From the release of the very first Grand Seiko in 1960, through to the end of the production of mechanical Grand Seiko watches in 1975, one of the key aims of the brand was to produce watches that were as precise as possible. This quest for ultimate precision in a mechanical wristwatch reached its.
As watch lovers, we spend our afternoons pitching, researching and writing stories, poring over the new timepieces coming in and out of our office, and hunting for deals on used and vintage pieces online. When a new watch comes across our radar, one that particularly resonates with our tastes, we can’t help but obsess over it. We talk about them, debate their relevance, orate on their greatness and rail against their faults. So, here’s a taste of that process – six timepieces our watch-loving staff are obsessing over right at this very moment:
Mk. II Paradive G3 Fat Bar Date, 12-Hr Aluminum
Vintage military watches are fun to collect, less fun to maintain – they often feature mechanical movements that can’t be inexpensively serviced and less-than-ideal water resistance after all those years in the sun and sea. The Paradive Gen. 3 from Mk. 2 is an updated version of the Benrus Type I/II that features modern materials and appointments, and I can’t think of a better contemporary take on a classic model that was originally only available to military and paramilitary personnel. The watch is available with both 60-minute and 12-hour bezels and with or without a date, so there are plenty of choices for semi-customization. — Oren Hartov, Assitant Editor
Omega Speedmaster BC345.0802
After Andrew wrote that article on the Japan-exclusive Speedys to commemorate the 2020 Tokyo olympics I went down a bit of a rabbit hole. Specifically: the gold Omega Speedmaster rabbit hole. There have only been about a dozen of them (learn more: here) and some are fantastic (the classic 1980 345.0802 and the insane-o-rare and completely perfect black-dialed MIR 3197.50), but I love stupid shit, and the undisputed stupid-shit champion is reference BC345.0802, which is that same 1980s gold speedy but done in hilariously understated white gold. One of the 20 or so in existence hammered for $85,000 at Christie’s last year and if you bought it, I’d like to buy you a beer. — Henry Phillips, Deputy Photography Editor
TRIWA Humanium Watch
I am by no means a “watch guy” — I merely own a Freestyle Tide Shark I wear surfing. But when Swedish watchmaker TRIWA launched a Kickstarter campaign this summer for a watch made with Humanium Metal, my ears perked up. Humanium Metal is melted down metal from illegal firearms confiscated in conflict-torn areas. A portion of the profits go back to where those firearms were collected to help the victims of armed violence. Not only does this watch strive to make a difference, but it looks crisp with contrasting metal treatments and punched dial indices. — Ryan Brower, Content Producer, Gear Patrol Studios
Unimatic U1-EN
Unimatic’s U1-EN is simple in appearance, but a durable workhorse when it comes to function. It’s waterproof to 300M and features Unimatic’s BGW-09 SuperLuminova lume. Each watch is made in Italy and limited to 300 pieces. Best of all, the watch warrants a four-figure price tag but slides in at only around $733. — AJ Powell, Assistant Editor
Grand Seiko SBGR253
Grand Seiko, for me, is one of those manufacturers that just gets everything right. I’ve been obsessed with some of the models the brand rolled out as collectors have been paying more and more attention to them over the past five years. But the one I’d maybe commit a crime for is the discreet, elegant SBGR253. It looks simple at first glance, but there’s a subtle depth in its design that gives the wearer a lot to discover. It has a beautiful combination of polished and unpolished stainless steel on both the case and bracelet that make it suitable for a pretty wide range of occasions. Plus, its movement boasts a pretty robust 72-hour power reserve. You could take this thing off Friday after work, and on Monday morning it’d still be ticking. — Justin Fenner, Senior Associate Editor
Tudor Heritage Black Bay Bronze 43mm Blue Edition
I’ve been obsessed with this watch ever since my wife gave me the Tudor Black Bay Bronze last year for our first anniversary. I was never a big “watch guy” despite having a couple of friends who really were. Leading up to my wedding, I got it stuck in my head that I needed to have a great watch for the wedding. Call it my version of the wedding dress. I looked at dozens of watches in several stores and online and just nothing popped, not from a price perspective and certainly not from a style perspective. Looking back, I am surprised Tudor never made it onto my radar. Thank god for my wife, though – she hit the nail on the head. I love this watch and now all I want is the special edition so I can have my summer/beach watch and my everyday watch. — Jason Davis, Sales Director
Rolex OysterQuartz DateJust
Yeah, nearly four grand on a quartz watch. I am all about that, seeing as this is, literally, the Rolex of quartz we’re talking about here. And though quartz never really proliferated throughout the rest of the Rolex lineup, The Crown did seem to acknowledge that the technology was the future. Nowhere is this more apparent on the watch than its sleek integrated bracelet and case profile. My (overwhelmingly positive) feelings on integrated bracelets are well-known at this point so it should be no surprise that I genuinely think this is one of the best-looking Rolex watches ever made. That’s reason enough to cop this battery-powered bad boy, regardless of how apprehensive the watch community is to the technology. — Andrew Connor, Staff Writer
How to Buy and Sell Watches on Instagram
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Description
The 56GS series of vintage Grand Seiko is second only to the 61GS with regards to the diversity of the watches produced. Whilst utilising only three different movements (there are no “special” or “VFA” examples in this series), there are 35 different models in the series.
