Comments on: Ofcourse, the Grand Seiko…

By: tl

tl — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 19:54:25 +0000

steve jobs said in 1996, “The problem with Microsoft is they just have no taste. They have no taste and I don’t mean that in a small way, I mean that in a big way.” i know we’re comparing watches here but its relative. form and function, the japanese hands down. but taste….eh not so sure.

By: paul h.collier,esq.

paul h.collier,esq. — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 14:48:00 +0000

i own a mercedes 600sl roadster and a lexus sl430.the lexus is the car to drive.the mercedes cost almost $140,000.the lexus about $58,000 but there is no comparison.
i also own a rolex in 18k gold , a day date model. the watch is an oyster quartz president.i own a seiko dolce which cost about $450. the dolce is accurate to +_10 seconds per year.it performs beautifully.the rolex ,which makes no claims for accuracy,loses about 8 seconds per month.
i am going to buy a grand seiko.when i have worn it for a while,i shall relate to you my thoughts.
thank you,
paul h. collier,esq.

By: Patrick

Patrick — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 13:28:21 +0000

I don’t have the money to buy a Grand Seiko or Omega or Rolex but my Seiko Black Monster is an amazing watch for the price. Fairly accurate and built like a tank.

Remember if it wasn’t for Acura there would be NO market at all for your precious European Sports or Luxury car. All those Euro brands, no matter how much cache they carried, really sucked. Acura challenged everyone to up their game back in the 80’s. Hmm come to think of it I haven’t seen a late model BMW on the road older than the length of its warranty. I’m not kidding.

By: graham

graham — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 14:46:29 +0000

i’ve been collecting for 15 years and owned over 100 Omegas and about 400 watches in total. i now own several very high end watches and also own 7 grand and king seiko’s from 1964 to the present day.
a grand seiko can and does compare very favourably with Omega,Rolex and many other swiss brands for build quality and accuracy. they are better finished than any rolex i have ever seen and my 1964 King Seiko 44 calibre manual wind is accurate to less than 1 second a day which is better than any swiss watch i have ever owned.
the new grand seiko line make Rolex look a bit pathetic in comparison.
until you have owned a GS or KS you cant be in a position to comment so i’m afraid to say that georges has just shown himself to be ignorant beyond belief,
also anyone comparing japanese watches to japanese cars should do the same and own one before makeing a comment. my Honda accord 2.4 ivtec tourer is the most reliable car i have ever owned including a string of european cars from mercedes(whose build quality is diabolical), through bmw to citreon. the honda S2000 is regularly voted the best roadster in the world and makes a cayman look ridiculous and over priced.

i am a member of the puristspro watch forum where many members own watches worth a huge fortune, but none of them would write off a japanese watch without first looking at it, researching it and listening to other peoples opinions on it. thit, i think, is the difference between true collectors and people who just wear to impress.

By: kurt

kurt — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 20:04:34 +0000

The way I see it, Seiko has a grate looking line of watches with the GS, they seem to be well finished (I said “seem to be” because I hadn’t the oportunity to hold one in my hands), they should be very accurate over time(more then the Swiss high-end watches) , they have an history or pedigry, there are not a lot of them around (is this right???, in Europe I don’t even know if they are on the market), they run very smooth and they are said to be less vulnerable for shocks (thanks to the spring drive)

BUT
A lot of people don’t even have heard of Grand Seiko, they will only see the name SEIKO (not a name that is associated with luxury or class because), they are relativaly expensive (not if you really compare them with watches of similar kind.

Personally, I am intrigued and I want to know more of these watches. If the watches are what people wrigth about them, then why should I pay more for a similar swiss watch (omega or rolex) that runs less accurate, is more fragile and is not so good finished. Rolex and omega are produced in mass.

By: Lewis

Lewis — Fri, 16 May 2008 16:27:11 +0000

My Grand Seiko SBGX009 is in the shop - hour hand jammed two months after purchase new. I’ve owned the Oysterdate though and was just as dissappointed with that so I don’t know what I think now!

By: kei

kei — Sat, 10 May 2008 20:49:23 +0000

most of the Rolex owners like me appreciate all brands including the Grand Seiko which is really comparable to Swiss watches and the quality is impeccable and also with standards higher than COSC(+6/-4 secs a day) Grand Seiko (+5/-3 secs a day) so a Chronometer can’t pass the GS test due to +1/-1 second differential. most owners like the owners of Omega always compare and compare but they don’t realize that Omega is own by SWATCH. Omega is using SWATCH ETA movements slightly modified but STILL a SWATCH. Swatch watches can be seen in the department stores like the Seiko 5 and they are cheap and too cheap so bottom line is Seiko creates high end watches like Grand Seiko and Swatch has the Omega. Rolex has Rolex only. Have a great day!

