I have the 20th Anniversary edition in blue with a white snowflake dial and it is stunning. Mine is clean; I didn't notice the issues until you pointed them out.
totally agree bruce and very diplomatically put..its annoying enough having a miss aligned chapter ring on turtle...but at this price point ,they are in the big boy league and the competition is too good for qc issues like this.....all that being said..i love this watch!..top vid mate and shout out to all the original seikopaths watching!
@@ChromeMan04 Yes, and GS watches have to be sent to Japan for servicing as well, which is also offputting. I've held off buying one for this reason among many, and I'm not the only one.
I just don’t understand all the hate GS gets for the bracelets. Darn near every video on a GS watch notes the bracelet as an issue. My daily beater is a SBGN005 that I absolutely love for wearing between my higher end pieces. I am not delicate with this watch and the bracelet is part of why I love it for two simple reasons: 1) Mostly brushed finish. GS seems to predominantly use brushed finishes on the bracelets which is absolutely the right choice because it’s practical for wearing. So many Swiss brands make great watches unwearable for me due to over use of polish on the bracelets. 2) No micro adjustment. In my opinion micro adjustment is wildly overrated (same for divers extensions). I prefer a minimal clasp and even well executed micro adjustment clasps are typically still too bulky. I am 6’ 215lbs 7.5” wrist and live in the southwest desert where summer highs are over 120F and winter lows are in the 30s - my bracelet size remains the same all year. I don’t adjust any of my watch bracelets, but my GS is the only one without micro adjustment and also happens to have the slimmest, most minimal and purely functional clasps of them all. On a side note for anyone, if your body is swelling up and fluctuating that much through the day your problem may be more physiological and less about the bracelet on your watch. To be honest I really like the general aesthetic of my GS SBGN clasp. The clasp is minimal but the raised logo with a combination of finishes is so clean and classy in my opinion. Not to be hyperbolic, but objectively speaking the clasp logo has a likeness to the clasp of the A. Lange & Söhne Odysseus which is impressive considering these watches are lightyears apart in all categories.
If you compare the finishing and quality of GS bracelets with Omega, IWC, Rolex, and even Tudor, it is lacking in my opinion. If looked in isolation, they're not bad.
@@lettuce1305 The rest of my collection has, or does, consist of models from those brands as well. So i do have a direct point of reference and i just don’t think many of those bracelets are so obviously superior. In my opinion many of these criticisms seem to be more trendy than practical. I can confidently sport Tudor is no where near sport GS in the category of finishing. Tudor clearly isn’t even trying to be.
I just recently bought the SLA047J1 from Exquisite Time pieces about a month ago . Ethan was the salesman I dealt with and he’s an awesome guy and a fantastic experience. I also picked up the SPB105J1 from Ethan a week later .
I bought a SBGR255 earlier this year and noticed 3 of the chapter ring hour markers didn’t line up properly with the indices. I took it back and was told by the manager that “it’s hand made and each watch has its own personality”! Thankfully the watch maker agreed with me and it was replaced with a perfect example. Lesson learnt-check thoroughly before paying!
Hand made watches are technically less perfect than machine watches though. It depends on your levels of tolerance regarding what is acceptable or not.
@@lamentate07 Agreed 👍🏼 In fact the replacement isn’t perfect as the 5 o’clock marker is very slightly off. But that one I can accept. In fact I find it quite endearing!
This is a nice watch. I had the SBGJ237 (High Beat) and when I got it, there was no 9R66 available in this iteration. The green is beautiful but I would agree that GS simply cannot tarnish their reputation for attention to detail on these watches. Nip it in the bud, GS. Now!
Chose the SBGJ237 midnight blue. What a freakin' bargain on the secondary for the price of a ho hum Black Bay. No QC issues for my particular watch though.
All brands do it unfortunately. It's only really a problem with Rolex as its probably then a repair not a refund/exchange. Opening up a brand new watch is not good IMO. Good to hear your calm voice again BTW.
