Grand Seiko SBGX339 LE Diver

[thesingularity7]

I got this one purely to review, because I've been itching to get my hands on a watch from the 9F collection, as well as one of Grand Seiko's sports watches. This watch checks both those boxes, and then some.

Thoughts:

• I have narrow wrists (6.5") so I was very worried about what appears to be a pretty large sized case. But the 43mm diameter is reigned in well by the 49.75mm lug-to-lug width and the 13mm height is actually pretty reasonable. The weight (195g) is heavy, but you get used to it in a day or two.
• I love the fact that the case sides are brushed and not polished, and I sometimes wish the Rolex Submariner and Blancpain Fifty Fathoms did this too. There is enough bedazzling with the Zaratsu polished lugs and bevels, so it doesn't look very utilitarian either.
• The case-back is flat and sits almost flush with the mid-case/lugs, so it is well balanced and comfortable on the wrist.
• Lume is brilliant, and I included a timelapse with the Rolex Submariner and Tudor Black Bay (ETA).
• Dial design is primarily inspired by the Rolex Turn-o-Graph and Blancpain Fifty Fathoms (Tournek Rayville) layout - triangle at 12, rectangles for cardinals, circles for the rest, large multisegment hour hand, circle element seconds hand. But GS puts their own design elements into the hands, and does a a brilliant job on the finishing.
• The yellow chapter ring makes the indices appear gold, which I think is incredible. I have to believe this was intentional.
• There is a sense of worry-free operation that goes with wearing a HAQ and I enjoyed it. This watch hasn't gained or lost a second since it arrived 3-4 weeks ago.
• This is one of the few Grand Seiko bracelet/clasps that I can appreciate. The clasp is MM300-esque, has a ratcheting extension as well as microadjustments. I was able to dial in a pretty good fit at all times. With a watch as heavy/bulky as this, I think a perfect fitting bracelet is absolutely critical, otherwise you'll notice wrist fatigue.

Review video - https://youtu.be/vfyvgKj3TvI

[Cru Jones]

Thanks for your thoughts and photos. Looks great!

[BIGPOCKETS]

Hey man - nice review & thank you for your thoughts....these GS divers are sooo underrated. I'm going to buy one soon & change out my watches for one. I love the faceted case - it's awesome!

[thesingularity7]

Originally Posted by Cru Jones

Thanks for your thoughts and photos. Looks great!

Thanks for looking!

Originally Posted by BIGPOCKETS

Hey man - nice review & thank you for your thoughts....these GS divers are sooo underrated. I'm going to buy one soon & change out my watches for one. I love the faceted case - it's awesome!

Thanks for checking it out. The case is really the best part of this watch. I love this whole family of angular faceted cases.

[accountank2000]

Nice review. On checking out the video, I realised that i wasn't subscribed, even though I had seen most of your other reviews. So, I've fixed that problem now :)

I have to agree with you about Seiko and GS bracelets. They're just not in the same league as some of their sports-luxury rivals when it comes to adjustability. OK I'm sure this example can be very well fine-tuned for sizing, but only because it has a massive clunky dive extension which offers that adjustability. I suppose it's being marketed more as a tool watch than a luxury watch otherwise they could have made the huge dive extension fully detachable and allowed something lighter with less metal for everyday use.

But if people keep buying them, Seiko's bracelet team are going to think they're doing a great job...

[Wahlberg]

It looks stunning with the yellow.

[Aussiexplorer]

Thanks for the video. I have GS SBGN007 and love it. I do like the case and dial of your piece, but wish it has a SS second hand, as I think the yellow hand doing its quartz tick is distracting to my eye.