Grand Seiko trumps Rolex Submariner 5 Reasons in 4k

Five reasons why the Grand Seiko SBGA231 titanium diver's watch is better than a Rolex Submariner:

1) More accurate - the Grand Seiko Spring Drive is amazing. Mine has gained about one second in three weeks,
2) 72 hour power reserve and 30% more efficient winding than automatic Rolex watches.
3) Titanium - a special allow that looks beautiful, is hand finished, and holds up better than Rolex stainless steel. Also more comfortable on wrist.
4) Stronger movement - the Spring Drive because of it's design is stronger than a Rolex movement and will go longer without servicing and be much more accurate.
5) More comfortable on wrist - due to the light weight titanium and the finishing of the bracelet this watch is much more comfortable than any steel Rolex.
6) Lots of hand work make this watch beautiful. The attention to detail is amazing. Rolex is a mass produced watch with little hand-work involved these days.

[arturgarncarz]

You buy Rolex to impress others. You buy GS to impress yourself.

[VTheGuerrilla]

I own several Rolexes and I will tell you that Seiko’s Spring Drive is light years ahead of anything the Swiss is doing.

[canonyeo]

Craig, the clasp is what a diver would prefer. You buy a tool for the function and after awhile you actually appreciate the bump seeing it's practicality.

[Hugh-jaynes]

I think the only reason people will knock on the Grand Seiko is because of "Seiko" being in the name; they've come to be known for cheap, though good quality, timepieces.
Regardless, I agree that this will beat out a Sub any day.

[stevepodraza]

This a beautiful watch! I’ve owned a Rolex gmt II two tone but this is better! Agreed

[canonyeo]

I own 2 pieces of this. They are a lot more comfortable than my Hulk and Batman and they are very accurate.

[andreivasileneamtu]

Awesome. This will be my next one. I am allergic to nickel and Rolex is using it for their 904L a lot. Beautiful watch and great video. Keep up the good work.

[OneTalaw]

Amazing! I’ve got to get one. Thank you.

[TheChadWork]

I agree. I'd choose the Grand Seiko over the Rolex.

[LilLarrytherd]

Now that's a superb timepiece. Excellent choice

[thewiseyoutubeman]

I prefer the grand Seiko but I think a big reason as to why this is my choice is because I'm pretty new to the grand Seiko scene in the last few years whilst the Rolex submariner has been around for absolute donkeys and has bored the hell out of me I've seen that many of them.

[woonfaseng]

the only downside with springdrive is it cannot be serviced locally in our respective countries but need to be sent back to japan to be fully service maybe once every 10 to 20 years. the time keeping part has no escapement wheel but majority of the watch remains mechanical in nature.

[nickg]

Great Review!!That's one thing Seiko seems they can't get a grip on the Clasp..

[kazzt]

I figure as more and more collectors and wis wake up to all the GS has to offer, resale value on the used market will be healthy, whether or not that matters to anyone.

[maiden]

Hi Craig, great channel and I love your reviews. I think GS are fantastic watches but would like to provide a few counter points to your opinions. Full disclosure I own a 114060 but in no way am a Rolex fanboy. I own several brands. I have also handled this watch and several other GS extensively.

1. Accuracy, not a fair comparison as the Spring Drive is a hybrid, not apples to apples. More accurate yes,

2. Power reserve, meh, nice to have but not really that special. Good if you have a watch you put down on a Friday night and don't touch again until Monday. The datejust and several Rolex watches have a 72 hour power reserve and eventually the rest will follow. Personally this wouldn't factor in my decision making, but yes nice to have.

3. Titanium, I think this is subjective, I actually prefer SS to Titanium as I find it too light. The finishing is superb however. Also not sure about the difficulty to manufacture, you can find several affordable titanium watches out there (as you can in SS as well)

4. Stronger movement...perhaps I think time will tell, I really don't know. Again its not an apples to apples comparison. As far as mechanical watches go, we know where Rolex stands. The 3155 in your 18238 will outlive you.

5. Comfort, again subjective, if you like lightweight yes. The glidelock clasp makes the Sub C extremely comfortable as well. In fact in regards to clasp and bracelet quality, to me anyway, not even close.


I think a lot of this comes down to personal preference. I prefer the look of the sub, in fact I find the GS watches to be fat and chunky. Looked hard at a snowflake and a Hi beat to be a possible 40mm work watch but too thick and bulky for me, and again wasn't thrilled with the bracelet. I'm not a fan of the GS dial, the hands are clunky, the power reserve looks unrefined. Again this is just subjective. There are many beautiful watches out there that other love that I don't and vice versa.


That being said, they are awesome watches with incredible finish. Thanks again for your content, you really speak about what you like and I always enjoy your videos. Also I own a 18238 in mint condition as well. On that we can agree, five digit version forever!

[canonyeo]

Craig, i see that most people who review watches like symmetrical and i begin to realize that it's not an obsession but OCD, a disease. And many think they are an expert if they can point out these little things.

[yangchensun]

If you only want to tell the time very accurately, a digital watch by Casio can do the job nicely. In addition, it also tells the day and date. And it goes for under 50 bucks.

The reason, IMO, for preferring to buy an analogue watch is the aesthetics. Rolex's designs are hard to beat.

[jasonamoako]

The feel of the the bezel is not as good as a Rolex plus because it's titanium it loses its shine after a while

[sktfan]

If I have the budget i will definetly buy this than the Rolex.

[RebelFan]

That appears to be a Deapsea sized watch with less than Submariner level of dive rating.