• Men's Watches

Buying a Grand Seiko in Japan: Exchange Rates & Models ft. Decision Paralysis

Why I’m Thinking About Buying a Watch in Japan

We’re going to do something different today. I’m kind of in the market for a watch – well, not really. It’s a little complicated. I’m going to head over to Tokyo in about a month from now. When in Tokyo, what else is there to do besides buy a watch, right?

Here’s the issue I have at the moment: I’m not really in the market to buy anything right now. I’m very content with my collection, but I’m having a little bit of FOMO just because the exchange rates are currently in favor of the dollar.

I feel like I’m missing out on something and need to purchase something. Why not remedy that by buying a Grand Seiko in Japan?

 

The Grand Seiko Dilemma: Quality vs Decision Paralysis

I’m just going to explore some options that I might be interested in while I’m there. The most obvious choice is going to be Grand Seiko.

I’m always talking about Grand Seiko with my friends, and I actually got a lot of them to pick up a Grand Seiko of their own. Two of them actually came back from Japan not too long ago and picked up the Shunbun and the Omiwatari.

The problem I have with Grand Seiko, and a lot of other enthusiasts as well, is a few things. One is the bracelets – it’s kind of nitpicking at the watch, but compared to Rolex and actually compared to a lot of other manufacturers, even like IWC and JLC, they’re kind of lackluster and not so feature-rich as a lot of other brands that are offering, including micro brands as well.

I really love Grand Seiko and would love to own one, and this might be the time to actually pick one up for a reasonable price. Unlike brands like Patek Philippe and Rolex that really retain their value, Grand Seiko is on the total opposite spectrum of that.

Most people are buying Grand Seiko not to impress others but really to impress themselves, which is really a testament to the brand as being a watch enthusiast level watch.

The second reason why I’ve never owned a Grand Seiko, and frankly this is a really big one for me, is whenever I attempt to look at a Grand Seiko and am in the market to actually purchase one, I always have an issue with picking which one to get.

Currently, I’m not in the position to just buy everything that I like, but every single time I look at Grand Seiko’s catalog, I have some sense of decision fatigue and decision paralysis.

It’s kind of like The Cheesecake Factory – if you’re familiar with that restaurant, there’s so many different types of cuisine that I really don’t know what to get, versus something like In-N-Out Burger where they just have a cheeseburger, double cheeseburger, fries, and shakes.

Just a very simple menu where I know what to expect. Grand Seiko, on the other hand, has so many different dial variations, several case options, and several movements you can choose from.

I’ve always tried my hardest to narrow down my thoughts on what I want from Grand Seiko. I’m going to attempt to choose a watch today or keep a few watches in mind, and if I end up seeing them in Tokyo and picking them up, then cool.

There’s something about – I’ve seen so many Uranos that have come across as beautiful as they are, I just can’t get around to own one of my own, but for the right price, maybe. At least for me, if I’m purchasing something, I really have to be in love with it, and honestly, that’s how it should be.

Let’s dive right into the website. This is the Grand Seiko USA website, and we’re going to head over to the collections page.

Looking at the Elegance Collection

I’m going to start from the bottom up – we’re going to head over to the Elegance collection, and I kind of have an idea of what I already like from here.

One of which is, for the longest time, I’ve been eyeing the SBGM221. Something about it – it’s just a very classical looking watch with a GMT functionality, which of course, I just love GMTs.

They’re very useful especially if you’re traveling all the time, and even if not, it’s an extra complication that will end up being useful in the future.

There are several options here aside from this cream dial. We have this limited edition sky blue, the SBGM253, and this is a 25th anniversary model, but I don’t expect this to be very hard to get, especially in Japan.

My friend that was over there said that he swore he saw this at one of the boutiques he was at. Oh yeah, let me mention that too – in Japan right now, they offer discounts if you shop at department stores. On top of the discount, you’re also getting a tax refund, and of course that sweet exchange rate with the dollar. I’m expecting to get this at a very fair cost.

Here’s the thing with budget in mind – like I said, I’m not in the market to currently buy a watch, which isn’t a good mindset to have to buy something like to FOMO into something. But in this case, if I’m getting a deal on something and I’m in Japan, I might as well just get something, or maybe I won’t.

At $5,600 for this, I think it’s a pretty attractive price point, especially if you’re going to get a discount on top with tax refund.

Diving into the Heritage Collection: 44GS vs 62GS

No, I don’t think there’s anything in this Sport collection that really tickles my fancy, so we’re going to move on to the Heritage collection.

Now we’re presented with this page which is pretty good on Seiko’s part, introducing the two famous cases: the 44GS and the 62GS. For me, when I think of Grand Seiko, I automatically revert to the 44GS and the classic Grammar of Design that you look for.

Again, the problem I have – just too many options. Like if we click into this, what do we see? For me at least, it’s just too much to look at, it’s too much to consider because they’re all very beautiful in their own right and I would love to own all of them.

But if this is going to be my first Grand Seiko, not my first watch in particular, do I want something subtle or do I want something a little bit more special with a little more pizzazz like a more colorful dial? Or do I go with something that I can wear every single day – the creams, blacks, and grays?

There are a couple that I’ve been considering in the 44GS line, one of which, which a lot of you might find boring, is the SBGP003. It has everything that a Grand Seiko case would have for the 44GS with its mirror-like facets and Zaratsu polishing, but you’re getting a quartz movement.

