The best executed “plain timepiece” to me
GS does a great job in making very basic designs outstanding through its finishing and case shape. I bought Delugs straps to shake it up, but I can’t let go of the overall experience in bracelet.
Sure, it’s an over-engineered Quartz movement in a boring dial design, but the more I look at it, the more I really love it. Plus, the SBGX is super comfortable!
(Ref: I have 6.5in wrists where anything above 42mm is a dinner plate)
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Nothing wrong with that watch at all. I love me some basic watches.
That really is a beautiful watch, and the 9F quartz is amazing. The 556A might have something to say about the best executed though.
I wouldn't call the SBGX boring at all. I'd say it's a perfectly balanced, minimalist beauty! The 9F movement is just icing on the cake!!
Generally speaking, the Japanese prefer simplicity in design. It’s why their watches are often low key, with fine details only noticeable to the wearer. Consider the absolutely exquisite work with top-tier Credor.
The purpose of this approach is to deliver private pleasure and not public show. It’s why some western watch makers and not others were popular in Japan in the 1950s and 1960s. IWC was so en vogue it opened up capacity in Japan to make watches there (this also meant they could sidestep import duties).
When western watch companies target the Asian market today, they rework their designs. Breitling is a good example, with its simplified Navitimer. More than half the watches sold are in east and south East Asia, so these redesigns make sense. Eventually those designs filter into other markets.
That said, in the West the quieter designs preferred in Japan and across East/southeast asia are sometimes seen as plain or boring. This is because in the west (including Latin America, etc.) styles and tastes can be a bit more showy.
Generally speaking, the Japanese prefer simplicity in design. It’s why their watches are often low key, with fine details only noticeable to the wearer. Consider the absolutely exquisite work with top-tier Credor.
The purpose of this approach is to deliver private pleasure and not public show. It’s why some western watch makers and not others were popular in Japan in the 1950s and 1960s. IWC was so en vogue it opened up capacity in Japan to make watches there (this also meant they could sidestep import duties).
When western watch companies target the Asian market today, they rework their designs. Breitling is a good example, with its simplified Navitimer. More than half the watches sold are in east and south East Asia, so these redesigns make sense. Eventually those designs filter into other markets.
That said, in the West the quieter designs preferred in Japan and across East/southeast asia are sometimes seen as plain or boring. This is because in the west (including Latin America, etc.) styles and tastes can be a bit more showy.
Extremely well said! Thank you for this, I didn’t know about how the west adjusted their products for the Asia market. Honestly, the design cues of both Credor and GS really sang out to me to the point where even my next watch is a “simple” Saxon watch from either GO or Nomos. Less is more, IMO.
Don’t get me wrong, I’d snag a SMP, Cartier Santos Medium, or Rolex in a heartbeat 😂
That really is a beautiful watch, and the 9F quartz is amazing. The 556A might have something to say about the best executed though.
Thank you and your 556A is a gorgeous piece! This was actually one of the watches I was considering when I was in the market for my “simple black dial” watch.
It ultimately came down to when I wore the watches I was considering one weekend, and the GS sang out to me the most 😂 To the point I compared every watch to it. But congrats on your Sinn and cheers to many years in good health and under the radar swagger 🤌
Nothing wrong with that watch at all. I love me some basic watches.
Oh yeah, I agree! Compared to the intricate dial designs from the GS stable, the SBGX is a simple black. But a really nice black, that changes it’s shade based on lighting 🔥
I wouldn't call the SBGX boring at all. I'd say it's a perfectly balanced, minimalist beauty! The 9F movement is just icing on the cake!!
I’ve had some fellow enthusiasts change their opinions on GS and 9F as soon as they saw it in person.
Unfortunately, one is a brand snob and said “yeah that’s really nice but I wouldn’t spend four figures on something that says Seiko on it”.
I got him to admit that brand recognition from strangers was important to him.
I love this piece and have one myself, simplicity done right and the 9F movement is 🤌🤌
these GS quartz models are just simply amazing. It can be a GADA watch or it can be part of a super high end collection, it can easily be someones starter watch too. Im also constantly on the fence as to whether to acquire one.
They are simply beautiful.
+/-0 s over 6 months.
Nuff said!
Enjoy your piece!
I just love the beauty in simplicity, expertly executed, in all my GS watches and am a particular fan of the 9F movement!
I love this Watch. I own SBGX263. Beauty
That exact watch is my grail, well a sprig drive would really be it but I’d buy a quartz not to settle but I have a ceiling of what I’ll pay for a watch lol . Great watch!!
I absolutely second and agree with this post!
I love how 36m sit on my (also) 6.5inch wrist. Lots of versatility with leather strap colors (dark blue, burgundy, brown,...). And contrary to some opinion I find the bracelet super comfy and fits me perfectly.
The best remains the zaratsu rainbow when the watch reflects the sunlight on a sunny day. Something none of my tudors give me.
The only reason it couldn't be my gada is because it's fully polished and scratched a lot after one year of daily use 😕it's more of a dress / matching outfit watch for me now.
+/-0 s over 6 months.
Nuff said!