With production at Suwa Seikosha starting in 1970 and running through until 1974, the 56GS series marks the end of the line for the vintage Grand Seikos.
The three movements that were used in this series were the 5641A (no-date), 5645A (date) and 5646A (day-date), making this the only series with all three complication versions. For the first time, an element of automation was introduced into the production line, and the beat of the movement set at 28,800bph to increase reliability.
Whilst there is a large variety of case designs utilised in this range, unlike with the 61GS series, there is consistency in the design and associated numbering of the cases as used across the different movements.
First up is the -5000 case, which was available with both 5641 and 5645 movements. It is a solid gold 18K tonneau shaped case, with the dial also made from gold, and featuring a “snowflake” textured finish that was the inspiration for one of the most popular of the current Seiko models.
The -5010 case is square in shape, coming in both 5645 and 5646 options, and with each option having both a plain dial with regular indices (white in the instance of the 5645-5010, and blue for the 5646-5010), and a textured graduated dial with roman numeral indices (retaining the same 5645-5010 and 5646-5010 references, a charcoal colour for the date version, and an earthy brown colour for the day-date version).
Available with all three calibres, the -7000 case is very similar, though not identical, to the 45GS -7010 case, being a “turtle-shaped” oval case finished in brushed stainless steel.
The -7005 case is similar to the -7000, but made from 18K gold. Once again, it was available across all three calibres, and uniquely on the 5646-7005, also available with a simply stunning 18K gold bracelet. This watch was the most expensive vintage Grand Seiko ever offered to the public, with a staggering for then retail price of 500,000 Yen (without the bracelet and on a leather strap, the price was a “mere” 181,000 Yen).
This particular watch, with its 18K bracelet, was only marketed from the second half of 1974, and its price almost certainly significantly impacted by the huge increase in the price of gold, which in 1970 when the Astronomical Observatory Chronometer was selling for 180,000 Yen was around $35 an ounce, but by 1974 when the 5646-7005 was sold on an 18K bracelet had risen to $180 an ounce.
Adhering strongly to the “Grammar of Design” rules, the -7010 and -7011 watches are almost certainly the most common vintage Grand Seikos that you see on the market today, and relatively easy to find. The author believes that the difference between the two cases is simply a move from marking the cases as being “waterproof”, to “water resistant”, but this remains to be confirmed.
Sold with both day and day-date calibres, and in both stainless steel and cap gold case variants, white dialed examples of all versions are relatively easy to come across even today – they must have been made in very significant numbers. They were marketed with both leather straps, and for a 3,000 Yen premium, also available on a bracelet. In addition to the white dialed versions, there was also a blue dial available in both calibres with the stainless steel case on a leather band.
There are then three cases that were only ever available with the 5646 movement. These are the 5646-7020, a striking watch featuring a case similar to that found on the 61GS VFA’s, a deeply faceted crystal, and a graduated green dial (note – this watch only exists with a green dial – there are no legitimate white dial variants). The 5646-7030, with its wonderful sand-textured dial (very possibly the inspiration for similarly textured dials in the modern era), is unique amongst all vintage pieces in having a lug width of just 17mm. And rounding out the set of cases only available with the 5646 day-date movement is the 5646-7040. The -7040 is unique amongst all vintage Grand Seikos in using applied, Breguet-type Arabic numerals on the dial, and was possibly the inspiration for the modern-day Wako limited editions.
Finally, the -8000 case was available with both 5645- and 5646- movements. There are multiple different dials available for the stainless steel version, with white, blue and grey colours all existing, and some models coming on a bracelet. Topping out the -8000 cased range are solid 18K gold models which, like the 5646-7005, also came on 18K gold bracelets. Released in 18 months prior to the -7005, when the price of gold was around $100 an ounce, they were available for 390,000 Yen for the date version, and 395,000 Yen for the day-date.