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GS SBGN GMT owners...give me your pros and cons

27K views 58 replies 30 participants last post by  mleok 
#1 ·
I'm seriously considering picking up a GS SBGN005. I found what I think is a good deal and that just pushed me a little closer. As always it's nice to hear from actual owners, especially after they have had the watch a while, on what their thoughts are now about the watch. What pros and cons does the watch have? What would you change, if anything, about the watch? Have you tried it on straps, and if so, which did you prefer?

Im interested to hear some thoughts.

Thanks

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#4 ·
^^^

I would think the GS lume would be the normal Seiko greatness?



It is a great looking watch. I have not had the GMT but have a Springdrive and had a number of other GS's over the years.

Excellent watch, pretty much any model. Some are very large and heavy, some smaller, but every one that I have owned has always impressed me with it's quality.

You notice right away the awesome fit and finish in the case and bracelet. The dials are all super deep in terms of color and impact it has on the overall look of the watch. Easy to wear with almost anything.

I have a thing for JDM watches, so lots of experience with GS stuff. Into the higher end Citizen offerings currently.

It never stops and it never gets less expensive........

Good luck. The one you are considering looks really sweet.
 
#7 ·
^^^

I would think the GS lume would be the normal Seiko greatness?

It is a great looking watch. I have not had the GMT but have a Springdrive and had a number of other GS's over the years.

Excellent watch, pretty much any model. Some are very large and heavy, some smaller, but every one that I have owned has always impressed me with it's quality.

You notice right away the awesome fit and finish in the case and bracelet. The dials are all super deep in terms of color and impact it has on the overall look of the watch. Easy to wear with almost anything.

I have a thing for JDM watches, so lots of experience with GS stuff. Into the higher end Citizen offerings currently.

It never stops and it never gets less expensive........

Good luck. The one you are considering looks really sweet.
Thanks for all the info

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#5 ·
I'm seriously considering picking up a GS SBGN005. I found what I think is a good deal and that just pushed me a little closer. As always it's nice to hear from actual owners, especially after they have had the watch a while, on what their thoughts are now about the watch. What pros and cons does the watch have? What would you change, if anything, about the watch? Have you tried it on straps, and if so, which did you prefer?

Im interested to hear some thoughts.

Thanks
I had the 003.

The watch, simply put is just great. decent size to have enough wrist presence but never obtrusive. The look is very versatile and can easily go with just about any outfit. It's really a gentlemen's adventure watch in the same vein as the Rolex Ex II. The shiny bits probably will keep you from wanting to use it that way but I think this watch would excel in that format.

It is one of the few GS that shines on straps other than the OEM bracelet. I prefered wearing it on a simple 2-stitch leather strap. Natos work great too. If you use IG my feed there has plenty of pics. The 9F movement is more than awesome. The glossy black dial on my 003 is so deep and black.

Really no negatives other than the microscopic bracelet screws. Truly the smallest I have ever seen on a watch bracelet.

I sold it because I now have 2 other 9F watches and too much overlap between all 3 so something had to give.
 
#8 ·
I have a feeling if I get one it would spend most of its time either on canvas or leather.

Once question, does it wear large or small or true to size?

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#14 ·
The lume is probably the usual Seiko quality. It's just that GS used it's usual slim profiled hands and indices which limits the area for lume.
Citizen chose to widen the hand profile when they added lume to the AQ4030 vs the AQ4020. You can see where keeping the slimmer profile hands would have meant a lot less space for lume. I like GS' compromise better.

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#15 ·
I have the SBGN005 and it is an awesome watch overall. For me the watch has the perfect dimensions. It is very easy to wear on a daily basis. I had a Tudor Black Bay that I sold because it was too bulky for daily wear. Since you have small wrists I believe this watch would work well for you. My wrist is about 6.75 inches.

The blue dial is very beautiful when you see it in person. It is a very deep blue. Please keep in mind that it can look black in certain lighting. It is not a vibrant blue in most lighting conditions, but when the sun hits the dial it really pops. It reminds me of looking into the Pacific Ocean. If you look at the dial from the side angle it almost looks like it is lacquer, but when it hits the sun it is clearly sunburst. It is pretty impressive what GS can do with a dial.

Besides the dial, the fit and finish is also superb. I don't think you will be disappointed either way. I would recommend that you handle one in person before you buy it. That way you can see the details in person. Also, some people have reported some minor QC "issues", such as the seconds hand not hitting the marks spot on. If that kind of thing bothers you, inspect the watch in person or buy from an AD that is willing to inspect it before shipping it out to you.
 
#17 ·
I have the SBGN005 and it is an awesome watch overall. For me the watch has the perfect dimensions. It is very easy to wear on a daily basis. I had a Tudor Black Bay that I sold because it was too bulky for daily wear. Since you have small wrists I believe this watch would work well for you. My wrist is about 6.75 inches.

