The problem with Grand Seiko perfection

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  • Опубликовано: 18 окт 2024

Комментарии • 118

  • @A_Dude_And_His_Watch78
    @A_Dude_And_His_Watch78 2 года назад +26

    Since getting my first Grand Seiko I have sold all my Rolex and bought more GS. The quality just blows most other brands away. Just down to GS and JLC for me now.

  • @yz8096
    @yz8096 2 года назад +11

    I think GS stands on it's own and they don't have to go into "over the top" dissertations on inspiration that they always do on these new models. They could just say, "Inspired by thus and such" and let their beautiful craftsmanship and impeccable finishing do the rest of the talking. At the end of the day, they can do what they want. It seems to be working. Great video!

  • @vapingwithjames3370
    @vapingwithjames3370 2 года назад +5

    Absolutely beautiful watch.

  • @jameswong6590
    @jameswong6590 2 года назад +8

    I waited and waited and finally got the Oniwatari. Could not be happier.

  • @dannymartial7997
    @dannymartial7997 2 года назад +4

    That back side looks so good, I'd wear the watch inside-out 😂

  • @jmso786
    @jmso786 2 года назад +12

    Agree that it could be an issue for some, especially those looking for that one GS, that there will always be the thought in the back of your mind that GS might release something that you like just a little bit better so you keep holding off on purchasing. Business model aside, I’m still of the thought that GS watches are a masterclass in artistry. The dials, hand and hour marker finishing, case finishing, and other attention to detail are things you see in watches $30k+. Even with the recent price increases, GS is still a great value to me. I hope GS continues to gain market and mind share!

  • @ProfessorPesca
    @ProfessorPesca 2 года назад +4

    God I love this edition. I’m desperate for GS to bring out a similar piece that’s not limited edition. The thinness, Spring Drive, 44GS case, no power reserve, no date is just insanely appealing to me.

  • @zman8340
    @zman8340 2 года назад +2

    Stunning on every level

  • @sinafunke3449
    @sinafunke3449 2 года назад +2

    A very beautiful watch with a wonderful movement. Very ice!

  • @YongJoonPaek
    @YongJoonPaek 2 года назад

    you can tell that a lot of thought went into the architecture of this new spring drive movement. it's just absolutely beautiful.

  • @ApotheNZ
    @ApotheNZ 2 года назад +1

    This is the most beautiful watch i've ever seen

  • @w3therby
    @w3therby 2 года назад +5

    Clever use of the moonlight Sonata in the intro 😏

  • @Koishishibaman
    @Koishishibaman Год назад +1

    One thing that makes the special also is that it is a manual wind spring drive. I like winding watches. Connected!
    I have a sbga413, and sbga429. I am ok with the power indicator on the front. Especially on the 429 shadow. Dark brown slightly textured dial. Lime green power indicator, and second hand. A statement! I wear it on the leather strap with green stitching. Great fun!
    All said., I would love a manual wind spring drive...... indicator on the back. Clean dial.
    Also have the quartz sea of clouds. Very cool to have 3 GS , and some how managed to have 3 different cases.

    • @Koishishibaman
      @Koishishibaman Год назад

      To add to this the shunbun and shadow both have a strong connection to me. I grow the cherry trees, and bamboo these watches are designed from.

  • @frosty4peter
    @frosty4peter 2 года назад

    I love that PR on the dial! It's just very handy instead of on the back!

  • @akashm5719
    @akashm5719 2 года назад +2

    I read the grand seiko history yesterday and some of the descriptions of their achievements were far more arrogant but deserved

  • @GuyVanderAa
    @GuyVanderAa 2 года назад +2

    A watch that nears perfection. I can’t stop watching. 😎

  • @seaweed719
    @seaweed719 2 года назад +2

    Yes, I too am waiting for the perfect piece to show up. For me it would be a case from elegance collection, hi beat caliber, thickness less than 12 mm, and case diameter of 39-40 mm.

  • @calvinchann1996
    @calvinchann1996 2 года назад

    I prefer the power reserve on the front. I can easily see if I need to wind it. My first GS will be a snowflake, some time next month. Can’t wait.

