No, mainly. Spring Drive is one aspect of Grand Seiko's excellence but it is less important to me than other considerations.
The aesthetics of the watch and how it wears are my top criteria. The watch is gorgeous, better finished (bracelet clasp excluded) than pretty much anything else out there, with near perfect dimensions and weight. Whatever movement was in the 44GS case, the SBGA387 would be near the top of my list. Granted, the Spring Drive does add the satisfying smooth seconds hand to the aesthetic.
In a place like Australia with limited and expensive servicing options, the dramas of mechanical watches get very old very quickly. Spring Drive simply removes all that crap, adds somewhat severe accuracy and reliability while maintaining the perfect on-wrist weight and dimensions of a well-designed mechanical. Spring Drive is such a welcome relief from a watch world dominated by over-promised and under-delivered specs, unrealistic assumptions, safe queens, instaposers, flippers and other parasites, pageantry and BS.
I will find it hard to go past another Spring Drive that fulfils my primary aesthetic criteria. Specifically, and take note please Seiko, a black and white steel diver 39-41mm, 13mm thick (max), L2L 47-50mm. Rolex and Omega are frankly inferior so I'll wait. Don't argue. Find a way, do it and keep making it - no LE crap.
I haven't pulled the trigger on any sales yet but after having the SBGA387 less than a month, my 18 watch collection is already down to 5 in my immediate planning. All other planned purchases have been killed, except for one, with additional sales paring it back to 3 (including an heirloom that will never be sold) in the longer term. This is where the Spring Drive really affects decision-making.
The aesthetics of the watch and how it wears are my top criteria. The watch is gorgeous, better finished (bracelet clasp excluded) than pretty much anything else out there, with near perfect dimensions and weight. Whatever movement was in the 44GS case, the SBGA387 would be near the top of my list. Granted, the Spring Drive does add the satisfying smooth seconds hand to the aesthetic.
In a place like Australia with limited and expensive servicing options, the dramas of mechanical watches get very old very quickly. Spring Drive simply removes all that crap, adds somewhat severe accuracy and reliability while maintaining the perfect on-wrist weight and dimensions of a well-designed mechanical. Spring Drive is such a welcome relief from a watch world dominated by over-promised and under-delivered specs, unrealistic assumptions, safe queens, instaposers, flippers and other parasites, pageantry and BS.
I will find it hard to go past another Spring Drive that fulfils my primary aesthetic criteria. Specifically, and take note please Seiko, a black and white steel diver 39-41mm, 13mm thick (max), L2L 47-50mm. Rolex and Omega are frankly inferior so I'll wait. Don't argue. Find a way, do it and keep making it - no LE crap.
I haven't pulled the trigger on any sales yet but after having the SBGA387 less than a month, my 18 watch collection is already down to 5 in my immediate planning. All other planned purchases have been killed, except for one, with additional sales paring it back to 3 (including an heirloom that will never be sold) in the longer term. This is where the Spring Drive really affects decision-making.
