The Grand Seiko SBGH283 you can only buy at their Studio Shizukuishi in Japan
Zach BlassLast month, I had the distinct honour of travelling to Japan with Grand Seiko for an in-depth tour of their various watchmaking studios and more. Experiencing my first-ever visit to Japan was already special enough. But, to be able to do so with Grand Seiko, which is one my favourite watch brands, made it both a personal and professional highlight of my life. I will not pretend I was unaware of the fact that a Studio Shizukuishi exclusive watch existed, but my purchase of the Grand Seiko SBGH283 was by no means premeditated. It was a more a “what if”, or “wouldn’t it be cool” sort of thing. However, at the conclusion of my tour of Studio Shizukuishi, I fell in love and I knew bringing the SBGH283 home with me would be the perfect way to commemorate my unforgettable visit.
For those less familiar, Studio Shizukuishi is home to all of Grand Seiko’s 9S mechanical watches. Whereas the Seiko/Epson Studio Shinshu is where all of the 9F quartz and Spring Drive watches are made, Shizuishi is where all of the fully mechanical watches are made. For example, the 9SA5-powered hi-beat SLGH005 White Birch is a Studio Shizukuishi creation, while the 9RA2 5-Day Spring Drive-powered SLGA009 ‘White Birch’ is a Studio Shinshu creation. I once detailed the subtle differences, aside from the calibres used, here.
Editor’s note: As I mentioned, this is my personal watch and the below photos were taken after I returned from a week long vacation in Aruba where I wore the watch throughout the whole trip – even in the ocean. This shoot was a bit spontaneous and, in hindsight, I wish I had a micro-fibre cloth on hand. Any markings you see are merely fingerprints or dust.
The case
The third Grand Seiko I have been blessed enough to add to my personal collection, the Grand Seiko SBGH283 marks three firsts for me. It is the first Grand Seiko watch I have ever bought in stainless steel, as my two other watches are hi-intensity titanium models. Secondly, it is the first fully mechanical 9S Grand Seiko I have owned. Lastly, and more importantly for this section of the hands-on, it is my first 44GS-cased Grand Seiko watch. The 44GS is arguably Grand Seiko’s most iconic case geometry, with its wide shoulder blade lugs that best show off the distortion-free mirror Zaratsu polishing the manufacture has built its name on. With such a large amount of case real estate rendered in a distortion-free mirror polish finish, the light play is absolutely unreal.
Visually, you could say there is an emphasis on “shadow”, versus “light”, as the entire front of the case, due to its mirror-finish, goes black when you look at the watch head on. To have an effectively black-polished case at such a price point is indicative of the unparalleled value Grand Seiko can offer in certain areas and instances. With so much polish, I am, of course, wary of scratches. But I can proudly say after a week wearing it on vacation in Aruba – exposing it to sunscreen, sand and the ocean – it remains pristine. From a fit and dimensions perspective, the heft of the stainless steel is an absolute 180 from the Grand Seikos in titanium I am more accustomed to. This gives the watch a more luxurious feel in my opinion, although I am all for the lightweight nature of titanium as well. It fits me well, with a diameter of 40mm, thickness of 13.3mm, and a lug-to-lug span of 46.2mm across the wrist.
The dial
Like many other Grand Seiko dials, the SBGH283 dial can only be fully understood “in the metal”. It is incredibly difficult to capture the true colour of the dial in photos. Under certain lighting, you would be entirely forgiven for thinking it was a smooth black lacquer dial. But, it is in fact a dark forest green dial with a vertically striped motif. Grand Seiko explains the watch is inspired by the forestry surrounding Studio Shizukuishi.
The striping, on the other hand, will always remind me of the wooden panelling of the walls within Studio Shizukuishi – like the striping found on the bridges of a movement.
