“Functional beauty, understated elegance…” There’s a reason Grand Seiko watches are among the most sought after luxury watches today. Their precision, craftsmanship and sophisticated Japanese design ensure that their online reviews are consistently excellent.
The Grand Seiko brand makes a very impressive first impression, with over a hundred different watch styles in its Masterpiece, Elegance, Heritage and Sports collections. So, with so many options, how do you know which Grand Seiko watch is right for you?
Why buy a Grand Seiko watch?
When you own a Grand Seiko watch, you can rest assured that as a brand they have a long history of excellence and are recognisable for their simplicity and elegance. Since their first creation in 1960, right up until their latest 2021 collection, Grand Seiko has been the gold standard in watchmaking.
Although Grand Seiko was founded in 2016 as an independent luxury division of parent brand Seiko, it still benefits from the brand's most outstanding artisans and technologies. These technologies include Zaratsu steel finishing, which creates razor-sharp hands and indices; in-house movement manufacturing; and state-of-the-art engraving methods.
Grand Seiko prides itself on its in-house movement setup, which ranges from 9F series quartz movements to automatic mechanical engines and quartz-regulated Spring Drive technology. So when you buy a Grand Seiko watch – whether it's a Grand Seiko Snowflake, Grand Seiko Diver or Grand Seiko Elegance watch, you should be assured that you're getting value, quality and acclaim.
Grand Seiko used to arrange its collections according to movement category or "drive system" (mechanical, quartz or Spring Drive), but now has organized them into the Elegance Series, Traditional Series or Sports Series.
Nevertheless, it's useful to understand the different categories of drive systems so you can be sure what you're buying. The internal mechanism is a feature of many Grand Seiko timepieces, depending on the features you want. On our site, you can choose to refine your search by drive system if you are most concerned with the drive system.
Seiko Mechanical It is worth noting that according to Grand Seiko, "mechanical" refers to both manual and automatic. So, of the 57 mechanical watches in the Grand Seiko collection, you must also select "Specifications" and then "Movement" to determine whether you want to choose manual or automatic.
Manual Grand Seiko mechanical watches are fairly traditional; perhaps more suitable for purists. When you wind the watch, you can hear the parts moving, and the movement is fully displayed like a historical timepiece. These watches tend to be slimmer, but also more delicate, and require manual winding and time and date setting.
Automatic Grand Seiko mechanical watches (which we list as a separate category at J Farren-Price) are self-winding and driven by a spinning rotor. Automatic models are perfect if you want a traditional metal "drive system" but don't want to do the regular winding and time setting yourself.
Seiko Quartz Quartz watches actually work by using a block of quartz to regulate the time while using a battery to keep the time. Their value and advantage lies in their accuracy.
Quartz watches are generally more affordable, offer a hassle-free user experience - no winding, no time setting, and are very accurate. That being said, they don't have the same wow factor or craftsmanship as Spring Drive watches, which we'll get to below...
Grand Seiko Spring Drive These watches are a hybrid drive system that combines battery power with a mechanical movement, but the battery doesn't actually need to be replaced.
Spring Drive watches are just as durable and accurate as quartz watches, but include some nice extra details, such as the second hand that rotates around the dial in a fluid motion. They cost more because they offer a richer owning and wearing experience for watch lovers.
Collecting: Masterpiece, Elegant, Traditional or Sporty?
Grand Seiko Masterpiece The Masterpiece series is Grand Seiko's most exclusive series. These watches are inlaid with gemstones and precious metals, and the movements are handcrafted.
They are a collection of extremely beautiful watches and we are happy to introduce them to you.
For example, the SGBD207 is a stunning watch. It features 24 green garnets, 56 gemstones, 97 diamonds and a diamond-set crown. It is powered by the Spring Drive 8-day calibre 9R01, which is accurate to +/-10 seconds per month and has a power reserve of 192 hours when fully wound.
Grand Seiko Elegance The designs of the Elegance collection reflect the style of traditional Japanese dress watches, reminiscent of 1960s-style timepieces. In this collection you are most likely to find manual-winding watches as well as some watches that are more suited to ladies.
Grand Seiko Heritage The Heritage collection is arguably the “all-rounder” collection, featuring both modern dress watches and everyday sports watches. Grand Seiko Heritage dials tend to be more colorful and bold, something the brand is known for.
The SBGJ201 is a popular watch for new Grand Seiko customers. It has an elegant and attractive design with beautiful polishing. The automatic movement, dual time zone display and calendar time difference adjustment function also make it easy and convenient to operate.
Grand Seiko Sports The Sports series is becoming an increasingly popular choice among new and old Grand Seiko customers. They are an excellent choice for customers who like large dials, diving watches or sports watches in general, and although Grand Seiko is relatively new to the sports watch field, their expertise in this field is second to none.
The SBGE201 is a beautiful example of the Sports series.
It features a Spring Drive movement, which combines the high precision of a quartz watch with the power of a mainspring.
The clear sapphire glass surface brings a sense of transparency, breadth and depth to the watch, highlighting the smooth, continuous movement of the second hand movement on the black dial.
When you want to invest in a Grand Seiko watch, you can rest assured that no matter what your budget, you will get a high-quality, valuable, accurate and recognizable watch that can be used for decades.
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10.01.2025 12:01 (zuletzt bearbeitet: 10.01.2025 12:01)
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