I had one of these – a GS SBGR061 – (and wore it when I got married) about three years ago. It’s a lovely watch, with an impeccable standard of finish typical of the Grand Seiko marque… can’t actually recall why I sold it, but then that applies to many of the watches I’ve sold! The history of the “Grand” element of Seiko is interesting, and one that I became quite familiar with when I first owned a vintage 61GS from all the way back to 1968. This is taken directly from Seiko’s website, but it encapsulates everything pretty well…

“Seiko won every accuracy competition in Japan in the 1950’s and then sought new challenges on the international stage. Seiko’s application to join the Neuchatel Observatory Contest in 1960’s was graciously accepted , but the first results were a disaster! Seiko finished no better than 144th. However, the results improved rapidly and, by 1968, Seiko achieved first place in the mechanical watch category of Geneva Observatory Contest. The rapid development of Seiko’s mechanical watchmaking expertise made possible the creation of the Grand Seiko standard and the determination to create the best, functional watch in the world.

Grand Seiko became a truly attractive commercial proposition when, in 1968, automatic winding was added to the already renowned accuracy of the first Grand Seiko creations. In 1968, a 10-beat automatic model 61GS was made, immediately followed by a 10-beat hand winding model 45GS and a 10-beat women’s model 19GS. In 1969, specially adjusted models of 61GS V.F.A. and 45GS V.F.A. were created, delivering one- minute per month accuracy, which remains the gold standard in the mechanical watch industry.”

Impressive, eh?

Anyway, I picked this up over the weekend, and I have to say that I’m very happy with it; it really is a kind of all-purpose, classic style and i’ll be able to wear it both formally and casually without any problems. Should you be interested the spec is below, with details on the Seiko website here:

Drive system – Mechanical Automatic (Hand winding capability)
Caliber No. – 9S65
Case – Stainless steel
Case back – -through case back with sapphire crystal
Glass – High definition dual-curved sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating
Band – Crocodile
Buckle – Stainless steel with three-fold clasp with push button release
Accuracy – 5 ~ -3 seconds/ day
Water resistance – 3 bar
Magnetic resistance – than 4800 A/m (60 gauss)*
Weight – 84g
Case thickness – 13.1mm
Case diameter – 39.5mm
Jewels – 35

The movement is impeccable, although I have to say that the finish in terms of decoration is fairly utilitarian. That aside, it contains 35 jewels, regulated at six positions and three temperatures; this compares favourably with COSC, which I believe requires testing in 5 positions and two temperatures (Seiko’s additional temperature is one that is intended to match the conditions on the wrist). The daily variation is between -3 to +5 seconds per day (yes, even better than COSC, which of course permits a variation of between -4 to +6 seconds). The 9S65 beats 28,800 times per hour and provides a very good power reserve of 72 hours.

Finally, the obligatory photos…