Horological Meandering

Hi Gents,

Thanks for bearing with me - it's been a busy weekend and  may have bit off more than I could chew on my GS report. Remember that so far I am promising to show you all the Grand Seikos. 

Alas! Last night I realized I left one off of the list. How could I forget one of my favorites? (so many watches, so little time). Is it okay if I insert it here?


ONE MORE
This is SBGR025, a special piece in "white titanium" that is very light, very cool in the dial and caseback, and one of my few watches with a brown strap. Those of you who are strap experts can go to work determining the animal source and the stiching pattern. I'll give you a clue - it came on an IWC, not a Grand Seiko. This watch has an extremely nice titanium multi-segment bracelet that I have never worn. Someday ...





I think the Lion etched in the sapphire caseback is a touch of genius (who thought of that?) and I managed to capture it perfectly in this shot, along with the beautifully-decorated movement within. Remember this is a titanium case, with extraordinary finishing quality.






TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
I thought perhaps some of you might be bored with the subjectivity of photographs, so for those people I have compiled some specifications on the watches. This was an eye-opener for me, as I certainly did not expect one of my GS watches to weigh 3 times as much as another one. But those are things that influence comfort, sleeve fit, etc.

All measurements were made today by me, on the actual watches, with a digital caliper, postal scale and eyeballs. Specs came from my Seiko certification papers or published catalogs. I didn't bother with water resistance, count the jewels, or measure the volume of the boxes.

As pplater so eloquently said in his recent post, I paid for all these and haven't received any favors from Seiko. I did get a non-watch-scratching digital caliper as a gift from my pal Alec Dawson at Central Tools who is a madman watch collector too - with well over 100  (more watches than I have).

Most of these are regular production models, or from the Grand Seiko Master Shop line.  The SBGW003 (blue hands, gold numerals) is a limited edition, 1 of 300, about 10 years old, and very highly sought after in the Seiko collecting world.

(Note to self, learn how to do HTML Tables BEFORE planning to publish one)

Ok, now to the specifications:
                 

Mechanical	SBGM001	SBGW001	SBGW003	SBGW005	SBGW033	SBGR025
Winding	Automatic	Hand	Hand	Hand	Hand	Automatic
Movement	9S56-00A0	9S54-0030	9S54-0020	9S54-0030	9S64-00A0	9S55-00A
Power Rsrv	50 hr	50 hr	50 hr	50 hr	72 hr	50 hr
Timekeeping	-3, +5 sec/day	-3, +5	-3, +5	-3, +5	-3, +5	-3, +5
Diameter	39.5	36.7	37.2	36.7	35.9	37.8
Thickness	13.7	11.4	11.1	11.4	11.1	13.3
Crown Dia.	5.9 locking	5.8	5.3	5.8	4.8	5.3
Material & Weight	Steel 150	Steel 65	Steel 55	Steel 105	Steel 50	Titanium 55
Hand Color	3 silver 1 red	3 silver	3 blue	1 blue 2 silver	1 blue 2 silver	3 silver
Hand Shape	sword beveled	dauphine pitched	flat	dauphine pitched	sword beveled	sword beveled
Crystal	sapphire domed	sapphire dual curve	sapphire dual curve	sapphire dual curve	sapphire dual curve	sapphire domed
Date	At 3	No	No	No	No	At 3
Indicies	applied double at 3,6,9,12	applied double at 3,6,9,12	gold embossed arabics	applied double at 3,6,9,12	applied double at 3,6,9,12	applied double at 6,9,12
Minute Marks	lines	lines	2 sizes of dots	lines	lines	lines
Caseback	solid screw-in	solid 6 screws	sapphire 6 screws	solid 6 screws	solid snap	sapphire screw-in
GS Lion	faces crown	faces crown	no Lion	faces crown	faces 6 o'clock	etched in sapphire
Lugs	drilled	drilled	drilled	drilled	solid	drilled
Buckle	flip	tang	tang	flip	tang	flip
Bracelet	20 steel oyster	18 strap 8 holes	18 strap 7 holes	18 steel jubilee	18 strap 8 holes	19 titanium multi-piece

 
Stay tuned for Chapter 5, coming soon to a theatre near you.

This message has been edited by cazalea on 2011-09-25 18:36:09 This message has been edited by cazalea on 2014-10-19 06:08:34

 I am learning and have newfound appreciation of  these GS Seikos.

one consideration,  I think the hands of the 003 may be curved:

Love the new homage watch, BTW!

Thanks Steve

Yes, indeed they are curved to the tips, and curved over the top surface.

I tried the word flat to distinguish them from the other two styles, as they are neither split in the center

or knife-edge beveled on the edges.

Words certainly fail to capture the beauty of these hands!

Almost never will you find lume in a GS as the knife-edge reflects light so successfully that you can see in near-darkness.

The blue hands of course are successful in contrasting with the whitish dials, and not by reflecting light as the silver hands do.

Mike

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to tabulate that informative table.  Interesting results.