  • @boian-inavov
    @boian-inavov 3 дня назад

    If that’s what you need, maybe try their newer movements in the Evolution 9 range. The 9RA2 calibre covers that and also gives you 5 days reserve, automatic movement and a more diverse case and bracelet options.

  • @younusimam-thesalamproject6340
    @younusimam-thesalamproject6340 2 года назад +1

    When Grand Seiko can make a diver with a decent size, extreme lume and a great bracelet I have no doubt it will crush the market. I would run out and get one as my "one watch"

  • @johnr4012
    @johnr4012 2 года назад +4

    Bruce, agree with you that the power reserve on the back is a great move. Never been a fan of it in the front. GS’s beautiful and nature inspired dials are maybe the best reason for them being so well liked. So why dump a power reserve indicator to mess up that clean symmetry? They look like an RPM gauge that belongs on a motorcycle. Love the feature, just not on the front. This watch has me thinking I ought to look closer at GS. Would love to see more on the strap and buckle.
    Interesting content as always.

    • @davidr2802
      @davidr2802 2 года назад

      Maybe understand the concept of Wabi Sabi before accusing GS of "dumping" the PRI on the dial side. Perhaps consider not everything has to conform to a Western concept of beauty.

    • @johnr4012
      @johnr4012 2 года назад

      @@davidr2802 With all due respect, the power reserve gauge on the front feels the complete opposite of what Wabi Sabi is all about. For me it disrupts the natural simplicity. To each their own - there are plenty of dials with the power reserve on the front to choose. If that’s Wabi Sabi, it’s nice to see the designer of this dial gives us an alternative.

  • @tarasmathers7423
    @tarasmathers7423 2 года назад

    Bruce, IMHO, Grand Seiko is just awe inspiring, and getting better all the time. Which to me, is just mind-boggling. So underrated, under-appreciated for the caliber of timepieces they produce, at the price-point that they are produced at. I love your appreciation for and promotion of, the brand in question. Just says everything about your good taste. Cheers, Bruce....

  • @finesse49
    @finesse49 2 года назад

    Lovely watch. Moving the power reserve indicator to the back allows for a much more appealing clean dial.

  • @KentuckyMan30
    @KentuckyMan30 2 года назад +5

    The Grand Seiko is amazing, but the conversation with your daughter at the end is a conversation verbatim I have with my kids every day. "You've had enough chips, how about some grapes?" Haha. Insanely relatable.

    • @BruceWilliams
      @BruceWilliams  2 года назад +2

      Lol I love being a Dad. Best thing in my life

    • @KentuckyMan30
      @KentuckyMan30 2 года назад

      @@BruceWilliams Absolutely agree! I work from home and also have the "Hey, baby girl! I'm working, what do you need?" conversation every day. 😅

  • @btmontres1423
    @btmontres1423 Год назад

    Great review and sentiments. I think you nailed it that one gets spoiled by the excellence of the finishing, sub-11 mm thickness, and amazing dial details. It seems a special timepiece more for the wearer than the observer tho, an insider’s secret unless u know. For that I love it.

  • @dompellegrino2755
    @dompellegrino2755 2 года назад

    Fortunate to have the high beat White Birch, 44 mm sport GMT and the phenomenal 2-tone spring drive GMT Chronograph with a dark blue dial. You get the full view of the spring drive movement that is fantastic.

  • @henryem5839
    @henryem5839 2 года назад +1

    Looks like the GS superman. Both are beautiful.

  • @Gumby56
    @Gumby56 2 года назад +1

    Gotta have!!!

  • @TheHoth1
    @TheHoth1 2 года назад +11

    I took a class in Japanese culture and history back in college. Their idea of beauty and elegance is simplicity. This logic applies to many different aspects of their lives.

    • @marcocastagnetti7086
      @marcocastagnetti7086 2 года назад +1

      I think it was Leonardo
      DaVinci who said simplicity is the highest form of sophistication.

    • @davidr2802
      @davidr2802 2 года назад

      well, maybe then you can explain the concept of Wabi Sabi to all those folks who always ask what GS was thinking with the PR indicator on the dial side. Domo Arigato.

