[VIDEO] Owner’s Review: the Grand Seiko SBGN003

One of the first things that you may be thinking is “wow, cool Explorer II homage”. I’d say you’re not totally wrong either because that’s how I made my way to the SBGN003. I was looking hard at 5 digit Explorer II’s, but still had a hard time committing to that much spend on a watch, especially with a 9 month old baby in the house and the pandemic still being very much a thing. I remember seeing the Grand Seiko SBGN003 pop up in my Instagram feed and started to do my deep dive. There was a lot to like about the watch, and being that I already had another GS with a 9F movement in my collection, I more or less knew what to expect. Once it hit the Watch Recon alerts page, I knew it would end up in my collection. If you’re able to set a Watch Recon alert without buying the watch, you are a stronger person than I. 

When the watch showed up on a hot August afternoon, it just immediately clicked. The finishing on the 39mm steel case was perfect. It fit my 6.75” wrist like a glove and quickly rose to the top of my most-worn watches. Let’s take a closer look at this highly accurate, easy to wear GMT from Grand Seiko and how it’s held up over my tenure with the watch.