Grand Seiko – High-class watchmaking from Japan

Text: Filip Ericsson

The Japanese manufacturer of discreet luxury watches has acquired a large flock of conscious followers in the Western world over the past decade, while at the same time it has won grandiose respect among industry people and journalists. We shake out some of the finest raisins in the Grand Seiko-cake and try to put words to their indisputable beauty and magic. 

I have to admit that I was previously never really sold on Grand Seiko. Sure, they were good watches but they looked boring and did not interest me. I had to struggle to grasp the fascination that the brand's watches gave the Grand Seiko enthusiasts.  

My loss. Because then one day a while ago I stumbled on an article in the Dutch blog Fratello Watches. In that particular article the author's favourites in smaller diameters were presented (in a world where men's watches tend to remain quite huge). One of them was a Grand Seiko and I was caught off guard. With its perfectly shaped steel case and bare, minimalist dial that still managed to radiate elegance, the little Grand Seiko blew me off my chair, figuratively speaking.  

“I can’t seem to take my eyes off its perfectly shaped little steel case or that spare, elegant dial.” I wrote in the comment field to the article author's agreeing nod, and I was finally sold.  

History 

Grand Seiko was born at the end of the 1950s as a luxurious outpost in the Japanese watch giant Seiko's product range. It was the brand's factory in the city of Suwa in central Japan that was chosen to develop a wristwatch that matched the quality and precision of the Swiss prestige watches.  

The Grand Seiko “First”, as it is called colloquially, was launched in 1960, with a new hand-wound movement (Caliber 3180) designed and built at the factory in Suwa.  

The result was brilliant. After precision tests in Switzerland, Grand Seiko's first watch was awarded a chronometer certificate and the brand remained a respected player in the luxury watch segment overnight.  

In 1967 the Gran Seiko 44GS was launched, which introduced the design language that has come to characterise the brand right up to today. The design was named “Grand Seiko Style” and the goal was “sparkling of quality”, that the case should radiate quality. And the 44GS certainly was refined as well as proportionally perfected. 

Grand Seiko today 

The brand today has a considerable enthusiast following even outside Japan and the watch magazines in Europe and the USA tend to pour out praise for the discreet prestige watches.  

The range consists to a considerable extent of sporty men's watches with very innovative technology in the movements, which consist of mechanical as well as battery-driven quartz movements. They also sell watches with a movement called “Spring Drive”, a pioneering mechanical movement with an electronic regulator.

Below are listed the article author's own favourites, the real raisins in the Grand Seiko cake.

The SBGX series 

SBGX347G. Yes, the Grand Seiko watches have completely incomprehensible names! But behind this unfathomable designation hides an undeniably shy but at the same time perfectly shaped and executed little wristwatch of only 34mm in diameter.  

Unisex then, and according to many far too small for a men's watch. But the truth is that my own vintage watches have measured as little as 33mm across the case and have not looked wrong at all on my wrist. For male Grand Seiko customers with slimmer wrists, 34mm ought therefore to fit like the hand in the glove.  

Another shock is that this entry-level watch in the range is driven by a quartz movement. Scandal! Sure, it is mainly mechanical watches that make my heart beat, but a quartz watch can certainly appear practical for wearers who have not completely gone deep into the mechanical world of wristwatches.  

Now, Grand Seiko's quartz movement, Caliber 9F61, is of course of the highest quality with a promised deviation of only +/-10 seconds – per year. Furthermore it can be serviced by Grand Seiko and ought therefore to last for an eternity. The battery should, incidentally, manage three years before replacement.  

SBGX347G and its siblings 349G and 353 Skyflake (depending on dial), are in heart and meaning classic dress watches. Its modest measurements with a height of a mere 10.7mm, its discreet lines and water resistance to only 30m indicate it. Something to wear out, for the rest of your life. Or as Fratello Watches put it: “…truly an heirloom-worthy piece.” 

The price is around 35 000 kronor. Expensive for a quartz watch, but perhaps good value for a wristwatch that may even beat Rolex in quality (the indicators in the dial are cut with diamonds!) and that will tick away undaunted for surely a hundred years.  

