Grand Seiko SBGE257 Watch Review
The new Grand Seiko Spring Drive GMTs from the Sport Collection are now officially available. One timepiece offered is the Grand Seiko SBGE257, a compact Sport model with a case diameter of 40.5 mm. It is equipped with a Spring Drive movement that is resistant to temperature and posture differences. It has excellent impact resistance and is 20 bar water resistant. It has a folding buckle with a fine adjustment function along with a zirconia ceramic bezel that has a surface hardness nearly 6.5 times that of stainless steel.
One of the key features of this timepiece is the Spring Drive movement. Before Spring Drive was developed, watches were either mechanical, which provided traditional character and autonomy but were relatively inaccurate, or they were electronic, which were more accurate but required a battery. In 1999 the development of Spring Drive solved this dilemma by combining the best of both existing technologies into a system that was driven by a mainspring and had a rate deviation of just one second per day. Spring Drive is thus one of the greatest advances in watchmaking.
The Grand Seiko team set out to develop a Spring Drive watch that would set new standards in terms of size, performance, and functionality for all Spring Drive watches. Because of this, the brand’s Sport watches are now considered functional, formal watches that do not exude the roughness of a typical sports watch, but rather can be worn daily and offer advanced performance.
The Grand Seiko SBGE257 is equipped with a GMT display function in the third Spring Drive mechanism that enables accuracy equivalent to that of quartz watches, while using the same mainspring used in mechanical watches as a power source.
The second hand of the wristwatch is equipped with Spring Drive and does not "tick" the time, but rather keeps it while moving smoothly on the dial. The movement of the sweep hand, which was born from the original mechanism, expresses the Japanese aesthetic sense that "time changes and flows."
Zirconia ceramic is used for the bezel material to accommodate more active use. Zirconia ceramic is a beautiful material that has the highest strength and toughness among fine ceramics and boasts excellent processing quality for surface polishing. It is also extremely scratch resistant, including the bezel, allowing it to maintain the original beauty of the material for a long time.
The crown is positioned at 4 o'clock and is designed with an emphasis on practicality while not hindering the smooth movement of the wrist even during active wear.
The Spring Drive GMT caliber 9R66 has long been a Grand Seiko favorite, but never before has it been featured in such a spectacular design. It offers an accuracy rate of one second per day and has a 72-hour power reserve. The GMT hand can be adjusted to local time without stopping the movement to maintain the precision of the watch even when the time zone is changed.
Green colors interact on both the dial and bezel to create a perfect watch for the international traveler, whether in the conference room or at the beach house. Above the 40.5mm case is a bezel over which sapphire crystal extends, giving the watch additional protection and powerful depth. The curved double sapphire has an anti-reflective coating on both the inside and outside for better readability. The case and bracelet are made of stainless steel and the watch is 20 bar water resistant.
