The 5 Best Vintage Grand Seiko Watches You Can Buy Right Now
We recently looked at the seven best vintage Grand Seiko watches to collect, as well as at a $90,000 1968 VFA Grand Seiko that sold earlier this year. Today, we are going to look at actual listings for the best vintage Grand Seiko watches you can buy right now.
Let’s get the bad news out of the way first: Grand Seiko prices are on the rise. In the first half of 2024, Grand Seiko watches had the highest year-on-year sales volume increase, according to ChronoPulse, the market index run by sales aggregator Chrono24. Collectors are now realizing that in the sub-$10,000 bracket, the luxury Japanese brand represents unrivaled finishing and design, combined with a choice of exceptional mechanical, quartz, and spring drive movements. This trend is interesting to consider against other trends, like Rolex dropping in price almost categorically, except for the skyrocketing prices of the rather dressy Rolex Day-Date 36. If there’s a Rolex that resembles a modern Grand Seiko watch, it is surely the Day-Date, and the tastes shifting away from pure sport watches toward smaller dress watches may help account for Grand Seiko’s rise in value.
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The increasing buzz around the modern brand, as well as some recent one-to-one Grand Seiko reissues, has also led to rising interest in Grand Seiko’s vintage pieces. For years these vintage pieces existed in relative obscurity away from watch collector circles who mostly focused on Swiss watchmaking. The fact that the vintage models were only ever sold in Japan meant that historically little information was available to non-Japanese vintage dealers, and watches rarely found their way out of Japan.
The Internet and Instagram changed all that. A small band of web-enabled, online enthusiasts (myself included) have led the charge, researching and documenting the many incredible Grand Seiko watches sold in Japan from 1960 to 1977. Vintage Grand Seiko’s mechanical watches were once so precise that even modern Grand Seiko movements struggle to improve on their 60-year-old ancestors. The rising popularity of online sales platforms in Japan has also added fuel to the fire by enabling more examples to be offered to a global market.
The first Grand Seiko, the Grand Seiko Chronometer, was created in 1960 as a luxury timepiece to rival the best that Switzerland had to offer. The Grand Seiko range would continue for almost two decades, developing from one initial time-only caliber to others with date and day complications, automatic winding, and high-beat escapements. Costing many times the average monthly salary in Japan at the time, Grand Seiko watches were made in relatively small numbers for the domestic market only. Production continued until 1977, when the popularity of more precise quartz watches put an end to the Grand Seiko brand.
That “end” turned out to just be a pause when Grand Seiko resumed mechanical watchmaking in 1998. As it was before, the mission of the modern brand is to create highly precise, exquisitely engineered, luxury watches. Initially, the modern brand did little to acknowledge its vintage roots. However, steadily Grand Seiko has been recognizing its past masterpieces. Last month the 45GS from 1968 was re-issued just as the early 44GS was several years before that. Some Grand Seiko boutiques are even starting to curate and sell restored vintage pieces alongside the modern range.
In response to this growing tide of interest in vintage Grand Seiko, Robb Report recently outlined some of the rarest, most desirable vintage Grand Seiko models on collectors’ collective wish lists. Incredibly, two of the models featured in that article are currently available for sale and are featured below.
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Seiko Astronomical Observatory Chronometer 4520-8020 | $45,000
Our first watch is a very special piece. Don’t let the lack of Grand Seiko logo on the dial fool you into thinking this is not the very special Grand Seiko watch that it is. For many Grand Seiko collectors, this watch, the 45GSN (Grand Seiko Neuchatel) is the holiest of Grand Seiko holy grails.
In 1968, Seiko was producing the most precise watches in the world. Having improved dramatically in the preceding years’ competitions, there was a real threat that Seiko would place higher than all the Swiss manufacturers in the wristwatch category at that year’s Neuchatel Observatory Chronometer Trials. In the face of such a threat, the 1968 competition was conveniently cancelled by the Neuchatel committee.
The Swiss doom-mongering was perhaps justified, since later that same year, in the Geneva competition, examples of Seiko’s mechanical movements placed 4th to 10th in the wristwatch category. The first three places went to experimental Beta21 quartz movements, thus making Seiko’s movements, officially, the most precise mechanical movements tested in 1968.
