Good bye Rolex

[seastu]

I like others have moved away from Rolex although I still love my pieces. Hello GS., My Latest addition SBGY007. A true stunner that rivals the finest from PP to Lange. When GS expands its consumer base from the collector to the followers and wanna be's prices will rise and availability will decrease. Just my 2 cents.

Catch them while you can.

[samson66]

Originally Posted by seastu

I like others have moved away from Rolex although I still love my pieces. Hello GS., My Latest addition SBGY007. A true stunner that rivals the finest from PP to Lange. When GS expands its consumer base from the collector to the followers and wanna be's prices will rise and availability will decrease. Just my 2 cents.

Catch them while you can.

I almost prefer them in their current yet to be truly embraced by the masses state. Sort of an insiders club. Nice that you can still get deals on the secondary market too.

Awesome watch by the way! How about a pic or two?

[Raku]

It looks nice without the power reserve.

[214270Explorer]

I've long since moved on from Rolex to other brands.
So much in the way of great designs and technology out there !!!!!

[RoscoPico]

Originally Posted by seastu

I like others have moved away from Rolex although I still love my pieces. Hello GS., My Latest addition SBGY007. A true stunner that rivals the finest from PP to Lange. When GS expands its consumer base from the collector to the followers and wanna be's prices will rise and availability will decrease. Just my 2 cents.

Catch them while you can.

touché

so so so love my diver. wouldn't trade it for just about any other diver on the market

[BNA/LION]

[1William]

I have not moved away from Rolex as much as I have broadened my knowledge base with other brands. I like Seiko and Grand Seiko but also have gone deep with Omega and Tudor. Playing around now with Longines and Hamilton. It is all fun for me.

[bonovox]

Really great reference.

[RoscoPico]

Originally Posted by 1William

I have not moved away from Rolex as much as I have broadened my knowledge base with other brands. I like Seiko and Grand Seiko but also have gone deep with Omega and Tudor. Playing around now with Longines and Hamilton. It is all fun for me.

i'm actually in this camp too. will always own a rolex, i think, but not in the market whatsoever, and glad not to be

[Oxfordian]

Originally Posted by 1William

I have not moved away from Rolex as much as I have broadened my knowledge base with other brands. I like Seiko and Grand Seiko but also have gone deep with Omega and Tudor. Playing around now with Longines and Hamilton. It is all fun for me.

I do not want a box of Rolex watches, I like a bit of diversity.

Picked up my first Seiko, a white dial King Samurai, a lovely watch and an Oris ProPilot, another great watch IMHO.

My Rolex's are awesome but so are many other watches and I want to experience them.

[Andad]

Originally Posted by Oxfordian

I do not want a box of Rolex watches, I like a bit of diversity.

Picked up my first Seiko, a white dial King Samurai, a lovely watch and an Oris ProPilot, another great watch IMHO.

My Rolex's are awesome but so are many other watches and I want to experience them.

My wife and I spent most of an afternoon with the manager of the GS boutique during our last visit to Sydney.

There is no doubt that the GS range is very impressive, the movements, dials and quality of finish are really second to very few.

I feel they now have to mark time and wait for the Seiko name to become synonymous with this level of quality.



E.

[Oxfordian]

Originally Posted by Andad

My wife and I spent most of an afternoon with the manager of the GS boutique during our last visit to Sydney.

There is no doubt that the GS range is very impressive, the movements, dials and quality of finish are really second to very few.

I feel they now have to mark time and wait for the Seiko name to become synonymous with this level of quality.



E.

If we start to buy and the watches work as well as they are designed then the word will spread that GS are a brand worth investing your money in. I don't believe that they will reach the heights of Rolex, PP, AP etc etc but I do believe that for the savvy watch enthusiast they will be a very good purchase.

I certainly am going to get one at some point in 2022, possibly a Snowflake but still considering final choice.

[SoylentGreenChi]

Originally Posted by 1William

I have not moved away from Rolex as much as I have broadened my knowledge base with other brands. I like Seiko and Grand Seiko but also have gone deep with Omega and Tudor. Playing around now with Longines and Hamilton. It is all fun for me.

To me this is the healthy approach. I love my Rolexes, and am still on the hunt for at least one more, and am using the time to learn more and broaden my appreciation for other brands. This summer I got my first two Grand Seikos, and they are both delightful. I chose the GS SBGW231 over the Patek Calatrava 5196. True story: I went to the Patek AD to see and fully intending to buy the Patek 5196G and it just underwhelmed. By accident, later that day I stumbled across the 231 and fell in love. After weeks of trying to convince myself that I actually liked the Patek, I finally realized that my heart wanted the 231 and that’s the way I went. No regrets.

