Help me wear my GS more

[Rollieo]

I have an SGBE257. Sad to say that I never pick up the watch to wear again, it’s been maybe 12-18 months since I’ve worn it. I even thought about selling it for awhile (and I never sell watches) because I just never wear it, but got an offer for $3k which is less than half of what I paid at MSRP. Figured I might as well just keep it.

Ok, so here’s where I need help. I had the same problem with my Tudor BB58, but after I changed it to the blue soft touch strap, I wear it quite often now.

So the question is, what strap can I get for the SBGE257? Would love everyone’s suggestions.

[2000-NJDEVILS]

Sir -
It’s worth $3-4K pre-owned depending on condition etc etc.
You may want to ask for $3500 and use that $$ towards something that that you will actually use and enjoy……

[Giovannibravo]

I would suggest seeing if there is some aftermarket rubber straps? GS bracelets have always left something to be desired for me.

[Soarer]

It looks fantastic!


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[1William]

I like Bulang & Sons for watch straps. Great selection.

[Rollieo]

Mulled over it in search for the perfect strap, and couldn’t find it. The case on the SBGE257 is just too thick. When I tried pairing up some straps, I hated how thin the strap was compared to the height of the case (not to mention the gap between the strap and the case + lugs which I hate also).

Ended up going a very unconventional route, and I have to say I’m very pleased. Found a seller on Etsy that does custom leather straps. Measured out the dimensions of the end link, and had a custom strap made. Even crazier was the price, $65.

I do have to say I don’t love the look of metal going into notched leather from the metal end link (I always hated how the factory Patek 5712 with leather strap looks), but this really feels right and soooo much better than the factory bracelet. Ps the leather strap tapers down to 16mm. Yes a requirement to me for straps/bracelets which GS still hasn’t done.

Let’s see if I wear this watch more now, I’m pretty sure I will. It’s now unique compared to the rest of the watches I have (sports watch on leather strap, green/brown combo). And I always loved the GS spring drive movement.

[S’portEye]

You must really hate that bracelet.

[IntrinoX]

I have the Snowflake. I picked up a Santos de Cartier and haven't touched the GS since then lol.

[NAVY]

IMHO, not a good look. I would work with a strap maker and have a strap with thicker leather at the lug ends to lesson the gap between the case and edge of strap.

[Bazil]

It doesn’t look right to me, I’d hunt down something more aesthetically pleasing on the eye ..

[IGY]

I agree that the watch is too thick. So a strap change would not be enough for me to enjoy the watch.

Sometimes we make mistakes when we buy watches and I think you just need to learn from that and before pulling the trigger again remember to reflect on the diameter to thickness ratio.

Personally I would sell it and move on. No need to rush into selling it - it has sat in your watch box for 18 months without getting used much after all - but maybe get it in the window of a local watch retailer that you trust. I've done this with another unpopular watch that I owned and the store owner warned me that it would take two days to sell or two years. In the end it took two years to sell but the store owner kept his word and we were both happy with the result.

[samson66]

I like the strap you put on, but for me the bracelet works best on this watch. I have the 253 and have never found a strap that works for it. Thankfully I find the bracelet to wear very comfortably. What issue are you having with the bracelet?

[AAVDB]

I think it looks pretty cool tbh

[Jack T]

Originally Posted by samson66

I like the strap you put on, but for me the bracelet works best on this watch. I have the 253 and have never found a strap that works for it. Thankfully I find the bracelet to wear very comfortably. What issue are you having with the bracelet?

I have to agree, that bracelet looks good. And, I like the red GMT hand on black.

[MickCollins1916]

I tried rubber, leather, NATOs, and I can’t even remember what else on the SBGE257. Couldn’t get a good strap fit given the shape of the lugs and low placement of the lug holes on those lugs, and the watch is thick as can be.

I also thought having lume at the cardinal markers only was lame, the lume is weak on the hands, and the watch reminded me of the Omega AT, in a non-positive way - the polish on the hands and markers is dressyish, but yet tries to be sporty.

Doesn’t know what it wants to be, and I despised having the odd hour markers on the rehaut. That’s a detail I didn’t realize would annoy me before owning it, but I’m able to remember which hour falls between 2 and 4, etc, so with a fixed bezel, seemed superfluous and way too busy.

In any case, I didn’t like the way that watch looked on aftermarket straps because of the factors above.

Sold it at a solid loss, but no regrets whatsoever, it is not missed. My advice is if you’re not enjoying it, cut your losses and find something else that makes you happier, glad I did.

[Rollieo]

Happy to say I’ve actually been wearing it a tad more. Pictures in and out of the sunlight from yesterday.

Yes the case is still too thick, but looking at it head on, it really is a great dial and watch. And gotta love the ever smooth spring drive movement. The strap still isn’t perfect to me, but it makes wearing the watch way more comfortable.

[samson66]

Originally Posted by MickCollins1916

I tried rubber, leather, NATOs, and I can’t even remember what else on the SBGE257. Couldn’t get a good strap fit given the shape of the lugs and low placement of the lug holes on those lugs, and the watch is thick as can be.

I also thought having lume at the cardinal markers only was lame, the lume is weak on the hands, and the watch reminded me of the Omega AT, in a non-positive way - the polish on the hands and markers is dressyish, but yet tries to be sporty.

Doesn’t know what it wants to be, and I despised having the odd hour markers on the rehaut. That’s a detail I didn’t realize would annoy me before owning it, but I’m able to remember which hour falls between 2 and 4, etc, so with a fixed bezel, seemed superfluous and way too busy.

In any case, I didn’t like the way that watch looked on aftermarket straps because of the factors above.

Sold it at a solid loss, but no regrets whatsoever, it is not missed. My advice is if you’re not enjoying it, cut your losses and find something else that makes you happier, glad I did.

Other than that, did you enjoy the play Mrs. Lincoln?

Funny that some of the negatives you point out are positives for me. Particularly the dress-vs-sport part. That is what drew me to the watch as a "travel watch" in my collection. I do a lot of cruising and used to take my Tudor Black Bay GMT, which I really enjoyed. The problem with it was that I always had trouble dressing it up. It never looked right with dinner attire or suits on the ships so I'd bring a second watch for dinner/shows/photos etc. The GS has just enough polished surfaces and glossy ceramic bezel to make it work really well for dressier occasions, while also being perfect for the pool or snorkeling with it's 200m water resistance. It also is just under the radar enough (ie. not a Rolex) that I can feel comfortable with wearing it while exploring destinations on land where I might be hesitant to wear certain watches. The dial and diamond cut indices are things of beauty and it's the most legible GMT watch I've encountered. The quick set hour hand is perfect for traveling and the spring drive is the most accurate watch movement I have ever owned. More accurate that my true quartz watches.

I think for a travel watch it is close to perfect. For a one-and-only watch the negatives could become a problem. I won't argue the thickness it excessive, even though it's not something that will bother everyone. Lume ... yeah that could be better. But for a GS we will take whatever lume we can get and thankfully they included micro adjustments on the clap which is a huge positive compared to most of their models.

[brandrea]

Originally Posted by Rollieo

Happy to say I’ve actually been wearing it a tad more. Pictures in and out of the sunlight from yesterday.

Yes the case is still too thick, but looking at it head on, it really is a great dial and watch. And gotta love the ever smooth spring drive movement. The strap still isn’t perfect to me, but it makes wearing the watch way more comfortable. ]

Glad to see you’re enjoying it