While the Neuchatel trial was canceled (perhaps a defensive move by the Swiss watch industry), the observatory continued to certify movements sent in by manufacturers. Seiko submitted 103 Grand Seiko 4520 movements in 1968, of which 73 passed and were certified as Observatory Chronometers. For the record, an observatory chronometer certification is more stringent than either chronometer or superlative chronometer. It really is the best of the best.
Those 103 movements were returned to Japan and incorporated into a limited run of 4520-8020 Astronomical Observatory Chronometers (AOCs). One of which we have here for sale.
The AOC’s tonneau-shaped case in solid 18k gold features a Florentine finish produced by hammering and scribing the case by hand with a fine cross-hatch texture. The result produces an attractive varying matte finish on what would otherwise be a polished case. The same technique is also applied to the dial albeit at a slightly larger scale giving a lovely gold-on-gold impression. Inside the spectacular and fairly thin case is one of those famous high-beat, manually wound movements certified by the Neuchatel observatory in 1968.
AOCs rarely come up for sale. The average is probably less than one watch per year, so while the price may seem high for the brand, the watch is truly rare and highly desirable by watch-collecting standards. This watch does not come with a box and papers, and in this case, that is a shame since the AOCs originally came with their Neuchatel certificate. Given the asking price, the lack of certificate will be a problem for some collectors. It might be possible to obtain a copy of the certificate through Grand Seiko in Japan as I suspect they still have the records however I don’t know for certain if that is possible. Given the asking price of $45,000 a chat with your local Grand Seiko boutique beforehand might be worthwhile.
Given the price point, more than a little due diligence is in order. Inside, the train bridge should be signed 4520A Japan with a 6-digit chronometer number in between. Finally, the seller does not include a photo of the buckle. It should be solid gold with a flat machined top and Seiko carved into it. The seller says they are open to questions, so finding out about the buckle should not be a problem.
Grand Seiko 45GS 4520-8010 | $5,400
If the solid gold, Florentine-finished case of the AOC is your vibe but not your price, then we have also found a great example the 4520-8010 model upon which it was based.
Inside the watch, you will find a similar 4520A movement but this one will have only been certified to the Grand Seiko standard rather than observatory chronometer standard. That still means a maximum daily error rate of -3 to +5 seconds per day, and there is no reason why your watchmaker cannot regulate it to that precision or even better today during service. These caliber 45 movements beating 10 times per second are among the most precise and reliable in my vintage collection.
Outside we have the same hammered and scribed case in 18K gold albeit this time with a plainer GS signed dial. On the dial, below the GS logo is written HI-BEAT and 36000, a hint to the remarkable movement inside.
The advantage of the higher beat rate is superior positional stability than movements beating at 28,800 or less, vibrations per hour. This is the reason Seiko submitted only hi-beat movements to the Swiss chronometer trials in the late 60s, knowing the superior positional stability of the fast-beating escapement would give them an advantage in the competition.
Finally, the dial is adorned with the horizontal lightning bolt designating the watch’s origin as the Daini factory in Tokyo, famous for its thin, hand-wound movements. These solid-gold, tonneau-shaped cases are distinctly different from the Zaratsu-polished angles of the 44 GS and Grand Seiko’s modern pieces. However, they have a lot of wrist presence given the unusual shape, unique finish, and the heft of solid gold.
The watch appears to be in excellent condition. There is some softening of the edges with prior use, but the case is all original and unpolished with the beginnings of some lovely patina. The seller has highlighted a few small scratches on the watch’s side and case back but the condition is really everything vintage Grand Seiko collectors look for. The correct solid gold 18k buckle is also present with the watch which is often not the case, and they are rarer than hen’s teeth to find after purchase if you have to.
The watch comes with a box but no papers. Without a photo of the box, it’s impossible to know if it is the correct box, but to be honest, when the condition of the watch is this good, the presence of a box is really neither here nor there.
Grand Seiko VFA 6185-8020 | $10,500
From one type of painstaking case finishing to another, we come to this impressive 61GS VFA with its razor-sharp Zaratsu-polished flanks. The watch dates from 1970 which makes the condition of the case even more remarkable. It looks brand new.
The VFA on the dial stands for ‘Very Fine Adjusted’ reserved for only the most precise, most exacting movements Grand Seiko made during the brand’s first incarnation. Each VFA was regulated and tested to be precise within +/-2 seconds per day, or one minute per month, and this was guaranteed by the factory for two years from purchase. To put this in context, this is more precise than Grand Seiko’s current mechanical models that have a mean daily error of +5/-3 seconds per day, and on par with Rolex’s modern standard.