The blue dial is very beautiful when you see it in person. It is a very deep blue. Please keep in mind that it can look black in certain lighting. It is not a vibrant blue in most lighting conditions, but when the sun hits the dial it really pops. It reminds me of looking into the Pacific Ocean. If you look at the dial from the side angle it almost looks like it is lacquer, but when it hits the sun it is clearly sunburst. It is pretty impressive what GS can do with a dial.

Besides the dial, the fit and finish is also superb. I don't think you will be disappointed either way. I would recommend that you handle one in person before you buy it. That way you can see the details in person. Also, some people have reported some minor QC "issues", such as the seconds hand not hitting the marks spot on. If that kind of thing bothers you, inspect the watch in person or buy from an AD that is willing to inspect it before shipping it out to you.
Thanks for that. Some good things to remember in that post
 
#19 ·
Had mine (SBGN005) on bracelet for a while but the lugs really pop when on strap. Mine has been on NATO the past month. Love everything about the watch especially the subtle Ocean green/blue shade of the GMT chapter ring from 9 to 3. It really pops when you view the watch from obtuse angle


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#20 ·
It’s a near perfect watch and fits perfectly on my six inch wrist.

Selling mine eventually because it’s simply not a dive watch (learned that only divers speak to me), but it’s such a great value with insane finishing for the price point. All the points that a great GS brings to the table.
 
#25 ·
I've had the black dial version for a while now. Just had it on my wrist for 17-day trip across 3 continents. The watch is really, really good. Case is thinner and smaller than most GS, which I like. I think it wears true to size. It's a very versatile watch - works with a suit and with a polo shirt. It has the usual impeccable GS quality and finishing. I'm generally not a fan of quartz, but for a travel watch, I find it nice not to have to worry if it's wound or if it's correct. I like the bracelet a lot and haven't put it on a strap. its my first "true" GMT where you can move the hour hand independently, and I do find that to be better than the ETA GMT movements. As another poster observed, the screws on the bracelet are astoundingly small - also my only complaint w the watch....




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#26 ·
Pros:

- Perfect size (6.7" wrist)
- Slips under cuffs, does not gat caught on backpack straps
- beautiful unpretentious classic-modern design
- True GMT with jumping hour hand
- Accurate: mine seems to be running at -2.5 SPY
- Supposed to last a long time with sealed mechanism (50 years or so?)

Con:

- Thin hands sometimes difficult to read, not much space for lume

SBGN003 is the watch I seem to wear the most now, thicker and clunkier more expensive 42mm+ watches are not getting as much wrist time (GS Spring Drive GMT, Tudor BBC, Longines VHP etc). I have started to like smaller pieces like Hamilton Field Khaki Mechanical.

About the hands: they have to be like they are, or it would not be the same watch. The world is full of divers with wide hands, but only one GS SBGNxxx. It seems that it has actually started a revival of high quality quartz watches, with renewed respect for the technology.
 
#28 ·
UPDATE: I went and saw the watch. I haven’t yet purchased. After spending some time with the watch I like a whole lot about it. Honestly my biggest negative is the dial. It’s a beautiful dial, don’t get me wrong, but it’s so dark that it looks black a lot. Of course being inside a mall and with only artificial light probably didn’t help at all. I spoke with another shop that is a bit further away but isn’t inside a large mall and the owner said I could actually take the watch outside (of course with the owner with me) and see it in natural light to help me decide. As funny as it sounds, I actually need to do this.
 
#29 ·
UPDATE: I went and saw the watch. I haven't yet purchased. After spending some time with the watch I like a whole lot about it. Honestly my biggest negative is the dial. It's a beautiful dial, don't get me wrong, but it's so dark that it looks black a lot. Of course being inside a mall and with only artificial light probably didn't help at all. I spoke with another shop that is a bit further away but isn't inside a large mall and the owner said I could actually take the watch outside (of course with the owner with me) and see it in natural light to help me decide. As funny as it sounds, I actually need to do this.
It's not a small $ purchase (.for me)....do what you need to do to be comfortable.

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#31 ·
I tried the sbgn003 and 005 at the Beverly Hills boutique and they appeared to wear small for their size, to my eyes. I think it is the wider bezel leading to smaller looking dial. Also, the case and its lugs when compared to a 44GS wears smaller and is visually less distinct. Lastly, the amount of lume is small due to the size and shape of the hands although of course better than the usual unlumed dial (I have another 9F with the same hands). I like GMTs as a category, and among GS, I myself would probably go with an unlumed 9F or one of the rotating bezel SD GMTs that have more lume.
 
