What time is it? Watches and horology

Please no one buy this watch.

Before me.

.

Is that really £5500 ?

I know; a bargain considering the level of finish, materials used, movement technology and style.

See this article for more reasons why it's a total bargain: https://www.hodinkee.com/articles/grand-seiko-spring-drive-snowflake-review

Loool.

@ejay2.0 genuinely interested to hear why you think it shouldn't cost that much? Serious question. Is it purely because of the depreciation factor?

And considerably better value than any Omega in that price bracket. Seriously, I’m looking to spend that, convince me otherwise and I’ll spend it with you.

So in the same ball park as a Rolex Non date submariner , or an Omega globemaster with the master chronometer movement .
@JB mainly the depreciation factor , but they just dont look special enough.
I've just been on the Seiko website and clicked view all and there they all are the Grand Seiko along side watches at £149 and visually on the website they don't obviously stand out as being Prestige pieces .
I cant put my finger on it.
Maybe it's the lack of heritage in comparison with the Swiss , maybe it is just ingrained snobbery .
But that watch at 5.5k doesn't inspire in the same way .

How are they better value than an equivilant priced Omega or indeed Rolex ?

In other news I finally got around to adding the Speedy to household insurance, to expedite matters I used a company called Prestige Valuations who can value over email (need photos and some other paperwork). Verified same day and accepted by the insurer, feel better for not ignoring that job anymore.

How are they better value than an equivilant priced Omega or indeed Rolex ?

Read the article i linked...

I did .

Fair enough. If they're not for you, they're not for you. I'd be interested to see if your opinion changed if you see one in the flesh (if you haven't already). They're really quite intoxicating. Yes I just used the word intoxicating to describe a watch.

This is a pretty cool vid

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Njv0M73Sv-M

So you don't think the level of labour and hand finishing or the intricacy and technology of the movement or the materials used (all of which are of higher quality / more advanced than similarly priced Rolex / Omega) deserve a similar market value?

I can live with the not liking them; taste is subjective, but even at the simplest level, the value of the piece can't be argued.

I know one of the Seiko area sales managers very well , he's the partner of one of our ex members of staff, so I have seen them regularly and I think if you were to actually compare side by side with a variety of similarly priced, different branded Swiss product you may change your opinion as well. They just aren't as special . Agree to disagree as I said way earlier.
I have to respect the way you leap to the brands defence tho, all of you.

Yet they drop like a brick in comparison with a Rolex explorer or Submariner.
Surely if you are judging value in a monetary way , you can't argue with that.

Yes, that can't be argued, but I won't be buying it to ever sell it. I mean, I have enough photos of watches on my wrist to compare them side by side. I also know how much I went 'wow' when I put it on. I have nothing against Rolex or Omega, but there's just something about GS that I like more. Then again, I am very fond of Japanese stuff generally so it appeals to me at that level too.

@JB already beat me to it but, for me, the value i get from a watch is wearing it.

Surely the argument is therefore to buy a GS second hand?

I agree , but it's nice to know something you have paid top dollar for is actually worth more than when you bought or at the very least not significantly less.
And you cannot buy an Omega in Argos.
But as I said Kudos for the brand loyalty.
And on that note I won't be drawn any further.

Serious lust for this at the moment.

I can even forgive the stupid contrast stitch on the strap.

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What I get from this discussion is buy a GS used at a much lower price, and enjoy windin ejay up......?

Stop it.

Ahh, wowzerz, all this GS talk has got me wondering what my next one is going to be again.

I work in the watch industry, been in it for over 10 years now and I'm 28 so it's really all I know. I work in a very well respected Swiss atelier so Grand Seiko are and always have been a rival by default.

I thought I'd feel a lot safer from their slow creep across Europe in the watch house I work at now, I certainly didn't feel at ease for the latter period of my previous employment at everyone's favourite watch company.

Instead of fearing thy enemy I thought I'd get to know litteraly everything about them that I could, knowledge is power etc. The culmination of this exercise ended up with me buying one so I'm not quite sure how that worked out for me.

And unfortunatly my SBGA031 does shit all over the other watches I own, some of which being a little more pricey.

Especially when I put them under the microscope (litteraly) and take them apart (also litteraly). The 16610LV suffers the worst in the asthetic catagory, it just looks flat and void of all character next to the GS, and the dial/hands are just not finished to nearly the same standard.

Anyway I'm genuinely interested in the upcoming SBGN007, although I'm also tempted to find and restore a late 70's 61GS. Would also like a vintage VFA but fuck££££££ not happening.

But... my spring drive is predicted to finish the year at +6 spy so buying a new 9F movement doesn't seem worth while, I guess?

Might be time to think about a mortgage actually.