2020 Grand Seiko Heritage Brown Dial Limited SBGR311
Ref: SBGR311 (9S68-00C0)
Specification
Lugs : 21mm
Condition : Pre-Owned
Box & Papers : Box & Papers
Case Material : Stainless Steel
Warranty : 12-Months Warranty
Points of Mention
This watch is sold with its original Grand Seiko Box and paperwork. It comes paired with its original 21mm stainless steel Grand Seiko signed bracelet with its Grand Seiko signed clasp, all spare links included. The watch is from July 2020 and is sold in worn and enjoyed condition, as you can see. A full case and bracelet refurb can be provided at an additional cost on request. The watch comes with our 12-Months Warranty.
For more photos see here - https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1G2iZ0pRYVJ4lh3wamfddEErLZrfxUrCq?usp=drive_link
4K YouTube video, skip to 4:44 - https://youtu.be/-LySNlvArqQ
The Watch
Here we have a curvaceous 2020 Grand Seiko Heritage Brown Dial SBGR311 Limited 0985/1300 pieces, nicknamed the “Cookie Monster” due to the rich dark brown dial, part of the Heritage range it celebrates its 20th Anniversary of the 9S movement since 1998. The 42mm stainless steel is expertly Zaratsu-polished by a true craftsman, the case gently curves over your wrist, tapering at the drilled lugs with a lug-to-lug length of 47mm and a case thickness of 13mm, giving the watch a striking and impressive wrist presence. On the right side is a recessed screw-down signed crown. A polished, sloping smooth bezel holds a sapphire crystal AR coated on the inside above a dynamic dark brown dial. This dial has the letters of Grand Seiko and the symbol of the Daini Seikosha factory (known today as Seiko Instruments Inc.) in an interesting spiral engraved pattern. The outer minute track has applied Zaratsu-polished batons with crisp chamfered edges that catch the light as you rotate your wrist. At 3 o’clock, we have a framed date window. Elegant dauphine hands have Zaratsu-polished razor edges complemented by a sweeping gold second hand. At 12 o’clock, you find the “GS” motif in gold with Grand Seiko underneath; at 6 o’clock “, Automatic” is precisely printed. On the reverse, a screw-down exhibition case back with the details of the watch inscribed around the edge, with the number 0985/1,300 and the Grand Seiko medallion in the centre in gold. Inside an automatic Grand Seiko Cal. 9S68, 35 jewels, 28,800 beats per hour, this 8-beat movement has incredible accuracy and an impressive 72-hour power reserve; the movement has been adjusted to six positions and temperatures at the factory, finished with attractive Cotes de Geneve decoration; the movement has been developed with Micro Electro Mechanical Systems (MEMS) Technology where precise components are produced using advanced semiconductor manufacturing. The watch comes fitted on a Grand Seiko 21mm 3-link stainless steel bracelet and signed folding clasp with polished and brushed finishing; all links are provided, and it comes with its Grand Seiko presentation box and papers.
Personal Note
Grand Seiko are known for their finishing and dials, I have been fortunate to have handled many and sold many over the years, but still, they catch me off guard and blow me away. This is exactly what this limited edition brown dial "Cookie Monster", reference SBGR311, has done. The dial is mesmerising and dynamic and looks truly incredible as it plays with the light, it also has an impressive wrist presence at 42mm, allowing for even more dial to be present and the clear star of the show. Do not hesitate to add this impressive reference to your collection today!
The Brand
The first Grand Seiko debuted in Tokyo in 1960. The reference 3180 was made by Suwa Seikosha. Rather than sending its 25 Jewels Chronometer movement to the Swiss to be tested, Seiko decided to do the testing themselves. The European Chronometer Official Association believed that a chronometer-rated watch had to be independently tested to be awarded that designation. Seiko watches were not independently tested so therefore, they could not be chronometers. The ECOA did what irritated watchmakers do: they wrote a stern letter to Seiko requesting that the designation of Chronometer on Grand and King Seiko watches stop. Seiko obliged and ceased using the "Chronometer" on their watches. In response, the Japanese Chronometer Authorization Association was started in 1968 as an independent group to test timepieces to chronometer standards. The Association was short-lived: due to the rise of quartz watches, it closed in 1983. Today, Grand Seiko movements are tested over 17 days in 6 positions compared to COSC testing over 15 days in 5 positions. In 1985, Suwa Seikosha became Seiko Epson Corporation. In 2017, Seiko announced that Grand Seiko would become an independent brand.