  • @camillecosc765
    @camillecosc765 2 года назад +3

    Spoiler alert: in the end the only problem is that the SBGY009 is a limited edition. It has nothing to do with GS perfection but GS availability.
    Please stop with this kind of clickbait titles it’s just sneaky.

    • @BruceWilliams
      @BruceWilliams  2 года назад

      Limited editions being a problem is subjective. Haha and noting sneaky about talking about my issue with GS and stating it in the title

    • @calvinchann1996
      @calvinchann1996 2 года назад

      I don’t have problems with availability of limited editions. I have problems with availability of non limited edition watches. Rolex.

  • @waterfordrs22
    @waterfordrs22 9 месяцев назад

    I love Grand Seiko, while I don’t buy into the idea a first time buyer must start with either spring drive or hi-beat, I do find these manual wind spring drive offerings the best of that bunch. I much prefer the manual movements for all the reasons mentioned, no doubt about it for me, though I’m not sure the masses would agree.

  • @MrMoxes
    @MrMoxes 2 года назад +1

    GS knows what they are doing, production on par with their Euro counterparts. That said, I feel your pain with holding out for something that isn’t a Ltd release & unobtainable, at least for some of their models. Heck, I’d “settle” for a HAQ that has an exhibition case base, just because it’s unique. But alas…

  • @slanealb
    @slanealb 2 года назад

    Regardless of what you think of some of the GS quirks, the new power reserve on the case back is FREAKING PHENOMENAL! What a brilliant innovative feature that provides functionality as well as preserves the symmetry of the dial (if that's what you like).

    • @Youtubeuser1aa
      @Youtubeuser1aa 2 года назад

      That’s not really a feature so much as just not looking like garbage

  • @ChrisJones-hs6nj
    @ChrisJones-hs6nj 2 года назад

    I wanted a Seiko 'cocktail' but couldn't do it as I've stopped drinking and the watch would just be a constant reminder!

  • @sarmadislamictv8433
    @sarmadislamictv8433 Год назад

    In my humble opinion , the gliding wheel is the exact copy of bulova accutron's wheel . The difference is that, in case of bulova , the wheel is run by a battery , while in grand Seiko , it is without a battery .vintage accutrons are a perfect alternative to gs spring drives . Spring drives are too much costly for many

  • @Newerasamearea
    @Newerasamearea 8 месяцев назад

    You nailed it. This is the trial. When they do a lake suwa before dawn dial on the 44gs with the 9r31 for no more than 9k im all in

  • @kyleweber9760
    @kyleweber9760 2 года назад

    It's stunning!!

  • @robertschriek1353
    @robertschriek1353 2 года назад

    youve done it justice!

  • @lamaludwig1470
    @lamaludwig1470 2 года назад

    nice watch, very nice presentation as always

  • @joeskeptical4762
    @joeskeptical4762 2 года назад

    *The GS website description is nice entertainment for the time it takes to read it, maybe 50% longer but you don't wear that, but rather the watch itself. In short order, you grow accustomed to and even like the dial more, forgetting about marketing literature.*

  • @cdjpower1
    @cdjpower1 2 года назад

    Love that beautiful watch

  • @farley9255
    @farley9255 2 года назад

    The only things I don't like about the GS line is the logo, logo placement and prices. But overall they are beautiful watches. These are very skilled makers. I hope to own one or a couple someday. Same with a Tudor.

  • @dhunter1133
    @dhunter1133 Год назад

    This is the execution that spring drive should've been from Day One: thinner, no PR complication at 7PM. GS is supposed to be about elegant simplicity; let the interest reveal itself in the small details without any unnecessary distraction.

  • @litesaber54yi3
    @litesaber54yi3 2 года назад

    Even from the video you can tell how gorgeous this watch is, Its almost Jewelry for the Royal Family level of beautiful. And that's just from watching the video. I cant imagine what this thing must look like in real life

  • @theenavybluemonster
    @theenavybluemonster 2 года назад +1

    The problem with GS is that I want a lot of their watches with the SBGY009 at the top of my list. I’d like to compare it to my SBGA375 which I absolutely love.