I recently viewed Grand Seiko watches under a loupe (e.g. Skyflake, Shunbun, SBGM221G and SBGA375) and they looked flawless, nothing like this one. However, I've heard that QC has declined over the last 2 or so years, possibly due to the increasing popularity of their watches. They really need to sort this out if they want to continue moving upmarket.
A spring bar tool isn’t necessary to adjust a clasp. A toothpick can not only do the job but do it better! It won’t scratch the metal. Same for drilled lugs, just use a toothpick.
I was at a local ad where a lot of Swiss luxury watches are sold. After seeing how well executed in terms of quality grand seiko watches are in person, the finishing of Swiss luxury watches look mediocre at best. Don't get me wrong since I own Swiss luxury watches and non of grand seikos and I clearly see the difference in terms of quality.
Good video Bruce. The edge work on the markers is one thing, but I was really surprised to see the paint bubbles. Keep up the good work and lets keep even our favorite brands honest!
I know it sounds silly but when I think of a dive watch, the Seiko turtle is my choice, and when I think of luxury sports GS is not in my favour, just like I love Camry, but Instead of Lexus, I chose the BMW.
And you can get this used in the secondary market for around thirty five hundred to four thousand dollars so it is worth it at that price point...The size dimensions and thickness make it a no no for my wrist though
I take this as Exquisite's QC issues. I can understand If bruce bought this watch directly from SEIKO online, but this unit is borrowed from Excuisite. ADs should check these watches before lending, especially to us knitpicking watch communities. If the watch has QC issues and giving the brand a bad name spreading via echo chambers, I'd say that's worst move from "Authorized Dealer". This is just telling that Excuisite doesn't check their watch AT ALL before shipping and doen't care their business partner's reputation AT ALL. ADs should protect both their customers and their brands with every effort.
I have the blue hi-beat SBGJ237 and also noticed some issues which I had fixed under warranty. I do wonder whether these mistakes are creeping in as GS increases its production volume. At this price point GS still has a largely handmade and artisansal product and it could be that in order to be profitable, uncharacteristic errors are being made. In any case, they need to find a way to improve QC as they've set our expectations very high for finishing and quality.
@patrickjones8209 I agree - it looks pretty spectacular in person. If someone wants a blue multifunction sports watch which isn't a diver, it's hard to beat.
Grand seiko should be just killing it, but they're not it's a real missed opportunity, inconsistent mechanical quality, QC issues, then sending back to Japan for servicing many cases and shocking resale value. They really could rival Rolex if they got their act together, but it's not happening at the moment.
I've bought a few Seikos over the years. I always buy JDM watches in Japan. I've never had any issues with them. The one time I did buy a Seiko that wasn't a JDM watch, the stitching on the leather strap started coming undone the first time I wore it. 🙄👍
I owned a 44m GS sports model. The dial and spring drive were great. However, it was too top heavy and adjusting the bracelet to compensate is challenging. I sold it. I am still a fan of the brand just not the sports line.
I never excepted this type of thing on a GS, especially at that price offering. Sad because I wanted to own a GS eventually, i think my money would be better spent on omega or Rolex at this point.
It flexes on purpose?? How convenient haha. I have a couple of GS and thought the brand was going somewhere, but it did nothing with its early promise IMO. Rolex becoming more available in a downturned market won't help them either.
They have just raised their prices without offering anything new other than an updated SD movement which isn't a huge improvement on previous versions. I almost considered buying the Omiwatari or Lake Suwa until I saw the price.
@@lamentate07 They are probably very discountable if in shop window. I got 17.5% and 25% on mine. If they have just had a price increase then the AD stock may have been bought before that so worth asking.
@@wristopia4101 I just bought a Skyflake with a 30% discount. An AD near work just lost their right to distribute GS watches and have to clear remaining stock. I was given first right of refusal on two models.
