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I have the SLGA009 and am really loving it. At first, I was wary of the 22mm lugs with just a 2mm taper but I was at an event where Joe Kirk explained that the bracelet being half the case diameter at the clasp helps the watch wear more balanced. And this is absolutely the case, the wider stance the watch takes on the wrist really helps the wearing experience and makes the watch feel more balanced as opposed to top heavy with a lot of watches. Can’t agree with you enough that the finish, dial work and overall craftsmanship on this watch is tops! GS is commanding a bit more price premium with their newer models but for good reason. You’re really getting into holy trinity/haute horology quality at this level and you’re still only paying 1/3 the price. Unfortunately there will always be people who have issue with the word “Seiko” on the dial. Also, agree that this is meant to be an everyday watch but also think this is meant to be somewhat sporty. Counterpoint to you: we readily say the AP RO is a sport watch but it has much less WR than this piece. So we can say the RO is not a sports piece by that criteria (although in reality no one is using it as a sports watch these days…)

I really hope to have a Grand Seiko someday. I had a friend who had three of them and I think the quality is amazing. I think they are better than some famous swiss brands even. I can tell you the high beat you lose or gain seconds a day. I would get the spring drive because it is only off a few seconds an entire year. I also have a small wrist about 6.8 inches. Dress watches I prefer under 40mm and believe 38mm would be much better for me too. The other thing that I am surprised about is they still don't have micro-adjustments in their dress watches like they do with their divers. You would think that would be easy to add to the bracelet since they already have them on their dive watches. In all fairness, they have some of the best dials I have ever seen. The polishing is amazing too on their bracelets.

I agree. Those watches are huge. You actually do not need that much room to display just the time.

the blend of deep black and dark grey on the dial looks amazing

I traded in my sbga413 on this one. The shunbun was beautiful, but not enough contrast on the dial. Very happy with my purchase, other than the cost😂 This watch is very understated. No flash on this one.

I completely agree with you about the size. It's a head scratcher. Especially the lug width.

Thanks for the review Guy, your comment about sports v every day and not a tool watch was explained very well. I can completely relate to that. Different size options as you mention would certainly open up the target market as well. I'll take a look at one in the future at the AD if they have one as I generally prefer a high contrast between the dial and hands but it can depend on the watch model and style somewhat.

Agreed. I love the older 37mm grand Seikos. I miss those.

I am in the same camp as you. I love their watches but just haven't found that right design. They all seem chunkier than such an elegant watch should be. I'd like to see 36-38 mm in diameter with a thickness of 11 mm or less. I could even see this on working with a 20 mm lug opening.

"Understated elegance in the pursuit of perfection" is what I always think of when I think of Grand Seiko.

Guy maybe you could go for the GS dress watch SBGY007 which is close to those dimensions you are looking for and has an amazing dial?

Beautiful watch. You will see a lot of concerning comments re the accuracy of the 9SA5 movement in GS forums, it seems GS is having difficulty getting this movement to run within spec in real life wearing. That said, the Night Birch is stunning.

So 39mm is fine, 40mm is a total deal-breaker? Come on man, it's 1 mm difference!

Who agrees with me? I think this GS with the black dial and the bracelet wears like a Sports watch!

You are exactly right about the sizing.

Something like this will likely be my next step up from my Grand Seiko Quartz. Fabulous watch, can't recommend them enough, definitely interested in getting another Hi Beat or Spring Drive though. I'm kind of a one watch at a time kind of collector, preferring to put all my resources into one piece so it can be all the more impressive. Seems like most folks are the opposite, preferring to build a collection over time. What do you guys do?

I also prefer this to SLGH005, but not so sure when comparing to SLGA009. There're many unstable 9SA5 cases; also the more subtle dial of SLGA009 is as good as SLGH017 in my opinion.

Looks pretty great to me! Thanks for the review.

It’s an office and social event watch, an every day watch but I like luminous markers as I wear a watch at night .

This really is a beautiful dial, both in colour and texture. I really appreciate the titanium case as well; I have several other watches in this material and just adore it! Size seems to be absolutely spot on for me too. I just do not get on with fully automatic movements though. My daily work life needs me to be accurate to the second, day in and day out, week after week, without the need to adjust the timing. If this design was available with Spring-Drive, or even better a 9F movement, and I’d buy one in a heartbeat. Keep well :-)

nice watch... right size for me.... cheers

I got the chance to try this watch on at an AD recently. I was shocked by how much I liked it, which is unfortunate given the price. I had previously tried on the white birch, and the 22mm bracelet bothered me there, but I think the titanium makes the difference on this watch. It felt great, though obviously it wasn't sized for me. I would say one knock against this being called a sports watch might be the style of clasp. However, Omega has a butterfly clasp on an Aqua Terra and that's certainly a sports watch, just a dressy sports watch. I think that's what we have here. I'm perfectly fine with the size of this watch, but understand why some people would want something a bit smaller as an option. Hopefully, GS will continue to expand the "Birch" and Evo 9 line to have more sizes and styles. I would love to see a spring drive version with this dark dial. I would like at least a little lume on the indices too.

