2023 Grand Seiko Sports GMT Quartz Black SBGN003
Ref: SBGN003 (9F86-0AB0)
Specification
Lugs : 19mm
Condition : Pre-Owned
Box & Papers : Box & Papers
Case Material : Stainless Steel
Warranty : Manufacturer Warranty
Points of Mention
This watch is sold with its original Grand Seiko Box, swing tag & Paperwork. The watch comes paired with its original stainless steel Grand Seiko signed bracelet with its Grand Seiko signed clasp, all spare links included. The watch is from March 2023 and is sold in worn condition but overall very fair condition as you can see from the photographs. The watch comes with its Manufacturer's Warranty.
For more photos see here - https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1KSL9LrnBomBlGi2QFoUuh1qml1npsK10?usp=sharing
4K YouTube video, skip to 19:17 - https://youtu.be/2wNwouWt3Gw
The Watch
Here we have a 2023 Grand Seiko Sports GMT Quartz Black SBGN003, as part of their Sports Collection it has an impressively sculptured 39mm stainless steel case with exquisitely polished and brushed surfaces that curve over your wrist toward the drilled lugs, and a lug-to-lug of 45.5mm and a case thickness of 11.5mm gives the watch an impressive wrist presence. On the right side at 3 o’clock is a signed screw-down crown protected by crown guards, and a 24-hour satin-brushed steel fixed bezel with deeply engraved numerals filled in black holds a dual-domed sapphire crystal AR coated on the inside above a black dial. Applied Zaratsu polished facet-edged batons and trapezoid indexes mark the hours that play with the light as you rotate your wrist, at 3 o’clock a framed date window, an outer 24-hour chapter ring in black for the night hours and silver for the daytime hours. Elegant dauphine hands are Zaratsu polished with razor edges filled with LumiBrite, a bright orange arrow GMT hand indicates the 24-hour position, and at 12 o’clock we have the Grand Seiko motif and at 6 o’clock an orange “GMT”. On the reverse is a screw-down case back with the serial number engraved into it and a deeply embossed medallion in the centre, inside a Quartz Grand Seiko Cal. 9F86, this is a top-tiered Quartz movement, Seiko grows their own quartz crystals, and using a higher torque allows them to use these heavier GS hands, keeping their brand aesthetic intact. The watch comes fitted on its 20mm stainless steel bracelet expertly brushed and polished with a push-button released signed clasp and also comes with a Grand Seiko presentation box, swing tag and papers.
Personal Note
Dials are what Grand Seiko do well and truly go above and beyond any brand in their price bracket, anyone who has handled a Grand Seiko and louped a dial will know exactly what I am talking about, this glossy black dial works perfectly for the design. If you haven't handled a Grand Seiko yet, now is the time to book an appointment and see this incredible watch and our other Grand Seiko's in the metal and see for yourself.
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 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 "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, and in 2017 Seiko announced that Grand Seiko would become an independent brand.