Oh, our hobbies! When we meet an acquaintance in the park, we are shocked at how much we can pay for a purebred puppy or a good bicycle. However, even a friend would whistle if he found out how much the audio system we bought or, for example, a watch costs.
Let others not understand, but a passionate person really feels the differences, features and subtle facets of quality. The owner really needs those nuances that others will not notice. But this all comes with experience and understanding of the subject.
If you and I have some watch experience, then today I would like to talk about quite expensive watches. I hope we will be able to understand whether it is worth putting on your hand a model that costs as much as a used car or not.
Why did I choose the SBGE211G model for review? To explain this, we need to understand the meaning of two important phrases - Grand Seiko and Spring Drive.
If you imagine the watch world as a terrain, then there will be plains of “ordinary watches”, valleys of consumer goods and fakes, as well as high mountains of manufacturers of special products. In the Japanese watch islands, we can see the huge Seiko mountain range and a beautiful snow-capped peak similar to Mount Fuji. This is Grand Seiko - the pinnacle of Japanese watchmaking tradition.
The history of the company is quite interesting (enough for a whole article), but today we will not go into details. It is important to know that by the 60s of the twentieth century, the Japanese were already making good watches, and Seiko decided to create a Grand Seiko division in order to rise to greater heights. Start producing your own premium watches.
A good price-quality ratio is no longer enough for this. We need traditions, independence, our own identity, our own unique technologies. And Grand Seiko has succeeded in this over decades of work. It was possible to create high-end watches (completely in-house) with design, finishing and engineering that reflect the high school of Japanese watchmaking. Grand Seiko is also a unique company because its product range includes four types of watch movements: classical mechanics, Hi-Beat mechanics, quartz and Spring Drive.
In short, Spring Drive is a technology that combines a classic high-end mechanical caliber and a self-regulating, self-contained (not using a power source, but taking energy from the mainspring) quartz module for the highest precision, unattainable with mechanics.
All these digressions were simply necessary to understand exactly what kind of watches we would have to deal with. This is a completely in-house and original watch. Everything, from the engineering ideas of the mechanism to the design and processing of the case, is made by Seiko and is not repeated by other manufacturers.
Some people select watches specifically for certain occasions. “To go out”, “to the forest”, “to the beach”, “to the office”. I can't do that. I love versatile watches. Different, but still universal. That's why for this review I chose watches without gold hands and exquisite dials (although Grand Seiko are very good at this), which would be appropriate anywhere. Steel case and bracelet, black dial, 100 meter water resistance, date display, second time zone and power reserve. Well, why not the ideal of a universal watch?
Grand Seiko claims to forge its cases (which gives them greater durability) and finish them using the company's Zaratsu polishing process (which gives them a special shine). The case with a diameter of 41 mm has a classic shape and fits quite comfortably on the hand, although 13,8 mm in thickness is not a lot. The polish is really good. The watch shines and transmits reflections without distortion. But there are some questions about the 20 mm wide bracelet.
Firstly, the presence of holes in the ears. This is very convenient for safe removal, but somewhat unusual for a premium watch.
Secondly, the 5-link bracelet itself with polished and satin-finished elements, although well finished, is not as high quality as the case. He, in my opinion, has too much mobility. There is no impression of solidity and precision fitting of parts like, for example, Rolex. The clasp is comfortable, but not adjustable. So you can only adjust the bracelet by removing the links.
A flat sapphire crystal with an internal anti-reflective coating rises slightly above the perfectly polished bezel. Why is the anti-glare not double, like, for example, Omega or the Astron collection of the same Seiko company? Flaw? No. More like a principle. Grand Seiko is about watchmaking, tradition and manual labor. Therefore, we will not find some modern technical innovations (such as double anti-glare and protective coatings for the case) here. But there will be a very scrupulous attitude towards the selection and processing of material.
The dial and hands are a separate story and one of the company’s strongest trump cards. Perfectly crafted marks and arrows, in the edges of which it seems you can see your reflection. But...without phosphor. Also traditions. However, the shine of the surfaces is such that even in the dark the polished elements are clearly visible. I would especially like to focus on the second hand. But not on its finish, but on the smoothness of movement. She is mesmerizing.
Spring Drive is almost the only mechanism in the world that gives the second hand absolutely smooth movement (the combination of absolutely smooth and accurate time display is not available to either mechanical or quartz watches).
The caliber 9R66 itself can be seen with an accuracy of 0,5 seconds per day through the transparent caseback. It's well finished, and it's one of the few calibers with a quartz heart that you wouldn't be embarrassed to show off to, say, a watch-knowing friend.
A person who cares about watches is in search of an ideal. That ideal that will accompany him constantly or at certain moments. Preferences and details matter here. If you enjoy classic Japanese design, traditional finishes, unique engineering and attention to detail, then Grand Seiko may well be your ideal product. And the Heritage Spring Drive SBGE211G model is both practical and everyday ideal.