£6k certainly isn’t cheap, from a distance looks fine!……. But up close….. absolutely terrible!!!!! People dissing CW, When at their price points the finishing is exceptional! This is why I don’t own a GS! The bracelets are also very poor, and what’s that offset crown about? Not a fan, as you can probably tell!
I first thought it was nice...but then I realise that it is gawky and unconventional and ugly. I tried to like it (I have seen it, worn it, felt it)...but it is an ugly watch. And very painful due to the sharp edges. I hope honest opinions are welcome here.
I have the 20th Anniversary edition in blue with a white snowflake dial and it is stunning. Mine is clean; I didn't notice the issues until you pointed them out.
totally agree bruce and very diplomatically put..its annoying enough having a miss aligned chapter ring on turtle...but at this price point ,they are in the big boy league and the competition is too good for qc issues like this.....all that being said..i love this watch!..top vid mate and shout out to all the original seikopaths watching!
QC issues are rife in the watch industry, regardless of tier.
It’s a Seiko thing at this point lol
@@ChromeMan04 aint that the truth! lol
@@ChromeMan04 Yes, and GS watches have to be sent to Japan for servicing as well, which is also offputting.
I've held off buying one for this reason among many, and I'm not the only one.
I just saw a customer wearing this. I must say extremely beautiful and luxury. :D
I just don’t understand all the hate GS gets for the bracelets. Darn near every video on a GS watch notes the bracelet as an issue.
My daily beater is a SBGN005 that I absolutely love for wearing between my higher end pieces. I am not delicate with this watch and the bracelet is part of why I love it for two simple reasons:
1) Mostly brushed finish. GS seems to predominantly use brushed finishes on the bracelets which is absolutely the right choice because it’s practical for wearing. So many Swiss brands make great watches unwearable for me due to over use of polish on the bracelets.
2) No micro adjustment. In my opinion micro adjustment is wildly overrated (same for divers extensions). I prefer a minimal clasp and even well executed micro adjustment clasps are typically still too bulky. I am 6’ 215lbs 7.5” wrist and live in the southwest desert where summer highs are over 120F and winter lows are in the 30s - my bracelet size remains the same all year. I don’t adjust any of my watch bracelets, but my GS is the only one without micro adjustment and also happens to have the slimmest, most minimal and purely functional clasps of them all. On a side note for anyone, if your body is swelling up and fluctuating that much through the day your problem may be more physiological and less about the bracelet on your watch.
To be honest I really like the general aesthetic of my GS SBGN clasp. The clasp is minimal but the raised logo with a combination of finishes is so clean and classy in my opinion. Not to be hyperbolic, but objectively speaking the clasp logo has a likeness to the clasp of the A. Lange & Söhne Odysseus which is impressive considering these watches are lightyears apart in all categories.
If you compare the finishing and quality of GS bracelets with Omega, IWC, Rolex, and even Tudor, it is lacking in my opinion. If looked in isolation, they're not bad.
@@lettuce1305 The rest of my collection has, or does, consist of models from those brands as well. So i do have a direct point of reference and i just don’t think many of those bracelets are so obviously superior. In my opinion many of these criticisms seem to be more trendy than practical.
I can confidently sport Tudor is no where near sport GS in the category of finishing. Tudor clearly isn’t even trying to be.
I just recently bought the SLA047J1 from Exquisite Time pieces about a month ago . Ethan was the salesman I dealt with and he’s an awesome guy and a fantastic experience. I also picked up the SPB105J1 from Ethan a week later .
Many thanka Bruce .
Beautiful watch and professional honest revew .
Nizar
I vote the blue and please give us quick adjustment on a $6k watch. It's got a lot going for it. I like it!
Considering even Rolex is having more and more QC issues, including off-centered crowns, I’m honestly not surprised anymore.
I bought a SBGR255 earlier this year and noticed 3 of the chapter ring hour markers didn’t line up properly with the indices.
I took it back and was told by the manager that “it’s hand made and each watch has its own personality”!
Thankfully the watch maker agreed with me and it was replaced with a perfect example.
