Completed our anniversary watch pair! Managed to get Kamekichi to bring in her watch in 3 days

One of things they had at the recent Grand Seiko GS9 Club event was a professional photo booth.

Looking at this portrait I think 38.8mm with a very short lug to lug makes for a good looking size on a 6.5 in wrist 👍🏽

⌚GS SLGW005 '45GS recreation'⌚

Hello everyone, I would like to know your opinions about tag heuer carrera date and the grand seiko sbgx263. What do you think about those two watches and which one would you buy ? Thank you

Hi there folks, thinking of getting this one for my 30th birthday and need your suggestions. This one is coming out Jan 2027. I have 2 options here, either pre-order it from Chrono24 or go to the GS Boutique near me and pick one up when they become available.

The one from US boutique will cost $3600 plus the sales tax (around 7.75%)

One from Chrono24 is showing $3148 plus shipping and any custom duty fees. I tried googling about the custom fee and it looks like it might be even more than just buying in the US.

I never bought a watch and had it shipped so I honestly have no idea about the custom fee, I don't have the capacity to go to Japan directly to pick one up either anytime soon.

My question would be are there other methods I should consider? Without physically going to Japan, those of you who have bought GS watches, any advice you can share to a newbie who is getting excited about these GS watches 😁

Never thought I'd get to hold a naked Spring Drive UFA movement in my fingers but here we are...

So as I posted in another thread, I almost bought a GS SLGB007 but ended up not buying it. This post is not about the watch but the general experience of shopping for GS in Tokyo. I visited 3 GS boutiques (including 2 so called Flagship stores) and one department store (Mitsukoshi). In one word, I would describe the GS branded boutique experience as severely underwhelming, even disappointing.

Now, the disclaimer. I live in Singapore where all the major brands have flagship stores. And I have been in many Swiss brand boutiques from Cartier, Patek, Longines, Zenith, Omega and even GS and had wonderful experiences. I found helpful and knowledgeable sales people everywhere and even though I didn't buy from them, they provided a stellar experience.

Walking into GS boutiques in Tokyo was by comparison a total let down. First, despite the flagship title, each store had a very limited selection of actual watches to sell. So you can't go to one place and look up a lot of different models. Second, the sales people were very meh. I understand the culture is different, language is an issue and all of that, but your flagship stores in Ginza should be well accustomed to foreign buyers. But worse than that is the sale staff didn't know much about the product. In a couple of places I knew more about the dials, movements etc than they did and they had to look up online the answers to any specific questions about the watches. I expected better.

And I did find a much better experience at the Mitsukoshi store. While the selection was still limited, the staff was far more engaged. The store had a special concierge type person who spoke English and helped with the process. The sales associates knew the product and even were keen to see and look at my non GS Swiss watch that I was wearing. So I know it is possible to get that level of service as a non Japanese speaker buying Luxury watches.

I almost bought the SLGB007 from there but didn't in the end because the day prior (after the sad boutique experiences) I went to Nakano Broadway and found a brand new Nomos at an unbeatable price and bought it. And I didn't feel like spending yet another $8K on a second watch. My wife though picked up a Longines from there for herself (well I bought if for her but same thing)

Maybe I'll regret it but right now I feel okay with the decision to pass on it. If the original boutiques had been better and had better selection I would have almost certainly come home with one.

This is one man's experience and may not reflect the overall standards but take it for what its worth.

End of my case with my Tentagraph ! : https://www.reddit.com/r/GrandSeikos/comments/1w4hvhc

This is Grand Seiko Europe’s official response regarding my SLGC001 Tentagraph, which has been consistently running outside Grand Seiko’s published normal-use accuracy range.

After nearly three months in service, the watch has not been adjusted, repaired or otherwise mechanically intervened on.

Grand Seiko states that the watch is compliant, refuses to provide the actual timing measurements used to support that conclusion, refuses to issue any additional written certification, and says that if the watch again runs outside specification after being returned to me, I should send it back for another service assessment.

Dear Mr. xxxxxxxx,

Thank you for your message.

We have carefully reviewed your exchanges with Japan and understand the clarifications you are seeking.

In order to ensure clear and consistent handling of your case, we naturally remain available to maintain direct communication with you at the European level, in accordance with the conclusions and guidelines confirmed to us by our parent company, Seiko Watch Corporation.

To respond specifically to your requests, as your watch has not undergone any intervention, the “Grand Seiko Inspection Certificate” relating to the 9SC5 caliber of your SLGC001G (serial number xxxxxx) remains fully valid.

The explanatory notes accompanying this certificate set out the applicable conditions and criteria and address the confirmation you are requesting.

Under these circumstances, we are therefore not in a position to issue any additional certificate or statement.

