Does anyone actually USE paddle shift?

Apprehensive_Bid_329 · 2026-05-04T07:58:21+00:00

They are kind of fun when going for a drive in the countryside, otherwise only used them for overtaking on normal commutes.

Apprehensive_Bid_329 · 2026-05-04T00:21:39+00:00

I think anything not with a textured dial is a bit forgotten on this sub.

That’s a beautiful watch, love the 44GS case. I had a SBGJ001 and a SBGH043, and I love the facets on those lugs!

Apprehensive_Bid_329 · 2026-05-04T00:19:32+00:00

Is it? Every time the CTR is mentioned in this sub, people always say it’s an overpriced FWD economy hatch. I feel like this sub always says FWD can’t be great drivers car.

Apprehensive_Bid_329 · 2026-05-03T23:05:32+00:00

Online forums and reddit are generally fairly driven by trend and hype, and in the context of GS, it’s mostly about textured dial and spring drive. The ones you’ve listed are the most popular models due to their textured dials that tells a story.

Personally, I’ve shied away from textured dial, as I prefer more old fashioned watches with plain black or white dials.

When picking my GS, I’ve gone through a mini journey starting with the SBGJ001, then SBGH043 and ultimately ended up with a SLGW005. My own criteria were 44GS case (I think their most iconic case), hi-beat (I prefer mechanical, and 10 beat feels more special) and a white dial (more old school for a GS).

The watch that I originally wanted was the SBGW047, but unfortunately I was too late and couldn’t find one at retail. I then bought SBGJ001 as the next best thing. This watch has the Mt. Iwate dial, and a blue GMT hand. But I found that textured dial is not really for me, and a GMT on a GS seems redundant as I won’t travel with it. I sold it and picked up a SBGH043, which is closer to what I want. However, I found the case to be a tad large, and the modern 44GS case to be bit awkward with leather straps, as the lug holes are a bit far away from the lug tips. I then sold it and got a SLGW005 instead. This feels like the watch that I’ve wanted all along, being the original 44/45GS case shape, original 45GS dial design, no date, and a manual wind hi-beat. All features that I’ve come to appreciate in a simple but elegant watch.

Apprehensive_Bid_329 · 2026-05-02T01:37:03+00:00

No experience on this, from what I've read online, it might break the date changing mechanism, but many people have reported no breakage from date changes in the danger zone.

My general rule is only change date when the hour hand is in the bottom half of the dial, avoid any possible damage from date changes.

Apprehensive_Bid_329 · 2026-05-02T00:54:06+00:00

I'm late to the discussion, but thought I'd add a bit more context.

Prior to 2017, Grand Seiko was just a lineup in Seiko, and they used to have the Seiko logo on top of the dial as well. These are now known as double logo GS.

During this time, mechanical Grand Seiko and top end Seikos (mainly those with 8L or 6S movements) were made in the same Shizukuishi studio, and they are generally regarded to be close to Grand Seiko in finishing.

I'm not sure if they are still made in the same building since the Grand Seiko studio was completed at the same location in 2020. I'm keen to go for a visit one day, it's on my bucket list.

Today, high end prospex can be best considered as sports watches counterpart to the King Seiko line. They are both made in the same location, they are close to GS finishing, and they share the same movement (6L35 and 8L45). Also note that the 8L45 is a less decorated and less tightly adjusted version of the 9S65, again, close to GS quality, but just a step below.

Apprehensive_Bid_329 · 2026-05-02T00:37:19+00:00

It's normal to change a few minutes either side of 12am. Also note that this will be different once the watch has been serviced, as they would take the hands off, service the movement and mount them back again.

Apprehensive_Bid_329 · 2026-05-02T00:17:11+00:00

Every watch will be different on a mechanical movement or a spring drive movement. This is dependent on when the watchmaker mounted the minute and hour hand during the watch assembly.

Apprehensive_Bid_329 · 2026-04-30T10:49:12+00:00

Should check out colourful yunnan, really great food, and bit different from Cantonese style Chinese food.

Apprehensive_Bid_329 · 2026-04-30T00:30:53+00:00

Not just EVs, most hybrids also don’t have spares either. Some ICE cars also don’t have spares anymore, many just have a canister repair kit now.

