I think we know GS isn’t in the league of Rolex and PP as an investment. However, I would buy that SBGC247 in a heart beat if I wasn’t already over the wife acceptance & tolerance factor…and wasn’t currently trying to sell a new 201 chronograph. It’s funny but the one GS I have that has probably appreciated is a white faced diver so maybe that is a good sign for this one.

Bottom line, no way should you buy it if you don’t love it.


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It doesn't have a similar dial to the Snowflake; different die, more akin to the Spring/Winter. You say you don't view watches as investment, but you're fixated on short-term and long-term appreciation... If it was me I would return it so someone else who really wants it can enjoy it.

 

Sweet Jeezus now they're mucking up GS too? I was on a (three year ) WUS hiatus up till mid December, and I'd swear I'd returned to Mars. Feels like every third post is by one of these day-trader cum watch speculators. When, exactly, did watches become "investments" instead of the fruits thereof? Surely there's a better medium for these people than a watch enthusiast forum?

 

As you’re already thinking along these lines, just return it.

 

It's a beautiful watch but the chronos are not that widely loved by the GS community, which will hurt the resale. The chronos are really a watch to buy to keep

 

So I had the lovely titanium SBGA109, tatami dial beauty in the classic Snowflake case and bracelet. Loved the watch in every way. LE run of 700 pcs

When time came to sell I got 75% of my price paid, which was 20% off MSRP.

For owning and wearing a SpringDrive for 4 years. I'd say that's not bad at all.

 

So I had the lovely titanium SBGA109, tatami dial beauty in the classic Snowflake case and bracelet. Loved the watch in every way. LE run of 700 pcs

When time came to sell I got 75% of my price paid, which was 20% off MSRP.

For owning and wearing a SpringDrive for 4 years. I'd say that's not bad at all.

Cool. Thanks for the info. I’m hoping to receive the watch, fall hard for it, and keep it. I just looked up the SBGA109 you had. Beautiful watch!

I feel like the massive amounts different limited edition models GS, Omega, and some other brands push is both cool but also as maybe slightly off putting. Having a watch not many people have is special! But when a brand makes so many different limited edition models, it kind of takes away from the specialness of it. And it sometimes creates a buying frenzy just because the word limited is attached to it. Of course that’s what that manufacturer wants. Although I really liked the pictures of the limited piece I just bought, I probably would have waited for it to hit the stores before buying it. However, I bought it quick to avoid never having a chance to own it.

 

Seems like there are so many limited edition Grand Seiko's that people wouldn't buy it on the sole basis that it's "limited". You'd have to find someone who really wants that particular edition, which may or may not come through.

At that price point though, I'd really have to love the watch before buying it, because even selling at a 20% discount is substantial $. If you're having second thoughts already, then it's probably not the right one.

 

Don't keep a $11K watch you're not absolutely in love with.

 

If you love it keep it, if you don't return it. Grand Seiko's are not Rolex when it comes to resale.

 

The Grand Seiko chronographs will have poor resale value even if they are limited editions. It's a beautiful chrono but the GS chronos plummet in the secondary market and at $11k you can expect to take a bit hit on resale. The big pushers and size of the chronos just alienate too many buyers (even GS fans). I have seen the watch in person and its stunning and the titanium is super light and expertly finished. Buy this one to keep if you love it.

 

Just don’t buy it. You’re a basic sheep like the rest of us.

While you don’t look at watches as investments, you don’t feel it needs to appreciate... the long term value matters to you enough to convince you to keep the watch.

spend the money on a white dial rolex, because that’s what you sound like you actually want.

 

It sounds like you're actually more interested in money rather than the actual watch itself (or specifically, a "Grand Seiko"). You want "a whilte-dialled watch" that provides you with a solid financial performance, and plan to flip it later when you get bored of it, so look to protect your position from adverse downside risk, as we all do with our finnancial investments. Your options are either steel Rolex or mutual funds, and an Apple watch with the appropriate face. I promise you, you'll be set, and can watch the value of your investments grow.

 

I don't normally respond to price speculation threads because (i) I don't know anything about speculating watch prices, and (ii) I don't like the idea of watches as investments (but I live and let live). Nothing has changed on point (i) but, in respect of point (ii), I get where the OP is coming from. When spending more than you normally would on a watch, you need to be convinced that it suits you and you'll wear it. It can take time to know if a watch is a keeper - that's even more the case if you're not a flipper as you're not thinking in the short term. With that context, it makes sense to think about what you would do if you spent a big chunk of change on a watch and later you decided you didn't like it: will you end up being tied to a watch that you don't love because you can't stomach the loss?

