WHY GRAND SEIKO?
Updated: Oct 23
December was the month SEIKO launched the very first Grand Seiko more than 60 years ago, and ever since I got that call to do an interview and talk about vintage mechanical Grand Seiko, all kinds of thoughts have crept into my mind, either because of excitement or because I have been dying to talk about the brand to whoever would listen. As I made my outline, I found myself getting carried away trying to think of what to discuss. I pulled out all the notes I had accumulated over the years studying the brand; some were covered in coffee stains and hardened over time, while others needed to be retrieved from my old hard drives. But the hardest part was featuring the watches that needed to be discussed and choosing which ones were from my collection or from others. I quickly pulled up my list of people I had dealt with over the years and helped purchase a GS piece, and I begged them to lend me their watches just for the interview. So as early as now, I am already declaring that the watches featured on this blog are not all mine and were lent to me by some very generous people who have the same thoughts I have -- to get the brand introduced to more people and to get them to appreciate or even fall in love with the brand.
From left to write starting at the top: GS3180, GS6146, GS6245, GS SBGW005 (9s54), GS5722, GS4420, GS SBGR001 (9s55), GS SBGM001 (9s56)
As I got back to creating the outline and after gathering the watches from friends who were willing to lend them, I thought long and hard and realized that I needed to tell a story, a story of a mechanical watch that was developed against all odds. Stories of milestones by a Japanese Company called SEIKO with an obscure watch brand called "Grand Seiko," and the countless other milestones that were set, leading to a long 20-year hiatus that would eventually culminate in the brand's reintroduction after many years of waiting for the right moment. That "right moment" required the convergence of demand, perfect timing, and technology, and it eventually came with the reintroduction of the first modern mechanical Grand Seiko watch in the late 90s. It is a story that needs to be told to help people understand the brand better and appreciate how important its beginnings were, as it has become its own brand and has started a worldwide expansion. A story that has to be told before people forget how important the beginning was to achieve the many milestones they are achieving now.
A lot of people have asked me why Grand Seiko, why not other brands. My fascination with the brand stems from an article about mechanical Grand Seiko that covered each watch issued from 1960 to 1975. A fifteen-year period during which a finite number of 20 movements were issued and produced, and so that was when I thought that it would be easy to collect or even just handle and experience each one. Plus, it helped that I developed a friendship with Mr. Gerald Donovan, the man also known as "The Grand Seiko Guy" and the persona behind www.thegrandseikoguy.com and it was his own personal collection that inspired me to try and get each piece of the vintage Grand Seiko line-up and it was his immense knowledge of the brand that inspired me to study even more and to find out about the small details, anecdotes and stories about the brand first made famous by Seiko in the early 60's.
A story about Grand Seiko has to start in the 1950's when Seiko issued or released their Seiko Marvel pieces and the other earlier mechanical pieces of different names such as "Marvel", "Super" and "Unique." These watches had case sizes around 30mm to 35mm and were made entirely in-house. The best thing about these Marvels was the dials they created. This was the most fascinating thing about the brand, and SEIKO had experimented with all kinds of different dial designs, from the Astrological dial design to the bark design of the Marvel. All of them were beautifully crafted and had that appliqué "S" right below the 12 o'clock. I was an avid collector of these watches; in fact, I accumulated close to 35 different designs, drawn to their uniqueness and loving the thought that a Japanese watch company could come up with designs like this in the 50s. But it was the obsession of SEIKO with accuracy and the development of the most accurate mechanical watch that made them venture in the direction of trying to create the most accurate watch around. In my opinion, their experience creating a watch purely in-house with the Marvel of the 50s gave them the confidence to replicate it and develop a purely in-house watch under the Grand Seiko brand going into the 60s.
THE VINTAGE LINE
On December 18, 1960, Grand Seiko released the 3180, aptly called the Grand Seiko "First." I will not bore you with the watch's history, since you can read about it online. But it is important to point out that Seiko always included a "ratings certificate" with all their watches, especially the first variants. (Please excuse the attached ratings certificate, as it is not original to the watch, just a prop one picks up when obsessing over the brand. These certificates indicate the watch's rating accuracy, which was a nice touch on their part because, at one point, they guaranteed their watches' accuracy and took pride in it. Something that the brand has stopped doing with its modern offerings.
