Mind you the GS is pretty similar in style to the Tudor BB41 I just bought. Seem to always go for dark dialled 3 handers. Maybe it’s time for a light dial!

I’d have a Grand Seiko over a Rolex any day of the week, Spring Drive especially EXCEPT for that power reserve indication. I think it’s a really odd design choice to just plonk it on the dial like that with no thought to making the radius of it match and line up with any of the other circular elements.

Lovely GS there, and much cooler than an OP.

Rolex are high quality and iconic, but they seem to have become a watch to wear if you want to ‘flex’ rather than enjoy their horological merits.

I’d (sadly) be much more excited to see someone wearing a nice Ulysse Nardin (among the tacky tat), JLC, GS or H Moser.

Of course, now its been spoken about this thread needs a Snowflake pic:

Ti, duel curved Sapphire, Spring drive – Lovely.    My desire is mixed with the fact I don’t have a GMT in my collection, so I’m leaning toward something like this ref SBGJ211:

Although it feels a bit busier than the Snowflake, of which I prefer the cleaner look.

Grand Seiko you say? This is the one for me, SBGH267.
Filth.

brads – thank you for pointing out the error of my ways.

CountZero – I wish it was made up but it’s part of the NHS bare below the elbow policy. They have previously turned a blind eye to wrist watches but not anymore due to covid😡

I have tried just putting my watch in my pocket but it’s bloody uncomfortable and visually looks odd due to the fixed shape strap. I will click and collect a cheap one and just cut the strap off.

Grand Seiko you say? This is the one for me, SBGH267.

I have an eye on a dark face also, SBGJ213:

The two GMT’s are £7k watches though, ouch.

diz, I suspect for that usage, I’d either get a cheap Casio digital thing.
They keep good time, are cheap and you won’t mind if you lose one or 2!

I looked at loads of GS’s but most were 41mm. The one I bought is 39m which I preferred.
It also made it a grand cheaper lol.
Same movement , bracelet and clasp, but slightly smaller case, £1k off lol lucky for me.

I have plenty auto watches so the spring drive was what I wanted, its so clever, and that sweep !! oof.

Vacheron Constantin overseas next I think but not this year .

The white GMT is a stunner

Actually look at the dial detail on the one @lunge posted! That’s now to the top of the list!

Got a JLC this year, hardly use it now, I still love it

Which one do you have @kilo ?

It’s a Master Ultra Thin Moon @

Jlc

The thunderbird is this

@Kato thats a 20th anniversary special, get saving: https://www.chrono24.co.uk/seiko/grand-seiko-sbgh267-hi-beat-36000-20th-anniversary-edition–id16620685.htm.

My current favourite dial on a GS is the cherry blossom, looks amazing.

Similar from Citizen f you’re interested in unique dials and traditional methods of watchmaking:

The Chronomaster. https://www.seiyajapan.com/products/the-citizen-eco-drive-aq4020-54y-japanese-traditional-paper-dial-made-in-japan.

The back story & manufacturing of this watch is frankly fascinating, enjoy: https://deployant.com/review-enter-the-dragon-the-citizen-aq-4020-54y-best-quartz-watch-in-the-world/

I like my G-Shocks and just ordered this. Think Merak has a custom with the negative display (looks better imo) and Derek has this model. Reduced from £450 to £337.50, so took a punt

Please tell me £37.50 is a mistake….

Yes, it was….

Cheap awesomness.

Or even cooler for a couple of hundred. Automatic as well.

Followed the link to the Deployant website in Krytons post above and came across this – suppose it should be pretty nice for $307,500 but check out the works!

https://deployant.com/f-berthoud-chronometre-fb-2re-the-epic-new-watch-with-a-fusee-chain-and-remontoir-degalite-our-hands-on-review/

Wow love that @Bullet.  I’ve learned something new there, I didn’t know about fusee chains before.  A watch with a tiny bicycle chain, how very awesome.

Anything similar to a Tag Heuer Monaco Gulf or similar squareish watches?
It’s my current favourite, but the £5k RRP is a little off putting. Any homages out there?

Those Grand Seiko’s are lovely – massive fan of the black dialled versions. The movement is incredibly smooth ‘in the metal’. Love em.

The problem with Rolex though is that you’ll never be quite ‘there’ until you get one. That’s the draw of Rolex. It’s the watch that you’ll always be slightly curious about. Always eyeing up. Always stopping when you walk past the AD to see whats in the window. Always checking Chrono24 for prices. It’ll always be ‘the one that got away’.

Good luck 😉

Whilst I don’t doubt the exceptional build quality and craftsmanship of the Grand Seiko, I just cant get my head passed the fact its the same brand that I have in my seiko 5 auto that cost me £40 30 years ago. It just doesn’t have that intangible allure that an Omega or Rolex might have.

The problem with Rolex though is that you’ll never be quite ‘there’ until you get one. That’s the draw of Rolex. It’s the watch that you’ll always be slightly curious about.

