SBGE245 / GS 44mm review

[minute_man]

The SBGE 245



Okay, where do I even start with this one? Been nearly two weeks on my wrist and I just can’t seem to be getting enough of it. But let’s take things from the beginning, one that dates back to my early years on the forum, when I first learned of GS.

It was a particular model that really captivated me, the limited edition SBGE021. Looked great, I really, really loved the case shape, the bezel, the wonderful dial, SD movement; specs were all I could have asked for, one was even available for purchase locally.

All seemed great until I read about the size… 44mm like seriously? You’ve got to be kidding me, right? Why on earth, GS, would you make such a fine GMT that big? Deeply frustrated I swiftly moved on and didn’t look back, for a very long time.

Following a recent fiasco with a 16710 which turned out franken and having dodged a $15K bullet, I decided to take a break and try something discontinued / preowned that could not be easily faked, one that would not be overly popular and even, why not, somewhat exclusive.

So I thought about giving the 44mm GS SD GMT line a try, for real this time. The single one on sale in the country happened to be exactly what I was after, so having discussed the…return policy with the seller over the phone, we worked out a pretty good deal.

The watch came in as a full set and I was even able to register on the GS9 as it was originally purchased in the US. This limited edition SBGE 245 is number 237/600. The number, paired with the GS Lion logo, carries some personally important symbolism which is the icing on the cake.

On to the watch itself now:

Having tried this one on, one can safely draw a definitive conclusion whether or not the entire 44 mm Spring Drive and Hi Beat GMT lines would be for him. And I say him, because this is not meant as a unisex watch, always imho.

So let’s talk about the elephant on the wrist, ahem, in the room I mean. See, this is not a small watch. At nearly 44mm (43 plus change, actually) across, some 14,7 mm thick and roughly 52 mm lug to lug sounds intimidating enough to scare lots of folks away. I was one of them.

In paper it is something I would normally dismiss without second thought just for being beyond my 42mm comfort zone. I owned a BB GMT and the slab-sided 41mm case, although not a deal breaker with the overall thickness of 14,5mm just seemed to sit a bit taller than I would like, despite its chamfers. The weight of the two watches is very similar at 170-180 grams by the way.

And here is where the GS shines. The 200 WR rated case starts narrow down below at the case back and flares as it flows up towards the bezel, while itself always remains overall somewhat narrower than the bezel. Its top is beveled so this, combined with the curved profile and the famed “zaratsu” high polish on the sides, drastically reduces the optically perceived thickness to a mere sliver!

The screw-down crown at 4 O’clock is neither too large nor too small but I would like some better grip as it neatly tucks half way into a case recess, a brilliant design feature which further reduces the perceived size of the watch and affords some degree of protection to the crown itself. Seiko lore has it this was to emphasize the fact that winding and constant fiddling with the crown is not necessary and thus it’s been discreetly moved somewhat out of the way.

The solid screw-down case back is engraved with the typical GS Lion logo and the xxx/600 limited edition serial. The detail is very nice and crisp.

The bi-directional bezel consists of a stainless steel frame and sapphire insert with lumed triangle at 12 and lumed numerals. I’m not sure what the substrate is made of. On paper, this one is a black bezel but really only at certain light. It appears mostly greenish indoors while ghosts into gunmetal and even grey depending on the lighting and viewing angle! The scalloped edge is easy enough to grip while the bezel’s rotation is firm, with positive 72 clicks and absolutely zero play or wobble. A point of criticism would be the 20 min / 3 clicks per hour as opposed to 48 or 96 clicks which would have made more sense tracking those odd time zones but this is something I can live with.




A Seiko / GS dial is always the star of the show and rightfully so. This one is no exception, having a subtle sunburst effect and the burgundy red that plays with light changing from ruby all the way through brown to almost black. The hand applied indices have polished, angular & inclined flanks while theit flat top is finely striped. The integration of the Lumibrite material, forming an actual part of the 12-3-6-9 indices is just amazing. One point of criticism would be not the 4 O’clock date placement but rather the lack of a frame around it (they have it on the Hi-Beats). Also, many seem to complain about the PR indicator and how that “scars” a SD powered GS face. I disagree. It is an interesting and welcome complication imho. I enjoy seeing it where it is. I also find the touch of color quite tasteful.

