In a matter of days, the Japanese conglomerate Seiko will start selling the hybrid-powered Grand Seiko Sport Collection Spring Drive GMT Limited Edition (Ref. SBGE245G). With the luxury gadget being limited to the Japanese domestic market, it will be a bit difficult to come by if you happen to live on the other side of the globe. Yet, the device is so beautiful, so impressive that it will be worth going into all the trouble to get one.
Overall Impression
When you have decades of experience under your belt in the watch- and clockmaking, manufacturing semiconductor components and electronic equipment, as well as selling fine jewelry (check out their Wako and Cronos brands for example,) it becomes considerably hard to create a dud.
The conglomerate takes a calculated approach while designing their products: they are supposed to fit into a clearly defined niche where the list of features and exterior design is tied to a specified price and a clearly described audience. Some may consider this approach boring and lacking passion, but it’s difficult to argue that it also brings one of the best “value for money” ratios in the industry, be it something as an inexpensive Recraft or a luxury Caliber 9F (Ref. SBGX103) model.
The SBGE245G is not an exception. Priced at more than $6k at the start of production (and probably getting even more expensive after the whole batch is sold out,) it gives you in return the best timekeeping in the whole segment of luxury mechanical watches, as well as an impressive level of craftsmanship (the hand-lacquered dial alone will blow most Breitlings and Omegas right out of the water) and superb build quality.
Case & Bezel
Large (44.00 millimeters in diameter and almost 15mm from solid still back to dual-curved sapphire front) and heavy, the Spring Drive GMT will never let you forget about its presence on your wrist, especially if you are a person of average size. Yet, its thoughtfully sculpted profile and relatively short lugs allow the case to hug a wrist of a normal girth in the gentlest way possible.
Like other members of their current Sport Collection, the SBGE245G has its setting crown moved from the standard position at 3 o’clock to a more ergonomic place at 4 hours. Judging by the fact that the date window, as well as the power reserve indicator, were, too, moved 30 degrees clockwise, Seiko’s engineers simply changed the way the movement is housed within the case, nothing fancy here.
The crown, which is decorated with the traditional “GS” logo, is more convenient for those who prefer to operate the hands without taking the gadget off their wrists. I still find the crown a bit too short for my taste though. Also, a larger crown would look better with the deliberately massive, almost brutal stainless steel case.
The crown is not protected from shocks by any kind of crown guards, which is sort of unexpected for a watch that is positioned as “a sporty tool.” On the other hand, the Japanese brand probably realizes that a luxury item that costs $6000 will rarely be worn in situations that imply even a theoretical risk of mechanical damage to the timepiece, so the guys from the marketing probably chose aesthetics over practicality.
The same goes for the delicate sapphire insert inside the knurled bi-directional rotating bezel: not practical, but aesthetically pleasing while enhancing the nighttime readability of the secondary time-zone display without adding too much to the gadget’s overall cost of manufacture.
Mechanism
The SBGE245G sports Seiko’s in-house Caliber 9R66 that we have first seen in 2006. The hybrid movement offers impressive accuracy gaining or losing no more than a second per day (compare that to Rolex’s own Caliber 3186 COSC-certified GMT movement that is rated for +/- 2 seconds per day and powers a watch that is twice more expensive, also the company guarantees that average deviation will not exceed 15 seconds per month) and features an attractive (although not groundbreaking) exterior finish with guilloched, circular-grained, and machine-brushed surfaces on its components.
The mechanism’s point of attraction is not the fancy exterior, though: it is the Spring Drive technology that makes it unique.
As you can see in the picture below (courtesy of Seiko PR,) the principle of Spring Drive is deceptively simple. Instead of the traditional balance wheel (left pic), there is now a microgenerator that receives energy stored by the mainspring via the gear train (both components accordingly modified,) and converts it into an electric current that drives the quartz tuning fork resonator and the rest of the electronic circuitry.
As a result, we see a movement that gives its mechanical and quartz competitors a proverbial run for their money when it comes to accuracy and ease of maintenance (no need to replace the battery cell every couple of years, for example) respectively.
The idea is not new with the first designs first appearing in the late 1970s right after the Quartz Revolution started to take its toll on incumbent watchmakers.