Nah, for me they’re too obvious. Like in James Bond when he gets asked ‘Nice watch, is it a Rolex?’ it’s just what everyone who has a chunk of disposable income and wants a watch plumps for without really thinking about it. In that price bracket I’d get an Omega, (though they are skirting close to the obvious choice) or a Grand Seiko every time.

I recently purchased a Breitling Avenger Seawolf 2 with the Pro Diver strap and Cobra yellow face and went to have the deployant strap adjusted and the jewelers I went are Rolex dealers and I did enquire about buying a GMT Submariner as I was looking at some second hand.
Apparently the new model is out now but the waiting list is very long and I was advised if I bought another model of Rolex it would put me in a better position in the waiting list. But why would I buy say a Datejust model just to bump up the queue? This is sadly the way a lot of Rolex dealers work and trying to buy the actual watch you want is a minefield and they push you to buy something else to get the watch you want. I overheard another customer trying purchase a £25k watch and he was having the same issues and was politely pushed towards another very very expensive model until the watch he actually wanted became available.

What’s the odds? I pre-ordered an Alkin Model 2 back in the spring and a Vostok in October. THe postie brought both today.

I like both of those. 👍

earl_brutus
Full Member
Whilst I don’t doubt the exceptional build quality and craftsmanship of the Grand Seiko, I just cant get my head passed the fact its the same brand that I have in my seiko 5 auto that cost me £40 30 years ago. It just doesn’t have that intangible allure that an Omega or Rolex might have.

I assume you didn’t see the post about the £300,000 Seiko in the “what kids watch?“ thread!?

Whilst I don’t doubt the exceptional build quality and craftsmanship of the Grand Seiko, I just cant get my head passed the fact its the same brand that I have in my seiko 5 auto that cost me £40 30 years ago. It just doesn’t have that intangible allure that an Omega or Rolex might have.

I was discussing this with my son last night but in the context of Fender vs Squire, Gibson vs Epiphone, Bentley vs Seat etc….

Whilst I don’t doubt the exceptional build quality and craftsmanship of the Grand Seiko, I just cant get my head passed the fact its the same brand that I have in my seiko 5 auto that cost me £40 30 years ago. It just doesn’t have that intangible allure that an Omega or Rolex might have.

Unless you are a watch person.
I picked the GS up and had it sized, it really is a stunning watch, right up their with the best I’ve worn, and easily on par with Rolex.
I didn’t even consider an Omega when I was looking.

The problem is getting your watch knowledge from instagram lol. (no insult intended btw).

The Spring Drive is about as far from a Seiko 5 as it’s possible to get.

I have a GS springdrive. I love it. Although some days the electronic wizardry in it diminishes my love of it. I hark after a fully mechanical watch now. The thread title sums it up for me.

@irc

Verdict on the the Alkin? I’ve had two Model 1’s but flipped them both

Model 2 verdict? Early days but I like it.I don’t have any other divers of that compressor case style so it is different. The bracelet is good quality. Sized by taking out 1 link in 2 minutes as it is screw pins. 6 micro adjust holes.

Higher end movement than anything else I have – Miyota 9039

Saphire glass.

Good design features. Drilled lugs for easy strap changes. The hour indice markers on the face are actually holes cut on the upper dial which look black as they expose the black lower dial.

Both crowns are easy to operate and screw down easily without any issue catching the thread.

Nice legible design. I do shifts in a car an have found a couple of my watches can’t always be read at a glance in bad light. I would expect no issue with the Alkin.

Supporting a UK designer.

Happy with the build quality and specs for the price. Probably down to whether you like the look.

https://www.beansandbezels.com/reviews/alkin-model-two-watch-review/

^
I’ve never heard of Alkin but that ticks all my boxes for an understated tool/field watch.
👍

I did enquire about buying a GMT Submariner as I was looking at some second hand.
Apparently the new model is out now but the waiting list is very long and I was advised if I bought another model of Rolex it would put me in a better position in the waiting list. But why would I buy say a Datejust model just to bump up the queue? This is sadly the way a lot of Rolex dealers work and trying to buy the actual watch you want is a minefield and they push you to buy something else to get the watch you want. I overheard another customer trying purchase a £25k watch and he was having the same issues and was politely pushed towards another very very expensive model until the watch he actually wanted became available.

There is no ‘waiting’ list. The in demand models go to Watchfinder the best customers first, so when a GMT for example comes in the store manager will have an ‘expression of interest’ list for that model prioritised by spending history. Time spent on the list is of little consideration

You can buy a new GMT tomorrow at a vastly inflated price and there’s no shortage of them, you just have to accept that its what they’re worth in a free market.

The current alternative is buy whatever Rolex the AD can offer, some jewellery for the Mrs and maybe Tag Heuer at RRP while you’re there. Return in a few months and buy a Breitling, mention the GMT while at it, then return and buy something else and repeat. By the time they do have one for you you’ll have sold all those unwanted watches you bought and hopefully lost no more than the five or six grand extra you’d have to have stumped up last year when you first wanted the GMT.

Model 2 verdict?

After first 24hr on wrist – running around 4s a day slow. Very comfortable on the wrist. Very legible during a nightshift in the car. I’m happy with it.

How about a G-Shock for £6,500?