The rehaut, which adds to the dial’s / watch face’s depth, is inscribed with the odd hours of the day while a tiny lume plot is placed at 12, which is a nice touch.



The hands are yet another highlight with the sparkling grainy / satin top and polished edges. The lume material application is flawless and while the seconds hand is not lumed, it has a rounded tip (!) and a capped top (!!).
Overall readability of the watch is excellent and the lume easily lasts through the night although the numerals on the bezel become unreadable after a while (or could that be my astigmatism)?



The watch comes with a beautifully domed sapphire crystal with AR coating on the underside. The crystal sits some half a millimeter proud of the bezel and is itself framed by a highly polished stainless ring. The latter is so visually integrated that it can be mistaken as part of either the bezel or the crystal! A possible downside: It scratches easily.



Moving on to perhaps the most controversial components…

The bracelet and the clasp: The bracelet is an elegant, oyster style, five piece construction with beveled edges. The sides are polished while the top is brushed with the exception of the middle part which is flanked by two narrower pieces of high polish. Some say it looks a lot like an Omega; I’m not sure who copied whom here but there are still subtle differences setting them apart from each other, such as the beveled edges and the curved undersides of the links. This latter feature, along with the wider spacing of the links makes for a very breathable bracelet which does not tend to pull any arm hair either (granted I don't have particularly hairy forearms). Despite the wider tolerances, there appears to be no bracelet stretch either and my particular watch did not come brand new! The SEL follow the flow of the case lines as the bracelet tapers towards the clasp. It also has several removable links and at least two half links. I had no real issues sizing it into a perfect fit, other perhaps than handling those tiny screws.



And this brings us to the clasp, a common complaint about how it is so small and lacks micro adjustments. Well, with a watch this size, the last thing I wanted would be an oversized clasp to match. Getting a snug but not tight fit would be all I need. And as discussed above, it is doable. The Rolex easylink and glidelock are very nice features to have but imho much overhyped and overrated. I have never had a TRUE and genuine need for those although I did enjoy fiddling with them on a warm day. With the GS I really came to appreciate the simplicity and comfort of a smaller, more discreet clasp. It also affords more wearability under a shirt cuff as the watch is thick enough itself.



The movement is the venerable 9R66 Spring Drive, self-winding with a 3-day power reserve. It is a “true” GMT as the hour hand jumps independently in 1 hour steps either direction without having to hack the movement, just as the Rolex / Tudor GMTs. Likewise there is no quick-set date but it can be changed forwards and backwards, in conjunction with the local time. One point of criticism would be the gradual rollover of the date wheel, rather than an instant flip, as the change begins at around 23:20 and completes at midnight, sharp. The movement, being a Spring Drive is totally silent to the human ear and one may barely discern an electrical-like hum with a stethoscope! The same cannot be said about the rotor though, as there is some noise while self-winding (I kind of like that as it serves to confirm the mechanical nature of the watch). The Crown operation is very precise between positions and hacking but feels somewhat gritty when winding and screwing back in. There is very little, if any, gear play as the hour hand jumps, while the minute hand stays well put wherever it’s pointed at, while un-hacking the movement. The GS claimed accuracy is under-promised at +0,5 s/day and in my case, over-delivered at less than +0,5s over almost two weeks! In true nautical instrument fashion

Conclusions: This is a larger sized watch which doesn’t wear like one. In fact it wears very comfortably and can work on medium sized wrists and above. Especially on 7-7,5 inch wrists, it wears just like any 42mm watch thanks to the case design so to those on the fence, I say buy with confidence. The bracelet is exceptionally comfortable and dare I say robust enough to handle daily wear. Should that not be to one’s liking, the drilled lugs make strap changes a breeze and this one comes with an extra orange silicone strap which I’m yet to try. The watch can be dressed up and down just fine and will not look out of place even with a suit. I had no problem whatsoever tucking it under either casual or dress shirt cuffs.
All in all, this is an extremely durable, accurate, functional and elegant watch which will serve its wearer well for years in practically any occasion.