{"id":161486,"date":"2023-10-13T12:14:06","date_gmt":"2023-10-13T04:14:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/revolutionwatch.com\/?p=161486"},"modified":"2024-04-17T07:30:45","modified_gmt":"2024-04-16T23:30:45","slug":"the-grand-seiko-sbgw297-and-sbgw299-focus-on-the-details","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/revolutionwatch.com\/the-grand-seiko-sbgw297-and-sbgw299-focus-on-the-details\/","title":{"rendered":"The Grand Seiko SBGW297 and SBGW299 focus on the details"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/div><\/div>
One for the detail-oriented fans.<\/em><\/div>
I would wager that every seasoned watch lover remembers exactly how they felt the moment they discovered the oft-obscured world of watchmaking. There is a rush of wonder when you realize that the hobby even exists. At that moment, you feel like Howard Carter peering into the blackness of the boy king\u2019s tomb, blinking away the darkness and acclimatizing to the subtle glint of gold as it reveals itself to living eyes for the first time in centuries. You ponder (and can be forgiven for doing so) whether anyone else knows about it or whether you and you alone are destined to become its sole custodian for time immemorial. You consider keeping quiet and not telling anyone the treasures you\u2019ve unearthed but, sooner or later, the desire to share overcomes you and you seek out like-minded weirdos. There must be one or two, right?<\/div>
And then you meet someone much further along in their journey and your perception of the hobby is once more turned upside down. The world you thought you knew isn\u2019t a world at all; it\u2019s a universe entire. There are endless levels, esoteric nuances, and libraries full of knowledge desperate to be discovered and pored over. More baffling still, there are humans (who look vaguely normal for the most part) who communicate not with words, but rather with long strings of seemingly random numbers and letters, which you would have deemed gobbledygook were you not the only one who didn\u2019t seem to understand.<\/div>
No matter how long you spend floating around the watch universe, there will always be someone who knows a reference number you don\u2019t (and will gleefully express mock shock when you shrug and admit your understandable ignorance). But for Grand Seiko fanatics, there are four characters you really need to know, no matter how recently you\u2019ve begun your descent down the rabbit hole.<\/div>
44GS.<\/div>
\"\"

The Grand Seiko 44GS, 1967 (Image: Grand Seiko)<\/p><\/div>

It\u2019s a case reference, not a model number. It is, however, more famous among aficionados of Japanese watchmaking than any other case reference I can call to mind. First conceived in 1967, the 44GS platform was the perfect expression of Grand Seiko\u2019s case finishing ability and it has not been topped since. In 2013, the brand saw fit to update the model, increasing its diameter in light of market pressure to do so, but it wasn\u2019t really necessary. Sure, it would\u2019ve taken incredible resolve (and perhaps a dash of recklessness) for Grand Seiko to ignore commercial trends and stick to its guns, but even given the brand\u2019s desire to appeal to a broader, more international market, I\u2019m not sure it would\u2019ve done too much harm.<\/div>
Case in point, just nine years later (and just five years after GS became a separate entity from Seiko), the mid-size 44GS was released in 2022. At 36.5mm in diameter, 11.6 mm thick, and a wrist-friendly 42.7 mm lug-to-lug, this was a purist\u2019s dream. Now, Grand Seiko proudly adds the identically sized SBGW297 and SBGW299 to its Heritage Collection.<\/div>
\"\"

SBGW297<\/p><\/div>

\"\"

SBGW299<\/p><\/div>

<\/p>\n

What we think about the SBGW297 and SBGW299<\/h2>\n

<\/div>

I\u2019m very comfortable in saying, this iteration of the 44GS is the best yet. It is actually a little narrower (although also a little thicker) than the 1967 original, but that added boxiness makes it wear even smaller on the wrist, resulting in a curiously contemporary look.<\/div>
As always, the product presentation suffers from two major problems that Grand Seiko seems unwilling to address. Firstly, the product photography is frustratingly sterile and does absolutely nothing for the incredible finishing of the case, dial, indices, and hands.<\/div>