[Oyster Perp]

Although a Rolex/Omega guy for years I now embrace a varied number of brands. What gets me is the minute I get interested in one particular brand the prices start to spiral. I was recently looking at the Seiko SBGA 403 and couldn't quite see the justification in the ticket. Still nice watches though.

[Paneristi_111]

People that buy Seiko want a watch that tell accurate time at reasonable price
People that buy Rolex today want the best watch and be acknowledged as being successful in his career.
In my 30s I bought several $500 Seiko watches, but once I arrived at 45 I began to fall in love for Rolex.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Locust]

Originally Posted by Paneristi_111

People that buy Seiko want a watch that tell accurate time at reasonable price
People that buy Rolex today want the best watch and be acknowledged as being successful in his career.
In my 30s I bought several $500 Seiko watches, but once I arrived at 45 I began to fall in love for Rolex.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Not discussing $500 seiko watches here.

[shaunylw]

Originally Posted by Paneristi_111

People that buy Seiko want a watch that tell accurate time at reasonable price
People that buy Rolex today want the best watch and be acknowledged as being successful in his career.
In my 30s I bought several $500 Seiko watches, but once I arrived at 45 I began to fall in love for Rolex.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I’ve never linked Rolex and successful. I know a lot of average Joe’s wearing Rolex.


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[jlwillia]

My new SBGE255 Grand Seiko GMT spring drive blue. My first Grand Seiko piece and I’m very impressed by the quality. How are these less expensive and less in demand than other brands? Blows my mind!

[xrole]

Originally Posted by seastu

I like others have moved away from Rolex although I still love my pieces. Hello GS., My Latest addition SBGY007. A true stunner that rivals the finest from PP to Lange. When GS expands its consumer base from the collector to the followers and wanna be's prices will rise and availability will decrease. Just my 2 cents.

Catch them while you can.

If you still love (and presumably have) your pieces then have you really moved away from Rolex?

Originally Posted by shaunylw

I’ve never linked Rolex and successful.

You have never even realised there is a link or image of success attached to the brand? Not sure if serious.

Originally Posted by jlwillia

My new SBGE255 Grand Seiko GMT spring drive blue. My first Grand Seiko piece and I’m very impressed by the quality. How are these less expensive and less in demand than other brands? Blows my mind!

For the same reasons a Toyota/Lexus is less expensive and in demand as a BMW or Mercedes. Brand reputation and perceived quality.

[jlwillia]

Originally Posted by xrole

For the same reasons a Toyota/Lexus is less expensive and in demand as a BMW or Mercedes. Brand reputation and perceived quality.

Not sure this analogy works. Lexus is no less expensive than a BMW or Merc. I’d also argue Lexus is has much higher brand reputation and quality.

I love my Rolex though. I’m not saying anything negative about the brand. I just think Grand Seiko is very much undervalued. I think the gray market for Rolex is already forcing people to other brands and Grand Seiko is primed to get a ton of those customers.

[xrole]

Originally Posted by jlwillia

Not sure this analogy works. Lexus is no less expensive than a BMW or Merc. I’d also argue Lexus is has much higher brand reputation and quality.

I love my Rolex though. I’m not saying anything negative about the brand. I just think Grand Seiko is very much undervalued. I think the gray market for Rolex is already forcing people to other brands and Grand Seiko is primed to get a ton of those customers.

The analogy works fine. High-end BMW's and Mercedes are objectively more recognised and desirable than a Lexus and command a higher premium.

Lexus is a luxury car, recognised for quality, but it's just not and likely never will be on the same worldwide brand recognition and desirability level as a BMW or Mercedes. The same analogy can be applied to Grand Seiko.

[skp]

Originally Posted by seastu

I like others have moved away from Rolex although I still love my pieces. Hello GS., My Latest addition SBGY007. A true stunner that rivals the finest from PP to Lange. When GS expands its consumer base from the collector to the followers and wanna be's prices will rise and availability will decrease. Just my 2 cents.

Catch them while you can.