With such a dark backdrop, in accordance with Grand Seiko’s grammar of design, the manufacture elected to have the top facets of the dauphine-style hands and the hour indices hairline brushed as the brushed surfaces, when viewed head on under light, brighten where as their distortion-free mirror polished surfaces go black. So, it makes complete sense to have the hands and indices finished in a brightening manner of “light” rather than having shadow on shadow. Matching the tone of the Grand Seiko logo at 12′, the central second hand is kept in the vibrant golden-hue of brass that is easily discernible against the dark green dial.
The bracelet
The Grand Seiko SBGH283 Shiukuishi Limited is outfitted on the familiar five-piece link bracelet with alternating broader brushed links and narrower polished links and a polished shoulder bevels. Another subtler first I forgot to mention earlier is with my first stainless-steel Grand Seiko comes my first GS bracelet held together by screws versus pin/collar. Inexplicably, what confounds me about the bracelet is the fact the number of links I have compared to my titanium Spring Drive models are not the same. Sure, the dimensions are ever so slightly different, but I have one full link more in my steel bracelet than my titanium ones. Not a bad thing, just an interesting point of difference. While some complain about the lack of micro adjustment, I really enjoy the bracelet as the finish is superb, the clasp thin in profile yet secure, and, after having it sized by the watchmakers who made it in Shizukuishi – which was an absolute thrill – it fits perfectly on my wrist. Snug but not choking – just how I like it.
The movement
Inside the watch is the standard GS automatic hi-beat calibre 9S85, which I actually got the chance to disassemble and assemble (not the one inside of my watch) while visiting the studio. It is a robust and industrially handsome movement, with a 3/4 bridge plate that has ‘Tokyo stripes’ across their topside. The real draw with this particular movement is that it has a special gold-toned ‘Shizukuishi Limited’ winding rotor marking the special nature of the piece. They do sell models in the Studio Shizukuishi that also have the rotor, but you could buy these models with a standard rotor across the globe. Only the SBGH283 is exclusive to the studio. So, at least in terms of buying it new, you can only buy the SBGH283 while visiting Studio Shizukuishi. Now, I am used to the accuracy of Spring Drive. So I was curious to see what a fully mechanical experience would be like in regard to timekeeping. When static, the Grand Seiko standard for accuracy is +5/-3 seconds per day. From my wear experience of over a month, it has consistently performed at +2 seconds per day which ties with my Rolex Datejust.
The verdict
The question many of my friends and colleagues asked me, upon my arrival back from vacation, was: Are you happy with the watch? Do you regret purchasing it? This is due to the fact that this purchase, to a large extent, was emotionally driven in the heat of the moment during my visit. My answer: zero regrets. For me, this is a very handsome and high-performing watch that brings me so much joy each time I wear it – a tangible reminder of my incredible visit to Japan. And, even from a logical perspective, the watch offers me a whole other side of Grand Seiko, from a technical perspective, with all the firsts I mentioned previously. So, if you ever find yourself visiting Studio Shizukuishi, and are mulling over commemorating your visit with a watch like I did, I can certainly attest that, if your finances allow it, it is a worthy purchase that you won’t regret.
Grand Seiko SBGH283 ‘Shizukuishi Limited’ pricing and availability
The Grand Seiko SBGH283 ‘Shizukuishi Limited’ can be purchased exclusively at the Grand Seiko Studio Shizukuishi. Price: ¥792,000
| Brand | Grand Seiko |
| Model | SBGH283 ‘Shizukuishi Limited’ |
| Case Dimensions | 40mm (D) x 13.3mm (T) x 46.2mm (L2L) |
| Case Material | Stainless steel |
| Water Resistance | 100m (screw-down crown) |
| Dial | Dark green with a vertically-striped motif |
| Crystal(s) | Sapphire crystal and exhibiton caseback |
| Strap | Stainless steel bracelet with three-fold clasp |
| Movement | In-house automatic 9S85 |
| Power Reserve | 55 hours |
| Functions | Hours, minutes, seconds, date |
| Availability | Exclusively available at Grand Seiko Studio Shizukuishi |
| Price | ¥792,000 |