I think you need to see one in the metal to appreciate - cheap and from Argos it most certainly does not look like when you get up close and personal with itOriginally Posted by lambros
OP, get the GS by a mile, it's not even close, the GS is about 3 rungs up from the Tudor and the quality is otherworldly
Spot on. I've had that model and a few other GS's and trust me thet look nothing like "£100 from Argos watches"!
Given the choice I would usually plump for GS but that model is so hideously garish looking I would have to go with the Tudor.
Cheers,
Neil.
Quite. Grand Seikos are very hard to come by but the product quality is evident. The Argos comment is up there with the simple-minded "TAG ruined Heuer". Can there be a sticky for watch forum "bollocks" that people can go and benchmark against before talking bollocks of their own? :)
...but what do I know; I don't even like watches!
Really? over 100 on Chrono24, TAG saved Heuer, LVMH is ruining TAG Heuer, and as to sticky b's for benchmarking b's, how 'smart' of you to swear in a public forum. Aren't people entitled to their opinion?
The comment about it looking like an Argos item is only someone's opinion, I personally don't agree with it, but I have to say and have said, that particular GMT (for me) is too fussy and a mess in general
It's certainly an opinion that a Grand Seiko looks gaudy and shiny; I think the same of some Omegas, even though I know the product quality is actually very good. They're just too bling for me. However, unlike the person who knows GS to be as cheap and shiny as a Lorus in Argos, I am happy to have educated myself that they are not.
There are plenty of people who think Heuer was better before TAG came along. This assertion is not an opinion, but a fallacy. As you say, TAG saved them. But if LVMH ruined TAG Heuer, wouldn't it be out of business 17 years later? Instead last year they made 700,000 watches and have added two production facilities since 2010 or so. I struggle to see what about this is "ruin".
Fine, I'll flub it to sloblock next time.
...but what do I know; I don't even like watches!
That's more like it.
Ultra high beat so no horrible PR dial plus it loses all of the garish accoutrements of the original model posted.
Cheers,
Neil.
Congratulations...I think you will be delighted when that big box arrives from Japan. Very few people regret buying a Grand Seiko. And you will never meet another person wearing the same watch. Like the red font too, unusual for a GS.
Seiko make something like fourteen million watches a year. Only a tiny, tiny, percentage will be GS models. Quite a few never reach Europe. As for the idea that these watches are quite cheap in Japan...not so. You can't buy any GS from Japan for a thousand pounds, with taxes, or anything near it. I've tried.
To give an idea of real world prices: A basic quartz GS diver watch (sbgx117) will, with discount, cost you around £2,750 by the time it arrives from Japan. That's not a guess, it's whatI I am paying from a discount store (Higuchi).
That's life. As for waiting for Jura to have a sale...fine but they don't even import the best models.
Last edited by paskinner; 6th April 2016 at 09:22.
Jura are only an AD, just like Higuchi is – Seiko UK is the importer/distributor, and Japan effectively tells them what they can choose from.
At this price point I'd go for Tudor. It will keep its value much longer then Seiko
The 'quite cheap' prices I was referring to are for the the basic quartz, eg SBGX061. Depending on currency fluctuations you sometimes see them for around £1200, obviously before VAT and shipping. Currently the cheapest on C24 is around £1300 but it might go back down should sterling rise after the referendum, and the yen fall - I'm no currency trading expert but that sounds like a fair bet at some point this year. Of course the divers, along with the more unusual and JDM versions, will set you back considerably more, but the 'standard' model is also one of the most appealing. Likewise, the very charming mechanical SBGR051 is currently available for around £2300 before shipping and VAT and has been less than that quite recently, and most likely will be again. That strikes me as rather good value for what it is - they are lovely on the wrist and you'd have a hard time finding a direct competitor at the price, hence the suggestion that part of the appeal of GS should be the price. Whereas at western AD prices they have a lot of competitors who win hands down on brand recognition, leaving aside the discussion of quality.
From experience though (I had and later sold a JDM SBGX085) the fancier GS Quartz can be an expensive hobby, while a used GS Quartz can be an excellent buy.
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