Grand Seiko's first, the Caliber 3180 (J14070), was issued in December 1960. This was Grand Seiko's first milestone. The watch was gold-plated, manual-wind, had a no-date dial, and a lion engraved on the caseback. To me, it is the classic Grand Seiko design. But other metal variants were said to exist. The steel variant, which was rumoured to act as a "temporary watch replacement" for the GS 3180 owners who had to have their watch repaired or refreshed with Seiko. In other words, it was meant to be a temporary replacement while waiting for their watch to be finished. While I don't know any special reason the Platinum variant was issued, all I know is that I've seen only one Plat GS in my 5 years of studying Grand Seiko, and that is the picture above from the Instagram account of the famous collector Mr. Erick Strickland.
As we go into the details of the GS First, we see that the watch came in wide varieties, based on different variations or treatments of the GRAND SEIKO logo at the heart of the watch.
So you see, there were 3 known types of treatments: the carved or engraved logo dial, the printed logo, and finally a raised or appliqué-style logo. I am not too familiar with the "order of rarity," but I would assume that the hardest to find was the engraved logo dial, given that it was difficult to do so; Seiko decided to scrap the engraving of the logo altogether. I am uncertain where the printed logo style falls in that order of rarity, as different schools of thought have said the printed logo was the very first to be created. But one thing I do know for certain is that the appliqué-style logo was the most common, and the one found on most GS 3180 dials.
The GS 3180 was one of 5 watches Seiko issued with the word "Chronometer" plastered all over the dial. The other 4 being other watches in the SEIKO line-up. My feeling is that SEIKO was
attempting to create "the watch" that could go toe-to-toe with Swiss watches and they looked at each of the watch variants they had in their watch portfolio, from the GS 3180 and 43999/5722 to the KS49999 from Daini and the hard to find Seiko Liner Chronometer 46999; not to be left out is the Seikomatic 6216 Chronometer, which was the precursor of the 62GS, the first automatic watch of Grand Seiko. So you see, SEIKO put the word "Chronometer" on most of their watch variants and brands, and they were probably testing the market to see what would click and what would stick.
According to Mr. Don Crotty, also known as Ninja01 in the Seiko Forums, "one thing Seiko Collectors have to understand....when Seiko simply badged the watch as "Chronometer" (prior to the time an Independent certification agency was started in Japan), the term "Chronometer" (on the dial or case-back) simply meant that the "certification" or testing was done ALL in-house by Seiko itself with NO independent agency involvement. This caused the Swiss to object to using the word Chronometer on the dial... and led to the founding of a Japanese agency that tested independently to Swiss standards for that badge (Chronometer).
As Grand Seiko finally crossed that chasm from manual to automatic, it went through different specimens using the 62 movement, from the Seikomatic with the 6206 movement, which evolved over time to become the 6217 movement of the world timer and the 62MAS. Eventually, this same 6216 Seikomatic Chronometer became Grand Seiko's first automatic watch with the GS 6245/6-9000. This particular piece is one of my greatest regrets. It has a flawless dial and is, in my opinion, considered a fine example of an earlier piece with the highly desirable lion case back. These transitional pieces were issued only in 1966, making it one of the hardest-to-find Vintage Grand Seikos on the market.
After conquering the mountain of successfully introducing a mechanical automatic watch, SEIKO needed another mountain to conquer: a watch whose heart beat faster than usual. The 36,000 hi-beat was a beast that SEIKO conquered rather easily with the introduction of the 6145/6 movement in 1968. This watch had practically put SEIKO under the radar and announced to everyone that this brand is here to stay, and they are not screwing around. All kinds of variants came out, but for me, two stood out most: the 6146-8010, which came with a faceted crystal, and the first time Seiko featured that type of detail in a watch. It had an "Arabesque" symbol surrounding its 'GS' logo, a message that this watch is something not to be taken lightly, and it is believed that it is the precursor to the Grand Seiko "Special" -- A watch whose accuracy was a notch below the VFA line of Grand Seiko, a line that definitely deserves its own blog that we shall reserve for another time.
Another important facet of the watch is that it is made of hardened stainless steel (HSS), which makes it heavier than the usual watch issued during those days. Unfortunately, I sold this watch at a local auction house two years ago, and its weight was 65.5 grams, 17 grams heavier than the solidly built GS43999 and close to twice the weight of the Seiko Liner Chronometer 46999. Beyond making it heavier, the HSS also made the watch more scratch-resistant and gave it added luster and shine from the material used. An innovation that once again announced to the world that Grand Seiko is here to stay.