I’m sure all of you know that the Grand Seiko quartz movement is unlike any other – accurate to a ridiculous 10 seconds per year. A lot of people would say it’s a very overpriced watch for what you’re getting, but for me, the 9F quartz movement is the pinnacle of quartz technology, pioneered by Grand Seiko.

Really, the movement itself doesn’t bother me with the cost – you’re still getting the same level of finishing across all their 44GS watches. This goes into the realm of “is this too boring? Is this what I want when I’m over in Japan?” I mean, again at $3,200 with the discounts on top, you’re going to get a ridiculous price for this. It might be an option.

These lines of watches on the 9F quartz for the 44GS, I would have to say, are very underrated because they’re mostly overshadowed by the Spring Drive movement, of course, and I don’t blame you – the Spring Drives are really cool and that’s also a thing I might consider.

With the SBGA375, SBGA373 with a blue and cream dial, or blue and champagne dial rather, for some reason that doesn’t excite me as much. I think maybe just the dials are just a little too subdued for my liking.

So maybe if we step up to the SBGA471, maybe that’s something I’ll consider just because it’s a little bit more special, but I already know if I end up seeing this in person, I’m not going to really be in love with this guy.

Moving on to another 44GS case that I was considering is the SBGY011. This one is still subdued, but the dial has some texturing going on which adds a little more interest to the watch. To be honest, I kind of prefer the 44GS with the bracelet.

I think it really shines on the straps until you can see really those lugs – those lugs, even though they’re kind of long and protrude outside of the case, I think it wears perfectly on the wrist. Especially for this one, rocking their 9R31, which is their hand-wound Spring Drive, kind of slims things down a little bit, so this might be something to consider as well.

Those are the only ones from the 44GS that really pique my interest. Now if we move on to the 62GS, of course their hero image on this page is the Shunbun, and it’s – I mean, for good reason – it’s a beautiful dial, very Dynamic.

It goes from sometimes a white dial to a little pinkish hue and sometimes to even a gray tone, which is something really nice.

A lot of men might kind of steer away from this, but it’s dynamic enough to not always look like a shade of pink. It’s one of the best sellers for a reason.

For me, there’s something about the 62GS case that I’m not really a fan of. I mean, it’s a beautiful case regardless, but I think I’m just so used to seeing the 44GS showing off their Zaratsu polishing with the faceted edges.

But the good thing about the 62GS, because there are brushed parts on the case, it’s not prone to scratching on that mirror-like surface you would get with the 44GS. So there’s a little trade-off between the two cases.

Looking at the other options as well aside from the Shunbun, I’ve considered the gray version or the SBGA415, but again, it’s one of those things that I don’t know if it’s special enough.

It’s kind of like the Snowflake, which I really love the first time I saw it everywhere over the internet years ago.

After seeing that circulate all over the internet plenty of times, I just kind of grew a little jaded from seeing that everywhere, so I think I want something different.

Yeah, there’s the Snowflake – it’s a very beautiful watch, but there’s something about it, maybe because I’ve just seen it so many times. In the case after doing a little bit more research on Grand Seiko over the years, it’s not really that exciting to me.

Quick Look at the Sport Line (Even Though It’s Not My Thing)

Is that all I chose from Grand Seiko? Just for giggles, let’s look at the Sport collection. I’m not really a fan of their Sport line, but there was one that I was really interested in at the time – their Spring Drive GMTs.

This SBGE257 green dial variant, I really like this, and when I had it in hand, I knew it wasn’t for me. It was a very thick watch, so I didn’t really enjoy it so much.

It doesn’t wear very well, and that’s a big thing for me.

So no, I’m not considering that guy. I mean, yeah, there are these 9F quartz GMTs in their Sport line – the SGN027, which we all know looks like an Explorer 2, which is really cool, but when I think of Grand Seiko, I think of the 44GS and more of their Elegance and Heritage line collection.

Until they can make a really killer sport watch. If they can make a GS version of an Alpinist, I think everyone would go crazy over those. I would at least. So yeah, it’s going to be a no for the Sport line for Grand Seiko.

Watch This Review

The Evolution 9 Line and Final Thoughts

Lastly, we have the Evolution 9s. I absolutely love the dial layout, I love how the case looks – it’s kind of like an updated 62GS case. The one I was eyeballing was either the GMT Spring Drive or their Lake Suwa. The Lake Suwa is just a gorgeous watch compared to their GMT.

It comes in titanium, and although I have nothing against titanium, I just like the feeling of a hefty watch on my wrist. With this watch, with its steel bezel taking a lot of design cues from an Explorer 2, I don’t think I’d really go for this, but I do kind of dig the look with the case.

But this one, a classic three-hander date, SBGA021, the Lake Suwa, is something I might consider. The dial is kind of like the Omiwatari but a more navy blue ripple effect that you’re getting on the dial, which I remember seeing on my wrist and I think it wore very well.

Coming in stainless steel, it has that heft on the wrist that I really enjoy, so that’s definitely something that I’ll consider.

But you know, Japan is not all about Grand Seiko, but Grand Seiko has always been in the back of my mind. I think I have to split this into a few part series because there are a lot more watches than Grand Seiko in Japan.

Of course there’s Seiko, there’s different lines within the Seiko group – Prospex, the LX, their 5 line series, and watches that are JDM specific. So maybe we’ll explore that in another article.

Lastly, there’s other brands like Kurono Tokyo, which currently at the moment, I don’t think they have anything on sale at their salon. Probably give it a stop by there and see what they have and maybe play a little bit with their watches.

Anywho, wish me luck buying a Grand Seiko in Japan! Hope to see you all soon!