Lesson learnt-check thoroughly before paying!
Hand made watches are technically less perfect than machine watches though. It depends on your levels of tolerance regarding what is acceptable or not.
@@lamentate07 Agreed 👍🏼 In fact the replacement isn’t perfect as the 5 o’clock marker is very slightly off. But that one I can accept. In fact I find it quite endearing!
I love the design of this watch, not having tried it on and having a pretty slender 6.75 inch wrist, it seems huge and thick. I’d love to see GS try a
This is a nice watch. I had the SBGJ237 (High Beat) and when I got it, there was no 9R66 available in this iteration. The green is beautiful but I would agree that GS simply cannot tarnish their reputation for attention to detail on these watches. Nip it in the bud, GS. Now!
Is it brand new? Serviced or repaired by someone other than Seiko?
Yo lo tengo. Este reloj es maravilloso ❤
The only thing I really dislike about the Grand Seiko's is when there is a power reserve. I find it distracts from the great dial.
I think GS is at it's best doing dress watches. Their leather bands are more comfortable in my opinion.
It's unique all right...
Chose the SBGJ237 midnight blue. What a freakin' bargain on the secondary for the price of a ho hum Black Bay. No QC issues for my particular watch though.
All brands do it unfortunately.
It's only really a problem with Rolex as its probably then a repair not a refund/exchange.
Opening up a brand new watch is not good IMO.
Good to hear your calm voice again BTW.
I recently viewed Grand Seiko watches under a loupe (e.g. Skyflake, Shunbun, SBGM221G and SBGA375) and they looked flawless, nothing like this one. However, I've heard that QC has declined over the last 2 or so years, possibly due to the increasing popularity of their watches. They really need to sort this out if they want to continue moving upmarket.
i tried it on in the boutique. I wasn't wow'd by it. It is around 4500-5000$ used but meh doesn't have the pop I wanted.
I have the sbge277 and it's among my favorites but it is too big for my wrist in my opinion. It's still a wonderful watch but not a daily for me.
A spring bar tool isn’t necessary to adjust a clasp. A toothpick can not only do the job but do it better! It won’t scratch the metal. Same for drilled lugs, just use a toothpick.
I was at a local ad where a lot of Swiss luxury watches are sold. After seeing how well executed in terms of quality grand seiko watches are in person, the finishing of Swiss luxury watches look mediocre at best. Don't get me wrong since I own Swiss luxury watches and non of grand seikos and I clearly see the difference in terms of quality.
Goes to show the people at Exquisite don’t inspect their stuff and just push it on to their customers.
Good video Bruce. The edge work on the markers is one thing, but I was really surprised to see the paint bubbles. Keep up the good work and lets keep even our favorite brands honest!
I know it sounds silly but when I think of a dive watch, the Seiko turtle is my choice, and when I think of luxury sports GS is not in my favour, just like I love Camry, but Instead of Lexus, I chose the BMW.
And you can get this used in the secondary market for around thirty five hundred to four thousand dollars so it is worth it at that price point...The size dimensions and thickness make it a no no for my wrist though
I take this as Exquisite's QC issues. I can understand If bruce bought this watch directly from SEIKO online, but this unit is borrowed from Excuisite. ADs should check these watches before lending, especially to us knitpicking watch communities. If the watch has QC issues and giving the brand a bad name spreading via echo chambers, I'd say that's worst move from "Authorized Dealer". This is just telling that Excuisite doesn't check their watch AT ALL before shipping and doen't care their business partner's reputation AT ALL. ADs should protect both their customers and their brands with every effort.
I prefer SBGJ239.
The bracelet appears to taper more than a typical Grand Seiko.
Fair comments and overall generous remarks. Good to point these out especially as the brand has many fans and we want the best for our dollars.
Better than Rolex?
Love my GS SBGM221, but , this is both surprising and shocking. One wonders if the average bear would have noticed.