The other variant I especially liked is the 6145-8050, issued in 1972. This piece also had a faster-beating heart, but the beautiful bracelet that came with it made it even more special. I got this watch close to NOS and passed it on to a dear friend and serious collector, as it happens to be his BMBY (Birth Month, Birth Year) watch: May 1972. I have been looking for another bracelet for another 6146-8050 I picked up, but I haven't been successful for the past two years. It's safe to say this watch-and-bracelet combination is a winner, and one of the hardest-to-find combinations in the vintage GS line.
Finally, we come to the last of the vintages from the lineup of watches lent to me in my attempt to tell the story of Grand Seiko: the 45GS. This movement was the second movement made by the Daini Seikosha Company. It's a manual hi-beat movement with a distinct feel, as you hear each click every time you wind the watch.
The watch's highlight is the case shape, which reminds me of a tie-fighter or maybe even a Trojan soldier's helmet. Whatever it is, the way the case fits on the wrist is something you need to experience. Plus, the very dark blue dial that borders on black is a unique touch, since it is probably the only watch in the Vintage GS line with that dark blue color on the dial. This watch was released from late 1968 to early 1974, around the same time the 61GS was released by the SUWA Seikosha factory. Both were hi-beat watches, but this had a mechanical hand-wind movement while the 6146 was automatic. If you asked me which I prefer, I'd go with the manual hi-beat. I just feel the romance of winding the watch, and the sound of each click is an experience I cannot describe. Plus, this 45GS movement was the foundation of the 4580 caliber, and according to The Grand Seiko Guy... "These models can undoubtedly be considered the absolute pinnacle of the entire vintage Grand Seiko era, and either of them would qualify without peer as the ultimate "grail" piece in any vintage Grand Seiko collection -- not just because of their rarity, but also because these represent the ultimate achievement of what Grand Seiko was all about -- creating quite simply the best watch on the planet.
THE MODERN VINTAGE LINE: TECHNOLOGY TO THE RESCUE
A discussion of modern Mechanical Grand Seikos has to start in the 90s with, ironically, the 9F Quartz, which was acclaimed "as the ultimate quartz watch." But some people at SEIKO still had a passion for mechanical watches, and their first goal was to improve the machine at the heart of the watch. They chose the 52-series movement, which was installed in the King Seiko in the 1970s. A high-performance movement that was certified as a chronometer by the Japan Chronometer Certification Association. Eventually, the movement became the Caliber 4S35, released in 1992. In addition to being self-winding, it was reduced to 4mm thick while retaining a calendar function. It was an all-important achievement, marking the beginning of the "revival of domestic mechanical wristwatches" at SEIKO. But the company felt it was still a notch below what they wanted to achieve for the Modern Grand Seiko. It was this obsession with achieving accuracy that should exceed the Swiss chronometer standard that has become Seiko's minimum hurdle, and they knew that the 4s35 just didn't cut it. This obsession, which has existed since the 1960s, resurfaced when Seiko carefully adjusted the 4S movement and submitted it to the Swiss Chronometer Certification Association for testing in 1996; 3 out of 4 passed. This eventually proved that SEIKO's mechanical watch technology was not dull and had potential. However, the problem remained: SEIKO wanted the modern GS movement to exceed the Swiss chronometer standard, and it was with the advent of a particular technology that SEIKO achieved this. Just as George Lucas was able to fulfill his dream of creating Episodes 1- 3 of his Star Wars series 16 years after the release of Episode 6 in 1983, the advent of computer technology allowed him to create new worlds on film, a new standard that he had set for himself. And just like SEIKO, which had set a minimum standard of beating the Swiss Chronometer accuracy, the development of the 9S movement exclusively for Grand Seiko had to clear this extremely strict standard of -3 to +5 seconds (the Swiss Chronometer standard is -4 to +6 seconds), and it was the use of the 3D CAD computer technology system that helped achieve this dream. SEIKO Instruments developed this, allowing SEIKO to create "new worlds" in modern mechanical Grand Seiko watches.
Enter the new world of Modern Mechanical Grand Seiko with the 9S movement. I will limit my discussion of Modern Grand Seiko to three watches and their 3 different movements because I feel that SEIKO was at a point where, after they had achieved their minimum standard of accuracy for their new Grand Seiko line, they wanted to come up with a minimum standard for their Grand Seiko watch design, and it was with these 3 watches that SEIKO, in my opinion, went through a "trial and error" phase combined with a study of market reception to see where their "new world" would lead them. A lot has been discussed about Zaratsu polishing and how it has played a big role in modern Grand Seiko watches. I will not get into that; I will just dabble and attempt to discuss the vintage modern line-up of Grand Seiko with these 3 watches that I believe were "modern transition" pieces as to their design, make, and build, and in my opinion a major milestone for SEIKO.
