171: Is the dial or the movement more important? - podcast episode cover

171: Is the dial or the movement more important?

Sep 02, 202417 minEp. 171
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Episode description

In this episode we answer a question from @see_me_watch about what's more important in watch buying decisions, the dial, or the movement?

We use a couple of Grand Seikos that Vu is extremely interested in as examples:

Grand Seiko SLGW003

Grand Seiko SLGW005

Transcript

Welcome to this Watch LIVE. Hi, I'm Lydia Winters. And I'm Boo Boo. You sound. A little bit. You sound a little bit sick there. Yeah, I'm something I yeah, I feel. Funny because you have no sick symptoms except for a stuffy night. I might be really allergic, I surely have not figured out what it is, but I sound really terrible. I don't feel the way I sound. No, you look like your eyes look alive. Oh.

I thought you. Were gonna say we look really run and tired 'cause we are recording, we are recording. A night again, Yeah. And this week is gonna be a night time recording. It's a huge work week for us. It's a loosey goosey week. Yeah, there's only so early. Look, I'm. Gonna record every. Day. First of all, I have to say I really love recording the podcast and I care deeply about all of our listeners. I. Absolutely do too. But not deeply enough to get up

at like 4:30 that. Is what we to. Record in order to get. Because of this schedule. I'm very sorry, but that's where I draw the line of love. That includes for VU too, so don't feel about anyone. Yeah, yeah. Yeah, yeah, this is also true. OK at See Me Watch asks more important beautiful dial or fancy movement both other. What beautiful dial fancy movement. I feel like I know you're.

Answer other. I want to let you answer first though, because I feel that this is like very very relevant topic to you right in this moment. I think it always is. Oh OK, the thing I feel like it never is for me so I guess people will know what? Short answer for me, dial first, movement second, both third. Dial first, movement second, both third OK. Yeah. So dials most important, I think OK movement is second most important and both of them together is third.

Most, but there's also other. I guess I would do. I would do dial in case together. Yeah, and. It is then third is bracelet. I know case. Yours is like #1 quick adjust #2 water resist. He said I was going to go first. OK, OK, go. Ahead So what I mean by that is I could not buy a watch with a dial I don't like, but I could what buy a watch with a movement I don't like. Yes, I agree with that for also for me. Not that I want to buy watches with anything I don't like.

But it's. Like I could but but you could like there are. Past it, if it wasn't past it. One that you love. Yeah, baby, I've. Talked about various watches before that I'm like and the movement's kind of meh but so many other things are great. Makes me still want it. So, OK, but they're different qualifications for beautiful dial because I do think it's more about the entire face of the watch. So that includes the dials, hands, the Rehart, the bezel and

the front of the case. So you're saying you like a beautiful face? Boo Boo, did I hear you say you love a beautiful face? You. Saying that with your stuffed up nose, it's just perfect. So. OK, but OK, OK, OK. OK. So besides that fact, right? Like I, I, I, I still get it with the dial, right? Yeah. This specific decision feels, as you said, very relevant to me. Yes it does. Like very relevant literally today.

OK, right, OK, so no one, I think anyone who listens regularly to this podcast knows that I'm in love with the new Grand Seiko 9 SA 4 movement. Beautiful face it. Was, well, the movement. It was released at Watches and Wonders this year in 2 watches. They were the same watch, but one was in gold. 1 is in titanium, right? And I'm not going to talk about the gold because that doesn't interest me at that price point. But the titanium I have been in

love with. It's called the SLGW Double O3, also known as the Birch Park because the dial looks like Birch Park and then the movement. And we live in a forest that has a lot of. In a Birch. Forest so can confirm it does look like. And the back the movement has a wag wagtail on it. So like this watch connects me with home? And a wagtail is this adorable little bird that it's adorable. It's tail, it's tail wags. It's, I mean, it's feathers. Do.

Do birds have tails? Yes. Did you just ask if birds have tails? I mean like you call them tails. Yes, what are you talking about? Feathers. It's a group of feathers. It's not a tail. Yeah, but like a cat, OK, it has a fur, bone and muscle that's also a tail, but it's made-up of other things. Yes, birds have tails. They they're wings, they're beaks. They've got all kinds of things. I like watching birds, but I would just call it a collection of feathers.

