Grand Seiko Sport Collection Spring Drive Air Diver SBGA229G - A Handsome Watch and Due to its Flexibility, Proves it Value Beyond Doubt, A Review (plus Video)

Out of the blue, my dealer sent me a short message that he got allocated one unit of the Grand Seiko Sports Collection Spring Drive Diver SBGA229G (let’s just called it SBGA229 for short). I have been looking at something similar for some time now. The original model I was interested in was the SBGA029. That model was first launched in the market in 2008.

The SBGA229 is essentially similar to the SBGA029. In 2017, Seiko decided to make Grand Seiko an independent brand. Hence, before 2017, the model was called the SBGA029 where the generic ‘Seiko’ tag was still prominent, sharing space with the ‘Grand Seiko’ tag on the dial. From 2017 onwards, only the tag ‘Grand Seiko’ is provided thus the change in reference to the SBGA229. 

I quickly took delivery as I heard from the grapevine that Grand Seiko has stopped production for this particular model (can anyone confirm?).

The Series

For the longest time since the Grand Seiko brand was reintroduced back in 1998, the only dive watches under this brand were the SBGA029 and the SBGA031. The former is made out of stainless steel while the latter is made out of titanium. Only after the rebranding exercise in 2017, Grand Seiko decided to introduce a few other dive watches to expand the range. Even so, the original pair continued to be produced under new designations (replacing the digit ‘0’ with ‘2’). Major differences between the two models are the material (stainless steel versus titanium), weight (201 gm versus 137 gm) and price (RM24,300 versus RM27,900).

The Watch

As highlighted earlier, the Grand Seiko SBGA229 is not a new watch. Although it was first introduced in 2008 as the SBGA029 and later as the SBGA229 due to the rebranding exercise from 2017 onwards, the watch looks as modern now as it was when launched. The technology and the manufacturing techniques used remain top-of-the-line.

This watch is fully made in Japan, created from the Shinshu Watch Studio located in Nagano prefecture. This establishment is Grand Seiko's premier center in making their iconic Spring Drive watches as well as their high-accuracy quartz watches.

In a number of reviews about this watch, I find it interesting that a few writers commented about the 'similarities' to the Rolex Submariner. Shape-wise, it's true but it is not a reflection of the brand's inability to innovate. Many diving watches from reputable brands have similar design because they fulfill basic diving watch features. What matters is the differentiation these brands can bring into the package. It is like saying a Lexus ES is similar to the Toyota Camry. True to some extent but it starts to diverge quickly when one delve into the specifications. In this regard, the SGBA229 is different to the Rolex Submariner in many ways. I have to admit that I don't own a Rolex Submariner. I do own a Deepsea Sea-Dweller (click here to read the review about the watch) and I will use this to compare against the SBGA229. 

Made from high quality hardened stainless steel, the watch have many surfaces, contoured and faceted, all polished to perfection. Using Grand Seiko’s proprietary Zaratsu polishing technique, the end result is just incredible. One need to see it, to feel it so as to be able to appreciate it. Unlike a Rolex Deepsea Sea-Dweller, the SBGA229 has no hard edges on its crown, bezel or anywhere else.

The dimensions of the SBGA229 appears to be generally similar to the Rolex Deepsea Sea-Dweller (diameter 44.0 mm; thickness 17.7 mm; weigh 212 gm). With a case diameter of 44.2 mm and thickness of 14.0 mm, one would question whether the watch could be too big to wear comfortably. Personally, I do wear the Rolex Deepsea Sea-Dweller with office attire and the only thing I find irritating is the tall case snagging on my shirt's cuff. Therefore, the SBGA229, with a shorter height is definitely more tolerable. Anyone with a wrist circumference of 6.5 inches or more should be able to wear this watch comfortably. The curved lugs allows the watch to sit on one’s wrist without too much overhang. Moreover, the smooth curves of the casing makes it slip under your cuff easily.

The SBGA229 dial is classic Grand Seiko in both styling and workmanship. The texture appears to be matted black. The slopping chapter ring, also matted black, has the minute indicators in white lines. Meanwhile, the applied hour markers comes in three styles; the inverted triangle for 12:00, the rectangular for 9:00 and 6:00 and the circle for the rest. At 3:00, a date aperture takes the place of the hour marker. Each of the hour markers are framed with a mirror polished structure. The markers are all copiously painted with Lumibrite paint. Even under magnifying glass, the paint job for the hours markers is immaculate.