This is one of the reasons that I mostly avoid limited editions. If you spend too long thinking about whether the watch is for you, you can easily miss out. Often LEs seem to be a form of pressure selling rather than exclusivity (which also isn't important to me, particularly as no one usually knows or cares what I have on my wrist).

In response to the question, I would assume that a chrono GS will drop a lot in value as from what I've seen (and as mentioned I'm not an expert), they don't seem to be as popular as other Grand Seikos. As a reference point, the SBGC231, which is a 2019 LE is available new in the UK at a discount. It is more expensive, which may be why it's still available but I don't think that bodes well for the [EDIT: SBGC247] resale value if you don't like it.

On the other side, it is a very good looking GS chrono...

Let us know what you decide!

 

I don't normally respond to price speculation threads because (i) I don't know anything about speculating watch prices, and (ii) I don't like the idea of watches as investments (but I live and let live). Nothing has changed on point (i) but, in respect of point (ii), I get where the OP is coming from. When spending more than you normally would on a watch, you need to be convinced that it suits you and you'll wear it. It can take time to know if a watch is a keeper - that's even more the case if you're not a flipper as you're not thinking in the short term. With that context, it makes sense to think about what you would do if you spent a big chunk of change on a watch and later you decided you didn't like it: will you end up being tied to a watch that you don't love because you can't stomach the loss?

This is one of the reasons that I mostly avoid limited editions. If you spend too long thinking about whether the watch is for you, you can easily miss out. Often LEs seem to be a form of pressure selling rather than exclusivity (which also isn't important to me, particularly as no one usually knows or cares what I have on my wrist).

In response to the question, I would assume that a chrono GS will drop a lot in value as from what I've seen (and as mentioned I'm not an expert), they don't seem to be as popular as other Grand Seikos. As a reference point, the SBGC231, which is a 2019 LE is available new in the UK at a discount. It is more expensive, which may be why it's still available but I don't think that bodes well for the SBGC231 resale value if you don't like it.

On the other side, it is a very good looking GS chrono...

Let us know what you decide!

Well said. You summarized what I was subconsciously thinking perfectly about how wearing a watch for awhile can really reveal how much you do or don’t like it. And, as you stated, shelling out a lot of money for a watch adds to that uncertainty. That’s really the whole reason I asked the question.

To your point, I bought the Tudor GMT a couple of years ago. I liked it when I bought but now I’m crazy about it. Even though I’ve purchased several other watches since then, it’s grown to be one of my favorite watches to wear, gets a lot of wrist time, and I can’t get enough of it.

 

Honestly I think you'll get hammered on the price if you go to sell it. $11K is a lot of money, and GS chronos are a tough sell anyway. If you don't totally love it, I'd return it. A lot of great Grand Seikos out there for a lot less money competing against it in the pre-owned market. Cool watch for sure, but if resale value is a concern, I'd keep my distance from this one IMO.

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WUS could really use a "Finance/Investment" forum for all these types of questions.

That being said, I recently sold a SBGC001 on here for $3'200. Admittedly it's not a LE and was not in perfect condition, but it should still give OP an idea of what to expect.

 

Great point as I stated earlier in my first response I’m in the process of attempting to flip a new SBGC201 (Les than 60 days old) and at almost a 40% discount I have had very little interest.

Some great advice and for me reminders of the consequences when you buy a watch. Some tough love here but this has been good for me personally. Thank you!

All said that is still one heck of a watch. Enjoy the weekend.


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Only buy a watch that you love and intend to keep and enjoy.

GS go the way of Tag and Breitling with depreciation, so if that’s what you are worried about buy used LNIB.

My Snowflake fell of a snow covered mountain the day after I bought it, but I knew that up front.

 

I think this GS will fail to hold value over time. With trends moving again to smaller watches, among some of the smaller GSs, this will be less fashionable in the medium term. It's a shame it's so hard to see in advance, though, it has a lot going for it and might be a real winner.

 

"Resale value" and watches......don't expect much........

 

One more point. You mentioned you've never sold a watch. There could be issues finding a buyer that will trust you unless they happen to be local and can meet in person.

