gladly trade off 50 mm of WR for 2 mm of thickness. Ah well.

• It's a manual. If GS sold this exact watch in automatic or a 9F quartz movement, I probably would have gone for one of those. Manuals (historically) just haven't been my jam. Given that this isn't a watch I plan on wearing daily (although I do plan to wear it regularly), and given that there really isn't an auto/quartz version that fit my criteria, I decided it wasn't a deal breaker.