There are five lines of texts and logo on the dial. After the re-branding exercise in 2017, the "GS" logo and the "Grand Seiko" brand now premiers over the upper quadrant of the dial. Both are applied that gives that subtle depth effect when looking directly at the dial. The next two lines of text on the bottom quadrant of the dial are the words "SPRING DRIVE" and "DIVER'S 200m" painted white. The final line of text is very small, close to the peripheral of the dial and states production coding for the watch ("JAPAN 9R65 -0AM0 T 2").

As highlighted earlier, the date aperture is located at 3:00. The aperture is framed by a white painted borderline. The date wheel has a white background to mimic somewhat the opposite (9:00) hour marker. Personally, I prefer if Seiko located the date aperture at 4:30. This allows all the hour markers to be on the dial to maintain symmetry especially in the dark. 

At 8:00 is the other complication seldom seen on other brands, the power reserve indicator. I am a great supporter of this type of complication on mechanical watches. To me, apart from telling time, the ability to see how much 'juice' is in the mainsprings is very important especially if one uses this watch to time their dive. Just seeing the seconds hand move does not guarantee that there is enough power available. Those of you that wear mechanical watches often enough can attest to this.

A fan-shaped area on the dial has been set aside for the power reserve indicator. The surface is painted grey. The hand for the power reserve indicator is highly polished with the scale segmented into three categories. The lowest category is painted black, the middle category is left grey and the highest category is painted white. Each category should equate to 24 hours of power reserve for a total of 72 hours. 

The hands used for the SBGA229 are thick and have a combination of styling. The hours hand is cathedral-like but with straight sides. The surface is segmented into three parts to be painted with Lumibrite paint. The hours hand is arrow-like with the two segments, one on the arrow head and another along the shaft, painted with Lumibrite paint. For these two hands, all other surfaces have brush polishing. Meanwhile, the seconds hand has a reverse lollipop design where the only the circular area is painted with Lumibrite. The rest of the lollipop section is painted black while the pointy end is mirror polished.

Protecting the dial is a flat sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating on the inner surface. The top surface of the crystal is set slightly lower than the edge of the bezel. This help protect somewhat any glancing blow to the crystal.

The SBGA229 comes with unidirectional dive bezel. It has a nice dome surface with gear-tooth sides. The bezel moves in 120 increments for a full rotation. The rotation is crisp with a very solid and reassuring ratcheting sound. The insert is indexed with 60 minute markings in a mixture of dots, lines and Arabic numbering. Instead of just painting the various markers directly on the surface, Grand Seiko carved the shapes of the various markers first before putting the paint. Meanwhile, at 12:00 is the required diver's luminous pip filled with Lumibrite paint.

The bezel insert remains an enigma to a many reviewers. Grand Seiko's website did not indicate what it is made from. The common understanding is that it is just a standard aluminum insert like on most Seiko dive watches. However, on close inspection, the material feels warm with with a colour that is more natural than just paint. In fact, one could easily mistaken it for ceramic. If it was ceramic, the official website would have mentioned it. I believe the material is aluminum but coated in an exotic composite of titanium carbide. This composite would have the ability to create the tactile feel of the bezel insert.

A number of people have asked me why Grand Seiko did not include a ceramic bezel for this case when they have done something similar with other models. I speculate that Grand Seiko see this model as a professional tool watch, to be used and abused. Ceramic is definitely scratch resistance brittle. A blow has a high tendency to shatter the ceramic but with metal based inserts, it would probably dent instead. A diver can still rely on a dented bezel instead of a shattered piece.


If I know Seiko’s marketing strategy, a special limited edition equivalent of the SBGA229 with all the trimmings (including ceramic bezel) will be offered soon. Seiko have done it for their iconic 300 Marinemaster (I own the SBDX001 as well as the SLA019. The former has Hardlex crystal and aluminium bezel whereas the latter has Sapphire crystal and ceramic bezel) and it won’t be long before they use the same formula for this model.