I'd personally be nervous using a $10K+ watch as my first watch sale, but that might just be because I haven't really read up on the process.

 

That is the beauty with Grand Seiko...we do not need "moron" questions like OP. We all buy GS because we like the brand and watches. We - honestly - do not need influx of this topic in this domain.

Same as all the people discussing "discounts on GS". They are of the same bread.

 

so how much do you think it’s worth again? Lol. Calm down man. Lol. I love Grand Seiko! This will be the 3rd one in my collection. I love a lot of other watch brands too. I was just a little worried about spending $11,000 on a watch that I haven’t tried on and, as you know, the GS chronos are hefty in size. I’ll probably keep it for a long time.

It saddens me that a hobby that’s supposed be fun just makes people so angry. I’m genuinely sorry that I upset you over the post.

 

I think GS LEs miss more often than they hit, but occasionally you get something like the SBGY003 which, in retrospect, was underpriced when it came out (on the cusp of GS raising its prices). The non-LE SBGY007 that came out later, same case and movement, had an MSRP roughly $1000 higher. Mostly though, I think GS's LE strategy is just a way to unload its cases and movements by adding a bit of FOMO by rotating its dials and offering them as LEs. They are all variations of the same watches. As far as I can tell, GS doesn't do true LEs anymore. If you miss out on one, eventually a variation of it will pop up.

SUMMARY: If you like it, buy it, but prepare to take the hit. You might get lucky, but you probably won't.

 

I agree with what you've said here.

In the past I've been a vocal critic of Grand Seiko's assault of constant LE watch releases. But over the last few months I've changed my perspective on this. I think Grand Seiko's release strategy has been to release "something for everybody" and that is how they will continue to do things. They don't follow the hype models and artificial scarcity models of other popular brands, at least not in the same way.

I think GS plans to release multiple permutations and combinations of the same dials/cases/movements, so that people's diverse preferences are met. Why so many LEs? To keep a whole range of these options in the production line at the same time may not be feasible to them, considering how big their catalog already is. So it's probably cheaper/more convenient to just manufacture 1500 pcs of a particular watch and then move on to the next. So they release these variations in sequence, with a finite capacity on each SKU. It is limited, but it's not limited in the same way as other brands.

I believe the best strategy for a consumer is to just wait and buy the closest GS product to what he/she thinks is ideal for them. Buying every new release just because it is fresh/hot is a bad strategy and will end in disappointment when they release something a couple of weeks later that might be closer to what you really wanted. And I honestly don't think GS is a brand worthy of the price speculation game. The product cycles, and product positioning makes it very difficult to speculate future value on these watches... and after looking at the rest of the market right now, I think that's a good thing. Maybe Grand Seiko will be the last high quality product that is actually available at sensible prices.

 

Not good

 

It's unfortunate that you've gotten so many negative responses misinterpreting your apprehension as price speculation.

As some have pointed out though, you're probably better off avoiding this one unless you try it on. I had an SBGC201 for a couple of years and although my wrist can handle it and I love the look, it's a chonker so I sold it. (If GS ever makes a thinner version, that'll be the dream)

Given how unpopular the chronos are in the GS lineup, this is a limited edition that likely won't be selling out anytime soon. You may be able to see it in person one day.

 

I think if one buys GS with the intention of selling or trading in the future, they should do so fore armed with the knowledge that they’re likely going to take a bath on the deal.

I bought an SBGE248 with the full realization that I could have an SBGE201 for half of the price. Sadly I’d fallen in love with the blue of the ‘248’s dial. Knowing full well it was a terrible investment, but also that investment was not a priority at all and that this was purely an affair of the heart, I was able to spend the extra on the ‘248 with a clean conscience.

I lovelovelove GS, but at this point in time, I don’t think it’s an ideal investment platform.

TLR: Buy what you want but have realistic expectations. If it’s not a keeper and you can’t abide the loss, don’t buy the watch.

 

Very few GS watches appreciate. The ones they do tend to be 3 handers with exceptional dials. If you want to make money flipping GS, you need to be buying very limited, Japan only watches or finding a way to get watches very cheaply.

 

700 units limited edition? lmao!

Here are some Grand Seiko limited editions when they were capped at like 30 units or less and sold either at Wako or unique to certain dept stores / watch shops in Japan:

Actually they already did too many limited editions domestically before going overseas. Sometimes they didn't even put numbers on them.