Grand Seiko is one of the most loved and coveted prestigious watches in the global watchmaking world. The parent company, Seiko, has a history of watchmaking in the European market, rivaling some of Europe's best watchmaking brands. For more than five decades, Grand Seiko continues basking in the glory of the best luxurious watches in the world. The Grand Seiko might be new to many luxurious watch enthusiasts; many are yet to fully understand what the Grand Seiko brand offers in its impressive collection. Many new Grand Seiko watches are for sale, and there are equally as many pre-owned Grand Seiko watches for sale, providing plenty of options for watch collectors to pick from.

History of Grand Seiko Watches

Grand Seiko has demonstrated over 50 years of dedicating and perfecting the art of watchmaking, creating some of the best timepieces in the past century. Grand Seiko has maintained its prestigious culture in watchmaking despite the many inventions and innovations in the watchmaking industry. The first Grand Seiko timepiece was produced in Suwa Seikosha, in central Japan. The model is currently known as Seiko Epson and is one of the most sought after Grand Seiko watches.

Grand Seiko Collection History

Grand Seiko was birthed with the great determination of Seiko to excel in the watchmaking industry. The first collections of the Grand Seiko watches were fitted with the GS Cal. 3180. The GS Cal. 3180 was the first chronometer grade timepiece to be manufactured in Japan. The Grand Seiko GS Cal. 3180 watches were either fitted with platinum or gold plated cases and had the same price tag as most luxurious watches from Switzerland. The pioneering Grand Seiko contained features that are still used in most of the current Grand Seiko collections.

Ever since the launch of Seiko Epson in 1960, Seiko has excelled at bringing its inventions to the watchmaking world. The founders of Grand Seiko were Suwa Seikosha and Daini Seikosha. The two founders wanted to develop a watch brand that would compete with the famous Swiss luxury watches. Grand Seiko has evolved in its creation to include new complications like the calendar functions.

The first Grand Seiko watches had a hacking mechanism as part of the movement. The watch's movement stopped whenever the watch's crown was pulled to set the time, and the hacking system helped create a more accurate time setting system. Unlike the modern Grand Seiko watch model, these Grand Seiko watches had a two-phase regulator mechanism with a timekeeping rating certificate. The second collection released by Grand Seiko in 1963, the watch surpassed all the standards of a luxurious watch with high-quality features. This Grand Seiko watch price tag equates to the price of most Swiss luxury watches.

In 1963, Suwa Seikosha decided to take a different approach to watchmaking. Grand Seiko released the 57GS model, which was a hand-wound and low beat wristwatch. Despite being a luxury watch, the watch had a stainless steel case and a screw-down case back. The watch also had an upgraded 3180 movement, and the chronometer movement of the watch was certified. In 1966, Grand Seiko modified the watch, and the beat rate was increased to 19,800 from 18,000. The 57GS model also lost its Chronometre certificate.

Grand Seiko released the 44GS in 1967. The Grand Seiko 44GS was the first model that embodied the famous Grand Seiko Style exterior design style. The Grand Seiko Style exterior design is still being used in other modern Grand Seiko models. Most collectors of pre-owned Grand Seiko watches find the Grand Seiko Style exterior design to be one of the most beautiful attributes of the Grand Seiko timepieces.

In 1966 Suwa Seikosha released the 62GS, the first automatic model from Grand Seiko. The watch didn't need to be manually wound, thanks to the tiny crown located at the 4 o'clock marker. Grand Seiko took a 20-year break from 1970 to 1990 as Seiko focused on the massive production of quartz watches. Grand Seiko made a grand comeback in the 1990s with new Grand Seiko models and the first Grand Seiko bracelets.

Over the years, Grand Seiko has released timepieces for ladies, which had a more precise design than the men's watches. The Grand Seiko women's timepieces even featured automatic and quartz movements. In 2004, Grand Seiko made it in the watchmaking history books by releasing a model which had a unique fourth hand GMT functionality. The Spring Drive movement had undergone decades of development and was a regulated quartz movement. In 2007, Grand Seiko released its first Spring Drive Chronograph, and the watch had an accurate chronograph driven by the mainspring.

Conclusion

Both new and used Grand Seiko watches show the craftsmanship and an old school approach to watchmaking. The Grand Seiko watches possess high-performance movements. Despite being relatively new, the Grand Seiko has become a high-value watch due to its craftsmanship. With determination, the brand has evolved to become a trailblazer in watchmaking technology. This has made pre-owned Grand Seiko watches to become very popular. Owning one of the Grand Seiko watches is appealing, bearing in mind the Grand Seiko inventory is updated daily. Buying used Grand Seiko watches gives watch enthusiasts access to some of the best Grand Seiko models no longer in production. Pre-owned Grand Seiko watches are valuable and unique timepieces. Used Grand Seiko watches are a display of refined taste and luxurious refinement.

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Pre-owned Grand Seiko Watches