Grand Seiko Elegance Automatic 39.5mm Review

Read our detailed and hands-on review of this elegant and classic special edition watch.

A special edition Grand Seiko Elegance requires a special review with high-resolution photos to truly capture the beauty that this luxury timepiece has to offer. Read the full review of the Grand Seiko Elegance Automatic 39.5mm Model #: sbgh263 below. 

Grand Seiko Elegance Automatic 39.5mm Review

CASE

One look at the watch case, and you’ll see an exceptional level of craftsmanship and attention to detail from its construction down to the famed Zaratsu polishing.

This special finishing method is done by hand and involves a tin plate in the process to provide a mirror finish without the distortion normally associated with a highly polished finish. This method is only done by highly experienced craftsmen and craftswomen who need to rotate the case juxtaposed to the plate at a very precise angle to get it exactly right. 

Grand Seiko Elegance Automatic 39.5mm sbgh263 Review

DIAL

The silver dial has a soft creamy tone and uses yellow gold appliqué numerals. The date aperture is located at the 3’o’clock position and is framed in yellow gold. A fine printed minute track graces the far perimeter of the dial with equidistant space between the numerals and the extreme edge of the silver dial.

The Grand Seiko logo is printed in black and sits below the applied polished yellow gold GS initials at the 12 o’clock position. Located just above the 6 o’clock position, ‘AUTOMATIC’ is seen in uppercase printed in black using a sans serif font with the words ‘HIGH-BEAT 36000’ indication the VPH rate at which the caliber oscillates which works out to be ten oscillations per second.

Matching yellow gold dauphine shaped hour and minute hands are faceted and use a polished finish on the surface and bevel of the hour and minute hand. Thanks to the high-beat movement the seconds hand moves very smoothly as it sweeps around the dial.

Grand Seiko caliber 9s85

MOVEMENT

The Grand Seiko Elegance Automatic 39.5mm is powered by the automatic in-house Grand Seiko caliber 9s85 which is a high-beat movement resonating at 36,000 VpH or 5Hz. This 37-jewel self-winding movement is immaculately finished and can be seen through the watch’s transparent sapphire case back.

The GS caliber 9s85 is adjusted to 6 different positions and for temperature and has been tested for accuracy of -3/+5 seconds per day which is even more accurate than the level required by a COSC Chronometer. The 9s85 is equipped with a Spron 610 hairspring which has three times the resistance to electromagnetic frequencies and provides two times the shock resistance of the previous generation Spron hairsprings.

The mainspring delivers high torque thanks to the Spron 530 alloy which also provides 6% more power than its predecessors translating into an additional 5 hours of operation and thus a longer power reserve than most 10 beat watches.

STRAP

The watch case is fitted to a glossy dark brown alligator leather strap with matching brown stitching and a softer light brown calfskin leather on the reverse side of the strap.  The watch band uses a push-button folding clasp in stainless steel which closes using a pin buckle.

Grand Seiko Elegance Automatic 39.5mm sbgh263 strap

To view special pricing on this model and other Grand Seiko watches, click the link below to head over to our online store section.

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