SJX
[Purist]
8540
A GRAND end to 2007
The Grand Seiko GMT SBGM003 - quality of this watch is truly amazing. Some things that stand out...
The crystal is sapphire and domed; that's expensive and tough to do.
Edges of the hour and minute hands are bevelled and polished; each hour marker is also finished the same way.
The seconds hand is not flat, it is actually rounded. Also, the curved tip of the seconds hand is curved by hand, with a rolling pin like tool.
Needless to say, the case work is equally good. Case is entirely polished to a high sheen, all the edges are crisply done and the finish is consistent throughout.
I have yet to example the printing on the dial under high magnification but I expect it will be excellent too.
And for those who are wondering about the much vaunted timekeeping ability of a Grand Seiko, this watch is running dead accurate after 24 hours (it might be 0.5 seconds off though, because that's the error in the atomic clock signal available online).
I rarely make absolute statements but in this case I am sure that the external components, dial, hands, case and crystal, are of the best quality and finish I have ever seen on a watch in this price range.
Happy New Year to all PuristS!
- SJX
(You can click on the images to see the pictures in full size)
More posts:
A GRAND end to 2007
The Grand Seiko GMT SBGM003 - quality of this watch is truly amazing. Some things that stand out... The crystal is sapphire and domed; that's expensive and tough to do. Edges of the hour and minute hands are bevelled and polished; each hour marker is also...
Nice way to finish off the year>>>
and get me thinking about a Seiko for the collection. What is the case diameter with and without the crown and what is the water resistance, if you have it handy. Thanks for a great report. Tim
Thanks a lot ! Here are a few shots I took.
Great finishings ! The GMT with its ivory dial is beautiful. My fav GS ! Fr.Xavier...
That's the other automatic GMT GS
Thanks for the photos, Francois. The watch in the centre is the other GMT model Grand Seiko. Admittedly it looks similar to the Explorer II but the finish on the case and bracelet is leagues better than the Rolex. The only drawback is that particular mode...
SJX, thanks so much for the comments.
It is indeed truly a high quality timepiece that put most of the watches bear "swiss made" to shame. It is a purists' watch. Regards Ling
Nice way to end 2007 indeed.
Thanks to JiaXian for the report. I would request more photographs please. This is a beautiful watch and the GS as well as other offerings from Japan (like the one in Kong's report) deserve another look.
Congrats on your FIRST GS!
I saw this watch more than a year ago at the local Seiko AD and it was just too expensive at list. But having seen it, it haunted me for a long time. The Cream/Ivory dial is very alluring and at some angles, it looks almost translucent. Looking from an ex...
personally i like the middle one best, but true to form its hardest to find
i'd rather have it on my wrist than an explorer II, GMT Master or Seamaster GMT(although the Omega is cheaper). i've been looking at the Orient range over the last couple of weeks and it seems that the Royal orient, if you can find one, has very similar b...
Orient Star
I've had this Orient Star power reserve for some years now and it is one of my favourite watches. The dial work is very good for a watch for the price. That being said, while Orient does indeed make nice watches, their quality is not up to par with the Gr...
The Top Class from Orient is...
not "Orient Star" but "Royal Orient" that may compete to GS to a large extent (for an only time-and-date dress model). Joe
Well, it may not be a Grand Seiko, but I think . . .
. . . my Dad's '65 Seiko is grand . . . . . . if only because he wore it for over forty years before passing it down to me. The watchmaker that restored it commented that the owner "was a hard-working man", presumably because of the wear and tear on the m...
My GS GMT
Hi SJX, The ivory dial is stunning! But I still prefer the M001 having a red GMT hand and the SS bracelet. I will change it to a strap in winter time. It looks more elegant with the strap. Have a healthy 2008! chiukh20071 (BTW, the Ex II has been kept in ...
