There are actually a couple other watches that have a perfectly smooth sweep: the Bulova Precisionist and Accutron. They’re not as elegant as the Grand Seiko though.
@@markwaldron7string that is very fair, I forgot about those - although they use different mechanisms than the spring drive (the Accutron’s newer electrostatic movement is quite cool and very elegant).
@@HDY0903 It came down to the color combinations of the dial and second hands. I really liked the Taisetsu’s light gray dial with the iridescent blue seconds hand that provided a little pop of color. The Shunbun’s pink dial is certainly eye-catching, but the seconds hand is a standard silver color. I also thought the gray Taisetsu would go with more outfits than the Shunbun’s light pink dial.
Seiko is in Japan, COSC is in Switzerland. Shipping the movements back and forth for every batch of watches is time consuming and will hike the price beyond what's reasonable. Also the Swiss are still bitter about Seiko beating them in chronometer competitions, on top of the fact that Seiko and their Quartz crisis almost killed off the entire Swiss watch industry. Let's just say COSC certified Seiko movement will happen the day we have peace on Earth.
That's a great point re: shipment of movements/watches. It would be prohibitively costly to Grand Seiko to send all those movements across the world. And yes, those 5 (or was it 6) years in a row that Seiko won the chronometer competitions are still a bitter pill. I am hoping that Grand Seiko convinces the Japanese equivalent of METAS to provide certifications, but I guess we will have to wait and see!
Also the Wako department store can be a pretty good deal with the VAT back and a shopping discount card - I also purchased this at nearly the height of the JPY/USD bubble, so yen was incredibly cheap compared to USD.
@@dasc0yne yes you are correct - I chose to identify this watch as the US serial version since most of my subscribers are in U.S. (and so am I), but my paperwork does say 445. Good catch!
The only (BIG) problem I have with this watch is the incomprehensible (to me) idea of smacking a giant GS logo right in the middle of the display case. It looks awful (to me), it blocks the view and is just plain cheesy. Who thought of that?
@@JanPBtest I’ve also never quite understood the purpose, especially since the movement is probably the best-decorated movement outside of Switzerland and the polishing is unreal.
I love these videos. The Grand Seiko fanboys tell themselves an incredible amount of things and they really believe it. I'm laughing my ass off. You must be stupid to buy such a watch for this price. The strap is garbage. It looks like any other watch straps of cheaper Seiko models. You should have spared your money for a Rolex Datejust 41 for example. DJ is of course much more expensive but it's also the much better watch.
@@idum01 To each his own. I have Rolexes and even more expensive watches, the Grand Seiko’s dial and unique spring drive movement far outpace other watch manufacturers. Yes the bracelet is shit, have to agree there.
There are actually a couple other watches that have a perfectly smooth sweep: the Bulova Precisionist and Accutron. They’re not as elegant as the Grand Seiko though.
@@markwaldron7string that is very fair, I forgot about those - although they use different mechanisms than the spring drive (the Accutron’s newer electrostatic movement is quite cool and very elegant).
I got this watch aswell. My first watch in fact!
@@Yamayamauchiman that’s a great first watch! Congrats
That's awesome. It took me 5 years of buying and selling watches to know what I liked. I sold everything and also got this piece.
May i ask why you picked the 415 over the 413 shunbun? Please help me make a decision as i dont want a regret after spending few grand. Many thanks
@@HDY0903 It came down to the color combinations of the dial and second hands. I really liked the Taisetsu’s light gray dial with the iridescent blue seconds hand that provided a little pop of color. The Shunbun’s pink dial is certainly eye-catching, but the seconds hand is a standard silver color. I also thought the gray Taisetsu would go with more outfits than the Shunbun’s light pink dial.
Seiko is in Japan, COSC is in Switzerland. Shipping the movements back and forth for every batch of watches is time consuming and will hike the price beyond what's reasonable. Also the Swiss are still bitter about Seiko beating them in chronometer competitions, on top of the fact that Seiko and their Quartz crisis almost killed off the entire Swiss watch industry. Let's just say COSC certified Seiko movement will happen the day we have peace on Earth.
That's a great point re: shipment of movements/watches. It would be prohibitively costly to Grand Seiko to send all those movements across the world. And yes, those 5 (or was it 6) years in a row that Seiko won the chronometer competitions are still a bitter pill. I am hoping that Grand Seiko convinces the Japanese equivalent of METAS to provide certifications, but I guess we will have to wait and see!
What store in Japan did you pick this up for such a good discount?
@@dodomang7 I believe it was Jackroad or Ginza Rasin - both located in Ginza (the shopping district).
Also the Wako department store can be a pretty good deal with the VAT back and a shopping discount card - I also purchased this at nearly the height of the JPY/USD bubble, so yen was incredibly cheap compared to USD.
Technically, you didn't get an SBGA415. If you bought it in Japan, you got the SBGA445, which is the JDM version.
@@dasc0yne yes you are correct - I chose to identify this watch as the US serial version since most of my subscribers are in U.S. (and so am I), but my paperwork does say 445. Good catch!
I prefer the brighter white of the Snowflake, but I do like the subtle colouring of this dial.
@@defenstrator4660 I had a hard time choosing between these models (and the Shunbun)… they are just so subtly different
It’s pronounced Se-i-ko. No ‘psycho’.
The only (BIG) problem I have with this watch is the incomprehensible (to me) idea of smacking a giant GS logo right in the middle of the display case. It looks awful (to me), it blocks the view and is just plain cheesy. Who thought of that?
@@JanPBtest I’ve also never quite understood the purpose, especially since the movement is probably the best-decorated movement outside of Switzerland and the polishing is unreal.
I love these videos. The Grand Seiko fanboys tell themselves an incredible amount of things and they really believe it. I'm laughing my ass off. You must be stupid to buy such a watch for this price. The strap is garbage. It looks like any other watch straps of cheaper Seiko models. You should have spared your money for a Rolex Datejust 41 for example. DJ is of course much more expensive but it's also the much better watch.
@@idum01 To each his own. I have Rolexes and even more expensive watches, the Grand Seiko’s dial and unique spring drive movement far outpace other watch manufacturers. Yes the bracelet is shit, have to agree there.
" Grand Psycho?" Huh?
@@mrronvent1122 yes, my pronunciation is not perfect - but you get the point!