Choose between a white (347G) or blue (349G) dial, or the new, fantastic 353 “Skyflake” which in true Grand Seiko tradition has been named after a Japanese natural phenomenon. In this case it is the bluish tones from newly fallen snow around Shinshu (the mountains around Nagano) that ha

The SBGW series 

he second incomprehensible naming formula in this Grand Seiko list belongs to a series of if possible even more delectable wristwatches – the watches in the SBGW series which also belong to the brand's Elegance line.  

The same exquisite proportions, the same stripped-back, beautiful dial, the same heavenly finish in every detail as the quartz watch above, but in a more gentleman-friendly sized case and a hand-wound mechanical movement in it. This is Grand Seiko in its purest, most correct form.  

The case measures an ideal 37.3mm and 11.6mm in height. For a watch this dressy you might perhaps have wished for a millimetre or so thinner in height, especially considering that a movement with manual winding enables thinner cases since they lack the space-demanding rotor. 

This is hardly likely to constitute a problem for most people though, since it is likely to slip smoothly enough under the working day's suit shirt sleeve, this watch's natural environment.  

The movement is Grand Seiko's own developed Caliber 9S64, a base unit that has driven many of the brand's mechanical watches since 2011. And this is inhouse deluxe, because Grand Seiko manufactures most parts precisely inhouse, where the majority of the Swiss ones do buy many parts from outside (such as for example the industrial jewels).  

Otherwise it is top notch, with an antimagnetic and shock-proof hairspring and a good 72 hours of power reserve. The precision further lies within the chronometer spectrum with +5/-3 seconds of deviation per day.  

That such a simple men's watch in steel, without any refinements or frills whatsoever, can appear so refined and radiate such horological magic, is masterful. The prices lie around 50 000 kronor. Expensive? Well yes, but noticeably below the Rolex Oyster Perpetual 36mm (62 500) or the Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Control (79 500 kr), a couple of its hardest competitors.  

The dials are mainly inspired by Japanese nature as well as architecture and culture, a peculiarity that has remained a refined Grand Seiko speciality. Below follow a few of them.  

SBGW283 Kishun & SBGW285 Byōka 

The SBGW283 Kishun is another light-blue-dialled beauty with the power to enrapture its beholders, but it does so from a different perspective. “Kishun” is the Japanese name for the clear sky that characterises the Japanese spring, something the dial's colour and structure is meant to capture. Whether they have succeeded with that we shall leave unsaid, but terribly good-looking it is! 

The SBGW285 Byōka for its part is inspired by the shift between the summer months and autumn. This has resulted in a deeply green dial that is meant to symbolise the vegetation of the Iwate area, which is apparently at its very most ripe and green just then. Undeniably more discreet than the Kishun for those who prefer that. 

SBGW267 & 269 European Editions  

These two SBGW watches have been produced for the European market, with dials strongly inspired by Japanese culture and architecture (instead of nature). And the result is just as peerless, but in a Grand Seiko-ish subtle way of course.  

Shōji is the name of the so unmistakable paper that characterises Japan's traditional windows, doors and walls, and that reportedly creates a warm, unique light in the room when the sun is on it. It is this paper and this light that has inspired the dial of one of the new watches (SBGW267).  

The other variant (SBGW269) has been given inspiration from Yukage, the faint, orange twilight light that Shōji catches and fills the room with warmth. The result is a dark brown shade that you are almost sucked into. Whether that is into an enchanted, East Asian world of ancient myths or whether it is just a good-looking dial, that is for each person to decide.  

Case, movement and price level are otherwise identical to the other SBGW watches in the Elegance collection. Just take your pick! 

SBGW291 & 293 – A sportier streak 

This autumn a couple of new watches in the brand's Heritage collection were unveiled that give more beauty to the sportier watches as well. The new SBGW291 & 293 have been inspired by the epic case shape from 1967 but in a liberatingly compact format. We wrote about these last year and you can read more about the models here.

Grand Seiko's 44GS family is already well established in the model range, with shape inspiration taken from the 44GS from 1967 with its pronounced “Seiko Grammar of Design” shape. These are sporty men's watches mainly with cases of 40mm. 

The two new reference numbers refer to 44GS watches with cases of a modest 36.5mm as well as a somewhat more elegant appearance than the larger watches. You will not get closer to the Rolex Oyster Perpetual 36mm than this, and here the Swiss icon brand had better watch out!  

