One aspect that makes the world of luxury watches and watch collecting so beautiful is the variety of models and watch brands – there’s truly something for every style, budget, and preference. But what if you had to choose just one watch brand for the rest of your life? We set our authors to work getting to the bottom of this. The rules were as followed:
- You have to choose one watch brand to wear for the rest of your life
- Money is no object
- Fun twist: You get one “wild card” watch, i.e., you can swap one watch of your chosen brand for a watch from another brand. Which one would it be?
Chrono24 magazine never has to ask its writers twice for their personal best lists. I was recently given the honor of naming the ultimate watch collection for a specific budget. This time, I was asked to choose a single watch brand that I would have to wear for the rest of my life (with one small exception). Anyone who has read one or two of my articles will not be surprised to discover that my choice is Grand Seiko. Even before the international launch and rise of the brand, I was fascinated by its unique Spring Drive movements. I attended the first trade fairs and marveled at iconic models like the Snowflake. With the new generations of innovative mechanical movements that Grand Seiko introduced in 2020, new grail watches were added to the portfolio, providing enough timepieces for half a watch nerd’s lifetime. Grand Seiko also embodies realistic accessibility and affordability, combined with a high level of vertical integration. It offers quality that is often well above the price level of comparable watches. Its collections include timepieces that offer a wide selection for almost any occasion. For this article, I did some soul searching and thought about how many and which Grand Seiko models I would choose if they were the only watches I would wear for the rest of my life.
Why Not A Snowflake? Or: Why the SBGA373 Is the Perfect Grand Seiko
Let me start with my absolute favorite and in my opinion the most universal Grand Seiko. By the way, this is the only one I happen to own (so far). Despite the rules of this thought experiment, based on a fictional infinite budget, I would choose this Grand Seiko again in a heartbeat. Let me walk you through this decision-making process a little. Afterwards you might agree with me that the SBGA373 is the perfect Grand Seiko. Before that, let’s address the elephant in the room: Why not the hyped Snowflake SBGA211? My first contact ever with Grand Seiko took place at a booth at a small trade show – it must have been in 2015. That’s where I had the Snowflake handed to me for thorough inspection. Keep in mind that the selection of GS models was much more limited back then than it is today. The Snowflake was practically the Grand Seiko brand itself, or at least it seemed that way to me as a young enthusiast.
Despite the beautiful dial, it didn’t quite sparkle. The banal and often cited reason: the lightness of titanium simply diminishes the perceived value of a watch compared to one with a stainless steel case. No matter how much someone might argue to the contrary: If it’s going to be a Grand Seiko, it should be stainless steel. Armed with the following checklist, I set off on my (internet) search:
- Stainless steel case and bracelet
- 44 GS case: One of Grand Seiko’s iconic, particularly angular designs, highlighting the quality of its hand polishing
- Spring Drive movement: It simply had to be Seiko’s exclusive quartz/mechanical hybrid
- I wanted a simple three-hand model, at most with a GMT function, but without a sporty design, rotating bezels, or other such features.
At that time (and indeed to this day according to the watch finder on the Grand Seiko homepage), the selection within the permanent collection was narrowed down to the SBGA373 and SBGA375 models, the former with a champagne-colored dial, and the latter in deep blue. I selected the SBGA373 because of its polished dauphine hands, polished facets as far as the eye can see, and blued seconds hand. I haven’t wanted to be without it ever since.
Apart from the power reserve indicator, the watch is extremely minimalist, and since it is neither decidedly sporty nor purely dressy, I can hardly imagine a situation in which it wouldn’t suit the style of the occasion.
What else does the Grand Seiko range have to offer?
Now we know how I chose my favorite watch model. But I’ll need more Grand Seiko watches over the course of my life, so my hypothetical collection needs a few more timepieces from the brand’s catalog. A dress watch on a leather strap, like the SLGW003, is a natural choice. With its latest-generation hand-wound caliber and titanium case, it also provides a nice contrast to the Spring Drive model on a steel bracelet.
A chronograph is also a must, and here my choice falls on the reference SLGC0001 Tentagraph, Grand Seiko’s first mechanical chronograph, which expanded upon the Spring Drive movements that had been exclusively used in these chronographs up to that point. The “Hi-Beat” caliber also features the new Dual Impluse Escapement, along with twin mainspring barrels for an impressive 72-hour power reserve, all at a high frequency.
Last but not least, I want to complement these mechanical and Spring Drive movements with one of Grand Seiko’s quartz calibers. For example, the SBGN007, released to celebrate the brand’s 25th anniversary, is powered by the high-precision, temperature-compensated 9F86 quartz movement.
What’s the wild card?
The rules allow me to “betray” my brand for life with another watch. The obvious choice here is to dig deep into the haute horlogerie box and choose a sinfully expensive grand complication from a historically important brand – or an equally expensive but more unusual watch from an independent brand in the high-end segment. Grand Seiko, or even the Seiko Group’s high-end Credor brand, would also have many a treat to offer in this price range. However, with a few exceptions, these watches are not quite suitable for everyday use and would perhaps make the road to the end of my life a bit rougher with such a limited collection. I would rather choose a small, under-the-radar independent brand to complete the collection. With this in mind, I’m drawn to the Swiss manufacturer Zeitwinkel, with its beautiful and impressive vertical selection, like the 273°. Unfortunately, the brand is so criminally underrated that I can’t find one on the Chrono24 marketplace. How about we just assume that Zeitwinkel’s timepieces are so good that no owner wants to part with them? Alternatively, I could very well imagine a Habring2, maybe a Foudroyante with flashing seconds, of which I was able to find a few examples on the Chrono24 marketplace.
