I've been offered a new Grand Seiko Snowflake SBGA407G at a very good price by a seller I trust. In photos and in the flesh, the level & detail of the finish look wonderful and I know its accuracy will be outstanding. I've never had a Grand Seiko before and this is an obvious buy. But I'm hesitating.
On the wrist, although just time, seconds, date & power reserve, the Grand Seiko is as high as my Zenith day, date, month, running seconds, moon phase, 12-hour, 30-minute & seconds chronograph: 13mm.
So, now the question. Why is it and other Grand Seikos so high?
Probably too much saki 😂
I have two and the quality is outstanding. The biggest drawback is the lack of service facilities. Unless you live in the USA or Japan, they have to be shipped back to Japan for major work.
It's also part styling that the case is so thick. I have a SBK005 and it is pretty thin which suits the design
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What's wrong with it going back to Japan? It is where they were made after all. My understanding is that it goes back to the same watchmaker who originally assembled it! I'd rather have that than someone in the UK. It's not as if the journey time is the time consuming part anyway.
Finn your point of view you drop it off at an AD or boutique, then collect it on its return.
If 5-6 weeks is to be believed then the turn around, including transit, is as fast as any other UK servicing centre.
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Love this one, really cool.
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The weight is reduced due to the snowflake being Titanium - i think that will offset any concerns on height. The Snowflake is iconic, for me the watch that defines modern GS the best. If you're going to try one, this should be it.
I don’t think it is an intentional part of the styling, for most of them. If you look at the 9F quartz versions of watches that have similar case shapes to automatics, the quartz versions are much thinner, and look much better for it on the wrist.
You can also look at some of the pleasantly thin historical Grand Seikos that are the basis for their design language. They show how the case shapes should really wear. For the much thicker modern autos it’s an Achilles heel, with a bulky underside that raises the case off the wrist. Presumably it’s a result of movements that are solid but thicker then you might wish, together with the added thickness of the rotor on autos, and exhibition case backs on top of that. As with a Rolex, I’d rather have a watch that’s the right proportions than have an exhibition case back, given the choice.
It’s a problem, and one they’ve recognised and are trying to address. The model posted above, the SBGK005 solves this simply by being manual wound. They’re not the only brand with this problem, Omega has also had a thickness issue on some models, but they’ve improved, and their current Aqua Terra wears just right as a result.
Watches and brands don’t have thickness issues. It is the wearer who has thickness issues. Or size issues.
I asked about servicing at the boutique on Saturday.
Servicing is indeed carried out in the UK for everything except Chronographs. New watches come with a 3 year warranty and a free service in the first 5 years.
Case/bracelet refinishing requires return to Japan (I didn’t ask whether this was all refinishing tasks). Expect not to see your watch for 6 months - charge for the titanium would be £400 for this privilege.
Anybody know how sensitive the titanium is to daily abuse? I’ve heard it scratches more easily, but how much more?
Sorry RAJEN, I don't agree. The watches we're discussing here try hard to hide their thickness, but it can literally lift the case off the wrist, leaving a gap that wan't there on the original Grand Seiko of the 60s. It simply isn't the intention of the design language, it's a unintended problem. It's caused by movements, rotors and display backs that are too thick. Omega had the same problem with the older Aqua Terras, such as the top heavy Skyfall. They've now solved this, and they did that because they know perfectly well that the issue wasn't the wearer or their taste, it was the watch. I know you love to defend the honour of large watch wearers at any opportunity, and that's fine, but this isn't about a preference for large thick watches or smaller ones, it's about a design that could do with improving.
GS use grade 5 titanium which is way better than the grade 2 used by Breitling which scratches very easily.
I tried a snowflake on at the boutique recently (along with some others) & whilst I liked it I didn't love it & on this occasion I don't think the titanium works. I much preferred the SBGA293 (a different style altogether) which seemed much better proportioned than the hi beats.
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Even then it's nowhere near as thin as the original, which has beautiful proportions. Making thin watches seems to be a lost art - or has become a very expensive one.
Oh sorry! It's been a long day and it's only half way through. My sense of humour went missing by about 10.30am.