Grand Seiko Spring Drive, should Rolex follow?

[jagwap]

Agreed on the brand snobbery. Grand Seiko is very underrated, and I like the idea of wearing a timepiece that almost all people don't get. What could be more under the radar than a Seiko with better finishing and handcrafted details than a Rolex. Equally recognisable, but in an opposite direction.

Now if only they would make a piece that sang to me style wise. Many are close, but not quite...

[subtona]

Very much appreciate GS watches but Prefer to keep my watches strictly mechanical.

[PJ S]

Originally Posted by Doc Savage

Ok, cool. How is it doing after 12 years?

Still within ½ a second, and that’s as much as it deviates in total, even over a prolonged period of 2 weeks of constant wearing.

Originally Posted by subtona

Very much appreciate GS watches but Prefer to keep my watches strictly mechanical.

Preference based on what though?
Sounds very much like cutting one’s nose off to spite their face.
If you think only a regular style escapement shows off a level of micro-engineering, then read up on what goes into the electronic side of the SD movement – it’s every bit as micro-engineered, if not more so.

[Ichiran]

Originally Posted by PJ S

Still within ½ a second, and that’s as much as it deviates in total, even over a prolonged period of 2 weeks of constant wearing.

That's very impressive for a 12-year-old watch. Have you serviced your watch recently?

[PJ S]

^
Nope.

[superstarmar]

Simple answer no imho...

[tom2517]

Don't see why Rolex will follow, they are in a sweet spot and there is really no need branch out to other types of movements, whether its spring drive, or split second perpetual calendar.

[No SUBctitute]

The great difficulty in creating a mechanical watch is making it extremely accurate. Its a difficult thing. (That's why watches that tick within a second or two a day consistently over years cost thousands of dollars.) Seiko replaced a very important part of a mechanical watch--the escapement--with a circuit. Interesting. But the accuracy no longer impresses me, at least no more than an accurate quartz watch would impress me--which is not much.

[Dsmith1974]

If you read around it the Seiko story is every bit the equal of the Rolex story IMHO.

The SD is definitely a fully automatic watch.

I’m not sure it uses a ‘computer’ as some have stated, it just uses an electric force generated from a magnetic/mechanical movement in a negative feedback loop to deliver a breaking effect via a magnetic brake. The low levels of power used to attain this simplicity and accuracy as such that if every person in the World were to wear a GS SD the combined force would not power a single light bulb! The number of winds on the magneto and efficiency required a new hexagonaly shaped copper wire thinner than a human hair which is where a lot of the 20 years of R&D went. It’s not a quartz watch, it just uses an incredible quartz crystal as one third of the tri-mech regulator.

The planets do not judder and tick as they make their way through the heavens and neither does a Spring Drive.

No one knows what Rolex will do (except Rolex), but my guess is that the would only do something similar if it was better. For example ditching the quartz crystal for a miniaturised atomic oscillator (something they already have a patent on). If the Atom Master came out in my life time I would sell my whole collection, house and wife to buy one.

[TheVTCGuy]

Originally Posted by Dsmith1974

If you read around it the Seiko story is every bit the equal of the Rolex story IMHO.

The SD is definitely a fully automatic watch.

I’m not sure it uses a ‘computer’ as some have stated, it just uses an electric force generated from a magnetic/mechanical movement in a negative feedback loop to deliver a breaking effect via a magnetic brake. The low levels of power used to attain this simplicity and accuracy as such that if every person in the World were to wear a GS SD the combined force would not power a single light bulb! The number of winds on the magneto and efficiency required a new hexagonaly shaped copper wire thinner than a human hair which is where a lot of the 20 years of R&D went. It’s not a quartz watch, it just uses an incredible quartz crystal as one third of the tri-mech regulator.

The planets do not judder and tick as they make their way through the heavens and neither does a Spring Drive.

No one knows what Rolex will do (except Rolex), but my guess is that the would only do something similar if it was better. For example ditching the quartz crystal for a miniaturised atomic oscillator (something they already have a patent on). If the Atom Master came out in my life time I would sell my whole collection, house and wife to buy one.

How much for the wife?

[Dsmith1974]

Originally Posted by TheVTCGuy

How much for the wife?

