Grand Seiko extravaganza

[jswing]

My local Rolex AD just got Grand Seiko, so my sales associate asked me to stop by. I'd forgotten how much I like them, the dial work is amazing and I'm always mesmerized by the spring drive movements. I'm sure she was hoping I'd buy something, and I was very tempted, but the timing isn't good. I really wanted the SPGA413, and hope to get one at some point. They call the dial pink, but it looks silver to me. Anyway, a couple pics of the ones i liked best. They had 3 full cases, which was a stark contrast to the completely empty Rolex cases.



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[JP Chestnut]

GS and Rolex is a good combo for an AD. I think GS, Rolex, and Patek would be the perfect combo.

[Dynamite_Kid19]

What did you think of the divers? I haven't seen them in the metal. I like the concept but they just seem so huge.

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[rockmastermike]

Looks like a good time and those are good looking watches

[gr8sw]

sounds like they picked up GS just to have something to sell?

they all look good on you, Jeff!

[jswing]

What did you think of the divers? I haven't seen them in the metal. I like the concept but they just seem so huge.

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The divers are really nice. I've never owned one because I've never seen one in person, and the 44mm size always put me off. In reality they wear more like 42 I'd say. I have a small wrist, like 6.5" small, and it didn't feel gigantic, and the titanium one was very light. The blue dial was close to my favorite watch there, and I'm drawn to the hi-beat movement.

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[Dynamite_Kid19]

What did you think of the divers? I haven't seen them in the metal. I like the concept but they just seem so huge.

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The divers are really nice. I've never owned one because I've never seen one in person, and the 44mm size always put me off. In reality they wear more like 42 I'd say. I have a small wrist, like 6.5" small, and it didn't feel gigantic, and the titanium one was very light. The blue dial was close to my favorite watch there, and I'm drawn to the hi-beat movement.

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Yeah it didn't look like a brick on your wrist. Feel I need to try 1 out. I've had eyes for the hi beat black.

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[jswing]

sounds like they picked up GS just to have something to sell?

they all look good on you, Jeff!

Pretty much! She was telling me how stressful it is being a Rolex AD with no watches to sell, which I can imagine. They will soon have a collection of "display watches" that won't be available for sale, which she thinks will make things even worse.

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[jswing]

GS and Rolex is a good combo for an AD. I think GS, Rolex, and Patek would be the perfect combo.

That would be nice, but aren't Patek as unavailable as Rolex these days? They have a few other brands, probably their volume sellers like Tag, Tudor, and a few others.

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[OrangeSport]

I live GS. I really don’t think photos ever do the dials real justice. They are stunning.

[jswing]

Looks like a good time and those are good looking watches

It really was fun. I probably spent two hours there talking watches with the staff, they're really excited about having GS.

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[jswing]

I live GS. I really don’t think photos ever do the dials real justice. They are stunning.

You're right, they have to be seen in person. I was blown away by several of them.

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[hoppyjr]

I would imagine the case is full of GS and the dealer taking on the brand in part because of their inability to get Rolex. I definitely agree the GS fantastic brand.

[r.palace]

Love GS and my local AD is now also a GS dealer which is nice because they’re closer to me than the Seiko boutique. I can’t get on w/ the new logo no matter how nice they are, unfortunately.

As for the SA and her Rolex frustration; I’d bet the most ‘difficult’ part of the job is telling people they don’t have the watches for THEM. The cases are empty but there is no shortage of Rolex sales at the ADs.

[blkgsl]

What did you think of the divers? I haven't seen them in the metal. I like the concept but they just seem so huge.

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The divers are really nice. I've never owned one because I've never seen one in person, and the 44mm size always put me off. In reality they wear more like 42 I'd say. I have a small wrist, like 6.5" small, and it didn't feel gigantic, and the titanium one was very light. The blue dial was close to my favorite watch there, and I'm drawn to the hi-beat movement.

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I agree. Blue + GS Hi-Beat combination is hard to beat!

[HapaHapa]

Those GS look great. Can’t understand why GS isn’t more popular.

[r.palace]

Those GS look great. Can’t understand why GS isn’t more popular.

It’ll take a while before they shed the “Seiko’s a mall watch” reputation held by the general pop buying watches. To us “in the know”, they’re truly works of art. I’d say maybe another 10+ years of consistent AD sales and they’ll be a more common suggestion.

[Selym]

Those GS look great. Can’t understand why GS isn’t more popular.

It’ll take a while before they shed the “Seiko’s a mall watch” reputation held by the general pop buying watches. To us “in the know”, they’re truly works of art. I’d say maybe another 10+ years of consistent AD sales and they’ll be a more common suggestion.

I think it's for the same reasons that Honda, Nissan, and Toyota created the Acura, Infiniti, and Lexus brands.

[logan2z]

Those GS look great. Can’t understand why GS isn’t more popular.

It’ll take a while before they shed the “Seiko’s a mall watch” reputation held by the general pop buying watches. To us “in the know”, they’re truly works of art. I’d say maybe another 10+ years of consistent AD sales and they’ll be a more common suggestion.

I think it's for the same reasons that Honda, Nissan, and Toyota created the Acura, Infiniti, and Lexus brands.

Well, there's probably a reason these other companies didn't go with 'Grand Honda' or 'Grand Toyota' for their upscale brand names Leaving the name 'Seiko' in the upscale brand name makes it difficult to eliminate the association in people's minds.

[AtomicTom]

Yeah holy cow, that looked like it was a blast Jeff !

You probably could have spent even more time in there I bet.

It sounds like they have some really nice people working there
too honestly. ..So cool ! ..And so was seeing you get test drive
all of these head turners. Want to thank you for taking us
along on the trip sir !!!

[r.palace]

Those GS look great. Can’t understand why GS isn’t more popular.

It’ll take a while before they shed the “Seiko’s a mall watch” reputation held by the general pop buying watches. To us “in the know”, they’re truly works of art. I’d say maybe another 10+ years of consistent AD sales and they’ll be a more common suggestion.

I think it's for the same reasons that Honda, Nissan, and Toyota created the Acura, Infiniti, and Lexus brands.

Well, there's probably a reason these other companies didn't go with 'Grand Honda' or 'Grand Toyota' for their upscale brand names Leaving the name 'Seiko' in the upscale brand name makes it difficult to eliminate the association in people's minds.

Agreed. They should’ve stuck w/ Seiko and Credor as their sole luxury brand.

[spring-diver]

Very cool Jeff!

I remember when GS was first released at Feldmar Watches in Santa Monica. I easily spent 90 minutes trying on different models and talking to the staff.

[JP Chestnut]

Those GS look great. Can’t understand why GS isn’t more popular.

Limited availability, a decent number are huge and/or ugly, and a lot are genuinely expensive.

[aikiman44]

They all look good to me. But in a GS fan

[Mr_Pacman]

I've got the blue dial "Superman" (your 7th picture from the top) and wear it almost every day. Great size, fits well and flies under the radar. The sunburst blue dial is cool as the sunburst starts at the GS logo and not at the center like most others.
There is a dealer right across the street from my office so I go there whenever they get new stock in. Unfortunately, they don't give any discounts at all. In Canada, Seiko is getting strict on discounting. GS is non existent for discounts in my city. Regular Seiko you can still get them but they are getting strict on the more expensive models like the MM300. There is still a rogue dealer in town that will give 40% off on a MM300 but I suspect those days are limited.