Grand Seiko Elegance SBGY002 Review – The Golden Worldie

Definition of ‘worldie’; worldie in British English – someone or something that is of the highest possible quality.

I’m tired of hearing people say that 18k gold cases scratch up too easily and that they can’t sustain the wear and tear of daily rigors. “Gold watches are soft as butter,” they say. “You only need to look at one and it marks up!”. 

At the risk of getting immediately shot down by gold watch naysayers and those who swear by the rugged steel sports watch, I’m going out on a limb here to say that every collection deserves a gold watch. More specifically – a Grand Seiko SBGY002 – a “golden worldie”.

An In-Depth Review of the Grand Seiko Elegance SBGY002

Just as Coco Chanel would say, you can never go wrong with a little black number. I happen to think the same about gold watches. There is a reason why this alchemy has reigned supreme throughout the ages of watch collecting. 

Patek Philippe put gold watches well and truly on the horological map with a design for Countess Koscowicz of Hungary back in 1868. That watch made its way into the Guinness World Book of Records.

Some gold watches signify first-class refinement. Of course, brand reputation, build quality, price, and accuracy all matter too. Some can look downright tacky. But as true as the earth is round, Grand Seiko watches tick all those boxes as a given. Whether small, large, sporty or dressy, Spring Drive-powered or quartz-driven – Grand Seiko watches are some of the sturdiest you can own. 

Special hand finishes and exquisite case executions really give every GS competitor a run for their money. Oh, and then there’s the story element to each watch – many of which take inspiration from natural elements and the beauty that blankets the surrounding areas of the company’s prestigious Shizukuishi studio. 

In this case, it’s the snow-capped Japanese Alps of the Shinshu region, hence its Snowflake name, or in terms of the reference SGBY002, the yellow gold Snowflake.

The History of the SBGY002 – 20 Years of Spring Drive Heaven 

You may remember the launch of the Grand Seiko SBGY002 in 2019. Back then, the world was a different place. We’re talking pre-pandemic times before the watch industry boomed. During lockdown, consumers flush with cash were no longer spending money on lavish vacations. 

They were investing in collectible timepieces like loaves of bread. Faded bronze cases were the new black. Green dials proved to the world they weren’t just a fad, and the integrated steel sports watch just hit different back then. Still, staples like the Grand Seiko Elegance were keeping the classic dress watch in the game with designs like the SBGY002. 

The SBGY002 was a moment of genius that punctuated the brand’s history with a celebratory ode to one of its finest innovations of all time – the bionic man of all watch movements – the manual Spring Drive caliber. 

The beginnings of the Spring Drive movement twenty years prior were not so much a sporadic culmination of technologies but more a symbol of the brand’s unwavering strength at a time when digital technology dominated the industry. 

Indeed, it took a total of twenty years to incubate the Spring Drive. The brand’s Elegance watches stood as friendly, stoic reminders that not all was lost by way of mechanical engineering. Instead, what watchmakers needed to do was innovate something and ride it out.

Moreover, GS watches, with their textured snow-clad landscape-inspired dials and sweeping second hands, were still waiting for us on the other side. When quartz simmered down, a love for mechanical was once more reignited. 

While quartz watches will always offer an affordable, reliable alternative to manual wind watches and automatics, all three have learned to co-exist in equilibrium together including that of the Spring Drive, which kind of sits within its own bracket.  

The Movement 

Even if I do favor slightly edgier, off-the-wall designs than most, the majority of the timepieces I love are powered by automatic movements. That is, with the exception of the Spring Drive. The endearing thing about the SBGY002 is that it celebrates a timekeeping technology that not only took two decades to materialize but one that is now two decades old itself. 

And while quartz is a word seldom found on the lips of many horophiles, the fact that the Grand Seiko Spring Drive uses a quartz regulator without actually being battery-powered instantly makes things a little different.

It’s a hybrid movement that mixes the old with the new. GS decided that quartz didn’t have to be low-end. In fact, 80% of the genetic makeup of the Spring Drive points to mechanical, and the other 20% comprises a non-traditional escapement. Allow me to explain how it works in the best way possible without using too much horological jargon. 

The coveted Spring Drive is just as fascinating inside as it is to watch perform. When you see it in action, you can quickly understand how it has won so many accolades. On the surface, that sweeping second hand is liquid smooth and one reason why collectors become so hypnotized by its performance. Even better, it keeps near-perfect time. 

Mechanical watches use a balance wheel that oscillates back and forth to halt a set of gears and intermittently control the timekeeping pace of the mainspring. It’s a technology that has proven effective for years and years. But Seiko wanted to go one better. 