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I think for these guys we can start with the specifications table. Following the same format as the mechanical watches, but with modifications as necessary, here's what I found:
                 

Mechanical	SBGA011	GCLL997	SBGT027	SBGX039	SBGF009
Winding	Automatic	Automatic	Quartz	Quartz	Quartz
Movement	9S56-0AA0	5R77-0AA4	9F83-0AD0	9F61-0AA0	8J55-0010
Power Rsrv	72 hr	72 hr	5 yr	3 yr	3 yr
Timekeeping	-1, +1 sec/day	-1, +1 sec/day	-5, +5 sec/year	-10, +10 sec/year	-10, +10 sec/year
Diameter	41.0	41.3	37.2	38.6	36.0
Thickness	12.5	13.6	10.6	11.0	9.3
Crown Dia.	5.9 locking	5.7	4.7 locking	5.2 locking	4.2
Material & Weight	Titanium 70	Steel 85	Steel 60	Steel 135	Steel 95
Hand Color	1 blue 3 silver	3 blue 1 silver	1 blue 2 silver	3 silver	1 silver 2 silver/blk
Hand Shape	sword beveled	curved pitched	dauphine pitched	dauphine pitched	modern pitched
Crystal	sapphire domed	sapphire dual curve	sapphire dual curve	sapphire dual curve	sapphire flat
Date / Day	Date 3	No	Day Date at 3	No	No
Other Dial	Power 7 Snowflake	Moon 4 Power 7	Tuxedo stripes Star at 6	Cross grid Lion & GS	Sparkles
Indicies	applied triangular at 6,9,12	applied at 3,6,9,12	applied 6,9,12	applied double at 3,6,9,12	applied numerals at 3,6,9,12
Minute Marks	lines	2 types of dots chrome & blue	applied all minutes	applied all minutes	lines
Caseback	sapphire screw-in	sapphire screw in	solid with gold Lion	solid	solid
GS Lion	etched in sapphire	no Lion	faces crown	faces crown	no Lion
Lugs	drilled	screws	drilled	drilled	solid
Buckle	flip lock	deployant	tang	flip lock	flip lock
Bracelet	20 titanium multi-segment	20 strap 8 holes	18 strap 8 holes	20 steel multi-segment	18 steel multi-segment

QUARTZ MOVEMENTS
Much of the following copy comes from the Grand Seiko site describing their quartz models. I'm including because QUARTZ and PuristS are not often combined in the same post, much less the same sentence. I get some flak from people for having included a few quartz watches in my collection - the GS models, another Japanese model called The Citizen Chronomaster, the Breitling Aerospace, and the Rolex OysterQuartz.

These are not your normal beater $9.95 digital quartz watches.

The Caliber 9F models look like a mechanical watch, because the hands extend right to the very edge of the dial - not possible in a normal quartz watch. Caliber 9F has greater torque and uses longer hands, thanks to a twin pulse motor that delivers more power with a three year battery life.

A quartz oscillator vibrates 32,768 times a second, but this frequency may be affected by environmental and temperature changes. Stable oscillation is the key to the accuracy of a quartz watch. Each Grand Seiko quartz crystal is chosen and tested individually for a three month long aging process.

To ensure the minimum accuracy of one second a day required by the Grand Seiko standard, Quartz caliber 9F automatically detects temperature variations 540 times a day (every 160 seconds) and compensates for these variations so as to maintain accuracy.

In a mechanical watch, accuracy can be manually adjusted, but no normal quartz watch is adjustable. The Grand Seiko quartz caliber 9F has a “Pacing Switch” for fine adjustment. This allows high accuracy to be maintained even if the watch is worn in extreme temperatures.

Caliber 9F is not just extremely accurate, it presents time extremely accurately. The second hand in Caliber 9F stops exactly on the second markers, without any vibration. This quartz movement uses a device from the world of high-grade mechanical watchmaking to ensure precise motion - the addition of a regulatory wheel automatically adjusts the backlash between the gears.

The hour hand moves 24 times a day, the minute hand moves 1,440 times a day and the second hand 86,400 times. To ensure that the absolute precision of each of these 87,864 movements is not compromised by any interference of one hand by another, each axis of the three hands is separate and independent, not driving off another.

The rotor and gear train of caliber 9F are tightly sealed in a self-contained cabin. This guarantees the long lasting quality and precision of the movement by preventing dust entering when the case back is opened for battery replacement. This 'super sealed' cabin mechanism also increases the life of the lubricating oils that ensure the smooth operation of the gear train. Theoretically, additional lubrication is not needed for fifty years.

In most watches, the date change is gradual and takes several hours to complete. This imprecision was not good enough for the Caliber 9F design team, so they added a spring lever mechanism which causes the date to change instantaneously in just 1 / 2,000th of a second!

SPRING DRIVE
This model movement is entirely mechanical down to the escapement, which has been replaced by a "glide wheel", a tiny generator, and a balancing circuit that gently slows the glide wheel (should it go too fast) by magnetic repulsion. There are no batteries, capacitors or other user-replaceable parts in this circuits. Its merits can be debated elsewhere - all I can say is the movement is lovely and the smoothly gliding second hand is unlike either a conventional second hand or the tic-toc of a few mechanical "dead seconds" movements or the quartz brigade.

