What Is Grand Seiko & What Should You Know About Them?
Grand Seiko is a luxury watch manufacture that sometimes doesn’t get the love that it deserves mostly because that it’s not located in Switzerland. What most people discover is that Grand Seiko is an elite watchmaker that develops high-end watches. To help you understand who Grand Seiko is and what sets them apart we have compiled a list of 10 things you should know about Grand Seiko. We’ve compiled this list based on the most common searches and questions about the brand and their watches.
Is Grand Seiko Better Than Rolex?
Grand Seiko is undoubtable in the same class as Rolex when it comes to the quality of the watches they produce. Although Rolex has a stronger brand and reputation, that doesn’t mean that Grand Seiko isn’t as good as Rolex. When it comes to creating quality luxury watches Grand Seiko can compete on a level playing field with Rolex.
Why Is Grand Seiko So Expensive?
Expensive seems to be a term used when one doesn’t see that value of a product. Grand Seiko shouldn’t be considered “expensive” when you factor the quality of watches they produce to similar priced luxury watches in the market. In fact we believe Grand Seiko is priced quite right considering the superior engineering, finishing, and design that goes into all of their watches.
To some it may seem foreign that a watch company based outside of Switzerland can command such a high price tag. Once you can move passed which part of the world a watch is made in and focus on the actual watch itself, you’ll see the Grand Seiko isn’t expensive but rather a great value for the quality you receive.
How Much Is A Grand Seiko?
Grand Seiko watches vary in pricing but mostly cost anywhere between $3,000 – $15,000. There are some models that command a price tag of over $100,000 but that isn’t typical of the brand. Grand Seiko is priced higher than Seiko but thats for good reason. The quality of Grand Seiko is vastly better than that of its counterpart, Seiko.
Does Grand Seiko Hold Value?
Grand Seiko produces luxury watches so they will retain most of their value depending on the watch that you purchase and if you can buy it at a discount. Like most watches though you’ll see a depreciation of 5-20% when you try to resell it but that isn’t to say that it’s the same for all models. The Grand Seiko Snowflake is a great example of a Grand Seiko that sells more pre-owned than it does new. That is because the Grand Seiko Snowflake is one of their more popular models that is hard to get a hold of.
What Is The Difference Between Grand Seiko and Seiko?
Grand Seiko is a division of Seiko and it carries the high end collections of the watch making giant. Everything from the materials, designs, movements, finishing, and more from Grand Seiko are much better than what is provided in the original Seiko brand. To be clear, that doesn’t mean Seiko doesn’t produce some really good high end watches. Check out our review of the Seiko Tuna if you have any doubts.
Both watchmaking arms of the company are great in their own way but there is no doubt that Grand Seiko receives the special extra care a watchmaking company should receive to produce only the highest quality watches.
What Is Grand Seiko Spring Drive Movement?
A Grand Seiko spring drive movement is a hybrid of a traditional mechanical movement plus that of a quartz movement. Almost the entire watch is mechanical except the oscillator. A quartz crystal aides in controlling how energy is released. This symbiotic relationship between mechanical and quartz movements has produced one of the most accurate movements available today. The Grand Seiko spring drive movements can boast an accuracy rating of +/- 1 second per day and +/- 15 seconds per month. You’ll also notice on the watches that have the Grand Seiko spring dive movement, the seconds hand has a true sweep which is derived from the even release of power from the quarts component of the movement.
Is Grand Seiko Spring Drive Reliable?
The Grand Seiko spring drive is incredibly reliable. This revolution in watchmaking has set the new standard for accuracy in the industry. All of the Grand Seiko spring drive movements have an accuracy rating of +/- 1 second per day and +/- 15 seconds per month. On top of that, they have an incredible power reserve of 72 hours with most of their watching having a power reserve indicator. In short, you will be hard pressed to find a more reliable movement than the Grand Seiko spring drive.
What Sets Grand Seiko Apart?
The two things you hear most when you hear people talk about what sets Grand Seiko apart is their movements and their finishing. We’ve already gone into detail above about the Grand Seiko spring drive movements but they also produce highly complication hi-beat movements as well. Hi-beat movement are incredibly difficult to produce and only so many watchmakers have the skill to produce them so it makes what Grand Seiko does even more special.
The finishing on Grand Seiko watches is what probably get them the most love from buyers. Every aspect of the watch is thoughtfully designed and finished to perfection. Every angle of the Grand Seiko watches look perfect and a lot of that is due to the Zaratsu polishing and hairline finishing.
Where Are Grand Seiko Watches Made?
Grand Seiko watches are made in Japan. For many years the Japanese have been pushing the Swiss and giving them a run for their money. They are doing it again and continuously doing so with everything we’ve been seeing out of Grand Seiko as of late.
Are Grand Seiko Quartz Watches Worth The Money?
This is a tough one to answer because everyone feels a bit differently about quartz movements. I would say that if you’re into quartz movements or value the accuracy of your watch above all else, Grand Seiko quartz watches will be worth your money. These aren’t simply quartz movements, they are actually quite complex. We suggest reading more on the topic directly on Grand Seiko’s website.