Even that my wrist is 19.5cm, it's still too big for me, when I've been used to 39-42mm watches
I have the blue hi-beat SBGJ237 and also noticed some issues which I had fixed under warranty.
I do wonder whether these mistakes are creeping in as GS increases its production volume. At this price point GS still has a largely handmade and artisansal product and it could be that in order to be profitable, uncharacteristic errors are being made. In any case, they need to find a way to improve QC as they've set our expectations very high for finishing and quality.
SBGJ237 is my favorite GS.
@patrickjones8209 I agree - it looks pretty spectacular in person. If someone wants a blue multifunction sports watch which isn't a diver, it's hard to beat.
セイコーは検品体制が甘いと思う。私もダイヤル位置のズレで２回交換を要請したことがある。私の場合はもっと安いモデルだったが、グランドセイコーまでこの様ではセイコーの未来は暗い。せっかくスプリングドライブのような優れた技術を持っているのだから検品をもっと厳しくすべき。購入者をがっかりさせないでほしい。
The dial imperfections are unacceptable. Send it in for service and get the dial replaced under warranty.
Grand seiko should be just killing it, but they're not it's a real missed opportunity, inconsistent mechanical quality, QC issues, then sending back to Japan for servicing many cases and shocking resale value. They really could rival Rolex if they got their act together, but it's not happening at the moment.
They may be killing it in Asia. You know where most of people on earth live😮
@@hemantishwaran5741 No they aren't killing it in Asia, not even in Japan.
Beautiful watch. Shame its 44mm.
Sleeper GS
I've seen worse QC on a Rolex
I've bought a few Seikos over the years. I always buy JDM watches in Japan. I've never had any issues with them. The one time I did buy a Seiko that wasn't a JDM watch, the stitching on the leather strap started coming undone the first time I wore it. 🙄👍
I owned a 44m GS sports model. The dial and spring drive were great. However, it was too top heavy and adjusting the bracelet to compensate is challenging. I sold it. I am still a fan of the brand just not the sports line.
I never excepted this type of thing on a GS, especially at that price offering. Sad because I wanted to own a GS eventually, i think my money would be better spent on omega or Rolex at this point.
It flexes on purpose?? How convenient haha.
I have a couple of GS and thought the brand was going somewhere, but it did nothing with its early promise IMO.
Rolex becoming more available in a downturned market won't help them either.
They have just raised their prices without offering anything new other than an updated SD movement which isn't a huge improvement on previous versions. I almost considered buying the Omiwatari or Lake Suwa until I saw the price.
@@lamentate07 They are probably very discountable if in shop window.
I got 17.5% and 25% on mine.
If they have just had a price increase then the AD stock may have been bought before that so worth asking.
@@wristopia4101 Thanks, but the most I was ever offered was 15% off full retail.
Might still consider getting a Skyflake in the future.
@@wristopia4101 I just bought a Skyflake with a 30% discount. An AD near work just lost their right to distribute GS watches and have to clear remaining stock. I was given first right of refusal on two models.
£6k certainly isn’t cheap, from a distance looks fine!……. But up close….. absolutely terrible!!!!!
People dissing CW, When at their price points the finishing is exceptional!
This is why I don’t own a GS! The bracelets are also very poor, and what’s that offset crown about?
Not a fan, as you can probably tell!
Friday afternoon dial work from GS😂
I innitially though it was a Planet Ocean GMT from the thumbnail,
I guess Exquisite wont be selling this one😅
Shocking miss by Grand Seiko's QC dept😳
I first thought it was nice...but then I realise that it is gawky and unconventional and ugly. I tried to like it (I have seen it, worn it, felt it)...but it is an ugly watch. And very painful due to the sharp edges. I hope honest opinions are welcome here.
The mistflake 🌫️ is better IMO; the bracelets continue to be terrible however 😢
Can’t really really see what you are talking about; you need to start releasing 4K videos, my friend!
I own this watch, and it beats my Rolex GMT Master in about every category!
Just get a prospex and you are far better off
Unacceptable at this price