The Grand Seiko VFA models were made sporadically from 1968 to 1974, using either the hi-beat, manually-wound caliber 45 movement as found in the observatory chronometer, or the automatically wound, equally precise hi-beat caliber 61. The example here is based on the latter and contains the pinnacle of Grand Seiko’s vintage mechanical movements: the 6185 with date complication.
This particular VFA model is almost one of the most popular iterations with collectors; having both the VFA logo printed on the dial and the impressively tall applied markers that many liken to the monoliths in Kubrick’s film 2001: A Space Odessey, also released in 1968.
Priced two to three times higher than the already expensive regular models, The VFA models were not sold in high numbers. Today, they are amongst the rarest vintage Grand Seiko models, especially in the condition we see here. However, the word is most definitely ‘out’ amongst collectors. In 2021, with the Covid-19 effect at its height, a 61GS VFA similar to this one (but in worse condition), sold for 44,100 Swiss Francs at Phillips Geneva Auction.
This example, for sale by a dealer in Amsterdam, comes without box or papers, but the dealer is happy to discuss the authenticity of the watch and does seem quite knowledgeable on the intricacies of the VFA models. From the photos the watch looks to be in spectacular condition given its age. The only question I have, is if the buckle is original to the watch. I believe VFA buckles were sign Seiko rather than GS.
Grand Seiko SBGW252 | $13,700
Our next piece will appeal to fans of both vintage and modern Grand Seiko. The SBGW252 is a limited edition 2017 release that recreates the look of the original 1960 J14070 Grand Seiko Chronograph albeit with a modern movement. Just 353 examples were made to celebrate the watch that started it all.
The watch features the thoroughly modern, manually wound 9S64 movement running at 28,800 VPH with 72 hours of power reserve. This represents an upgrade over the original 18,000 VPH 3180 movement of the original. Case size has increased from the J14070’s 36mm to a more modern 38mm and is now made from solid 18k gold rather than the 1960 model’s 80-micron gold cap.
While the size has been scaled up, the look of the re-issue accurately captures that of the original watch. The same substantial lugs sprout from a round case with its thin plain bezel. The dial is an accurate copy of the original’s, with the dauphine gold hands finished to exacting Grand Seiko standards. The dial is embossed with the Grand Seiko gothic logotype, just as the original’s was, and below a copy of the ‘Diashock 24 Jewels’ script text, we have the eight-pointed star designating a higher quality “Special Dial.”
The case back is adorned with the Grand Seiko lion just as the original had, although back then it represented the chronometer rating of the watch rather than the watch being a Grand Seiko. Which leads us to the only part that is missing from the re-issue’s dial, and that is the original’s chronometer text which is absent due to it nowadays, being now a protected mark of Contr?le Officiel Suisse des Chronomètres (COSC).
The seller is offering the watch on its original strap and buckle, with box and papers at a price that saves $4000 from the 2017 retail price. The condition is exactly how one would expect it to be, given the watch has been worn sparingly. A tremendous modern watch then, with massive wrist presence that harks back to Grand Seiko’s origins.
Grand Seiko SBGW253 | $7200
If you liked the previous watch but cannot see yourself wearing gold, then we have found an example of the steel variant for you. Still a limited edition, but this time with 1960 examples made, the watch is essentially the same as the SBGW252 but with a steel case and a blued seconds hand, rather than the gold case and all-gold hands. The blued hand is a nod to modern Grand Seiko, where the blued hand on steel watches is a bit of a tradition.
Inside we have the same 9S64 as the solid-gold SBGW252 with a beat rate of 28,800 VPH and a 72-hour power reserve. The size is also the same at 38mm although the steel variant will appear much more discrete than the gold equivalent. The only gold on the watch is the lion medallion on the back which is a fun throwback to the original 1960s model.
A very small number of the original watches were thought to be made in steel as a sort of prototype, although if it is myth or truth remains to be seen. A few were also made in platinum between 1960 and 1963, so the look of the modern steel variant reminds me of those very rare original variants.
The seller is a dealer in Japan who is offering the watch with a box and papers. The crocodile strap apparently cannot be exported. Typically, in that case, the dealer will remove the strap and ship the watch without it. The dealer speaks English, so this should not be too difficult to arrange to avoid any issues with customs. Replacement straps can be ordered from your local Grand Seiko boutique.
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