1. GRAND SEIKO SBGR001
Enter the SBGR001, released in 1998 after SEIKO conquered the mountain and achieved its standard accuracy of -3 to +5. It came with the 9S55 movement, with 26 jewels and a 50-hour power reserve. At the time the 9s55 was released, the no-date 9s51 movement also came out on the Grand Seiko SBGR002. But only one variant was released: an 18-karat YG watch. Both of these watches had a lion-engraved caseback consistent with traditional Grand Seikos. A lot of people weren't too impressed with this watch, as it only had a 50-hour power reserve, and some new owners were talking about some issues with the crown, which they felt was not built in properly- an issue they resolved when the SBGR001 was reissued with the SBGR051. Yet, I still consider this watch one of SEIKO's greatest milestones because, in a very competitive industry where the name of the game is always achieving more and constant improvement, this watch proved to the whole world that SEIKO could come out with a modern Grand Seiko line that can compete against the Swiss in the rejuvenated mechanical wristwatch industry.
2. GRAND SEIKO SBGW005
Released around the beginning of 2001, the SBGW005 was, in my opinion, the traditional, classic Grand Seiko design: a no-date dial, a hand-wind movement, and a lion-engraved case back. This SBGW005 was the second release of the 9S54 movement, following the SBGW001, which came with a leather strap and the same 50-hour power reserve. The beauty of the SBGW005, though, is that it came with a bead-of-rice bracelet, which gave it a vintage feel accented by the "blue" second hand on a no-date cream dial. The click as you wind the watch reminds me of the 45GS discussed earlier. From my experience, I have counted up to 50 twists of the crown, with the second hand starting to move after the 25th twist, to make the watch last more than 48 hours.
3. GRAND SEIKO SBGM001
The third important modern Grand Seiko to discuss is the SBGM001, released in 2002, with the first complication Seiko ever put on a GS line. It came with the 9S56 automatic movement with a GMT function, and yet still had a 50-hour power reserve, just like the other watches that came out during this period. The watch came with 27 jewels and a lion-engraved caseback, giving it a traditional touch with a modern GMT twist. I personally like this watch as I feel it is very much underrated. I can live with the 50-hour power reserve, but the watch's design is superb. What I don't understand is why SEIKO would reissue this watch with the SBGM027 and change the design by adding huge crown guards that completely destroyed its symmetry (again, my opinion). The SBGM001 was such a success that 10 years later SEIKO celebrated the watch's 10-year anniversary by releasing the Grand Seiko SBGM029 to mark the success of their first Grand Seiko watch with the very first complication.
So, three modern Grand Seiko watches were issued within 5 years of each other, from 1998 to 2003. Three watches that more or less had the same designs and, more importantly, a Lion engraved on the caseback, a symbol of watch accuracy superiority for Grand Seiko going back 60 years. Yet I feel SEIKO wasn't satisfied. Their constant improvement and obsession with topping every offering led them to reissue each of these watches. The SBGR001 became the SBGR051 and then eventually reissued as the SBGR251 when Grand Seiko became its own brand in 2017. The SBGW005 was reissued as the SBGW035 and then eventually as the SBGW235; and finally, the SBGM001 became the SBGM027 and then eventually reissued as the SBGM227, still with those huge, unappealing crown guards.
*Top Row: SBGR051, SBGW035, SBGM029
**Bottom Row: SBGR251, SBGW235, SBGM229
Each of these reissued watches had its own improvements in its movement, such as a longer power reserve and a much improved design for some, but all came out with a new standard design for Grand Seiko: transparent casebacks to highlight the beautifully crafted design of the movement. A standard that will be part of all future modern mechanical Grand Seiko watches. These 3 watches gave SEIKO the courage and the confidence to ramp up and open the floodgates for more offerings down the road. It gave them the confidence to say, "yes, we can do it, and we can do it better even with ' complications'." In other words, these 3 watches and their subsequent reissues paved the way for the modern Grand Seiko and led to more modern mechanical offerings, with new innovations in their upcoming lines. They've come a long way from 60 years ago when the first Grand Seiko "First" was issued. They have conquered many mountains by combining "tradition and innovation" with relentless passion. But I still get the feeling that SEIKO, and now GRAND SEIKO, will never be satisfied.
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