5 digit Pepsi and she’s all yours. No returns.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Fredrik]

Originally Posted by Dsmith1974

...
I’m not sure it uses a ‘computer’ as some have stated, ...

In the top here you see the circuit board used in the spring drive with the custom IC in the middle that calculates the breaking force needed processing the current speed and quartz oscillator as reference. Seiko actually has a great explanation somewhere on their site, the picture is from it.

[mailman]

No.

[joli160]

They should not and I doubt if they are capable of inventing something as ground breaking as Seiko has done many times.

Seiko is light years ahead in this field and is probably the most innovative brand with the Kinetic, Astron and Spring drive movements.
These are truly marvels of micro engineering.

Rolex is old school and a very good one in that, love the way they are able to upgrade their line up with tiny alterations and respect to the past. No Rolex looks ever outdated, major allure for me.
Hope they stick to that philosophy.

[RRGHOST1]

I would wear a Spring Drive type Rolex.

[toxicavenger]

I hope Rolex does not. It would be out their wheelhouse and they have stuck with some of the same designs for so long that I think it would be a qc nightmare for them.

[Art 1]

No.

[PJ S]

^
I have the SNR001

[rolexpatek363]

A bit of googling reveals mine was the SNR 017 w/ moon phase. It was nice, but like a hockey puck on the wrist!

[singkwokhk]

I have many Grand Seikos and Rolexes. I also have German watches. What I am trying to say is that "A true watch collector loves all types of all from all over the world."

[|404|]

To you guys saying its a quartsz... or like a quartz...

It isn't at all...

It's a mechanical watch and it is a revolution. It's 20 years in the making. It's an entirely mechanical and automatic based system...

The only thing that is different is that there is a quartz crystal that is used to regulate the speed of the movement. That does not make the watch quartz or anything like it... there is no battery.

It is a mechanical watch and it is revolutionary. I don't see Rolex doing it, not because it is not good but because it isn't Rolex's style...

Rolex are not a movement focused brand, they are not heavy innovators. They are pushing and selling a brand of luxury goods. That's the only thing the GS has going against it.

Watchmaking and technology wise... it is far surpasses anything the swiss have ever made.

I will buy a GS Snowflake very soon, I'm currently looking to find an AD.

[rolexpatek363]

Originally Posted by |404|

I'm currently looking to find an AD.

Jura watches, London.

[daveathall]

Originally Posted by rolexpatek363

Jura watches, London.

Yes, I got my two from their off shoot shop in Leeds.

[Dsmith1974]

Originally Posted by rolexpatek363

Jura watches, London.

There’s a SEIKO boutique in Knightsbridge. 58 Brompton Road IIRC.

[|404|]

Originally Posted by Dsmith1974

There’s a SEIKO boutique in Knightsbridge. 58 Brompton Road IIRC.

Ooo well I will check them out next weekend when I should have some free time!

[imperio]

Originally Posted by TheVTCGuy

A. Do you consider it a TRUE automatic, since the wound spring does produce an electical charge, even if it is not used to power the hands?

B. Should Rolex strive for something similar? The accuracy is better and again, watching that smooth movement of the second hand was impresseive IMHO.

A: don't know about this one, still figuring it out in my head. I guess it depends on how you classify what an automatic is. No battery? Hand powered? No electronics within the movement?

B: no, Rolex would do better being seen as trend setters, not followers. They've missed the boat on this one... By almost 20 years

[subtona]

Many years ago I owned a seiko kinetic quartz.
Not sure where /if or how significantly the springdrive deviates from that technology?

[PJ S]

Originally Posted by subtona

Many years ago I owned a seiko kinetic quartz.
Not sure where /if or how significantly the springdrive deviates from that technology?

Night and day difference, Gus.
Kinetic uses a rotor to charge a rechargeable battery, but the rest of the movement is a basic quartz one.
SD is a comparator circuit providing output to a brake, which acts as and replaces the (conventional) escapement. The rest of the movement is completely mechanical like any automatic.

[gaeleus]

I don't think so just as I don't think Rolex needs to use the Co-axial gimmickry used by Omega. Rolex is Rolex because it is solid, proven, reliable