My first Grand Seiko - SBGH201
Got my first GS today. And sent it back the same day. :(
Was a "basically new" SBGH201 which was "barely worn", and does look absolutely "flawless". According to the seller .....
Within 10 Seconds of opening the box, i saw a spot. Thought it might be a dust particle on the crystal first, but it wasn't. And the spot moved with the hourhand .....
Took a magnifying lens and discovered .... a crater right on the Zaratsu polishing. And i doubt that was done by the previous owner, but just slipped GS QC!
Then i also realized, the bracelet should be a total of 195mm. And the watch barely fit on my 175mm wrist. No extra links anywhere in the box. Totally the fault of the seller here!
So obviously i didn't want to keep it, and sent it back.
I read about QC issues at GS, but i thought that's probably just a one in a million case. Given how they praise themselves on quality of worksmanship.
Now i have serious doubts about ever getting another GS. Especially when ordering one online. (I got no GS Boutiques anywhere near!)
Oh no! Hope you managed to get a full refund from the seller!
Oh no! Hope you managed to get a full refund from the seller!
Yes no problem, i'll receive the full price back. Just payed the shipping and insurance for sending it back. So no problem there.
That's unfortunate...
Glad you're getting a refund! It sounds like it was a bad seller more than anything else. Grand Seiko does all or at least most of their Zaratsu polishing by hand, so it's hard to believe a blemish that large would go unnoticed (the handsets may not be polished by hand though, I am not totally sure). Also hard to believe something like that would evade quality inspection, but as you said maybe it's a 1 in a million thing. Who knows, maybe the seller got inside the case and was fooling around, people do weird things. In any case, I wouldn't let it deter you from Grand Seiko in the future...any reputable dealer would not sell a watch with an issue like that.
Yikes! That's really unfortunate!
I have 11 GS in my collection, and have also purchased 1 for my sister and 1 for my wife. I've yet to come across any QC issues. But, maybe I just have really bad eyesight!
It looks like the seller chewed on the watch.. I have never experienced any flaws from GS..
Sorry to hear, unfortunately buying online stays risky.
That is unfortunate, for sure. I've been reading on GS and feeling like that's a name I'd like to own and have in my collection, but this dampens that desire a bit. Surely the vast majority of them are flawless when new. What are the odds your first swing is an out. Sorry for that for you.
Woah, was the watch opened? I have seen a few GS and never anything like this. That's very unfortunate, but good you could send it back!!
Now you have me worried about my GS all of a sudden.
But everything else is so flawless that the ding on the hands really stand out.
That blatant a hand defect, its indeed a one in a million QC issue, sorry you had to go thru that
Killer, dont let it preventbyou from trying again. I dont own one (I will 1 day - the 65th Anniversary Godzilla) but my mate does and uts amazing. Also, as it was through no fault of your own the seller should've paid return postage and Insurance, why should you be out of pocket?
It looks like oxidation/corrosion on the metal due to the age of the watch. Nothing last forever. Not even Grand Seiko.
Yeah, I was gonna have a similar comment to @Mr.Dee.Bater I’ve got 4 GS in the collection and not one had a single finishing issue out the box. And I’ve handled many many more and I’ve never seen a quality control issue like this. I tend to believe that since we enjoy purchasing mechanical time pieces that are made primarily by hand, you’re gonna encounter some mistakes just based off of using humans over machines. Humans can make mistakes. In fact we know they make more errors than computers would but we prefer to support all the individual artisans that are employed by these watch Maisons. I’m sorry to hear of your bad experience but I would ask that you keep an open mind towards the brand and not let this ruin any possibility of owning one in the future. I’ve seen finishing issues on watches from many stories brands but they seem to be isolated instances. Sometimes a Rolex Explorer dial will have mutilple 9 indices where a 3 or 6 should be instead. Somehow that dial passed multiple rounds of Rolex QC, and was still sold to an individual without the AD even recognizing the mistake.
I recently purchased a GS however from an Authorized dealer. Came in perfect condition. Unfortunate and I wouldn't let this stop you from pulling the trigger on another one. Good luck.
That looks like water corrosion on the hand because of the staining around it. If it is an older watch then it probably got salt water in through the stem.
I second what everyone else has said. I have one currently and have had a couple. They are my most flawless and perfect watches. They are machines and made by humans at certain points though, so they will have flaws or break.
Don’t be deterred, it’s positive that you were able to return it, try another one and buy a lotto ticket because you were just one in a million😉!
My GS also came in perfect condition. I’m glad you spotted what you did and were able to send it back. I would imagine you might have found signs of an untold history by the 2nd hand seller. E.g. internal salt water corrosion?
Not saying your frustration isn't valid, but to write off buying another GS entirely is very extreme for such an issue. This sounds more like the sellers fault more than anyone else
Happy to report, that my second (used) GS looks flawless!!!
I did get a very similar modell, but with titanium case/bracelet.