OK, they are OK they're I looked online there a tail. How? I don't know. OK, late night recording Lydia, I I don't understand. OK, Anyway. Anyway these? The movement on its own. The bird is a wag. The Bird The bird is a wag tail. It's butt feathers. That is a tail. OK, So the movement on its own, amazing. I love it. I love it so much. It's so it's manual wind and it, it feels great. It sounds great. It's got all of the, it's like the best manual wine that I've

ever tried. I think the Nayahita may, you know, if I had them at the same time to wind them, you know it's hard. When you don't have them at the same time. Exactly. I didn't get to try them at the same time, so it's hard, but like they are to me same caliber of like that tactile, wonderful feedback. But I think where the edge on the Grand Seiko is is the sound of the winding. But anyway. But I want to say quickly about the movement. I won't go into the tail

anymore, the white tail. Although I do want to say that the fact that there is a little bird on the back, Yeah, is actually, to me, one of the most delightful movements that I've ever seen. It actually made me change my mind about, like, caring about movements because I was like when there are movements that have something special to them. Or like my skeleton Chopard, where I know that someone put it together but then kept taking it apart and engraving it and

making it really beautiful. And there's amazing examples of movements being engraved open case backs. I do. I feel like that's where I can get more behind a movement. You're not into the technical specifications of the movement. Yes, I'm into the beauty. I want a beautiful face and a beautiful back. Oh boy. Anyway, so it's manual wind. I feel like I'm taking cold medicine but I'm not. It's a high beat movement. It runs at 5 Hertz right with an

80 hour power reserve. I get it that you're not into specs, but typically high beat movements, you know, because they run faster, they require more power to run that and they usually have lower power reserves. So an 80 hour power reserve on a high beat movement is really cool and the power reserve indicator is on the movement instead of the dial, which for a lot of people is a really big

deal. I have a Grand Seiko Spring Drive with the power reserve on the dial and it doesn't bother me. I actually really like it. I think it's a cool signature of Spring Drive, but this is in Spring Drive so I do also like that it's on the back. It's also the movement is finished impeccably. I think it is gorgeous. And there's a bird on it and the bird is so cute. I feel like it's actually really hard to find a movement that's this great finished this well at

this price. It's not cheap, but it just feels like for what you get, it feels like a the right price or or or a good price. Especially the titanium one. Yeah, the gold 1, I mean, the gold 1 is in a different category. I I don't know how to judge gold but. OK. So you've been very, I've been into this very much like I want this watch. I'm going to get this watch. This is my next watch. I love this watch. But that's true. But I've also said to you

multiple times, I'm worried, OK? Because Grand Seiko, not just Grand. Seiko. In general, not just Grand Seiko, lots of companies do this, of course. But like there's a clear path that happens here, right? This is a new movement. It's their first manual wine high beat movement in 50 years obviously. They make a gorgeous movement. They are going to put it in more watches you. Did you did express this concern almost immediately? Food's like, wow, I I want a movement.

Oh no, what will they put it? In, well, not only what will they put it in next? Typically it's like, OK, here's this initial package, right? To show off all the coolness, right? But then they try different cases, different dials, different configurations, and often some of those are limited editions. So then you have to kind of jump on them. Like you don't have lots of time to get in on that. And limited editions are fun. I like limited editions.

I think it's fun to own something that, you know, they only made a few 100 of or whatever it is, right? So part of me really has been also waiting to see like, OK, I know they're going to announce new stuff soon and then today. Like very. Literally today. Your nightmare. Well, is it a? Nightmare or dream? They literally did exactly that. They released a limited, so it is a limited. Edition. Oh, Boo Boo and catnip. Recreation of the 45 GS from 1968.

Wait, everything they're saying you're like, Oh my. I love recreations yeah, I love re additions of isn't it old watches? Is it an? Unique heritage in there too. No, I I'm pretty sure it has heritage in the it's in the heritage collection. Oh yeah, but that's that. That's a pretty big collection. Doesn't matter. Incredible has sure which. But the the original 45 GS from 1968 actually housed Grand Seiko's first ever manual wind Highbee movement.

