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Old 12 July 2018, 01:08 AM   #1
bondtoys
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Grand Seiko Steel very soft?

Hello Everyone,

having had my wonderful SBGM221 now for some months, I am reading this by John Bues (who has the same watch) on Hodinkee:

"that I've found Grand Seiko's stainless steel watches to be incredibly resistant to scratching"

Unfortunately, I have made different experiences with my watch.
Please save ourselfs from "normal wear", "get over it" and so on. I am having several high-end watches and know what to expect from Stainless Steel.

This particular GS has been extremely babied, but even putting it on a (clean) wooden desk over the night left some significant scratches and one contact left a significant chip in the lug.


I know that most of my other watches are better in that regard and so I wanted to ask other GS wearers about their experiences - maybe I just have a bad apple and should send it to GS under warranty.

But as it is now, the GS seems to be the softest stainless steel watch that I own:





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Old 12 July 2018, 01:25 AM   #2
GB-man
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Rather than soft I think it’s the highly polished nature that will lead it to show more surface wear. As for the gouges, that ain’t no wooden desk doing that!
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Old 12 July 2018, 01:37 AM   #3
bondtoys
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I did not say that the gouge was caused by a wooden desk
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Old 12 July 2018, 04:13 AM   #4
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I did not say that the gouge was caused by a wooden desk
Oh haha my bad
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Old 12 July 2018, 10:42 AM   #5
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My GS doesn't have a mark on it after six months. I don't wear it daily, but it has been around, and not worn particularly carefully. I usually get scratches on new Rolex and Tudor watches within a week or two.

The Seiko Dia-Shield treatment is supposed to be a good first line of defence, too. I think all SS Grand Seikos have it.
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Old 12 July 2018, 10:46 AM   #6
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My GS was bought in 2012. Still looks new and is worn in rotation. It has held up very well.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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Old 12 July 2018, 01:49 PM   #7
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Mine is fine.
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Old 12 July 2018, 01:58 PM   #8
toxicavenger
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If it is a high polished watch it will show scratches more than any other brushed watch. The steel isn't necessarily softer.
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Old 13 July 2018, 02:53 PM   #9
Fleetlord
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bondtoys View Post
Hello Everyone,

having had my wonderful SBGM221 now for some months, I am reading this by John Bues (who has the same watch) on Hodinkee:

"that I've found Grand Seiko's stainless steel watches to be incredibly resistant to scratching"

Unfortunately, I have made different experiences with my watch.
Please save ourselfs from "normal wear", "get over it" and so on. I am having several high-end watches and know what to expect from Stainless Steel.

This particular GS has been extremely babied, but even putting it on a (clean) wooden desk over the night left some significant scratches and one contact left a significant chip in the lug.


I know that most of my other watches are better in that regard and so I wanted to ask other GS wearers about their experiences - maybe I just have a bad apple and should send it to GS under warranty.

But as it is now, the GS seems to be the softest stainless steel watch that I own:

How would Seiko fix a watch that you suspect to be made of "soft" steel?

What would your expectation be?
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Old 13 July 2018, 04:30 PM   #10
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Has Germany been experiencing the same recent heatwave as France and the UK? ;-)
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Old 13 July 2018, 07:55 PM   #11
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What was the “contact” that caused the ding in the lug?
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Old 13 July 2018, 09:06 PM   #12
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Has Germany been experiencing the same recent heatwave as France and the UK? ;-)
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Old 14 July 2018, 01:05 AM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Fleetlord View Post
How would Seiko fix a watch that you suspect to be made of "soft" steel?

What would your expectation be?
Bubble gum?
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Old 15 July 2018, 10:47 PM   #14
bondtoys
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Fleetlord View Post
How would Seiko fix a watch that you suspect to be made of "soft" steel?

What would your expectation be?
I‘d ask GS, if there was a production issue with my watch as it appears to be far softer than what other experiene with their GS.
And that they should check and fix the slightly misalligned GMT hand as well.

Btw, I have received reply from my Ad after they have been asking their rep, that non of the GS have the Diashield coating.
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Old 17 July 2018, 02:00 PM   #15
toxicavenger
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bondtoys View Post
I‘d ask GS, if there was a production issue with my watch as it appears to be far softer than what other experiene with their GS.
And that they should check and fix the slightly misalligned GMT hand as well.

Btw, I have received reply from my Ad after they have been asking their rep, that non of the GS have the Diashield coating.
No GS watches have diashield coating. Which is good, that stuff peels over time. It is like chrome plating.
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Old 17 July 2018, 06:52 PM   #16
bondtoys
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This comes from GS:

Diashield treatment is not used on Grand Seiko. The reason behind this is that the surface treatment does not allow cases or bracelets to be refinished, only replaced. In Grand Seiko, it is intended to be a piece made to last generations without the need for replacing parts.

Precautions are taken to prevent damage on the case. All Grand Seiko cases are cold forged and annealed, as many as 13 times each, which increases the hardness and eliminates possible air bubbles. This means that the case can be refinished multiple times. The 316L stainless steel cases are actually harder than most others, but because zaratsu finishing is creating a perfect mirror on the case, you can see the scratches slightly easier. The nice thing is that when the time comes you would want the case refinished, it can look almost completely brand new.
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Old 17 July 2018, 11:55 PM   #17
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Old Expat Beast View Post
My GS doesn't have a mark on it after six months. I don't wear it daily, but it has been around, and not worn particularly carefully. I usually get scratches on new Rolex and Tudor watches within a week or two.

The Seiko Dia-Shield treatment is supposed to be a good first line of defence, too. I think all SS Grand Seikos have it.
Clearly I was misinformed!
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