#33 ·
Hi

There are quite a few different threads on how to time watches accurately. Plus you would actually need to wear it for a year across all seasons to know if it was really out of spec no?

The 9f’s are actually digitally adjustable in 6spy steps.

I have a lovely SBGN007.

And yes I completely agree about the service centre in HK.

All the best

Berni




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#36 · (Edited)
I zeroed all my HAQs 29 days ago, and while my SBGX291, SBGX061 and Chronomaster have yet to deviate from each other and from time.is, the GMT is already a little over a second slow. Perhaps the movement is newer and needs a little more time to settle in. I’ll keep it running to see if it picks up over the next few months.
 
#37 ·
But to stay on topic - the dial on my SBGN is wonderfully finished, more so than the SBGX061 which surprised me a little as I assumed that being a watch from the sport line, there’d be less emphasis on the ‘bling’.

The baton markers, hands and glossy dial sparkle much more than the SBGX061. The orange GMT hand is a great touch and doesn’t distract from reading the local time, which I find is a common problem with many GMT watches (read: Glycine Airman). Although it’s a thicker watch, it wears smaller than the SBGX291 antimag, due to the shorter lugs and smaller dial estate. Incredibly comfortable on my 6.25 inch wrist. This is a 10/10 watch for me, if within spec that only time will tell!
 
#38 ·
I had the opportunity to try it in person and see it next to it's hi-beat GMT brother, the sbgj203

While the sbgn003 on it's own isn't a bad watch having it next to the 44GS GMT makes it appears underwhelming. Here the pros and cons of the sbgn003 when comparing both:

Pros:
- Wears comfortable and lighter on the wrist (compared to the 44GS GMT)
- I really like the fact that they choose a thin bezel for this model, IMO a bezel that doesn't move shouldn't be as thick as a dive bezel
- It feels more like a sports watch
- Nice looking bracelet
- I wish more brands would design watches in this size and thickness.

Cons:
- Thin hands and markers, GS is famous for using thick heavy hands, the 9F movement is advertised as being a high torque movement that is capable of moving the same hands as a mechanical watches, however in this model the hands just look thin and not impressive, to make it worse they have a short amount of lume.
- On the model I tried, the second hands was missing every marker
- Gray color inner ring doesn't look that good in person, would have been better if it was all black
- The case reminds me too much of a Seamaster Pro case, which I'm not a huge fan.
 
#39 ·
Another update. I was able to spend about 30 or so minutes with the watch this morning. I wanted to love it, but in the end I just liked it. The chapter ring what the biggest turn off honestly. The 2 color ring (neither look that great against the dial) wasn’t something I would not be happy with. The dial is gorgeous but is almost to dark. I want dark/sunburst but it might just be to dark. I couldn’t find anything else I didn’t like. Everything else was spot on
 
#41 ·
If you didnt love the dial, try the sbgx335. It is the new 9F diver so its larger and thicker, but still very easy to wear daily and just as versatile. The dial on the black x335 is not as opaque as the gmt ant it is not glossy. Instead, the x335 dial looks like the base metal was finely beadblasted and afterwards was electroplated a transparent black, or painted black with a very light black paint. The result is s beautiful black dial that looks almost like black metal with a faint matte/beadblast texture. It leaves the dial with a faint iridescent look. I have one and love it.

As for the gmt, my gripe was the crown. Although it screws down, the threads on crown tube were extremely fine and crown thread engagement felt very weak and somewhat risky. It seemed as if the threaded crown was an afterthought and they decided at the last minute to thread a tube that was designed to be non-screw down. The threads are so fine, I felt like they were the finest I have ever seen, and equate this to "easy to damage." Just my opinion.

Most on this forum probably wouldn't care, nor should they, but the crowns are often a dealbreaker for me (having once had a very expensive repair when the crown tube stripped). Also some will excuse this because the accuracy means that you may only use the crown twice a year. That excuse was not acceptable to me and since I travel frequently, the time would be set more frequently. The crown and thread engagement on the new 9f diver x335 is one of the best on any watch that I have owned, other than the 600m GS diver and my new SNR029/LX prospex 300m spring drive.

Another update. I was able to spend about 30 or so minutes with the watch this morning. I wanted to love it, but in the end I just liked it. The chapter ring what the biggest turn off honestly. The 2 color ring (neither look that great against the dial) wasn't something I would not be happy with. The dial is gorgeous but is almost to dark. I want dark/sunburst but it might just be to dark. I couldn't find anything else I didn't like. Everything else was spot on
 
#47 ·
I just tried on the yellow version of this. Cool watch, very reminiscent of the Rolex Exp ii, especially the bezel font. It’s very light which I liked but it was just a pinch too small for me. Wears like a 38-39mm, which it may well be, I don’t know what the mm actual lot is, but it just barely misses the mark for me on size.


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