Instead, Spring Drive technology combines a magnet with an electromagnet that works against one another. On the one hand, the conventional magnet attaches to the rotor, and the electromagnetic counteracts by pulling away from it, thus acting as a brake.

The movement is slowed to the perfect graceful speed, giving the hand its recognizable butter-smooth sweeping motion. This lack of friction preserves the parts of the movement for longer than a conventional mechanical movement. All of this and no battery, you say? That’s correct. 

The parts of the Spring Drive movement form what is called the Tri-Synchro Regulator. Compared to a traditional movement, this masterful engineering uses 200 more components and they’re all arranged meticulously by the hands of Grand Seiko artisans. The Calibre 9R31 is a manually winding movement and was new for the 2019 release, offering a 72-hour power reserve and comprising 30 jewels. 

Through the exhibition caseback of the Grand Seiko Elegance SBGY002, you can see the power reserve indicator in the top left, alongside a satin-finished mono bridge, blued screws, and handsome chamfers that are deep and easily visible.

The Case

The 38mm Grand Seiko SBGY002 watch is thin, so much so that it has a natural affinity towards those with slender wrists, measuring a height of 10mm. The watch is graced with a beautifully sloped case line and endowed with lugs that sit 43mm apart from one another. 

This is king in delivering an overall compact and ergonomic fit for the wrist. Back in 2019, big watches were the order of the day. So, the fact that the profile of the SBGY002 honors the style and size of golden-era 1940s and 1950s dress watches is pretty special and unusual for its time. 

In response to those who say a gold watch is simply too fragile and that you can’t wear one daily, I would have to say that you’re wrong and that you can. 

And I have physically seen the condition of a worn Grand Seiko SBGY002 in the flesh, having been enjoyed on the wrist by a collector for years (sometimes for months at a time as said collector’s only watch). Its worn, aged look detracts nothing from the watch’s character and charm. In fact, it further adds to it.

The watch strikes a natural rapport with the wrist and wears exceptionally well. I have seen it paired with black tie attire, with tuxedos and lapels, and with a casual jeans-and-jumper combo. 

In all three examples, the watch looks stellar, and it’s all down to the exceptional finish of a Zaratsu-polished 18k yellow case. The technique harnesses the naturally slim, vintage-infused dress watch style of the SBGY002 with fluidly reaching lugs and a supple leather strap.

Handsome satin finishes run along the caseband, enhancing the watch’s slightly vintage-esque character. I’d say the longitudinal grain does go a long way towards enhancing the Zaratsu polishing on the lughood, too. 

The technique uses a spinning tin plate to achieve the mirror-polished finish known as the Zaratsu effect. Both Grand Seiko and Seiko watches showcase this type of finish, which requires the hand precision of an artisan to run the surface of the case along the spinning plate at just the right level of pressure and a precise angle. 

The result is an optically smooth and distortion-free effect (in other words, the equivalent of what the Swiss would call a “black polish).

The case of the Grand Seiko Elegance SBGY002 watch also features a screw-down crown at 3 o’clock, emblazoned with the GS logo, along with a conical bezel that gives way to a rather enticing dial effect. Grand Seiko equips the watch with a scratch-resistant and anti-reflective sapphire crystal glass front and caseback, along with a 30-meter water resistance.

The Dial

The non-uniform arrangement of the Snowflake dial is insanely artistic. Without even having to try, it evokes the snow-capped mountains of the Shinshu region surrounding Grand Seiko’s workshops. 

There are 80 steps involved in the making of this dial effect. Grand Seiko experts choose pieces of silver to achieve the flake effect of the snow rather than merely painting the display white and calling it “snow-inspired”. What this dial lacks in luminous material, it makes up for with its iridescent, shimmering, and highly textured nuances that entice the light to dip in and out of each crevice. 

Together with the polished indexes that are razor-sharp in cut, the dial shines in low light conditions, enabling it to bounce off uneven surfaces with ease.

This, of course, is the same famous dial of the SBGA211, sharing a similar light and lively randomness and accurately echoing the snow drifts of the Shinshu landscape. The fired blue lancet seconds hand complements a set of crisp dauphine-shaped hour and minute hands that are brought into existence with a diamond-like polish. 

Grand Seiko craftsmen use micro-metric diamond-tipped milling tools to capture a clean and contemporary profile of these hands. Meanwhile, the Grand Seiko lettering in golden tones adds the only other detail to the dial (save for the crisp black minute track), since the display is also void of a date aperture.

