Jan 23, 2023Watch Review

GRAND SEIKO SBGR073 NAVY DIAL

Grand Seiko with outstanding practicality based on the concept of "the best ordinary" and "the highest peak of practical watches".

A simple yet beautiful design based on the design principle of "Seiko style" that uses many planes is also characteristic.

What is "Seiko Style" ...

(1) A design consisting mainly of a plane, a plane and a quadric surface.

(2) Increase the area of the flat surface as much as possible over the case, dial, and hands.

③ In principle, each surface should be a mirror surface, and distortion should be eliminated from the mirror surface as much as possible.

Designs based on these principles are "easy to see" and "easy to use" while being aware of the beauty of light and shadow.

It means that there was a Seiko style ahead of aiming for ultimate practicality.

In modern times, there are smartphones, so it is less common to check the time on a wristwatch, but in the days when there was no mobile phone, it was natural to know the time on a wristwatch.

At that time, I think the element of "seeing at a glance and knowing what time" was extremely important.

Time accuracy (movement accuracy) is Seiko with origami.

It may not be well known that not only the movement but also the design is well thought out.

While following the Seiko style, this watch has a good balance between visibility and design, such as the color on the tip of the second hand and the numbers on the outer circumference of the dial in 5 increments. Is good, isn't it?

Also amazing is that when you look closely at the short hand and the long hand, the end part is a chamfered mirror finish and the inner part is a satin finish. It's elaborate. Moreover, even from a design point of view, this is an accent and looks good.

Speaking of finishing, finishing the case also takes a lot of work.

The bezel and the side of the case are mirror-finished, but the lugs and breath are satin-finished.

Thanks to this finish, the rug and breath part have a sense of unity and look refreshing. It looks crisp when you put it on.

The movement is Cal..9S65 developed by Seiko.

I would like to introduce the detailed explanation of this movement on the SEIKO page.

Mechanical self-winding 3DAYS

Caliber 9S65

The caliber 9S65, the successor to the caliber 9S55, is the most standard self-winding movement that represents the 9S mechanical. The old and new movements have similar designs, but their performance is completely different.

By reviewing the materials and adopting "MEMS (Micro Electro Mechanical System) technology" that applies semiconductor manufacturing technology, the basic performance of the watch has improved dramatically, and of course, the "zenmai" by the rotary weight has been improved. The winding method of "" has also been reviewed.

The winding method of the "caliber 9S55" before was the magic lever method developed by Seiko, while the "caliber 9S65" adopted the reverser method. By applying a curing treatment, the durability, which is a weak point of the reverser method, is supplemented, and the winding efficiency is also improved.

Tenshin has also been improved. The "caliber 9S65" has a diameter of 0.08 mm, while the previous Tenshin Hozo has a diameter of 0.07 mm. The difference is only 0.01mm, but the thicker part improves the impact resistance.

The winding method is the same reverser method as the Rolex movement, isn't it? It is amazing to manufacture parts by applying semiconductor manufacturing technology.

It is an amazing world that the impact resistance is improved by increasing the thickness of the hozo (tip) of Tenshin (a part like a top that supports the balance) by 0.01 mm. It's a difference of 0.01mm that you can't tell unless you look at it with a microscope, but this 0.01mm leads to the impact resistance of the watch → accuracy.

Automatic winding that can be manually wound, and the power reserve is 72 hours (3 days), which is quite long ◎

The breath is comfortable to wear without any problems. Compared to his ROLEX Explorer II 16570, which I always wear, is the Grand Seiko SBGR073 a little heavier? I feel that, but when I wear it, it is a level that does not bother me at all.

Also, the size of the 37mm case is perfect. It is a size that can accommodate both people with thin arms and people with thick arms.

Grand Seiko is not defeated by overseas brands, or is highly evaluated overseas. Albitro is also recommended.

GRAND SEIKO SBGR073 NAVY DIAL

Caliber 9S65

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