Grand Seiko SBGJ Owner Review : Subtle, sublime and perfect

First of all, Grand Seiko is the only brand in my collection that is not Swiss, is it the fault of the marketing of the big watchmaking houses? Probably. After some time of reflection on less "classic" brands and in search of something exceptional, my interest had initially turned to brands like Glashütte Original and Blancpain, without having a specific model in mind, although the idea of a green dial had remained in my head. So I decided to broaden my field of vision to Japan (probably helped by a famous episode of Duel Time!). A bit by chance, I came across this model, and there was no room for doubt! It was the right one! Refined, silent, subtle, with an unmatched level of interior and exterior finishes, this watch ticks all the boxes that interest me today in my watchmaking journey. Nothing is left to chance, without falling into the superfluous. This watch has all the characteristics of a dress watch, but offers such a range of colors that we are tempted to wear it in a more sporty version. There is no doubt, the emotion is there; having a Grand Seiko on the wrist is truly exceptional. One question remains: does the Grand Seiko brand suffer from the brand image associated with its sister brand? Or is it a deliberate and assumed choice of the Japanese brand which thus, targets above all the "connoisseurs"? In the end it does not matter, with its finishes close to fine watchmaking, Grand Seiko outperforms the brands that are placed in the same price range. We cannot therefore speak of competition...