My Dream Grand Seiko Is A Nightmare | Spring Drive GMT SBGE257

Spring Drive GMT SBGE257 Grand Seiko, a standout from Seiko's Sport Collection. Follow my journey inspired by a trip to the Seiko Museum in Ginza, Tokyo, where the dedication behind these timepieces left a lasting impression. This video takes a storytelling approach, offering insights rather than a typical review. Find out why my joy at receiving suck a beautiful watch quickly turned into a nightmare.

Join this channel to get access to perks:

Disclosures:

[kendallwi]

Man buys watch he's never tried on and complains about the fit afterwards. 🙄

[BarrieShapiro]

I have had this same problem that you demonstrate in your video with two of my watches and I finally figured out how to resolve it. It is extremely important that the buckle is centered exactly on the flat of the underside of the wrist. If not, the watch will not stay in ideal position and will move around as you wear it as the buckle seeks centering trough your movements. This is especially prevalent with taller and heavier watches. The solution is to make the 6 o'clock side shorter than the 12 o'clock side until the buckle sits absolutely flat on the underside of the wrist. Assuming that the fit of the bracelet is correct, swap links, one at a time, from the shorter 6 o'clock side to the longer 12 o'clock side. As you swap links, use the micro adjustment of the buckle to make sure you have an exact fit and then try to see if the problem is resolved while wearing the watch for awhile as you go through normal movements. This process will be different for all watches and depends on the length of the buckle and links. Once you achieve the proper ratio between the short and long sides, the watch will not move around and it will stay in your ideal position.

[darrenlemaistre]

At the end of the day it’s a very personal thing. In my opinion you should always try on a watch before buying.
As for people saying seiko or grand seiko is just seiko ….
Not really sure they know what they are talking about.
A lot of people seem to have opinions but not very well informed ones.
Too much watch snobbery on Swiss brands I feel…Most Swiss brands are great but Grand Seiko is in my opinion GREAT too.

[richardcyr]

I have a SBGJ255G in titanium. 44GS case. Extremely comfortable! I was super precious about scratches at first, but then I read a story about a man who wore his Rolex every single day for about 50 years. He loved the watch and wore it! That’s what a nice watch is for!

[markwheeler]

The first moral of this sad story is always try on a watch, especially if you've never really worn one before and the second lesson is that sometimes man maths can be painful. Let's hope the next GS is more to your liking. Fingers crossed.

[wilfredkoopman]

I don’t agree about what you say about the watch. Mine wears perfectly fine and I would recommend it!

[AXrazor]

I would never buy a watch with the expectation of a great return value. For me, it would just feel like I bought it as an investment not because I liked it and wanted it. Great watch though, I love Grand Seiko.

[JRB-lo]

I sold a troublesome Batman and bought one of these with the profit. It fits me like a glove, it's accurate and flies under the radar a bit. Best of all, its not a Rolex!

[christyanthonypillai]

I've got this watch for my boys 1st birthday to pass on to him on his 18th birthday. It is Top heavy on the bracelet but i found the solution in swapping out the bracelet for a rubber strap and it fits like a glove now. Its a fantastic watch!

[deanvanlaarhoven]

If you think five and $6, 000 is too much for a spring drive, then you simply do not understand and appreciate what it is. The new 9RA2 is beyond amazing as well!!!

[gtcih]

I’ve got many Seikos. Their movements are workhorses and usually are way more accurate than their specs. I have vintage 6309s and 7626 divers that run less than 5 seconds per day with a beat error close to 0.0. I had to regulate them, but the potential definitely there.

[darrenlemaistre]

My grand seiko fits perfectly and it’s really comfortable. Have not got a clue what the dude is on about .
The polishing still looks fantastic after a year of use .

[knivesandstuff]

my Grand Seiko is 2 years old now.. and while i dont use it hard or heavily, its got nothing near that level of scratching, but i agree. i think you need to baby it to keep it pristine. but its hard to notice the tiny scratches it does have in normal use. the shine overshadows them

[martinkaplan]

I get it! For me, after beauty and quality, it’s all about fit and comfort.

[Number_]

Thanks for sharing your experience. I have a Grand Seiko SGBW231 (paid full retail at $4300) and I know I would lose at least $1k if I sell. I have had it for years now, still love it and so if I did sell, I look at that loss as the cost of enjoying it for years. It sucks when you know immediately it wasn't the right watch for you. But your willingness to share helps us all!

[jeanlefranc]

The GMT 9F SBGN003 is a truly cracking watch. Perfect for the smaller wrist, beats the claimed accuracy of 10 seconds per year and flies under the radar when you don’t want to draw attention on your wrist gear.

[manueljnegrete]

Man! 15 minutes of negativity? I bought a Longines Big Eye a couple years ago and it just didn't wear well for me so I traded it and moved on.

[andrel.]

Thank you for sharing your views. I've always heard people saying GS is not the most comfortable watch, but I have yet to see a good explanation. Today I finally know the reason.

[gorillaofjohn]

sorry to hear that. I think this has also happened to a good portion of us here.
It is part of the journey and we learn.
And yes, the watch market has slowed down significantly and you are right to say that postings hardly get a sniff in nowadays.
The market really was red hot from the tail end of COVID, rose further through 2021 and peaked at 2022.
Theres a sharp drop this year.

[PocketWatchTime]

Great review Sam. Enjoyed the story… sorry for the hit to the wallet.