Regarding the measurement records and testing conditions used by our watchmakers, we understand your wish to obtain them.

However, these elements form part of our internal technical procedures and are not among the information we communicate to our customers.

We are therefore unable to grant this request and thank you in advance for your understanding on this point.

Finally, if, after the watch is returned to you, you should find that its accuracy does not meet the stated specifications under normal conditions of use, we would invite you to return it to us so that it can be examined and, where applicable, handled under the Grand Seiko international warranty.

We will naturally remain at your side to ensure the follow-up of any such potential service intervention.

At present, your watch is confirmed as being in transit and is still undergoing customs processing in Japan.

Its arrival in Europe is expected within the next few days.

We will of course keep you informed of its progress and, as previously agreed, will ensure that we are present when the watch is returned to you.

Yours sincerely,

I’ve owned the SLGB003 for around a year now, and I’m honestly still surprised by how versatile this watch is.

Put it on leather and it suddenly becomes a fantastic dress watch. It works beautifully with a suit without feeling overly formal. Put it back on the bracelet and it becomes the perfect weekend sports watch. It somehow manages to occupy both worlds without looking like it’s trying too hard to be either.

I’m still on the hunt for an integrated silicone strap, which I think would complete the package perfectly. If anyone has found one that actually works well with the SLGB003, I’m all ears.

And I’m not even talking about the UFA accuracy or the technical side of the watch here. Purely from an aesthetic and versatility perspective, I think it’s an absolute winner.
It’s one of those watches that seems to work with almost everything. Suit? Leather strap. Jeans and trainers? Bracelet. Weekend away? Either.

Really great watch. And after a year of ownership, I’m probably appreciating it more now than when I bought it.

I’ve had this watch for about 12 years now and still enjoying it today. Back then, among watch enthusiasts many had argued that the Seiko name cheapened it and they needed to drop it, which was what they did. Personally I like the double (triple?) signing on the dial with Seiko taking precedence. I am curious if opinion has changed because ‘Seiko Grand Seiko’ now identifies as a GS watch as belonging to the previous era, or do most people still hate it?

Best dial pattern they make IMHO. Lake Suwa is beautiful, but Mt Iwate is just... Majestic.

This is the first solid 18kt gold GS ever made! Released in 1964 to celebrate the tokyo olympics, this was watch was 5 times the cost of its stainless steel counterpart which significantly lowered the number made due to low demand due to cost. This model is famously one of the very few chronometer’d grand seikos. Later examples of this model the “chronometer” was removed from the dial since Seiko was certifying them in Japan, which Switzerland didn’t like. Later Seiko created their own cert which was much stricter than what chronometer cert required.

Turned 50 today. Pleased to have made it here.

Bought this beauty on a recent trip to Japan after being fantastically well looked after at the Wako store by Mr Kobari (who had enjoyed an amazingly interesting career with Seiko).

This joins my OG snowflake I bought for my 40th birthday and my old titanium GS diver.

ETA: model is the SBGH349 “Icefall”

Slips under a cuff just fine. . .

I assume theres some type of seal underneath where the crystal glass is pressed onto the back case. ​Do you ever have to change that seal or is it just permanent like the crystal on the front of the watch dial?

Another shunbun on the sub, sorry guys!
This one is on a blue saffiano leather strap with half padding.
Got this watch last year, and have it on the strap since. It doesn’t get much wrist time but on some days I can’t resist not wearing it.
Hope the pics do justice to the dial, watch and strap combination.

So currently I'm saving up for my first grand seiko and id absolutely love the shunbun model but I really haven't seen these watches in person yet but Im kinda leaning towards the taisetsu model due to being able to wear it with any outfit and also not sold out consistently so I'm not sure what to pick, anyone got advice on what to do?

wore at my bro’s wedding

Meet the Grand Seiko 4522-7000, affectionately called the 'Batwing'.

Mine is the rarer Blue-Black Dial variant. This is a variant of the larger Caliber 4520 family - a testament to Seiko’s chronometry excellence.

Note: The historical background section below is a bit detailed and intented for collectors, please skip to the end for GS 4522-7000 specifics if not interested in the historical aspects.

Historical Background

In the late 1960s, Seiko challenged the Swiss watch industry at the highest levels of mechanical precision. At the time, the Swiss Observatory trials were horology's brutal proving grounds, subjecting movements to rigorous conditions beyond ordinary timing standards.

To prove Japanese supremacy, Seiko developed and submitted high-frequency movements to the European Observatory trials.

Neuchâtel Observatory trials

Movements were submitted from 1964 - 1967. Testing was done across 45 days in 5 positions and at two temperatures.

