Grand Seiko under $500 - Cool beans or Cold beans?

One fateful night a few weeks ago, I stumbled upon a nice looking GS up for auction. I thought the highest bidder wasn't paying enough money for the watch, so I put in a bid out of spite. A couple days ago, the watch landed on my doorstep.

In other words, I recently purchased this 2002 Grand Seiko SBGF009 for approx. $470 usd, and I think it's great. However, it's starting to show so its two decades of wear, which makes me wonder: is neo-vintage Grand Seiko a hidden treasure, or a fleeting remnant of an awkward era?

To address this question, I'll start with a pros/cons list of my watch.

Pros:

• Comfortable dimensions of 36mm diameter and 9mm thickness

• Excellent dial - it is white with a heavily frosted texture, very dynamic in light

• HAQ Movement: +/-10s/yr, jump hour function

• GS Case Design and Finish: brushed lugs with polished chamfer and smooth polished bezel

Cons:

• Bracelet

• Light corrosion on dial and minute hand

• Speck of dirt on chapter ring

• Light scratches on bezel/case

Overall, there's a lot to like about this watch. Its sporty numerals are rarely found on modern GS, and it wears perfectly (on a leather strap). The dial texture is in a league of its own, and I never have to worry about setting the time.

If this watch was brand new, it would be perfect. Unfortunately, it's old enough to drink and it shows. A light stain above the 7 o'clock index, and some corrosion on the minute hand make it known that it's all patina from here.

The bracelet didn't come with enough links to fit my wrist. This didn't bother me since I wanted to wear on a strap anyways, but these springbars felt like they were welded into the case. After lots of prodding and scraping and prying, I finally got the bracelet off. However, it completely snapped one of my springbars tools, and ground down the fork on my other one. The bracelet was obviously jealous.

Finally, there's the price. At $470, I think it's definitely worth considering for fans of Seiko. It's still an excellent wear, and keeps great time! Plus, the majority of listings for this watch are $600+, so I know I at least paid less than if I bought one of those. However, it's expensive enough that I wouldn't call it a bargain, because of how many excellent new comparable watches can be had for under $500, most notably the HAQ watches in the Casio Oceanus range.

Overall, I'm quite happy with the watch and look forward to seeing how it performs over the next couple of years. If it busts completely, at least I'll be able to sell it for the price of this leather strap.