  • @Tunnelsnakes
    @Tunnelsnakes 2 года назад

    If they can re-release the Heritage Season watches with the power indicator in the back, I'd be completely set on getting one.

  • @SK-xg9rs
    @SK-xg9rs 2 года назад

    Beautiful👌🏻

  • @scottlalonde2878
    @scottlalonde2878 2 года назад

    Gorgeous watch👍. I prefer the hi-beat, but everyone's different.

  • @nathanaelsmith3553
    @nathanaelsmith3553 2 года назад

    Putting the power reserve on the back is genius. Showing more of the movement through the case back would be even better. The materials and execution is exquisite but the overall dial design on this watch is a bit plain for my tastes. There is little originality there. All the personality is in the materials and on the back. So although I would love a spring drive, I personally would not buy this particular watch.

  • @allanreardon
    @allanreardon 2 года назад +1

    There are a lot of beautiful GS watches, but I still haven't seen one that has everything I would love, close but not everything. One things for sure, when I do buy one it'll be a Springdrive.

  • @ver2cal2010
    @ver2cal2010 2 года назад

    I love the corny stuff and the watch even more. Beautiful.

  • @ryangochuico
    @ryangochuico 2 года назад +1

    Doritos are very addicting 😅
    My perfect GS is the SBGA375 case and movement with the SBGP003 dial. Bought the latter while i wait for them to release it. 😊

  • @nukiepoo
    @nukiepoo 2 года назад

    “I don’t wanna wax to poetically…” . Love you Bruce!

  • @zachscheel3784
    @zachscheel3784 2 года назад +2

    "They do it in a non-gimicky, non-hoaky way"
    I don't think that is a main-stream opinion based on my experience on the watches subreddit, I, and seemingly many others, find Grand Seiko's product descriptions ludicrous to the point of thinking it has to be satire. At this point, with the amount of releases and limited editions, I am confident they manufacture based on purely business decisions (inputs, demand, etc.) and come up with descriptions after-the-fact. Also, when will the brand realize that consumers purchase watches for more than just the dial? The dial is one instrument in a symphony of components watch-buyers consider. I'd love to hear their eloquent description explaining why in the hell they would put a thick 22mm bracelet on a 40mm watch lol.

    • @BruceWilliams
      @BruceWilliams  2 года назад

      No, a gimicky watch design is a seamster with 007 printed everywhere. Or a micro brand placing a scrap of a plane or a car on the dial, etc. This is layered to me. Similar to a tank de Cartier. The inspiration becomes apparent after you hear what it is, and not before.

    • @zachscheel3784
      @zachscheel3784 2 года назад

      @@BruceWilliams I may be wrong but I took the "non-gimicky, non-hoaky" comment to be related to GS product descriptions, not product design. My response is mainly directed at that. My two cents on gimicky design is in line with your statement here.

  • @expertreviews1112
    @expertreviews1112 Год назад

    no wrist shot??

  • @ronaldcheng6753
    @ronaldcheng6753 2 года назад

    I think this is the perfect Grand Seiko for me, that's why I bought it 😅

  • @vinnyboomba9948
    @vinnyboomba9948 2 года назад

    Wow!

  • @Csibu89
    @Csibu89 2 года назад

    There's a nice analogy there, between you wanting a certain GS with a similar configuration but you cannot yet find it, and your daughter wanting doritos and getting grapes. GS really is grapes while many of us wants doritos. It might not be the watch we want, but if you get one, handle one for a while, start to appreciate the details and the uniqueness of it, you will realize it might just be the watch you really need.

  • @jorfedgonbol
    @jorfedgonbol 2 года назад

    A masterpiece of mechatronics and surely very hard to maintain

  • @joebuckmaster1908
    @joebuckmaster1908 2 года назад +2

    Like the beautiful watch. Don't like the case back. The plate is hiding 95% of the movement, counter productive. And the idea of having to send the watch back to Japan to buff out any scratches that could occur, is not practical. Nice watch though.

