The Grand Seiko Elegance SBGY007 Omiwatari and SBGY003 watches

Every line, texture, or material in a Grand Seiko watch follows exact design rules, according to a standard where nothing is left to improvisation. A new timepiece and an upcoming collection abide by the brand’s “Grammar of Design” rules. Most luxury watch brands undergo a thorough design process, but Grand Seiko‘s approach and execution are close to obsession and down to the tiniest detail. That’s why you can hardly perceive the difference via a PC’s screen or a smartphone; you often need to get up (very) close to appreciate how unique and exquisitely executed any Grand Seiko timepiece is.

The Grand Seiko Elegance

The most recently introduced Elegance collection, specifically the SBGY models housing a Spring Drive calibre, has taken this formula to new heights; it offers what I call “an intricate, clean beauty” standing out at first glance and endlessly pleasing an enthusiast’s eye when placing the watch under a loupe. It also marked a great leap forward, from a design perspective, since the brand acquired complete independence from sister company Seiko while working hard to establish its foothold across the European market. While I perceive the legendary and much appreciated 44GS case as too much “deja vu” (more so with such a mainstream-looking three-link bracelet), the Grand Seiko Elegance‘s design truly is a class of its own, despite classic watches usually holding insufficient space in any watch brand’s turnaround.

Scrolling back and forth the entire Grand Seiko Elegance released so far, I’ll pick the SBGK005 (featuring the legendary “Mount Iwate” dial) and the SBGK007 (dressy take on the same template) as my all-time fully mechanical favourite. The SBGY models introduced a new array of hand-wound Spring Drive powered calibres instead; it proves that the project was fresh from the ground up. The Spring Drive SBGY Grand Seiko are unique since they best exemplify the brand’s philosophy by offering a terrific option to their respected Swiss Made counterpart and technical features to attract the most finicky watch enthusiast.

There you have it: the Grand Seiko SBGY007; the SBGY003.

The two Grand Seiko Elegance SBGY watches pictured here belong to a close friend and one of the most respected Grand Seiko experts around. He owns several GS timepieces, mostly purchased during his recurring business trips to Japan and when the brand was merely spoken about in Italy. Grand Seiko requires above-the-average knowledge and a fully product-oriented approach to watchmaking. No first-page actor or athlete is promoting the brand or product. It is a quintessentially Grand Seiko approach to the business, but something I won’t entirely approve of; choosing a targeted ambassador (and AD campaign) triggers the process of attracting the right audience. Grand Seiko‘s approach to advertising their products is similar to Indie watchmaking’s instead. As well exemplified by Google SEO‘s most famous quote, “Content is King”, here.

The gently rounded, smooth case’s lines make the Elegance an eye-catcher; they look great when paired to the SBGK005, whose “smiling” power reserve counter makes the three-hands template less ubiquitous; from a technical perspective, the Spring Drive models win hands down against their hand-wound siblings instead. In either case, the shining, distortion-free zaratsu polishing technique highlights how design flows from the case to the glass and back; in the metal, the Elegance feels boutique and sets itself apart from any industrially engineered product, setting the bar high in terms of execution and flawless design.

The power reserve gauge was displaced on the case back: purity matches “user experience” here. The central second-hand does not sweep but glides, reproducing the “nature of time” and offering the glide motion, which is a Spring Drive‘s exclusive and provides an outrageous +/- 15 seconds per month accuracy. There is no mechanical watch you can compare this one against in terms of user experience and precision rate. However, I’ll arguably list a Spring Drive as the sole glide-motion-timelapse watch; there’s at least another contender whose mechanism is all but mechanical (Accutron Spaceview) providing the same effect. Along with smoothness and accuracy, a Spring Drive watch feels compliant but lacks a bit of emotion when looking at the mechanism. Here is where Grand Seiko plays hard and closes up with an array of mesmerizing new dials.

The Grand Seiko Elegance SBGY003 is long gone, whereas the Grand Seiko Elegance SBGY007 Omiwatari is a recent iteration. In between, Grand Seiko has grown to offer plenty of dial options, whose recurring nod to Japanese nature feel sometimes too marketing-ish. Nevertheless, Grand Seiko‘s dials are legendary and hold considerable merit in attracting and converting leads into sales. The SBGY case measures 38,5mm across but feels larger due to the case design and the 43,7mm lug-to-lug-gap, while the thickness stops at a valuable 10,2mm.

The domed sapphire crystal placed on top has an anti-reflective treatment on the inside. I’ll list the leather strap among the letdown first; it is far too long, and a tang with a pin buckle is what you expect on a timepiece this classic. The two models sit at opposite ends of the spectrum: the SBGY003 is ultra-classic, a bit unemotional but up to any task, formal evening look included; the SBGY007 Omiwatari, whose design draws inspiration from Lake Suwa‘s frozen surface in winter, is funkier instead. It ranks as one of the most exquisite dials ever crafted by Grand Seiko and adds a classic sports touch.

Best in the show: the Spring Drive calibre 9R31

By adopting Spring Drive technology on a thin hand-wound timepiece, Grand Seiko achieved the following: the Elegance holds to a three-hands classic watch’s template but Spring Drive, thanks to the electronically regulated organ, enables superior customer experience and unparalleled accuracy, whose upper limit is quartz technology. If you’re ready or willing to buy a Grand Seiko, make sure you try a Spring Drive first. Grand Seiko is respected for their Hi–Beat calibres, too, but Spring Drive is exclusive to the Seiko Group and, like for like in terms of pricing, offers a superior experience.

However, the Spring Drive 9R31 calibre lacks appeal, which the brand might fix quickly. The one-piece bridge is sturdy and hides the brand’s proprietary engineering; it’s well-executed, despite the power reserve indicator located in a strange position. The weakest design cue is the huge barrel containing two springs in parallel capable of ensuring a 72-hour maximum power reserve. It looks raw and protrudes too much.

When looking at the 9R02 calibre, for example, the design approach was utterly different; while the 9R02 is more upmarket and refined than its entry-level sibling, it might work as a source of inspiration to improve the 9R31, like skeletonizing the barrel’s upper cover and bevel the inner angles, as far as possible. The 9R02 is a high-end GS take on an original Credor Eichi movement and, therefore, offered at a reasonably different price point. In short, the 9R01 provides good value, performance and refinement reference the class of products this SBGY belong to, considering the average price is far below the ten-thousand threshold, but a few tweaks might significantly increase the watch’s appeal without affecting the final production cost too much.

Final thoughts

Here we are at the end of such a long journey. The Grand Seiko Elegance SBGY is a hot piece, whatever your choices are, and is proven by this owner buying not one but two options whose look and feel are different. The SBGY003 is the leading choice when looking for a super classic watch; the Omiwatari SBGY007 adds a fresher, unseen light blue dial you usually see on sporty full steel Grand Seiko watches.

I’d go for an SBGY007, but I understand it might not be anyone’s cup of tea. The SBGY003 is right there for you to attend an evening gala or casual business meetings. Both adopt a grey Grand Seiko logo, applied to the see-through case back; it is out of context and would better find its place on the movement, in my opinion. The listed price is attractive for a watch this refined; bear in mind that the SBGY003 is no longer available, while the Elegance SBGY007 sells for € 8,600, which is a reasonable price for such a package that outperforms the Swiss Made competition in the benchmark. If you’d like to get one, hurry up. The brand’s price list has skyrocketed in the last year and keeps growing at a swift pace.

(Photo credit: Marco Antinori for Horbiter®)