What’re your thoughts on this compared to the SBGK017?

Wondered about that whopping 22mm lug width too but will withhold judgment until I try one in the metal. Great review and hope u get a chance to look at the new 37mm offerings; not the magic 38mm but pretty close.

If this has spring drive with the power reserve on the back would be a no brainer

Wowsers, it's definitely a looker. That dial is pretty insane. Still too small for me, it would have to be 42mm, but its stunning as a dress watch

Thanks for this review. Have to see this one in the metal one day. Weird lug width at 22 mm, but should make for a stable and wearable form. Like the detailing of the polished screw chamfers, don't know why the heck it just pops from the caseback...and this is just from observing the finishing detail.

I would love to have this watch. It would fit me well. Think it is stunning! Seiko and GS know how to do Ti. I have a shotgun....a samurai....sbga413 in ti. All well made. The problem is watch budget. Not right now🤔

Is a Rolex Explorer a sports watch? Milgauss, Air King, and Oyster Perpetual are all watches with a fixed bezel that, at times, range from 41 to 39 mm widths…

Beautiful

It a perfect watch. But I want the Spring Drive on it to buy it.

I agree with everything you said. 💯

It’s a titanium watch with water resistance. It’s sporty.

Looks good. Tbh I am not digging the bottom font on the dial, the "HI-BEAT 36000 80 HOURS" text is... well... it's a plain white print (same as you see on any $300 microbrand) with absolutely emotionless, featureless stock font (again.. exact same as seen on any $300 microbrand watch). Imo it harms this watch, seems like an afterthought.

Two questions from someone who is just getting into watches. What do you mean by lug to lug length? Also is this a mechanical watch that I have to wind everyday or is it Automatic?

I have the same gripe with grand seiko. Their proportions are dumbfounding. Sold my spring drive because its too big for a dress watch.

The size is fine for me, but the 22mm lug width makes the watch look bulky. Not sure why they made the decision for a wide lug width.... ?

Not a sports watch. I regard this as a more formal/everyday watch. Having said that I believe it could be dressed up for the nicest of occasions.

There’s 40 different varieties of Birch 🌳 trees in nature-GS has more special edition Birch models to go 😆!

37mm quartz with no date would be my pick

I have the quartz SBGX261 that I love, but for everything else from GS - too big, too thick, too expensive (more expensive than an OP, DJ, Aqua Terra).

A word on size: You are right. And you're not the only one. I own two forty mm Grand Seiko watches. One is the 12mm thick Spring Drive SBGA465, and the other is the 10mm thick HAQ SBGP013. I bought a Cartier Santos medium (35 x 8,8mm) on Friday. Never will I wear those Grand Seiko's again. They were bugging me before I got the Santos, but that experience just puts the nail in the coffin for these watches. That said: 100m water resistance is certainly enough for a sports watch. The notion that a mere sports watch need 200m water resistance is pure poppycock. Name one sport that takes you further than 100m under the ocean's surface, please.

Nice t-shirt kid

I may be wrong, but all this GS watches look the same for me ...🤓

Which GS isn't almost perfect?

It’s impossible for GS to have a perfect release. I mean, a 22mm wide bracelet on a watch like this? They’re crazy.

Totally agree with your opinion on the dimensions. The bracelet is too wide and looks clumsily big

I don t like the dial,the price,the hands,the bracelet....i don t like this watch

this is more than a submariner, seiko is crazy.

less signage on the dial please

The price is a problem, a smarter buy is a common color OP 41 or datejust. You can sell those and almost get your money back if you ever need to. The evolution models seem a rip off versus the last generation, a snowflake is cheaper and has more of the GS design DNA.

In the flesh the dial is too small compared to the bracelet or vice versa - just not balanced.

no watch is perfect, and no mechanical watches are for sport activities, the using terms "tool watch" is completely wrong... when people talking about tool watches it all comes down to water resistance nobody talking about shock resistant as you know mechanical movement cannot resist shocks...therefore even Rolex submariner is not a tool watch eventually it is a dressy warch it is a water resistance but it is not shock resistant at all therefore it isn't a tool watch.... it is a companion for diving but it is not a real reliable tool for diving... if you are OK with Rolex submariner wearability why not this Grand Sieko night Birch?....this Grand Sieko having more sense as a mechanical luxury watch than Rolex submariner at the same price.... wearability and craftmenship is better than Rolex submariner, by far much more beautiful movement compared to what you can get from Rolex , and I believe the engineering spec of 9SA5 is simply better from any Rolex...

SLGH017 USD 10,400.00

Go to the gym and Don’t complain that the size is big.

Beautiful watch but the wider lug width was the immediate deal breaker for me. I am the odd duck that loves the 19mm lug width of other Grand Seiko models. Great review!