Grand Seiko SBGY003 Spring Drive

I am a massive fan of Rob Reiner’s Spinal Tap mockumentary. I bring this up for one reason: if you were to turn up a Seiko Presage Cocktail Timer to 11, this would be the result. The 2019 SBGY003 features one of the brand’s greatest dial textures, a fresh take on the radial folds of the Cocktail Timer range. But then there’s the absurd level of finishing, the blued steel, spring drive, and movement finishing. Make no mistake, this one goes to 11.

When GS takes on the manually-wound, thin dress watch, you know good things are coming. There’s an absurd beauty in proportion that doesn’t always come across in person. Its 10.2mm height is not ultra-thin, it’s slim. The 38.5mm case is a beautiful combination of Zaratsu and satin brushed surfaces. This is dress done right.

Its dial is a radially serrated cream-white beauty with no distractions. Often, us obsessives complain of Grand Seiko’s power reserve indicators ruining their marvelous dial textures. On this SBGY, they listened. There’s real depth in this texture and the simplicity allows that texture to shine through. Its caliber 9R31 is a slightly more precise 9R02 architecture. It offers a 72 hour power reserve indicated through the sapphire display back. This is simply a watch that is far more special than its competitors in person. I don’t say this often (because it feels slightly pretentious), but this is a connoisseur’s choice.

This example is a near-perfect one. I see absolutely no visible wear. It comes with a full set from a trusted seller.

Find this SBGY003 here from S. Song for 12000 USD.