    • @joeskeptical4762
      @joeskeptical4762 2 года назад

      *The movement technology thus design require a large back plate.*

  • @georgegopiao4411
    @georgegopiao4411 Год назад

    I don’t have a problem with GS. I think their business model is typical Japanese. One has to understand it’s culture to appreciate it fully. At the end of the day, it is the product that counts.

  • @johamu4
    @johamu4 2 года назад +1

    @1:31 the second hand crosses the 12 marker but the minute had is not hitting the minute marker. The watch was misaligned the whole video. GS showed up with perfection. Take a second to complete it by aligning the hands! Great video. Thanks for doing it.

  • @evh4611
    @evh4611 2 года назад

    As soon as Grand Seiko adds micro adjustment clasps to their bracelets, i will be selling a buch of my current collection and add a couple of GS timepieces. After that i will call it a day.

  • @marcocastagnetti7086
    @marcocastagnetti7086 2 года назад

    GS is constantly moving forward with innovation, weather its dials or movements plus so much choice and endless limited editions it's hard to keep up, I can't help thinking it's to much choice.

  • @shawnlavigne9069
    @shawnlavigne9069 2 года назад +1

    Who writes that stuff?

  • @dtroutmann
    @dtroutmann 2 года назад

    I can't remember the model of the grand Seiko but it comes on a bracelet the power reserves on the back and the plate is in the shape of Fuji mountain and there are some elements like a frog face
    Grand Seiko Spring Drive 8-Day Power Reserve SBGD201

  • @mattys1467
    @mattys1467 2 года назад

    GS stands a mile apart. Love the brand and their spring drive is insanely good

  • @antonstavrakov51
    @antonstavrakov51 Год назад

    Just like Lexus/Toyota is a better car then Mercedes now, Grand Seiko is better then Rolex in my opinion.

  • @56364
    @56364 2 года назад

    I just send a snowflake for a service. They said the crown needs to be replaced, also. Total cost was $2321 . Madness 😠

  • @giangvu7902
    @giangvu7902 2 года назад

    I think the original Spring Drive movements are better looking. I don’t like all the holes in the back of the watch.

  • @jharris947
    @jharris947 2 года назад

    I'm a big watch fan and have a few nice vintage and modern watches but the only Seiko I have are an early quartz SQ100 and a Vivace (a tiny watch) I bought many years ago in Lanzarote. My problem with Grand Seiko is so that so many of their watches look like a Seiko 5 and I personally find their dressier watches, like the one in this video, rather bland and boring. I don't need a one second a century accuracy in my watches (I have my phone for that) or dials painted to look like the morning frost on mount Kilimanjaro. I want my watches to have character and style and that's the reason I am a sucker for vintage Omega watches.

  • @Valera_Scotland
    @Valera_Scotland 2 года назад +1

    Dimensions? Would love this in 37mm, 10mm height, but dream on I think

  • @albertoalvarez1924
    @albertoalvarez1924 2 года назад

    Spiritual watch …

  • @p4ndorA
    @p4ndorA 2 года назад +1

    I dont like the big plate i want to see more of the movement. I know in Japan there is a Beauty in Things like that traditionally but its too much..

    • @joeskeptical4762
      @joeskeptical4762 2 года назад

      *The movement technology thus design require a big back plate.*

    • @p4ndorA
      @p4ndorA 2 года назад +1

      @@joeskeptical4762 i am happy about it, one more expensive watch i dont have to buy :D

  • @hugohernandez3651
    @hugohernandez3651 2 года назад

    Maybe one day. So far I am not interested. I am not into dressy watches. The quality and the finishing are unquestionably amazing, but I don't like them enough to spend that time of money.

  • @starfluke
    @starfluke 2 года назад

    Brilliant watch beautifully presented. Love all but one thing about Grand Seiko, the name. The gorgeous quality & artistry described so well here & in the comments deserve a name and logo that stand alone w/o reference to Seiko. Tacking on “Grand” to separate the line feels inelegant, artificial and inconsistent with Japanese sensibility and culture: an unnecessary western compromise.
    The dial is exquisite, its symmetry unmarred by the date and power reserve, the latter discreetly and fittingly visible with the movement mysteriously presented.