However, the initial designs were cumbersome and difficult to manufacture (at least, at a price point where the general public was willing to buy such a watch) and Seiko Epson was the first conglomerate that had enough expertise both in micro-electronics and traditional watchmaking to create a hybrid drive that would simultaneously offer extraordinary timekeeping abilities, ease of service, and more or less adequate price (usually powering their Grand Seiko and Seiko Prospex, and the ultra-elegant Ananta collection of watches, it is still expensive playing in the same ballpark with brands like Omega and Breitling.)
The main visual difference between Seiko’s Spring Drive movements and pretty much any other mechanical caliber is the way the central seconds hand glides above the dial. While the seconds counter on a mechanical caliber -even a high-beat one like Zenith’s signature El Primero movements beating at a frequency of 36,000 vibrations per hour- jumps from one position to the next one in a visibly jerky way, the Spring Drive allows the pointer to move in a satisfying, fluid kind of motion.
Dial & Legibility
Grand Seiko is associated with meticulously engraved and hand-lacquered dials that, together with their traditional high-contrast color scheme, produce a mesmerizing effect on a connoisseur. This particular model, however, features a slightly less complex face. Like the brand’s earlier SBGJ021 GMT model from 2016, this specimen comes with a mahogany-red dial that features a sunburst finish under a thick layer of lacquer that gives it an illusion of depth.
The applied hour markers look a bit too brutal, but they are perfectly matched in their shape and visual “weight” to the hour and minute hands, as are patches of luminous compounds at 3, 6, 9, and 12 o’clock that, too, plays nicely with the overall “sporty” feel. The gold-colored central seconds hand together with the secondary time-zone indicator are echoed by the 24-hour scale on the inner bezel flange and, too, work well accenting the mahogany tone of the dial.
Nighttime legibility is not the strongest suit of this gadget, but I can give it at least four stars out of a possible five: not brilliant, but adequate for the task.
With its recent bunch of luxury timepieces, the Japanese watchmaker finally decided to ditch the “SEIKO” inscription in the upper part of the dial and move the “GS / Grand Seiko” combination to this dominant position, which is good: nobody wants to waste time explaining to the uninitiated how a mere Seiko may cost more than a Speedmaster.
Pricing & Availability
Being a “Japanese Domestic Market” (JDM) model, it will be *ahem* officially available only at the brand’s flagship stores, including Seiko Premium Boutiques and Seiko Premium Watch Salons across Japan starting November 2018. However, even now some online stores around the globe offer the watch for a fairly affordable -for a Grand Seiko- price of $6100. With a total of just 600 individually numbered pieces to be manufactured, the SBGE245G will probably soon become a rarity, so, if you are interested in the piece, you should make the order now. Like, RIGHT NOW.
See also: Grand Seiko 55th Anniversary Spring Drive Chronograph SBGC013
Photos: Grand Seiko
WWR Verdict
Originality 3.5/5
Build Quality: 5/5
Usability: 4.5/5
Overall Legibility: 4.5/5
Nighttime Legibility: 4/5
Value for Money: 4.5/5
Overall Rating: 4.5/5
Grand Seiko Sport Collection Spring Drive GMT SBGE245G specification
Price: $6100 (Retail)
Winding: Automatic (Spring Drive)
Movement: Caliber 9R66, antimagnetic, Made in Japan
Movement finish: Polished screw heads, diagonal stripes, beveled edges, open-worked oscillating weight with blued “GS / Grand Seiko” inscription
Number of Jewels: 30
Power Reserve: Approx. 72 hours
Accuracy: ∓1 second per day / ∓15 seconds per month (average)
Functions: Hours, minutes, central seconds, power reserve, date, two 24-hour time zones
Case: Stainless steel, polished and machine-brushed
Bezel: Steel with sapphire insert
Shape: Round
Size: 44.00 mm
Height: 14.70 mm
Dial: Mahogany-red, sunburst finish
Numerals: Arabic, luminous (on the bezel)
Hour markers: Luminous
Hands: Luminous, machine-brushed
Water resistance: 200 meters
Strap: Stainless steel bracelet and extra reinforced orange silicon strap; Three-fold clasp with push-button release
Crystal: Sapphire, antireflective coating inside, dual-curved
Back: Solid, with Grand Seiko “Lion” emblem