I've had about 10 Spring Drives but kept only these.

Still more to come in another chapter!
This message has been edited by cazalea on 2014-10-19 06:07:07

cazalea,

 

You wrote: "I'm including because QUARTZ and PuristS are not often combined in the same post, much less the same sentence. I get some flak from people for having included a few quartz watches in my collection....."

 

I want to explicitly clarify PuristS' position and PuristSPro policy.

We appreciate all forms of PuristS horology.  In the chronology (sic) of horology, quartz 'escapements' have a place in history like melting wax, dripping water, falling sand, Swiss lever and Spring Drive. Thus, you should not receive 'flak' when discussing serious PuristS' quartz watches.

 

Again, it is all about context. When the manufacturer has the PuristS spirit like Seiko does for executing excellence in design, construction and performance, those discussions are always welcomed.  If A.L. Breguet was alive and in the business today, he would be using the Spring Drive movement! 

 

Regards,

MTF

I appreciate the vote of confidence. PuristS moderators especially have never been ones to scoff.

Cheers

Mike

that a steel watch can weigh less than a titanium watch. Personally do you prefer the spring drive or mechanical movement in a Grand Seiko? I know the spring drive watches have amazing accuracy and a lovely second hand that glides.

I'll finish this series with one more post containing some analysis and reflection on what I've discovered, and I'm interested in your analysis too.

Cazalea

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Hi PuristS,

Thanks for your patience as I have struggled to make sense of my Grand Seiko collection. I know you have patiently endured such trials before, as I've found several of my posts (thanks for the help with the first series, Art!) on the subject before.

Thanks for your tolerance and not demanding that I open them up for inspection. I've done it cheerfully before, but I haven't the gumption for it this week. Woe to the repairman who has to open the new super-polished anniversary watch! I can't believe the finish on its back!

WHAT I HAVE LEARNED
What have I learned from this comparison of my 11 Grand Seiko watches?

1. I won't be comparing 11 watches again at one time - too much work!
2. I think I bought the first Grand Seiko in 2004 (rummaging through old emails) and I'm not tired of that model yet! SBGW001 in case you're wondering.
3. The two I have bought and sold and re-bought are the SBGM001 (black sport watch) and SBGW001 (white dial, silver hands, strap)
   
4. The numbering scheme used for Grand Seikos is a bit of a nuisance - I prefer names - but it does easily define them.
   
5. My secret fears that the watches are too alike have been put to rest by getting the specs on size and weight.
   
6. The mix of movements, strap & bracelets, weights and sizes are significant, even though at a glance you might think all GS look similar.
7. Perhaps I could look for another dark dial watch or two in the future.
8. I've tried Seiko sub-brands Credor, Laurel, Galante, Wired, etc. I've only test-driven the Ananta, but Grand Seiko suits me just fine.
   
9. I'm content to have my watches between 36-43 mm, which I why I have avoided the Chrono and the Diver versions of the GS.
   
10. Despite the rated accuracy of the 6 mechanical watches, after three days the second hands were off by a range of 10 seconds or so.
11. The quartz watches are all still on the same second - one is jumping half a second ahead of the other two.
    
12. The quality of the cases, the finishing and the feel of the Grand Seikos do differ, with some much nicer than others.
13. Given the price range (new & used) of $750-$6000, none of them have been particularly extravagant purchases.
14. The only watch I regret selling is the original first series Spring Drive (though it was not technically a Grand Seiko)
    
15. I think maybe I will also be looking for a gold Grand Seiko, so I can have one "extravagent" buy.
16. Taking 10 wrist shots in fading light gave me real cramps in my left arm (Mrs Cazalea provided her arm for her watch).
    
17. The mirror polish on the hands, markers, chapter rings and the varied dial treatments really stand out in the wrist shots.
18. I need a new camera with a remote shutter release and several spare batteries.
    
19. Mrs Cazalea is a saint to tolerate such foolishness.
20. It's very difficult to pick a favorite.
    

I think that I might finish with some photos to prove 2 points:

I DO BUY BLACK DIAL SEIKOS





I MISS THE ONE THAT GOT AWAY
But if I had it back I'd probably find flaws (integrated bracelet, dated styling, difficult crown) and eventually sell it again ...

Thanks for your time, and thanks PuristS for providing this forum so we can indulge and share our watch pleasures.

Mike  aka Cazalea

and the gang:

 

This message has been edited by Dr No on 2011-09-27 11:37:03

we rarely have the chance to compare models

J

. . . for your efforts, Mike.  I "pinned" this thread a few days ago to keep it in the forefront of the forum because it is a significant contribution. 

Deeply impressed,

Art

Wow, fantastic write up. Congrats on such a well focused and beautiful GS collection.

Although read with the Damascene eagerness of a recent GS convert, that review and analysis stands as the benchmark for those embarking on such an effort for any watch, collection or brand. We should be embarrassed that you make that kind of effort to our benefit when our own offerings are often so much more lightweight. And your wife should be beatified.

Cheers,
pplater.

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