Post by carl on Sept 23, 2016 21:18:22 GMT -6
At first glance, this seems a fairly austere piece. And, at 42mm with a thickness of almost 13mm, one might think it a "clunker". Months ago, when I saw the first photos online, that's kind of how I thought. Except, of course, I had been kind of waiting for Grand Seiko to come out with a couple more No Date models. They only had one until now, a manually wound movement and pretty much sold out everywhere.
After a few months of observation, I found it to be neither plain nor simple. But I was still a bit skeptical of the size. After a while, though, I realized through reading the reviews that it would likely fit about the same as my 40mm Hi-Beat. And I was correct, although this does feel a bit chunkier.
This is a first for me. Buying a new watch without having first seen it in real life. Grand Seiko, and Timeless, are the only brand and AD that I was willing to go with in this case. And, as this is a Limited Edition of only 500, I know that I will never get one here in Canada.
With this case design, there are also two full production models: one with a silver dial/blued second hand, and one with a black dial. This one almost looks black in a lot of light, and I already have what I consider to be the most beautiful black dial piece, and also a wonderful champagne dial piece as well. And the blue dial is the only one that is a limited edition piece. Surprisingly, it costs no more than the other two models, I would have thought this model commands a premium.
So this is Grand Seiko's 55th Anniversary debut of their new No Date automatic movement, the 9S61. The automatic with date function is designated 9S65. Also the introduction of a slightly larger case, at 42mm. I love this for showcasing the extraordinary dial, the symmetry adds to the beauty. Also, the absence of any black text or markers, only the beautiful silver markers, hands, text and applied logos. The lug width is 21mm and the bracelet tapers slightly to 19mm at the clasp. I think they were wise to go with the 3-link brushed bracelet, it blends well with the brushed top on the case, and also the finish on the markers and hands.
I'm not going into any more detail (or endless banter) right now, as the very best, IMO, review on this watch has already been done by Brett at Timeless on the Review forum:
wristwatchforums.proboards.com/thread/13105/grand-seiko-sbgr097-review
I would encourage anyone to read it. Not only for info on this particular watch, but some excellent insight into what makes an automatic watch tick. Literally. Extremely well written.
Thought I would take the while at work today, while still daylight, to get my first shots. This is the watch straight out of the box, so some of the pics are rather "linty".
Beautiful, deep blue dial. Finest I have seen. Incredible depth. Not a hint of the subtle, repeating GS texture on the dial
though. Matter of fact, all of us at work tried to be able to see this texture to no avail. It appears only in the brightest light apparently. Nevertheless, even without it being apparent constantly, I just love this dial:
Here we see a hint of the repeating logo. I could not see it, though, with my eyes, only in the photo:
These shots give a good idea of how it sizes on my 7.5in wrist. Just perfect. I just love it! I never thought I would say that about a watch this size:
Looks black, or almost black in many lights, and I really like that:
I just love this watch. For some reason, the heft seems to suit it very well. I could live quite nicely without the sapphire case back, but it really is done beautifully well, and especially showcasing the new movement, I find it more than appropriate. The Zaratsu polishing, as usual, is amazing. The top of the case is brushed, and the lower two surfaces are polished. Everything on the dial is in perfect proportion, the hands, the markers, the text and logos. And it sparkles like a jewel. I absolutely love it. I never thought that I would say that about a watch of this size, but all I can say is that everything just works.
Last, but not least, many sincere thanks to Dan at Timeless for organizing this. Without him letting me trade my watches, I never would have been able to get this one. Or any other limited edition Grand Seiko model for that matter. And thanks, Dan, for reading my endless emails and putting up with my phone calls. It makes owning this lovely piece even more special.
Cheers,
Carl
After a few months of observation, I found it to be neither plain nor simple. But I was still a bit skeptical of the size. After a while, though, I realized through reading the reviews that it would likely fit about the same as my 40mm Hi-Beat. And I was correct, although this does feel a bit chunkier.
This is a first for me. Buying a new watch without having first seen it in real life. Grand Seiko, and Timeless, are the only brand and AD that I was willing to go with in this case. And, as this is a Limited Edition of only 500, I know that I will never get one here in Canada.
With this case design, there are also two full production models: one with a silver dial/blued second hand, and one with a black dial. This one almost looks black in a lot of light, and I already have what I consider to be the most beautiful black dial piece, and also a wonderful champagne dial piece as well. And the blue dial is the only one that is a limited edition piece. Surprisingly, it costs no more than the other two models, I would have thought this model commands a premium.
So this is Grand Seiko's 55th Anniversary debut of their new No Date automatic movement, the 9S61. The automatic with date function is designated 9S65. Also the introduction of a slightly larger case, at 42mm. I love this for showcasing the extraordinary dial, the symmetry adds to the beauty. Also, the absence of any black text or markers, only the beautiful silver markers, hands, text and applied logos. The lug width is 21mm and the bracelet tapers slightly to 19mm at the clasp. I think they were wise to go with the 3-link brushed bracelet, it blends well with the brushed top on the case, and also the finish on the markers and hands.
I'm not going into any more detail (or endless banter) right now, as the very best, IMO, review on this watch has already been done by Brett at Timeless on the Review forum:
wristwatchforums.proboards.com/thread/13105/grand-seiko-sbgr097-review
I would encourage anyone to read it. Not only for info on this particular watch, but some excellent insight into what makes an automatic watch tick. Literally. Extremely well written.
Thought I would take the while at work today, while still daylight, to get my first shots. This is the watch straight out of the box, so some of the pics are rather "linty".
Beautiful, deep blue dial. Finest I have seen. Incredible depth. Not a hint of the subtle, repeating GS texture on the dial
though. Matter of fact, all of us at work tried to be able to see this texture to no avail. It appears only in the brightest light apparently. Nevertheless, even without it being apparent constantly, I just love this dial:
Here we see a hint of the repeating logo. I could not see it, though, with my eyes, only in the photo:
These shots give a good idea of how it sizes on my 7.5in wrist. Just perfect. I just love it! I never thought I would say that about a watch this size:
Looks black, or almost black in many lights, and I really like that:
I just love this watch. For some reason, the heft seems to suit it very well. I could live quite nicely without the sapphire case back, but it really is done beautifully well, and especially showcasing the new movement, I find it more than appropriate. The Zaratsu polishing, as usual, is amazing. The top of the case is brushed, and the lower two surfaces are polished. Everything on the dial is in perfect proportion, the hands, the markers, the text and logos. And it sparkles like a jewel. I absolutely love it. I never thought that I would say that about a watch of this size, but all I can say is that everything just works.
Last, but not least, many sincere thanks to Dan at Timeless for organizing this. Without him letting me trade my watches, I never would have been able to get this one. Or any other limited edition Grand Seiko model for that matter. And thanks, Dan, for reading my endless emails and putting up with my phone calls. It makes owning this lovely piece even more special.
Cheers,
Carl