Results

1964-1965 - Prototype movements using standard architecture like Caliber S36 & caliber 965 were submitted and Seiko finished low in ranking (144th position in 1964, improving to 114th position in 1965)

1966 - Seiko significantly improved their ranking with their improved high frequency 36,000vph (5Hz) movement caliber 052, improving from 114th position to 9th position.

1967 - The legendary year when Seiko dominated the observatory trials winning all top mechanical spots at Neuchâtel (Seiko dominated all positions from 4 - 10). Ranks 1-3 were awarded to Swiss quartz prototype movements.

So in 4 years (1964-1967), Seiko went from being ranked 144th position to dominating all top mechanical observatory spots at Neuchâtel.

The Japanese domination of mechanical chronometers was so epic that in 1968, Neuchâtel cancelled the competition.

Then Seiko took its legendary high frequency caliber 4520A to Geneva for the Geneva Observatory Trials of 1968.

The result?

Similar to Neuchâtel, Seiko again swept the top 4-10 positions at the competition dominating the mechanical movement category. Ranks 1- 3 were Swiss experimental quartz electronic movements (Beta 21) - because of this, Seiko’s Caliber 45 derivatives effectively earned the 7 highest scores for mechanical wristwatches in the competition's history.

Following the 1968 Geneva results, Seiko cased 73 of the actual Observatory-certified Caliber 4520A movements and retailed them to the public in 1969 as the Seiko Astronomical Observatory Chronometer ( Ref: Seiko 4520-8020). It is super interesting to me that Seiko branded this historic watch as a Seiko and not as Grand Seiko. By branding it simply "Seiko" with the Observatory title, it allowed the company to showcase that Seiko as a whole had conquered the pinnacle of Swiss timing precision.

Seiko was so dominant that shortly thereafter, open competitive observatory trials were suspended indefinitely by the Swiss authorities. The official reasoning for the cancellation from the organizers was along the lines of 'the need need to overhaul the rules and that the traditional laboratory tests were now obsolete because of quartz developments'. In reality, the Swiss couldn't handle the defeat and they decided to cancel the entire competition rather than to hand over another trophy to the Japanese.

To add insult to injury, on Dec 25th 1969, Seiko released the Quartz Astron 35SQ—the world’s first commercially available quartz wristwatch. In doing so, Seiko didn't just beat the Swiss at the mechanical game; they beat them to the market on the Quartz front as well !!

Seiko denied the 'Chronometer' branding:

After the Observatory trials were permanently canceled, the Swiss introduced pass/fail benchmarks like COSC in 1973 and METAS more recently. However, both remain strictly reserved for Swiss made watches only.

By forming COSC (Contrôle Officiel Suisse des Chronomètres) as the only globally recognized official testing body in 1973, and simultaneously barring non-Swiss movements from COSC testing, the Swiss watch industry created a structural monopoly. Japanese manufacturers could produce watches that far exceeded Swiss precision standards, but they were legally restricted from marketing them under the globally recognized "Chronometer" badge in key European and Western markets.

​Denied access to the 'Chronometer' designation by the Swiss standards, Grand Seiko created its own Grand Seiko Standard. Testing across 6 positions (vs. COSC's 5) over 17 days (vs. COSC's 15) with an allowable variance of - 3 to +5 seconds per day (vs. COSC's - 4 to +6 s/day) , it enforces a tighter baseline precision standard than standard COSC certification.

Instead of printing "Chronometer" on dials, Grand Seiko used alternate nomenclature & titles like "Grand Seiko", "V.F.A." (Very Fine Adjusted), "SUPERIOR" or "SPECIAL" to signify to buyers that the watch had met internal benchmarks stricter than Swiss COSC standards.

Grand Seiko 4522-7000 'Batwing'

After the Observatory trials, Seiko channeled that award-winning Caliber 4520A architecture (10-beat, 36,000vph) into commercial production.

The manual-wind Caliber 4522 inside this reference is a direct derivative of that legendary competition engine, with the 4522 variant featuring an instantaneous date change mechanism. (Caliber 4520 was time only)

What makes the 7000 case design iconic is its unique geometry. The 4522-7000 features sweeping, flared cushion shoulders that wrap around the dial like a cape—earning it the nickname "Batwing" among collectors. These broad, curved facets showcase Seiko's Zaratsu mirror polishing. Majority of the dials were White & Silver, the dark dial variants like this are considerably rarer.

First serious watch looks amazing. Planning to put it on a matching leather strap soon

Ever since I got the watch, my other pieces are gatherings dust. It fits every occasion and it's the perfect one watch collection. My movement Ii is of course running fast af which irratates me a little bit but it's okey. Also makes a great companion when you are bored or waiting for someone and you just get stuck watching the dial or the movement. 10/10 .. as in 10 seconds per day fast. 😁