What do you Think of this Printed Power Reserve Display in GS SBGA 293 ?

Let me start by saying, I like clean, bold dials on watches, so bare this in mind when considering my comments: I find that the power reserve indicator is needlessly untidy and out of balance with the rest of the dial on this watch.

I’m not sure it makes it look cheap, but it does just introduce clutter and untidiness which puts me off the watch personally. Maybe if you rotate watches frequently and don’t use a winder, it’s of use for you, but personally I prefer a power reserve indicator, if you have to have one, on the back of the movement, observed through a display case back.

There are plenty of plain dial watches out there. Since this isn't a pure dress watch, I like it. PR is a signature of spring drive, and the printing doesn't bother me. An applied marker would be too busy with this particular dial IMO.

I never liked the power reserve indicator on the Grand Seikos. To me, it has always looked out of place. And I also think it does cheapen the look of the watch, especially knowing how much they cost. To someone that doesn't know, it probably looks okay. I just don't think Seiko executed it well. 

The watch is stunning; a work of art. Then my eyes are drawn to the power indicator. It doesn't necessarily look cheap but, sitting on that masterpiece, it just feels a little bit clumsy, like someone drew a moustache on the Mona Lisa. I'd still buy it in a heartbeat though.

i prefer power reserve indicator in the back of the case. there is a variant of grand seiko with power indicator in the back case if im not mistaken

I am not a fan of power reserve indicators (it’s a watch not a Duracell battery).

Yes, I think the one in the picture detracts from the overall aesthetic of the watch. I also think the watch is quite bland. I apologise, in advance, to anyone who is offended.

I think the original question was more about that the indicators on the power reserve indicator are printed, and not applied, but this is really neither here nor there...

• as others have said, the power reserve indicator is in an awkward place on that dial; it unbalances the dial
• dress watch with a p.r. indicator at the front is a weird combination; to keep in style with the rest of the watch the p.r. has no digits; but it is one thing to know that an analogue watch display is (usually) a 12h display, and a very different thing to know how many hours of power reserve your watch has in total - which will vary between watches

For that last point: just imagine a watchmaker created a watch where a full circle of the hour hand means 8 hours, and instead of giving digits 1 to 8 on the dial, they would only give 8 digit-less hour-indicators instead. This is kind of what this p.r. indicator is.

I think the dial would be better in balance if they had placed the p.r. indicator at the 6 o'clock position, perhaps moving "Spring Drive" just below the Grand Seiko text.

If I'm not mistaken, only the 9R2A which was only released last year has the power reserve indicator on the back for automatic (not manual winding) Spring Drives

My only thought is the power reserves on other Spring Drive models is just a nice place to show off GS's finishing skills.  

The indicator is intricately finished with fine etching that shows off how good they are at

I finally got my first GS Spring Drive and through my whole watch collecting journey I went full-circle with the whole power reserve thing. I disliked the PR on the front at first because I didn't feel the need for it; seeing as most self-winding watches haven't needed them on their dials. Then I went through a phase where I wished GS would make a spring drive that put the PR elsewhere (on the back); which they recently/eventually did. 

After they released those watches, I actually missed seeing the power reserve and ended up buying the classic SBGA375 (44GS cased midnight blue dial) with the finished PR on the front because if I'm going to own a Spring Drive, I wanted a watch that celebrated it with full finishing and all. To me the PR on the dial is a trademark of such an amazing feat of innovation. 

I can see how the PR on the back helps declutter highly textured dials, but on the more traditional/straightforward dials, I prefer it on the front. Having said that, I do think the printed PR leaves a bit to be desired. Whenever I see it done this way I wish they would've embossed the area around it. One watch that does this really well I believe is the Seiko Presage SNR037J1 & SNR039J1.

https://www.seikowatches.com/global-en/products/presage/special/rikiwatanabe/enamel_springdrive.html

You have 100% captured precisely the evolution of my thinking with regard to the power reserve meter on Grand Seiko's.  

Call it Stockholm Syndrome, but at this point, I LOVE me a PR meter on the dial.  The asymmetry adds an element for my eyes to hang on to.  Obviously not to everyone's taste, but GS is doing something right:  They've gone from #25 in sales revenue in the U.S. in 2017 to #5 in 2020.  

Finally, with regard to printed PR meter...  I like it!  On the Elegance Collection, it allows your eyes to focus more intensely upon the finishing on the dial and the indices, while still providing the asymmetry.

The point of Spring Drive is not what is there but what isn't: no battery like a mechanical yet no staccato ticking like a lever escapement or traditional quartz, either. It's brilliant and elegant. The PR indicator is handy for knowing whether you need to wind, yet the SD character is already evident without that distraction shouting what's under the hood. Guess its asymmetry fits the "wabi sabi" ideal. I'd still rather it be present only on the back.

If it's going to be on the front, I like it minimal like this SBGA293 rather than cut out of the dial as in SBGA413. It just interrupts the dial texture which should be on display. Granted it's another place to show off their fine finishing techniques, so I could live with it. But it's literally the only reason I didn't make the Shunbun my first Grand Seiko. The SBGY Omiwatari stands out for this supreme elegance -- not even a date window. It's pure. Nothing to distract. Hope they make more models like it.

I agree, it looks a bit cheap. One of my favourite aspects of my old SBGH01 was that every single dial marking was applied.  It seems like Seiko has necessarily cheapened their GS watches as production numbers have sky-rocketed (SBGH011 was so rare partly because only two watchmakers were allowed to assemble the hi-beat movements).  They could spend so much more time on every detail when they were only making a few thousand a year.

I must be in the minority because I love the power indicator on the GS dails. Feels like a Rolex cyclops, love it or hate it it's tied to the brand. 

As for this version of the power indicator, it's just out of place with the rest of the watch. If it was tied to the same colour as the GS logo I'd be happier. 

I prefer the printed power reserve, over the recessed one. It makes it a bit more understated.  It's one of the reasons I also own this watch :)