    • @joeskeptical4762
      @joeskeptical4762 2 года назад

      *After a week of wearing one, you will forget how marketable the name is.*

    • @eus9
      @eus9 2 года назад +2

      The Grand Seiko naming isn't a recent thing, and wasn't done for Western marketing. There were other divisions such as King Seiko that fought it out to make the best watches; the GS team won by merit and not for their name.

    • @starfluke
      @starfluke 2 года назад +1

      Glad to know something of how the name came about. My use of “western compromise” doesn’t capture my dissatisfaction. Seiko alone is an elegant name with long and distinguished history. Adding “Grand” diminishes, almost cheapens, it for me. Although it may not be so, it suggests to me an effort to separate the line by suggesting it is more grand. It arouses my suspicion in the same way it would if it said Quality Seiko, or Best Seiko. To me, the line needs its own name and mark or retain Seiko alone.

    • @BruceWilliams
      @BruceWilliams  2 года назад +2

      Is that a Toyota? No it is a 'Grand Toyota'

    • @starfluke
      @starfluke 2 года назад

      @@BruceWilliams Actually, it’s a Lexus.

  • @woonfaseng8737
    @woonfaseng8737 2 года назад

    GS with Presage's Cocktail sunray dial????

  • @Youtubeuser1aa
    @Youtubeuser1aa 2 года назад

    Eh

  • @niceguy100000
    @niceguy100000 2 года назад

    5:30

  • @michaelprocaccia
    @michaelprocaccia 2 года назад +2

    First!!

  • @joseoliver534
    @joseoliver534 2 года назад

    What a boring watch... the back look better than the dial...boring and expensive...not for me

    • @joeskeptical4762
      @joeskeptical4762 2 года назад

      *Other more exuberant GS designs are available, for example the Godzilla.*

  • @CocoKoi321
    @CocoKoi321 2 года назад

    It's just a fugging blue dial stfuseiko
    We loved seiko.... NOT GS
    Seiko... SEIKO. We loved the skx cause it wasn't the most craziest model when the Prospex models existed alongside it, it was good enough for a beginner yet artfully wasn't perfection
    What happens when you have grand seiko make a watch so perfect? It almost becomes imperfect cause there's nothing there then at that point
    Also the covering up the movement is crap, I'd WANT to see the movement! Literally wtf! That STEEL PLATE IS UGLY!
    But anyways the PRESAGE LINE IS BETTER cause it ISNT the highest end ultra priced watch so IT HASSSSS TO compete with itself and HAS to compete with GS again and compete with the fact its lower priced and has to bring game
    GS SUCKS cause it has nothing left it can compete with itself with and perfection isn't perfection
    I don't want king turtles or king samurais either I want the bare bones turtle that has CHARACTER and is affordable and I can recommend to beginners, all these *upgrades* seiko makes cause the mod industry made it hip isn't the point, we did them cause very few wanted to but aeiko doing it somehow loses its character of being a badass ultra affordable seiko, I miss the popularity of the turtle more instead of the King turtle, cause the turtle is... *JUST A WATCH* 😌 AND has thr same appeal and character as to why the SKX succeeded
    The turtle is still better when more bare bones cause it has UMPH.. to its bare bones ness. seiko tacking on sapphire and ceramic bezel inserts makes the charm go missing , cause the bare bones turtle still slaps a basic watch like the seamaster.

  • @watching_nyc
    @watching_nyc 2 года назад +5

    Having spent a lot of time Japan I must say even a tissue box could have a relatively similar description in terms of style. Maybe I’m in the minority but I find their nature inspired descriptions to be overly romanticized and frankly, a bit desperate. Don’t get me wrong, I love GS! I’ve owned a white birch and love the direction the company is going in. Just my two cents

    • @ShashankD137
      @ShashankD137 2 года назад

      Haha ya. Specially when u look at their Epson office in one of the grand seiko videos. Drawing inspiration from nature is cool and all, but it's getting a bit old.