Imagine you are at Grand Central Station in New York, New York. You are looking up at the grandiose constellation spanning the entire ceiling of this amazing historical building. Imagine now you are in the grandstands at Wimbledon. The lawns that were conquered by legends of the game of tennis. Put yourself on the edge of the Grand Canyon. Miles and miles of red expanse. So much air to breathe but somehow you find yourself gasping in awe. Now finally imagine an evening with your grandparents. Just you and them. Laughter peppered in with history and stories of tragedy and grace. The Grand Seiko SBGP005, as well as many other Grand Seiko, is just a watch. Not a perfect one. But it is one that truly is able to also encapsulate the word “Grand”.

For those unfamiliar with the brand, Grand Seiko is the “luxury” branch of Seiko: the timekeeping giant of Japan. Their dedication to artistry and mastery of horology is second to none. There is a sense of pride in every watch that they create and it is felt when wearing the watch.

This is proven with this very exact model, the Grand Seiko SBGP005. The watch has a high accuracy Quartz movement: the 9F85. A lot of watch enthusiasts would definitely point their noses up into the sky and denounce non-mechanical timekeeping. However, this is more of a testament to how Grand Seiko makes their watches “Grand”.

The Quartz is grown in-house and is harvested at an extremely high standard. The service interval is rumored to be ~40-50 years! The movement has a hairspring mechanism that allows the seconds hand to tick exactly at each second index. The dauphine hands were normally too heavy for a normal quartz battery, so they engineered a solution so that the second hand actually ticks twice per second to power the abnormally heavy handset. The diamond cut hour indexes have an amazing luster that are almost blinding in normal daylight. Even as an entry level Grand Seiko piece, they meticulously finish the case with zaratsu polishing giving the watch an elegant finishing but not making it feel out of place in day-to-day wear.

Even with all this high praise, the Grand Seiko SBGP005 is sadly not a perfect watch. It holds incredible technology and refinement, but there are still a couple of components that could use an update. The biggest gripe would be the bracelet that comes with it. The overall feel is nice and comfortable, but there are no micro-adjustment systems at all. This makes fitting the watch quite a hassle, especially during summer or winter months.

One other downside is that with the beautiful zaratsu polishing comes the hairline scratches of daily wear. I have worn this watch pretty carefully however, there is just no avoiding these scratches. I have heard stories that Grand Seiko owners will not even wipe their watches with microfiber cloth because there can be microparticles that can scratch the watch case.

Let’s go back to Grand Central, the Grand Canyon, the Grandstands of Wimbledon, or your grandparent’s house. These are all moments and places that cannot be experienced through a photo or video or poster. These moments need to be enjoyed in person. Go out there and try one on.