And this is their first. Manual wind Highbee. Movement really good. I didn't realize that. That's awesome they put a. Lot of thought into these things they. Really put a lot. Of thought now. OK, OK, so the dial it's an almost 1 to one recreation of the 1st like the the original 45 GS, right? It's got the big Seiko at the top in the older Seiko style logo. And then it's got the GS logo at the bottom just GS. And then it says like high B and 3600 or sorry 36,000.

And then like the color is this off white kind of champagne? It's it's basically it when you look at photos of the original 1. Creation, they're they're like, we're not revamping it. It's a recreation. It's not, I don't think it's 1:00 to 1:00 because this one is bigger. I do believe overall the case, OK. But like when you look at the dial, you're like, yeah. They really were true to the original. Very true to the original.

The case looks exactly like the original, but I do believe the proportions are very slightly different. It's different from the 44 GS which came out only like a year before I believe, and that's kind of what set the the grammar of design for Grand Seiko. And this follows that grammar of design, but still has its own character and it's just like cool anyway, both of these watches right? So I haven't seen this watch in person. They just announced it today, so hopefully we'll get to see it

very soon. But in general, these both have a movement that I absolutely. Yeah, that you love and wanna have in. Your I Want This movie. Right, so now it really is what truly. Comes down to the dial. The dial, right? So I I will buy the one whose dial and case I love more. Right now I'm still leaning towards the regular production Birch Park. It's not limited, it's not based on a heritage model. It's none of those things. It's modern, modern Grand Seiko. It's got Grand Seiko on the

dial. It is which is the. Grand Seiko you love and appreciate is the more current. It is evolution 9, right? Like this is this is the future of Grand Seiko here. And then on the other hand, you have this incredible movement, but in the past of Grand Seiko and both of those things attract me a very, very different.

Ways they really did a great job, like you said, of thinking through the why like OK, putting it back in the case that it was originally in, they've relaunched this manual wide movement that they haven't had since it was in that case. That's really cool. I'm not. No, no. I'm sure they've had others since then, but yeah. But it's been a really, really long time. Yeah, yeah. I don't know. Well, we'll, we'll see when it actually comes out, but I, I am very, very excited.

OK, how are you going to decide? That's the the question that inquiring minds want to know. Well, I'm I'm going to try them on and they'll be like, I like this one more. Yeah. I feel like that's probably the best way to decide. I do think so It's a case where case where it's a case where you have to try it on. But OK, the thing for me when I think about this for you is I'm like, I love the fact that it has like this. Well, the birchbark has the amazing dial, which you have

said in the past. So you would have to eat chomp, chomp, chomp, those words if you get the the recreation because you have said you only want cool like special dials on Grand Seikos because it's what you feel they're known for. Yeah, that they are nowadays. It's the modern. Yeah. So then if you got the other one, you would have to eat your words. I mean Yum Yum Yum. Yeah, and you would have to be like, OK, I know I said that I didn't want a cream dial Grand

St. coup, but I definitely want. Cream. I don't. But the cream dial is the one you sold your GMT, yes? My GMT, but that was a proper cream dial. This is maybe champagne? I don't know, I guess. What I'm saying is so now, but I have a theory of what one I think you'll end up with. OK, what's your theory? Are you sharing it or is this just for your own brain? No, I think you'll end up with the Birch bark. OK.

But the caveat is that maybe when you try on the other one you could have this like special feeling. OK. So I guess that's not a theory your. Theory is all like one or the other. No, my theory is actually that you'll probably like both and debate. About it forever. And then I'll be like. It is not in the budget to buy both of them. I will say the recreation is even though it's a limited edition, same movement, it does have a much more simple dial.

I assume it's simpler to produce and it costs a very small amount less. OK. But that's not really going. To make. The decision I. Don't think that makes the decision for very many people at all. Oh, this watch cost very slightly less than this watch bargain. I'm going to buy it. Yeah. It's tricky. I'm very excited to see what what you end up. With Yeah, well, we'll see very soon, very soon. Thanks for hanging out with us, being especially silly today. Bye bye.

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