The watch casing is a work of art. The transition between the various surfaces is seamless. There are no sharp edges unlike what one would find on the Rolex Deepsea Sea-Dweller. Meanwhile, the crown, located at 3:00 is a screw-down and signed with the Grand Seiko logo. The crown is protected by half shoulders that extends from the casing. Compared to the Rolex Deepsea Sea-Dweller, the threads for the crown has a higher twist rate. This makes it more watertight but the downside is that it makes it more difficult to engage the treads when trying to screw-down the crown.

Paired with this watch is a solid stainless steel bracelet with the same level of care, design and Zaratsu polishing. The bracelet has many parts. Apart from the solid end-links, each link consists of five distinct parts. Whereas the sides and centre links are brush polished, the two wing pieces at the ends of the centre link are mirror polished. The links are attached using the pin-and-collar system. A number of reviewers have suggested that Seiko adopt the screw-in system instead as it is more 'elegant' and 'safer' than the pin-and-collar system. I have to admit that there are two major problems for the pin-and-collar system. The first and most obvious is it being more troublesome when resizing a bracelet. The second is that it has small parts that can easily be misplaced. Apart from these two issues, the system keeps the links securely together. In fact, once the collar is in the guiding hole with the pin, the likelihood it would come off is very small. However, in a screw-in system, a particular screw may loosen and drop off, hence the advice to use a dab of 'Loctite' to ensure the screw stays in place.

 

The bracelet starts with a width of 22.0 mm at the lugs. The lugs has pass-through lugs holes to facilitate bracelet replacement. The solid end-links fit into the lug wells snugly. There is no inter-play or movement to suggest that the end-links are separate from the lugs. The bracelet then tapers slightly down to 20.0 mm at the clasp. Seiko uses the brand's time-tested design, the three-fold clasp with secure lock and push button release. Incorporated into the clasp is a ratchet slide adjuster. This design is similar to those used by the Marinemasters under Seiko's Prospex sub-line. There is also an additional four micro-adjustment points for better resizing of the bracelet length. 

Above of a photo of the ratchet slide adjuster fully extended. Approximately an additional inch or 25 mm can be added to the length of the bracelet if required.  

I find the design of the clasp to be very effective. To extend the ratchet slide adjuster, you do not need to take the watch off the wrist. I find this to be a very important design feature as it reduces the possibility of dropping the watch.

The clasp is clearly made using stamped sheet metal construction. This appears to a step-back from the rest of the watch that are made from milled parts. A number of reviewers have noted this aspect of the construction with some degree of negativity. Although I am not a engineer, to be able to design all the intricate parts of that unique clasp, this is the only way to do it. Anything else will mean making it bulkier and heavier.

 

The SBGA229 is first and foremost a tool watch under the Grand Seiko line. Hence the case-back does not have a display window. Instead, a simple round medallion with the famous Grand Seiko lion logo can be found in the centre. Underneath is screw-down case-back is the 9R65 Spring Drive movement.

This movement is made entirely in-house by Seiko. It is made at Shinshu Watch Studio in Seiko Epson's facility in Shiojiri, Japan. This technology uses an electro magnetically controlled regulation of the mainsprings. The conventional escapement is replaced with a device that Seiko calls a Tri-synchro Regulator to regulate the unwinding of the mainspring. The regulator controls the use of the three forms of energy used in the Spring Drive mechanism; the mechanical power of the mainspring, the electrical energy generated from this mechanical power, and the electromagnetic energy that governs the rotation of the glide wheel. The energy produced by the glide wheel is used to power a control circuit and quartz crystal oscillator, which in turn regulates the electro-mechanical braking of the glide wheel.

The glide wheel's speed is sampled 8 times per second and compared with the reference quartz signal by the circuit which operates at a speed of 32,768 Hertz. A variable braking force is continuously applied to regulate the glide wheel's frequency. This is the only movement with a time-only feedback (or phase-locked) loop in existence today.

The Tri-synchro Regulator's innovations result in a watch where the hands glide instead of ticking as in a conventional mechanical or quartz watch. This is because the movement never stops as in a traditional escapement; it is slowed to the proper speed by the brake.