The Strap

The strap on a Grand Seiko watch is something that never seems to disappoint. No matter who I talk to about watches from this Japanese maison, people share the same view. Whether leather or bracelet form, every Grand Seiko strap feels strong, solid, and well-built. The SBGY002 is fitted on a very dark brown large-rectangular-scale crocodile leather band. 

The company’s crocodile straps are all made in-house using traditional Japanese techniques and comprise three layers of natural leather. The top layer is made from crocodile leather, while both the middle layer and the inner lining are manufactured from cow leather for a smoother and more comfortable finish.

Grand Seiko experts use a special cutting die to stamp out the leather before evening out the thickness of the skin for a refined finish. The monotone stitching is another really nice touch, as it gives you more options when pairing the watch with different attire. The folded edge profile, once flipped over, leads to the “Made in Japan” and “Grand Seiko” lettering, which is embossed neatly into the soft lining.  

The buckle is an Italian-made component, crafted from solid 18k yellow gold and finished with a nice polishing. The twin-trigger, spring-loaded release, enabling you to securely lock it into place before you leave the house, is quick, easy to operate, and matches the high quality of the leather band perfectly.

On The Wrist

I took some time to experience the Grand Seiko SGBY002 a couple of years back and was lucky enough to play about with a brand-new one. Here’s what I found.

Unusually, the leather band is what I want to talk about first and foremost. As I mentioned earlier, Grand Seiko has always impressed with its strap and bracelet designs. This leather band has an incredible buttery and worn-in feel, despite being a brand-new strap. 

Unlike the breaking-in stage required of most brand-new leather bands, getting acquainted with the SBGY002 is made easier with the incredibly soft, supple feel of its leather strap.

Because the strap already feels broken in, you don’t have to flex it back at all to secure the clasp into place.  It molds to the shape of the wrist like a glove to the hand. 

As you thread the tail-end of the strap through the keepers, it snaps into place, taking a lot of wear and tear out of the strap. I have to say that a strap that feels this worn-in from the get-go is almost certain to preserve the quality of the material for much longer than average.

The dimensions of the case are similarly pleasing. Sitting low, the SGBY002 will slink under the cuff of a shirt without a fuss, making it an ideal companion for office wear. I also believe that its slim proportions and its ability to sit under a sleeve will make it a great option for those with smaller wrists too. 

At 38mm in diameter, it’s not going to swamp the wrist, but the fact that the lug width is the less popular 19mm size means that finding alternative straps for the SBGY002 isn’t going to be trickier than shopping for the more common 20mm strap.

The Price

This timepiece is not cheap. At $25k, it’s not an overnight purchase for most. Justifying the price of the watch is not so hard, however,  when you consider what you do get rather than focussing on what you don’t. 

Grand Seiko may not be able to compete with the likes of Patek Philippe and Audemars Piguet on a status level, that much is true. But while many have tried to develop a revelation as impressive as the Spring Drive, none have succeeded. Why is this, you ask? 

Well, the movement is an engineering marvel, and experts at the Japanese ateliers took years to research and develop the concept. That stands for a lot when investing in a mechanical watch. In-house manufacture sells.

Lastly, the Spring Drive hand doesn’t tick, it glides. And for avid mechanical watch connoisseurs, this is a very desirable feature. Add to the mix a +15 seconds-per-moth accuracy, an 18k yellow gold case, and a hand-finished dial, and all of a sudden, the price of the SBGY002 seems pretty reasonable. 

Still, there are more affordable Grand Seikos available, so it’s really about weighing up what you want in a watch. If dressy aesthetics and unparalleled accuracy are important to you, the SBGY002 is definitely worth it. 

But if you need a watch that can sustain the knocks and bumps of a busy working environment, you may want to prioritize a watch with better scratch-proof properties and reserve your GS watch for the more special occasions in life.

Wrapping Up

I’m not disputing that gold watches don’t scratch. But rarely will another case material imbue the same rich, indulgent flavor as a real gold timepiece. Perhaps life is too short to look past that gold watch you’ve always toyed with the idea of owning. Perhaps it’s time to take a risk and enjoy the allure and the flurries of nostalgia that a gold Grand Seiko watch can bring to the wrist.

For me, it would be a watch like the SBGY002. It can smarten up practically everything you own in your wardrobe and bucks the trend, putting that stigma of the gaudy gold watch to bed.  It is, in other words, the “Golden Worldie”, and a watch that I would say ticks everything box needed in a classic, timeless dress watch.