Grand Seikos are the pride of many Japanese where timepieces are concerned and in line with their culture, it therefore has to meet their very high standards
Not many watches in its price range or even more can impress, up to this level of scrutiny...
Presenting the highlights of the Grand Seiko SBGW047J...
GS hour, minute and second hands are precisely proportioned. The minute and second hands run almost to the perimeter of the dial, something not easy to do given the need to counterbalance the weight of the hands from the centre spindle. The end of the hour hand just meets the inner end of the 12 hour indices when it meets.
The play between the polished and brushed surfaces makes the watch sparkle in the light and the edges are so precise. The polished parts are Zaratsu polished, a traditional way of hand polishing.
The detail of GS crowns are the most finely finished I have ever seen on watches below RM 50K. Its the attention to fine details that the Japanese place utmost importance on. Westerners are more artistic. Japanese concentrate on micro-details in terms of purity and simplicity- the spirit of Zen
Another example reflecting the different approach is the food presentation of Western fine cuisine and Japanese fine dining.
A close-up look at the crown signature with its fine inscribed details
The hour and minute hands are brushed in the centre and polished on the sides..
My white gold JLC that costs a lot more has hands that are brushed on 1 side and polished on the other. The GS way is much more difficult to execute precisely.
The tip of the minute hand similarly meets the inner end of the minute markers on the dial.
The second hand is made slightly longer then the minute hand, which is obviously much longer than the hour hand.
The most minute of details are taken care of in a GS. You do not see such detail in most of the other brands in the same range.
The minute indices are diamond multi-faceted cut and they sparkle with a twist of your wrist in the light.