Enjoy your piece!
Congratulations, great piece 👊🏽 Are you active duty?
Man gs forever I'm on my fourth already, I have been on the sober end of the spectrum and boy do I like them understated yet bold, 3 quartz and recently a vintage hi beat... 61gs. The next one will be a spring drive it's been decided 😊 man enjoy the piece
How do you track your accuracy? Yours is incredible too, bradda
You could either go toolwatch.io (or similar sites) or you could just "check back" after intervals. I kinda lost my OCD to track it to the second via website and just check after 24h.
My new SBSA057, for example, is about 2 to 3 seconds fast (which is incredible for the 4R36) after I checked it 24h after pushing the crown in. Three days later, i. e. today, it's at +5s, which proves my first "measurement".
With the 9F you can come back after a month to check. It will, most likely, not lose a second over 30 days. At least mine didn't (not even after 6 months).
Absolutely nothing boring about your GS! I think Grand Seiko has truly mastered and cornered the watch market in the “elegant, classic watch in appearance of an minimalist approach” Plus as we all know the GS is not your run of the mill quartz watch! Beautiful piece 👍
Absolutely nothing boring about your GS! I think Grand Seiko has truly mastered and cornered the watch market in the “elegant, classic watch in appearance of an minimalist approach” Plus as we all know the GS is not your run of the mill quartz watch! Beautiful piece 👍
Oh I agree it isn’t boring at all, I guess to the general masses it’s just a plain black watch with a date complication. This community is the best. Facebook and sometimes Reddit can be a headache with the gatekeepers 😂
You could either go toolwatch.io (or similar sites) or you could just "check back" after intervals. I kinda lost my OCD to track it to the second via website and just check after 24h.
My new SBSA057, for example, is about 2 to 3 seconds fast (which is incredible for the 4R36) after I checked it 24h after pushing the crown in. Three days later, i. e. today, it's at +5s, which proves my first "measurement".
With the 9F you can come back after a month to check. It will, most likely, not lose a second over 30 days. At least mine didn't (not even after 6 months).
Thanks bradda! I’ve been using the time.gov website but doesn’t atomic time shift based on blah blah blah science?
Congratulations, great piece 👊🏽 Are you active duty?
Thank you! And yessir
I absolutely second and agree with this post!
I love how 36m sit on my (also) 6.5inch wrist. Lots of versatility with leather strap colors (dark blue, burgundy, brown,...). And contrary to some opinion I find the bracelet super comfy and fits me perfectly.
The best remains the zaratsu rainbow when the watch reflects the sunlight on a sunny day. Something none of my tudors give me.
The only reason it couldn't be my gada is because it's fully polished and scratched a lot after one year of daily use 😕it's more of a dress / matching outfit watch for me now.
I noticed how the zaratsu really scratches with how pure it’s polished. The nice thing is at a holistic glance, the scratches are kind of “hidden” until I really look at it
Thanks bradda! I’ve been using the time.gov website but doesn’t atomic time shift based on blah blah blah science?
Just go to Wikipedia and check the „Atomic Time“ article.
This form of timekeeping is basically the nearest you can get to the „true“ time, if that exists. Put another way: it’s the timekeeping mode with the least deviations.
Bradda, that looks so clean. Congrats and cheers!!
Thank you!
Beautiful, congrats. What MM case is that Grand Seiko? I really loved the look of the bamboo grand seiko. I went and tried it on this weekend and was disappointed that it looked very small compared to other watches I have. Might have to look at some of the bigger cases they have in the sport collection. But I think any Grand Seiko purchase is a fantastic buy. No better value in that price range for a watch/movement.
Beautiful, congrats. What MM case is that Grand Seiko? I really loved the look of the bamboo grand seiko. I went and tried it on this weekend and was disappointed that it looked very small compared to other watches I have. Might have to look at some of the bigger cases they have in the sport collection. But I think any Grand Seiko purchase is a fantastic buy. No better value in that price range for a watch/movement.
It’s 37mm. Most of their spring drives ride around 40mm while their sports watches are around 43mm+. There’s a flavor for everyone, and I hope you find a piece that’s right for you. When I compared this at an AD to the omega AT, the winning formula was the GS fit better on me and I preferred the overall finishing. Idk there’s something about a perfectly executed plain watch 😂
Congrats. Think I am just so used to a 42-44mm that I feel sometimes and the smaller cases just don’t have the weight I am use to. Clearly after the early 2000s up until the last 10 years or so everyone wanted the bigger cases and now most people are asking for smaller cases like 36-37. Probably going to add a Christopher Ward Twelve (light blue dial) and right after that a Tudor GMT Pepsi opaline dial and maybe next year a grand Seiko. It has been about 10 plus years since my last big watch purchase. COVID I never wore any, but started watching watch YouTube content that was fantastic and realized, duh. I have a watch box with 2 Tag Heuer, Oris, Longines, Zenith (my nicest watch). Figured I might as well get back into it. Only thing I have bought since about 2011/12 was a Brew Watch I saw on Teddy Baldassare YouTube channel. Appreciate the information. Just exciting to back into watches over the last few years