Grand Seiko Elegance Automatic 39.5 mm Review

Read our detailed, hand-tested review of this elegant and classic special edition watch.

A special edition Grand Seiko Elegance deserves a special examination with high-resolution photographs to truly reflect the beauty this luxury watch offers. You can read the full review of the Grand Seiko Elegance Automatic 39.5 mm Model #: sbgh263 below.

Grand Seiko Elegance Automatic 39.5 mm Review

CASE

One look at the watch's case and you immediately see the extraordinary craftsmanship and attention to detail, from the construction to the famous Zaratsu finish.

This particular method of craftsmanship is applied by hand, using a tin plate in the process to achieve a mirror-like shine without the distortion often seen on heavily polished surfaces. This method can only be done by very experienced masters; they have to rotate the case at a very precise angle against the plate to get just the right result.

dial

The silver dial has a soft, creamy tone and uses yellow gold applique numerals. The date window is located at 3 o'clock and is framed in yellow gold. A finely printed minute track adorns the outermost perimeter of the dial; There are equal intervals between the numbers and the outermost edge of the silver dial.

The Grand Seiko logo is printed in black and the applique at 12 o'clock is located below the letters GS in polished yellow gold. Just above the 6 o'clock position, the word 'AUTOMATIC' appears in black capital letters in a sans serif font; The phrase 'HIGH-BEAT 36000' next to it indicates the VPH rate at which the caliber oscillates, which corresponds to ten oscillations per second.

The yellow gold-coloured, matching dauphine-shaped hour and minute hands are faceted, and a polished workmanship has been used on both the surface and inclination of the hour and minute hands. Thanks to the high-beat mechanism, the second hand moves very smoothly while rotating around the dial.

mechanism

Grand Seiko Elegance Automatic 39.5 mm is powered by the homemade high-beat automatic Grand Seiko caliber 9s85, which oscillates at 36,000 VpH, i.e. 5Hz. This 37-jewel self-winding movement has flawless workmanship and can be seen through the transparent sapphire glass case back of the watch.

GS caliber 9s85 is adjusted to 6 different positions and temperatures and tested for accuracy of -3/+5 seconds per day; This means even higher precision than that required by a COSC Chronometer. The 9s85 is equipped with the Spron 610 mainspring, which is three times more resistant to electromagnetic frequencies and provides twice the impact resistance compared to the previous generation Spron mainsprings.

The mainspring offers high torque thanks to its Spron 530 alloy; This alloy also delivers 6% more power than its predecessors, translating into an additional 5 hours of running time, thus a longer power reserve than most 10-beat watches.

STRAP

The watch case is mounted on a shiny dark brown alligator strap with matching brown stitching; Softer light brown calf leather is used on the inner surface of the strap. The watch band uses a stainless steel push-button folding clasp that closes with a pin clasp.

To see special prices on this model and other Grand Seiko watches, you can browse our online store section by clicking the link below.

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