Grand Seiko GMT SBGN013 is a very interesting proposition from one of my favorite manufacturers. The classic steel case, black dial and strongly contrasting red GMT hand create a sporty, but at the same time very universal configuration.
The model belongs to the Heritage Collection and debuted in 2020. With a diameter of 40 mm and a lug-to-lug length of 47 mm, it has practically perfect proportions for an everyday watch. It’s sporty enough for the weekend, yet calm and elegant for a more formal outfit.
The black dial is very legible and has the attention to detail typical of Grand Seiko. Polished indexes and hands work great with light, while the red second time zone hand gives the whole thing a much more dynamic character.
The red color also appears next to the GMT marking on the dial. This keeps the design consistent but not overdone. In turn, the 24-hour scale placed on the edge of the dial allows you to quickly read the time in the second zone.
The case is 40 mm in diameter, 47 mm in length and only 12.2 mm in thickness. Combined with the steel bracelet, it gives very comfortable proportions, which is why, in my opinion, SBGN013 works great as a real daily watch.
However, the greatest curiosity of this model is the mechanism. Inside, the Grand Seiko 9F86 quartz caliber works, one of the most advanced quartz mechanisms available on the market.
Its declared accuracy is as much as ±10 seconds per year. In comparison, with many standard quartz movements, a similar deviation can occur within a few weeks or months.
Grand Seiko achieves this precision thanks to, among other things, selected and seasoned quartz crystals and a temperature compensation system. The mechanism measures the temperature inside the watch as many as 540 times a day and then continuously corrects the impact of temperature changes on the operation of the oscillator.
The Caliber 9F also uses a Twin Pulse Control Motor. The system generates an appropriately high torque, thanks to which the mechanism can move large and heavy hands typical of Grand Seiko.
Another interesting solution is the Backlash Auto-Adjust Mechanism. Its task is to eliminate the shaking second hand that is characteristic of many quartz watches. Thanks to this, the second hand hits subsequent indices extremely precisely.
The caliber 9F86 also offers a very practical GMT function. The local hour hand can be moved independently in one-hour increments without stopping the second hand. Moreover, when crossing midnight, the date also changes accordingly.
The mechanism has an instant date change function, a stop second and an approximately 3-year battery life. Interestingly, even though the caliber remains hidden under a full case back, Grand Seiko finishes and assembles it with the care typical of its mechanical designs.
The watch has a double curved sapphire glass with anti-reflective coating on the inside. Additionally, it offers water resistance up to 100 meters and magnetic resistance of 4,800 A/m.
The Grand Seiko GMT SBGN013 is, in my opinion, a great example of the fact that the Grand Seiko quartz version is something completely different than a typical battery watch. We get brilliant precision, a very advanced 9F design and a well-finished watch in a perfect, everyday size.
The offered copy is sold complete with original boxes and documents.
Perfect condition. Only minimal traces of use are visible.
