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GRAND SEIKO Repped?

erekose

Renowned Member
Supporter
13/2/12
914
82
28
Tokyo
Why would you rep a GS?
If you want the look at a fraction of the cost get a Presage.

Sent from my SM-G930F using Tapatalk
 

pfrist

Horology Curious
19/7/18
15
24
0
Some of the Bankers in my building have the Grand Seiko Snowflake. It looks sexy as hell.

But if you buy a presage, you'll likely know what it feels like to wear a GS.
 

ETAWatchlover

Active Member
5/7/16
376
126
43
It hase been repped by the Chinese brand Reef tiger .It has a nh35 so a reliable watch .Look on aliexAliEx
 

ETAWatchlover

Active Member
5/7/16
376
126
43
Ams55557 god damm it .Somehow autocorrect / word in fill doesn't really work anymore .I meant AliExpress .How do I edit posts on mobile browser
 

Ams55557

Renowned Member
16/3/18
633
350
63
I don't think that looks like a GS. Not at all even. Case is slightly off (def a seiko), and the hands aren't close.
 

Hinclimincli

I'm Pretty Popular
Certified
18/12/09
2,607
1,864
113
About a month ago I took a stroll with the missus and ended up at the Seiko boutique in London. Being a fan of the spring drive technology I went in to see the Snowflake in the flesh. The sales guy was super clever, as he didn't give me any sales pitch or anything, just took it off the shelf and handed it to me...

...along with a loupe. The most clever move ever, as anyone that sees that dial from a close up perspective will instantly fall in love. Man, what a masterpiece. And the details in the hands and markers, bloody hell! They are cut like a prism so they reflect upon each other every time they pass over the markers. And that's not mentioning how light it feels as it's 100% titanium. My only complain is the size, as I would have preferred a smaller size, around 39mm-36mm. Still a great watch and amazing value.

There are many watches made on "general feeling" and look the part from any distance, but the SBGA211 is made of sheer detail. At 2ft distance will look like a regular Seiko "with something", but get close and you won't be able to stop peeking at it. I don't think it's a watch that can be properly repped for a decent price.
 

Ams55557

Renowned Member
16/3/18
633
350
63
Well I haven’t considered it before but am now. Beautiful.
 

johnlogan

Mythical Poster
Supporter
Certified
18/12/15
9,485
11,367
113
About a month ago I took a stroll with the missus and ended up at the Seiko boutique in London. Being a fan of the spring drive technology I went in to see the Snowflake in the flesh. The sales guy was super clever, as he didn't give me any sales pitch or anything, just took it off the shelf and handed it to me...

...along with a loupe. The most clever move ever, as anyone that sees that dial from a close up perspective will instantly fall in love. Man, what a masterpiece. And the details in the hands and markers, bloody hell! They are cut like a prism so they reflect upon each other every time they pass over the markers. And that's not mentioning how light it feels as it's 100% titanium. My only complain is the size, as I would have preferred a smaller size, around 39mm-36mm. Still a great watch and amazing value.

There are many watches made on "general feeling" and look the part from any distance, but the SBGA211 is made of sheer detail. At 2ft distance will look like a regular Seiko "with something", but get close and you won't be able to stop peeking at it. I don't think it's a watch that can be properly repped for a decent price.

Value add post!
 

timnic54

Put Some Respect On My Name
16/2/16
3,409
1,245
113
Thailand
Grand Seiko, Credor and Galante (all same factory) have some of the best made dials in the business. As well as that, instead of Rolex style BS about 904l ( which is pure BS and adds nothing) they actually finish their 316L in a manner that would be very hard to produce in a rep.

The shape of a GS case is achieved primarily through a cold forging process. This process requires 15 stages. A Mold is utilized and the cold forging press uses up to 300 tonnes (over 330 US tons) of pressure to shape the case. This forging occurs anywhere from 10 to 13 times for each GS produced. Each time it is forged, the case is annealed to about 1,100°C (2012°F) or to 800°C (1462°F) for 18k gold, for 15 minutes to remove stress and strengthen the metal. Utilizing this process creates a harder case that will wear longer and better tolerate re-polishing over the long term.

GS has become renowned for its level of finishing, Known as Zaratsu (or blade) polishing. Just as the katana blade, Zaratsu is required to create an ultra-smooth, distortion-free mirror surface that is only achievable over decades of experience. Zaratsu finishing was implemented by Grand Seiko in the 1960s (first on the Self dater model) and has carried over to the pieces of today. This finishing technique is incredibly labor intensive and quite expensive to produce. One of the beauties in Grand Seiko finishing is that it is very exclusive and something that is not commonly seen in terms of watch cases. The level of finishing is something you would possibly see only in higher-end luxury watchmakers, and mostly only in movement components (referred to as "black-polished" components). A watch using black-polished components can easily be 3-4 times the price of Grand Seiko, and in many cases, much more. To apply this method to a case is almost unheard of, but it is one of the essentials that give Grand Seiko its distinctive appearance

In order to achieve this quality of finish for the final product, cases undergo a four-part polishing process. The polishing is executed by fixing the case or bezel on a chuck, and applying it to a rotating tin and/or abrasive wheel delicately. The wheel is cleaned and wet with a brush numerous times per case -- it can take hours to finish just one surface. The tin wheels are made in-house, and the abrasive used is very fine (the details of which are undisclosed to the public). The result is, as mentioned, a distortion-free mirror finish, showing no blurring in reflections, only a pure and crisp image.


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