This movement utilises 30 jewels and the main springs is capable of storing 72 hours of power reserve. The Spring Drive technology gives it an outstanding accuracy rating of +/- 15 seconds per month. It is also designed to provide a magnetic resistance of up to 4800 A/m (or 60 Gauss). The construction of the watch casing gives it a water resistance rating of 200 meters.

One of Seiko Group's call-to-fame is its unique luminous paint used to provide a light source in the dark. The SBGA229 added the paint to the hour markers, the hands as well as the bezel pip. It is extremely bright and last for hours.

Above was a picture I took of the level of illumination one can see. Note the large dark patch around the 3:00. This is one of the main reason why I am not too keen to replace an hour marker with a date aperture. In normal light this would help reduce 'clutter' on the dial but in the dark, it creates a feeling of 'incompleteness'; as if something was missing inside the dark patch.

An elegant situation in my opinion is to put the date aperture at 4:30. To help reduce the 'clutter', the date wheel should have a negative print i.e., the numbers are printed white over a black background.

The Wearing Experience

I was not disappointed when I got the watch on my wrist for the first time. It felt natural and sure-footed. As I have experienced waring the Roles Deepsea Sea-Dweller before, I was positively surprised how different the SBGA229 is to it. Although the SBGA229 is wider, the Rolex Deepsea Sea-Dweller is thicker. If given the choice, width is less of an inconvenience than thickness. The need for the Rolex Deepsea Sea-Dweller to withstand 3,900 meters of water pressure makes it a very tall watch that is hard to wear comfortably in normal circumstances. 

The SBGA229 has proportions that are ideal for a dive watch. This may invite a number of unflattering comparisons to well known Swiss models and brands, but should not be unexpected. What makes the SBGA229 different from the rest is the manufacturing quality and the technology that drives the movement.  

The high level of quality built into the watch can also be seen as a bane. Any scratches on the metal surfaces, however shallow, will be obvious as the surfaces shine like a mirror. If you are particular and get stress about it, this may not be a watch for you. The design is for a tool watch but the effort to make it pretty gives an impression that it is a formal timepiece instead. This issue is real and a lot of people may not be able to distinguish between the two. 

Personally, I am not into the rough and tumble world of diving. I tend to consider the watch first-and-foremost a formal luxury timepiece with diving capabilities. I usually wear the watch in formal settings. It is a handsome watch and due to its flexibility, proves it value beyond doubt.

 

The Buying Experience 

When my friendly dealer called me about the availability of the timepiece, I didn't think twice about getting it. Due to the current unpleasantness due to the Covid19 pandemic, it was difficult for me to visit the shop. Some planning was in order but eventually, I was able to visit the shop and make the purchase.

The current situation is taking its toll on watch shop operators. Although appearing stoic, the fact that I was not only given a discount on the MSRP but also three different gifts, shows you how desperate it has become. I was given a Grand Seiko signed 2-wine bottle carrier, a Lukia signed purse and a AWG signed polishing cloth. 

Specifications 

Reference: SBGA229G

Case Material: Stainless steel

Glass Material: Sapphire crystal
Bezel Insert Material: Titanium Carbide composite
Glass Coating: Anti-reflective coating on inner surface
Surface Treatment: Mirror-finished case achieved through Zaratsu polishing,
LumiBrite: On hands and indexes
Case Size: Diameter 44.2 mm × Thickness 14.0 mm × Length 50.6 mm
Lug Width: 22.0 mm
Weight: 201.0 gm (case: 105 gm; bracelet: 96 gm)
Band Type & Material: Stainless steel bracelet
Band Perimeter: 195.0 mm
Clasp type: Three-fold clasp with secure lock & push button release, ratchet slide adjuster
Caliber: 9R65
Movement Type: Spring Drive
Jewels: 30
Power Reserve: Approximately 72 hours (3 days)
Accuracy: ±1 second per day / ±15 seconds per month (average)
Water Resistance: 200 m / 660 ft (ISO6425 Compliant)
Magnetic Resistance: Up to 4,800 A/m, or about 60 Gauss (ISO764 Compliant)
Complications: Date display, unidirectional rotating bezel and power reserve indicator
Launch Date: 2017 (due to the rebranding exercise)
MSRP: RM24,300
Purchase Date: 27 May 2021
Purchase Price: RM19,400
Vendor: Seiko Boutique, Mid Valley
Serial Number: 06N029

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