I was going to pick up a SBGY007. I love the size, the clean dial without a date window and power reserve. The winding action is sublime, however, after seeing it a few times up close, I felt that the dial looked like crumpled glitter paper and I couldn't swallow the price as I thought I would tire of the dial someday. I'm still jealous though and I'm still fighting the urge to pull the trigger on it. Do you have any negative thoughts on the spring drive movement? I'm not sure if I'm completely sold on the tri-synchro regulator. Apparently GS recommends servicing every 3-4 years for spring drive and electronics can be finicky after some time.

[nm4710]

Personally I feel that GS hand, dial, and movement finishing are far superior to Rolex. Rolex bracelets are undeniably superior. As for the spring drive I think it’s an amazing movement and far more innovative than anything out of Rolex in the last 4-5 decades. If you really love watches it’s hard not to fall for that smooth seconds hand.

As for the German vs Japanese car debate the German cars start higher new and in a few years are worth less than the Lexus. It’s because they just aren’t well made. I’d know I own a few of each.


N

[duquephart]

Pretty hard to ignore GS/Omega. Even Rolex zombies admit that.

[Billfav]

Originally Posted by jlwillia

My new SBGE255 Grand Seiko GMT spring drive blue. My first Grand Seiko piece and I’m very impressed by the quality. How are these less expensive and less in demand than other brands? Blows my mind!

Love the Visconti too! I have been eyeing the timepiece, but concerned about size. If you don't mind me asking what is your wrist size?

[Billfav]

Originally Posted by nm4710

Personally I feel that GS hand, dial, and movement finishing are far superior to Rolex. Rolex bracelets are undeniably superior. As for the spring drive I think it’s an amazing movement and far more innovative than anything out of Rolex in the last 4-5 decades. If you really love watches it’s hard not to fall for that smooth seconds hand.

As for the German vs Japanese car debate the German cars start higher new and in a few years are worth less than the Lexus. It’s because they just aren’t well made. I’d know I own a few of each.


N

Summary of the car analogy is spot on! Lexus and Toyota are bullet proof and in general do not require the maintenance German cars do. I would add - unlike German cars that need a steady stream of maintenance to keep running Rolex does not. Very robust watches. In defense of the Germain cars though (I have a couple as well my Lexus) their performance is unmatched by their Lexus.

With respect to the bracelets it was not until recent Rolex improvements that their Oyster bracelets began to shine. The bracelets on the pre-glidelock models left a lot to be desired and no better than GS.

[jswing]

Originally Posted by Paneristi_111

People that buy Seiko want a watch that tell accurate time at reasonable price
People that buy Rolex today want the best watch and be acknowledged as being successful in his career.
In my 30s I bought several $500 Seiko watches, but once I arrived at 45 I began to fall in love for Rolex.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Maybe when you hit 50 you won't need people to acknowledge your success and you'll feel confident enough to wear a Seiko again. It's actually possible to wear both.

Sent from my LM-G820 using Tapatalk

[Glenmorangie77]

I love my Grand Seikos. But to think they are going to every escalate in value or desire anywhere close to Rolex is simply laughable. That's not even how the brand operates, so not sure why the expectation would be there to accomplish that. Most importantly, buy a GS for yourself and enjoy wearing it as often as possible. You know what's on your wrist and that's what counts!

[Tanalasta]

Originally Posted by jlwillia

My new SBGE255 Grand Seiko GMT spring drive blue. My first Grand Seiko piece and I’m very impressed by the quality. How are these less expensive and less in demand than other brands? Blows my mind!

Love then Lamy 2000 and the patina. I've had mixed experiences with Visconti QC.

On point, great choice! (Fellow SBGY007 owner here). I don't think there's a dress watch quite like the Grand Seiko SBGY series.

As for the analogy, I don't know whether GS (being Japanese) will take off like it's European watch contemporaries. I feel they release too many model(s).

[greeneyedguy]

Originally Posted by skp

I was going to pick up a SBGY007. I love the size, the clean dial without a date window and power reserve. The winding action is sublime, however, after seeing it a few times up close, I felt that the dial looked like crumpled glitter paper and I couldn't swallow the price as I thought I would tire of the dial someday. I'm still jealous though and I'm still fighting the urge to pull the trigger on it. Do you have any negative thoughts on the spring drive movement? I'm not sure if I'm completely sold on the tri-synchro regulator. Apparently GS recommends servicing every 3-4 years for spring drive and electronics can be finicky after some time.

I spoke with Josep Kirk from GS New York and he said that you could easily go longer than regular service intervals and the only reason to services every 4 years is because watch oil breaks down. He has had a spring drive for 10 years with no service.