Summer Side-By-Side Initial Review of the Grand Seiko SBGV245

I will be starting out the Summer Side-By-Side review with the Grand Seiko SBGV245 9F quartz watch.  This watch was my first journey into the world of Grand Seiko as well as my first high-end quartz watch.  

I have owned quartz watches before this, but they were always disposable items that I treated like an old lawn mower. They worked, but I was not interested in viewing them as anything other than a device that told the time. Because I was unable to create an emotional connection to them, I ended up resenting them as electronics that took up space on my wrist that should have been occupied by a nice mechanical watch.

Quartz watches, like the one pictured above, lack the beating heart that makes a mechanical watch an emotional machine, and it is this emotion that drivers lovers of mechanical watches, not reason. If we we to use our reason alone, then we would not own a watch at all, instead, we would rely on our cellphones or computers.

The reason we spend our hard earned money on mechanical watches is the emotions they bring up in us. We want the jolt of joy we get from looking at our wrist and seeing this machine we have grown an emotional connection to smiling up at us as it tells us the time. I felt the same for most of my life, and this unexamined feeling would keep me from exploring quartz watches as serious players for my wrist for years.

Unfortunately for the lovers of mechanical watches, the majority of people did not care about the emotional aspects of buying a watch and took to the quartz watch enthusiastically. The reduced cost and timekeeping accuracy were enough to convince most consumers that quartz watches were leaps and bounds ahead of what was being offered in the world of mechanical watches. As many know, this lead to the “Quartz Crisis” in Switzerland that almost threw down the entire mechanical watch industry.

Yes, mechanical watch manufacturers eventually changed the narrative they used to sell their watches; shifting peoples perspective away from seeing them as mere tools to viewing them as status symbols for those of discerning tastes and financial means. Turning them into objects that could be desired for what they said about the owner, not just how they told the time. But, they have not been able to kill the quartz watch…

My view on quartz changed when I read some online reviews a few months ago. I clicked on a review for the Grand Seiko SBGV245 and felt an attraction I had never felt towards a quartz watch. By the time I was done reading the article I knew I wanted to try it. It was so simple in design and so beautifully executed, and I found it difficult to hold the idea that quartz watches were inferior to mechanical while looking at the pictures and weighing its capabilities.

Everything I read emphasize the watches ability to survive the tasks of living an active life. Furthermore, every review outlined how it possessed all the luxury and manufacturing know how of some of the most refined mechanical watches available. The fact that it came with a quartz movement seemed to detract nothing from what those who owned or wore the watch thought of it. In fact, all were very proud to announce the quality a precision in the manufacturing of its quartz movement.

Every part of the quartz movement was made in-house; from the growing and testing of the quartz crystals and the manufacturing of all the components, to its hand assembly by two Grand Seiko craftsmen. Nothing was done outside of the direct control of Grand Seiko. How many manufacturers can say they have this capacity?

The SBGV245 came with the praised Zaratsu polishing as well as one of the beautiful dials that Grand Seiko is known for. On top of all this, it is guaranteed to only deviate +/- 10 seconds a year! In short, it has everything that a high end watch is supposed to have while being powered by a quartz movement. So, I put my thoughts of quartz watches aside and I bought one sight unseen.

I wore it for a month straight after receiving it and I believe that it is more than capable of being a great “only watch” for almost anyone.  It works well with a suit on the OEM bracelet and it looks great on the top of a mountain on the supplied canvas strap.  It is beautiful and unassuming, and it does its job expertly.  It is still keeping perfect time since I set it on April 1st (today is the 24th of May).  I love the Zaratsu polishing and the dial is really enjoyable to look at.  The horizontal brush lines and expertly polished hands and hour markers get me every time.

I found I really appreciate the closed case back with the Lion logo more than I would have thought. It is very comfortable and does not stick to my wrist when I sweat like some sapphire case backs do. It is so well executed that I find myself looking at it more than I did my Omega with the open case back.

I have found that it works really well when hiking, running, working out, getting dirty, exploring old mines, and sitting at my computer doing schoolwork or watch reporting.  It is light and sits well on my wrist while still allowing for full movement of my hand during various activities like yoga and climbing.

It is easy to tell the time at a glance no matter the lighting outside and the illumination on the hands stays bright throughout the night; I have yet to have a problem reading the time at four in the morning due to the lume not holding a charge.

I really like the canvas strap. It is well made and the deployant buckle is just fantastic. The Grand Seiko Lion engraved on the strap keeper is a touch that really shows how well Grand Seiko pays attention to the details. I appreciate how the strap is designed so the tail end is directed towards my thumb instead of the back side of my wrist. This reduces the chance that the watch will get caught on my gear or on trees and other things as I hike.

The stand out feature of the strap, though, is the lining. It is not leather, which is really easy to destroy in wet, sweaty, or dirty environments, but a type synthetic material that is waterproof and comfortable. I hate nylon or canvas straps with leather lining, they give a false impression of durability as they fall apart. It is like having a Lamborghini with a four cylinder engine; all of the looks but none of the performance.

I have had nylon straps before that had leather linings and they were basically useless outside an air-conditioned building. The leather would start to peel and the whole strap would be unwearable after a few months. One things that is worth noting about this strap is that I did have to punch another hole in it so that it was comfortable to wear. I have had to do it on most of the straps I have owned, so this isn’t a trait unique to this watch. I wish that there was a way to custom order straps with custom punched hole locations. Maybe someday this will be something that brands offer. 

The bracelet it came with is beautiful as well. It has Oyster-style brushed links with a push button and fold-over clasp. Unfortunately, it does not possess any micro-adjustments and I have not been able to get the bracelet to fit quite right. It is either loose or tight, and I am forced to wear it loose since I can’t stand bracelets that are too tight. Because of this, it flops around on my wrist when I hike, run, or do any other activity that requires lots of wrist movement.

After wearing the watch on the bracelet for a while, I found that I love the way it looks but do not feel confident wearing it outside of the house .  If I worked at a desk I wouldn’t think twice about it, but in the mountains it doesn’t seem up to the task of surviving a bad fall or getting stuck on gear or trees.  The clasp feels to be particularly weak, and I worry that it will fail if it gets knocked around too much or if it gets dirt in it.

There are a few points that have changed mindset towards this watch since I first started wearing it.  First, the beauty of the watch is causing me some difficulties when taking it outside.  I find that I am afraid to do anything while wearing it for fear of scratching the polishing, not because it isn’t capable.

The lack of a timing bezel is noticeable when hiking. I usually time all my hikes so I can track time and distance in case of bad weather or injuries. I normally do not hike with my phone in my pocket since I do not like technology on the trail, so the timing bezel really is a useful tool to have. 

I like this watch a lot, but right now it seems that it is not quite suitable for what I need. It is too dressy, and I can’t quite adjust to it.  Time will tell, and there is a lot of summer left so maybe this will change.  Next time I will be reviewing the Tudor and some of the adventures that it has been on since I received it.

Thank you for reading and please let me know if you have any thoughts or questions in the comment section.

Specifications:

• Diameter: 40mm
• Thickness: 11.8mm
• Crystal: Sapphire with anti-reflective treatment
• Water Resistance: 200m/660 feet
• Crown: Screw-down
• Strap: 20mm Canvas w/synthetic lining
• Clasp: Stainless Steel Deployant w/Grand Seiko Lion and GS Logo
• Movement: 9F82 Quartz/regulated to +/- 10 seconds a years
• Illumination: Yes, on hands and hour markers
• Extras: Mine came with an OEM Grand Seiko Metal Bracelet.  Model number is unknown, but I am told the representatives at Grand Seiko are aware of what bracelet will work for the watch.