By: ian

ian — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 12:42:17 +0000

having worked on both swiss and japanese watches for over 30 years i can only conclude that the majority of swiss made watches are nothing more than “dial names” designed to lure the illinformed into spending $ to impress there equally illinformed friends foolsfoolsfools ! seiko is the only watch company on this planet that does everything in house from r&d to polishing of the hands (on the high end models)dont get me wrong rolex pateck vacheron piaget are all fine pieces but as for being a practical classic no one builds a more refined time piece than a grand seiko lookout watch snobs you are about to see just what japanese superiority means cheers

By: krisdesign

krisdesign — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 08:24:07 +0000

I have recently purchased Grand Seiko 9S55 SBGR017J Model and, after collecting swiss high end watches for most of my life I honestly say that this watch is uncomparably better in finish, precision and quality to any Rolex I have ever owned. Water resistant to 200m, screw in crown, accuracy exceeding COSC standards by 25% makes this watch an absolute bargain at $4,500 (You can get it for around $3,000 street price), Uncomparably better than Submariner.

By: WatchKingQueen

WatchKingQueen — Sun, 05 Aug 2007 07:36:50 +0000

I would like to own a Grand Seiko. It looks great! However, I do not plan to buy one as it is too expensive! I have Omega and Rolex. I love Omega speedmaster most. It is practical (with date), useful, easy to use the chronograph (unlike Rolex), the screw down is not important as I never saw anyone wearing a Rolex Daytona and swimming at sea or in an indoor pool. Omega Speedmaster is also water resistant and its price is highly reasonable unlike Roles. Grand Seiko has its attractiveness but it has to do more promotion. If not, all my friends will think I wear a cheap Seiko. They won’t believe I spend $5000 or more on it!!! This is too bad!

By: rex

rex — Sun, 17 Jun 2007 14:25:05 +0000

Buy the Rolex to impress others, the Grand Seiko to impress yourself.

By: Barry O Rourke

Barry O Rourke — Thu, 07 Jun 2007 04:15:04 +0000

I have recently purchased my first Grand Seiko and I concur completely with some of the other contributors,simply the best quality wrist watch I have owned and compared to my nearly double the cost Rolex 50th An. SM the GS is superior in every respect, the only good thing to be said about the Rolex is that it has a decent resale value so I am able to off load it without loosing to much, I have owned many Rolex watches, the best was one of their earlier Daytona models when Zenith used to make their movements, the modern version with their so called in house ( ETA ) movement is crap, pure and simple, but even the Zenith movement Daytona model was barely within COSC standards whereas my GS exceeds that standard.
I am now looking for a GS GMT no daubt it will also be far superior to the Rolex and other Swiss GMT’s.

For those who feel that a name around their wrist is important, why not buy a replica, the cases and bracelets are every bit as good or bad as the original and in two recent China replicas I saw where the rolex movement is copied exactly, they are just as accurate as the real thing which should make some out there think, if you can produce a replica for $ 350.00 (ex factory china)which competes favourably with the real thing how can you justify $ 10,000.00 for the real thing??? I have yet to see a replica GS.

By: Andrew W

Andrew W — Tue, 24 Apr 2007 01:52:44 +0000

Well, Seiko has to change the brand name instead of just adding “Grand” to it just like what Toyota did when they introduced the luxurious Lexus line.

By: Paul Amaya

Paul Amaya — Tue, 06 Mar 2007 06:26:18 +0000

Grand Seikos. I can’t wait to own one. Regardless of what everybody else says, I want it. If I want a watch is not so I can be recognized by every person I meet, but because it is what “I” want. Unfortunately many of the people that have shared their comments above, simply want to own a watch that will give them status (regardless of the marketing you receive, I am sorry to inform you that this wont do the trick). I have done this in the past with a swiss piece, and I could have not been more dissappointed. If a Rolex or an Omega makes you happy, please buy it. But don’t put down the Grand Seiko simply because it is Japanese. Don’t be ignorant..

By: A.Stefanov

A.Stefanov — Fri, 23 Feb 2007 09:22:55 +0000

Hi- I own an SBGR001 (same as the pic but silver dial) and I have to say that it’s probably best described as the ultimate refinement of a steel datejust. I wondered lots before buying because I had always owned low end Seiko and wanted a ‘nice watch’ at last- my initial choice was an Explorer II, really i wanted a PP Aquanaut but couldn’t justify the now ridiculous price- my GS and indeed all GS’s I’ve seen are on a par with the very finest Swiss or German Watches and the SBGR001/023 ARE design classics. One thing to note is that GSs’ have that fine watch hand finished sparkle that mid range brands just can’t achieve- at a street price of around �1100 the SBGR001 is a bargin.