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Thinnest Seiko SpringDrive??

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ireachmike

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Discussion starter · #1 ·
Hello fellow WUS Form members!!!
Recently I have been bit by the Grand Seiko bug... and I have decided I would like to get a SpringDive as my next watch.

But I don't like super thick watches... my thickest watch is a Seiko diver at a hair under 12mm thick.

Please, I need your help. Can anyone tell me is there are and Grand Seiko SpringDrive watches under 12mm? Or what is the thinnest SpringDrive I can look to get???

Thank you so much for your help!!!


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#2 ·
The thinnest springdrive movement currently in production is the 9R65, which is a 72 hours power reserve automatic movement. In general watches featuring this movement start at 12.5mm thickness. In the past springdrive movements featured a 42 hours power reserve. Maybe they were thinner than the current one, but I'm uncertain whether that's the case. But I fear if available vintage would be your only option.
 
#9 ·
Yes the 073/075 are the thinnest automatic SDs (sticking to the main GS models) which is surprising as they have display case backs. It was one of the reasons I bought the 075. However, some are not much thicker, but lose out just because the 073/075 have flat sapphire crystals which gives them an advantage. The 073/075 are also part of the "active line" and they fit really really snugly to the wrist too - they wear really well. The caseback hardly protrudes at all.
 
#11 ·
Domo said:
Yes the 073/075 are the thinnest automatic SDs (sticking to the main GS models) which is surprising as they have display case backs....
Click to expand...
These! they are 11.9mm and they look fantastic with the sun-burst dial and sporty with the red second hand tip and crown guard.. b-)

The SBGA079/081 are at 12.3mm which is just a hair thicker, been Titanium they don't feel thick or big at all, I own the 081 and love it, no problem fitting under shirt cuffs! |>
HTH...
 
#14 · (Edited)
larthurl said:
I've pondered a thin GS, manual movement with movement finishing to equal the Zaratsu finishing on the dial and case and hands.
I've put my thoughts here:

Click to expand...
Art, I enjoyed your YouTube video and have responded there.

First - have you reviewed Timeless Luxury Watches' Q&A with Grand Seiko? Their answer regarding making thinner watches was very noncommittal, so I would not expect to see any https://www.watchuseek.com/f642/questions-answers-grand-seiko-4556065.html

Second - the sub-10mm handwound high-finish watches you want already exist (I interpret your reference to handwind to include both pure mechanical and Spring Drive), but they're not Grand Seikos, they are Seiko Credors. Credor makes many thinner handwound watches. For an example of a Spring Drive model, consider the GCLP 991/993/995, 38mm x 9.8mm (I just got one and it's quite special).

https://www.watchuseek.com/f642/what-have-i-done-4727301.html

From this I conclude a thicker watch is part of the look and feel of a Grand Seiko - perhaps the Japanese perceive something more desirable in a watch of substantial thickness. Seiko (including Grand Seiko) clearly can make thinner watches, but for their own reasons it seems unlikely they feel a need to do so.

Edit: I feel many people downplay Grand Seiko because of the Seiko in the name. Credor is an unknown brand in the US and perhaps elsewhere and is an even harder sell to the average luxury watch buyer, who is biased pro-Swiss. I think the only people who'd drop Rolex-level money on a Credor are those who already know and value Grand Seiko.
 
#15 ·
^Joe addressed thickness in one of his instagram talks; IIRC (and please correct me if I'm wrong Joe!), thickness is indeed by design for durability, longevity, and shock protection, though I suspect there may be aesthetic reasons as well. I think GS strikes a good balance of practicality and dressiness, but would also like to see thinner models in the long run, even at the cost of all the above.
 
#17 · (Edited)
ahonobaka said:
^Joe addressed thickness in one of his instagram talks; IIRC (and please correct me if I'm wrong Joe!), thickness is indeed by design for durability, longevity, and shock protection, though I suspect there may be aesthetic reasons as well. I think GS strikes a good balance of practicality and dressiness, but would also like to see thinner models in the long run, even at the cost of all the above.
Click to expand...
Methinks you remember exactly what was said - thick for durability and stability.

That makes sense to me for mechanical/auto/spring drive, but less so for quartz.
 
#18 ·
ahonobaka said:
^Joe addressed thickness in one of his instagram talks; IIRC (and please correct me if I'm wrong Joe!), thickness is indeed by design for durability, longevity, and shock protection, though I suspect there may be aesthetic reasons as well. I think GS strikes a good balance of practicality and dressiness, but would also like to see thinner models in the long run, even at the cost of all the above.
Click to expand...
The direction things will take is always ultimately dictated by the market. Seiko has all the metrics on it's best selling watches and will almost certainly use these measures to guide their future direction in design.
 
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