The new watches' sporty streak is further manifested through water resistance to the equivalent of 100 metres.  

Sporty, elegant and prestigious. They thus constitute the very definition of luxury sports watches, this so delectable and ultra-popular segment where the Patek Philippe Nautilus and Audemars Piguet Royal Oak are kings (in a completely different price class, it should be said). 

The new models are offered with a dial in silver (291) as well as brown (293) in a sunburst structure so fashionable today, that is to say a smooth, slightly shiny surface. A leather strap in alligator pattern is the only choice so far.  

Hardly surprisingly, we again find the hand-wound Caliber 9S64 under the shell and we really do not cry over that, while the back is in steel. The beautiful movement thus cannot be enjoyed visually here, but on the other hand the steel back suits its sporty temperament.   

It may seem a little odd that only an alligator strap is offered for these slightly sportier watches and not a more fitting steel bracelet or perhaps a composite strap. It remains to be seen whether any of these will be added going forward. A steel bracelet does sit on the larger 44GS watches, after all. 

Furthermore the crown is not screwed, which it usually is on watches with water resistance to a bathing-friendly 100 metres, but perhaps that has no practical significance? That the SBGW291/293 lack a date and automatic winding is hardly likely to annoy much, even if the majority who wear their mechanical watches every day probably wish for automatic movements.

The absence of a date of course creates a cleaner and better-looking dial, while the three-day-long power reserve undeniably makes use easier in the absence of automatic winding.   

That the new watches measure a mere 36.5mm across the case the undersigned sees as a particularly tasteful move. Smaller diameters on men's watches have after all been repopularised in recent years and many are we who do not demand 42-millimetre monsters on our wrists. 

So Grand Seiko has surely got a bullseye here, with its ur-classic case shape, beautiful dial and lovely proportions. Now we are just waiting for more strap options, and perhaps an automatic movement? 

SBGY007 Spring Drive 

To list the best Grand Seiko watches without including a Spring Drive would probably be dereliction of duty. I have chosen yet another light blue creation – the SBGY007 which was introduced in the Elegance collection during 2021. This may seem repetitive, but it is so terribly beautiful that it sort of felt compulsory. And there are other dials to choose from for anyone who wants. 

The SBGY007 is perhaps the article's dressiest creation with a superbly balanced, discreetly elegant case with ideal measurements of 38.5mm in diameter and 10.8mm thin. 

The dial has again taken inspiration from Japanese nature, more precisely Lake Suwa in central Japan, where the thick ice, if the winter is cold, forms a bumpy surface. Just like the dial of the SBGY007, according to Grand Seiko. Once again a wilful and attractive dial from the Japanese brand. 

Under the bonnet sits the hand-wound Spring Drive calibre 9R31, of course developed and built at home at Grand Seiko in the Shinshu Watch Studio. 72 hours of power reserve is nice while a deviation of only +/- 1 second per day is an outstanding figure that we have the innovative, electronic regulator to thank for.  

No battery is needed, instead the mechanical movement creates its own electricity through the energy created by the running of the movement. That the seconds hand glides even more evenly than on a traditional mechanical movement is another happy circumstance of this ingenious technology.  

It is hardly cheap, however, to acquire Grand Seiko's Spring Drive technology. The Swedish price for the SBGY007 is at the time of writing 94 950 kronor. In that price class there are many high-standing wristwatches from truly prestigious manufacturers, predominantly from Switzerland. Few reach up to this level of finish though, and none of course offers the brilliant Spring Drive technology.  

Epilogue 

Beyond the favourites in Grand Seiko's Elegance and Heritage collections that are listed here, there are a good number of more sportily inclined models in the brand's palette. The undersigned is not as fond of these, but that is purely a matter of taste. 

For those who take to the shape, these too constitute perfectly excellent wristwatches in the luxury segment, which hardly stand behind Rolex or Omega. That cannot be denied and shape is of course a matter of taste. 

For you who are after a high-standing wristwatch, but who wish for something more original than the mentioned Rolex and Omega, have in Grand Seiko an excellent choice to wear out for the rest of your life, regardless of model.