gorgeous! congrats on the pickup

 

Thanks!! 🙏🏽😁

 

Stunning, both watch and bracelet, congrats man!!!!

 

Appreciated!

 

👍⌚

 

Great find! Love quartz in this case shape. And the GS champagne dials...🥂

 

When I first discovered GS all that meant was really the 231. I hyper focused on that watch and even though probably aware of many GS releases along the years my photo album is mostly filled w pics of the 231, 235 for bracelet and other hand winders in the series, and some vintage NO DATE HWs … nothing else mattered lol. (Feels so dumb in retrospect .. who knows if it was a blessing or curse though).

In that comprehensive collection of GS photos, especially at the start and right when I saw the 231 in person along with a few other GSs including omiwatari (blue) and hand winding SBGK009 (which I practically ignored in the store), this one photo below is tucked in.

Searching through the photo archives earlier this year when I knew I was going to buy a GS, I realized I had this photo saved!!

I’m guessing it was probably from @ayoungentrepreneurs thread years ago. Thanks my friend!!

This pic really did it all for me as far as GS and watches in general. I don’t remember reading the thread (or any thread about quartz lol) and if I did I prob would have said it’s a no-brainer, obviously don’t buy the quartz buddy!!!

But for me, what I truly saw… the BEST dial Grand Seiko does!

I don’t even remember the thread until reading this year. Im assuming I must have always dismissed it because it’s quartz but the more I reflected .. all along this is the Grand Seiko dial I’ve always been in love with from first sight. This thread played a role in getting to me to the 331 for sure.

This has been my standard for what I need in a gs so it’s only fitting I ended up with it. I love everything about this watch including the strap! Photos of this style of GS strap is what made me realize stitch-less is another preference of mine.

I love bracelets but mostly wear straps lol. Yet the bracelet is clearly just as important in and on some cases. I find it extra hilarious that I never noticed this watch was an elegance thin series dress case.. such tunnel vision!

This watch was always in my sights, not as a target but a key reference point!

I just couldn’t see it.

here’s the thread:
https://www.watchuseek.com/posts/52899872/

and the pic:

 

Looks great with that bracelet! I wish GS would release more quartz models.

 

Thx!! Appreciated.

I wish GS would release more no-date quartz or an elegant diver!

 

My first GS was this SBGP015 (Quartz):

 

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Great looking bracelet. Fits the watch perfectly.

Enjoy.

 

Thx! Still trying to forget about the other bracelet lol. Maybe one day will revisit this topic.

 

In the end it was these pics that gave me the confidence to buy this watch without seeing it person.

Came from this awesome Reddit post:

https://www.reddit.com/r/GrandSeikos/s/xQrTvYnhgK

I wish I could write like this guy! A review from me is not needed after you read this. His analogy about a Margherita pizza is spot on and resonates with me big time. I always test a new Italian spot by ordering a Margherita pizza or a linguine with pomodoro .. if they can’t get basics like their tomato sauce right you know not to set expectations too high. Have a look at this @Davekaye90 to see what that gelato analogy you keep using is all about. And can you really spite me for liking vanilla 🙂

This Reddit post was also quite useful:
https://www.reddit.com/r/GrandSeikos/s/g3WuqYD2O8

 

And the last major review I found helpful on the SBGX331 came from Zach Weiss at W&W (also has some amazing photos on Instagram):

The Watches that Lingered in 2022 - Worn & Wound

 

Here’s what I could find about the case of the watch:


GS9Club info about Thin Dress Series:

The inspiration for the case comes from the shape of a wind-filled sail. In effect, what we have here is a case without a single straight line.

• The dual-curved sapphire crystal was specially designed for this case. While it adds to the on-paper height of the watch (it is over 2mm in height), due to the way it’s designed the crystal doesn’t actually add anything to watch’s perceived height. This is one of the most challenging crystals for Grand Seiko to produce, and it is carefully polished to prevent distortion of the dial.
• A new adaptation of Zaratsu polishing was developed for this design specifically to address the challenge of creating a distortion-free finish on a curved surface.
• This new method, which involves polishing a curved surface against a flat disc, is far more labor intensive and requires even greater dexterity to get just right.
• A new handset and indexes were created specifically for the Thin Dress Series.
• Because the dial is curved, the indexes, which are straight and angular along the top, are curved along the bottom to the match the curvature of the outer edge of the dial.

Grand Seiko Thin Dress Series ref. SBGK007 | GS9 Club | Grand Seiko
———
SJX info about Thin Dress Series:

The elegant contest

• In 2018 the head of marketing, Norihito Hara, who takes care of the Grand Seiko product range as a whole, and Shinichiro Kubo, senior manager of design, decided to create a new Grand Seiko dress watch, named “Thin Dress Series”. As a new model, it needed a new design language, something that had Grand Seiko’s DNA but also had a distinct new direction.
• An internal competition was held and three designers submitted their concepts, supervised by Kubo-san. A young, talented designer named Kiyotaka Sakai won the competition. Sakai-san won the competition because his design successfully connected to Grand Seiko’s historical designs. Because the new watch would be part of theSpring Drive’s 20th Anniversary commemorative editions, it was important the design was respectful of its origins.

Thin Dress Series details

• Thinness is one of the defining features of the Thin Dress Series. One challenge was having the domed sapphire crystal in harmony with the overall curvature of the watch while minimising its thickness. That was solved when Grand Seiko developed a new crystal design that has a slight dome in the centre and a deep radius at its edge, a shape optimised for visibility and also coated with an anti-reflective layer on its inside surface. The slight dome to the crystal is a nice nod to the acrylic crystals on vintage timepieces.
• The hands and markers were refreshed for the Thin Dress Series, giving them a delicate, narrow shape. They have only three facets – the top and two of the longer edges – giving the hands a thinner, more elegant look. The sleek, elongated minute hand is also very slightly curved at the tip to provide necessary clearance under the crystal.

In-Depth: Inspiration and Creation of the Grand Seiko Thin Dress Series | SJX Watches

 

Cool GS.

 

Thanks!!

After 3 trips to the AD it’s finally sized perfectly. I finally understand what all the bracelet fuss is about. The pain is real. But I had them size, remove and switch and another switch of links and I think I got lucky.

I’m very aware of how important the right fit is… changes experience dramatically. I’m in watch nirvana right now lol.

One of the occasions where I always enjoy my watch is on walks! I’m going to have a lot of fun with this one! Daily! 😁

This morning down at the waterfront.. one of my favourite things about this city! And you can get this on demand for FREE anywhere from east to west even if Toronto is no longer ‘affordable’ OR in some cases, ‘desirable’.

 

Oh, yeah, that's a nice watch!

 

Thanks 😁

 

The Grand Seiko You Didn't Know Existed - an Owner's Review of the SBGX331 - Worn & Wound

With Grand Seiko’s rise to popularity in the last few years, it’s hard to find a truly obscure model. And yet, here we are. No, it’s not some vintage reference buried in the archives or a short-lived limited edition you didn’t know about. It’s a modern watch—one that was still available as...

wornandwound.com

 

Awesome pick up!

 

Very nice. The domed crystal caps it off beautifully.

 

Omiwatari SBGY013 for comparison

SBGX331

 

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Beautiful watch. Wear it in good health.