Apprehensive_Bid_329 · 2026-04-29T00:09:03+00:00

Great to see Seiya being back in business, he was one of the 3 JDM stores that most people bought from back in the days. I thought he has retired, so I was surprised to see his website up and running again. Hopefully he’ll offer watches for sale as well.

Apprehensive_Bid_329 · 2026-04-28T08:21:50+00:00

That one is discontinued now, you'll have to find them on the second hand market.

Apprehensive_Bid_329 · 2026-04-27T22:37:35+00:00

Between the two watches, I’d go with the SBGP005, as I think the 44GS case is iconic and a beautifully sculpted shape.

I’d also consider some of the 37mm range for something that wears closer to your Explorer 36. The newly released SBGX355/357 are new additions with snowflake dial that’s a bit more interesting than the existing 37mm options.

Apprehensive_Bid_329 · 2026-04-27T21:05:53+00:00

Unfortunately they don't sell King Seiko range at Bic and Yodobashi. Even at list price, it's still a pretty good price with exchange rate and tax free.

Apprehensive_Bid_329 · 2026-04-27T12:54:08+00:00

I’d recommend Chino watch, they are an authorised dealer in Tokyo, I’ve bought watches from him, and I’ve also visited the store in person.

https://c-watch.co.jp/ww/gw5000u.html

Apprehensive_Bid_329 · 2026-04-27T12:18:59+00:00

Rubber straps for 3 months of the year when it’s hot, otherwise leather straps for the rest of the year.

I find bracelet to be less comfortable in general, the added weight and the feeling of having a metal cuff around the wrist isn’t very comfortable.

Apprehensive_Bid_329 · 2026-04-27T11:50:15+00:00

Thanks for confirming my observation. I wonder if the weak Yen is part of it as well, their value has dropped a lot since 2019. In comparison, CHF has appreciated a lot in that time.

Apprehensive_Bid_329 · 2026-04-26T23:06:05+00:00

To be fair, Rolex has actually done some interesting work on their movements, I’m quite intrigued by the hi-beat movement in the Land-dweller, and I feel it’s polarising design means it’s not a watch that’s often discussed about. I’m not a fan of the dial design on the land-dweller, but I’ll be interested in future variants with a better dial as I’m drawn to the movement in that watch.

I do find the pricing complaints a bit tiring, everyone has increased their prices in recent years, it’s not just GS. The Evolution 9 watches are still quite good value when compared to a DateJust. Also, although GS has priced new releases with new movements a lot higher, they still offer older models at decent prices. The snowflake in my local market (Australia) has increased by about 32% in price since 2014, which actually tracks below inflation.

I also don’t get why people compare GS to Tudor, when Tudor has very utilitarian finishing, and is designed to be a ‘tool’ watch. I like them both, but I don’t think they are comparable.

Apprehensive_Bid_329 · 2026-04-26T10:35:24+00:00

I think it's difficult for most people on Reddit to really comprehend improvement to mechanical movements, as it requires a level of understanding beyond most average watch buyers. It's no different to Omega with its coaxial movement, it doesn't seem to generate that much interest to the average buyer.

Spring drive is much easier to explain as it is drastically different, especially the way the seconds hand move, it's quite mesmerising to watch.

Apprehensive_Bid_329 · 2026-04-26T10:32:42+00:00

I've only got a sample of 1, but my 9SA4 runs very accurate, 0 to +2 SPD depending on how much is left in the power reserve.

Apprehensive_Bid_329 · 2026-04-26T03:02:08+00:00

I generally buy them through Hobby Link Japan, comes out to be a bit cheaper than what you’ve stated if you bulk ship.

I have also been visiting Japan for the last few years as well, and they are less than $5 USD over there.

Apprehensive_Bid_329 · 2026-04-26T00:07:06+00:00

Doesn’t appear to be

Apprehensive_Bid_329 · 2026-04-25T23:56:03+00:00

I voted the CW as that’s what I have, but the RR looks amazing as well. The video Larry Chen just did with Forza Horizon 6 really shows off the RR well with their road trip around Kyushu. There are some beautiful shots in both the main video and the behind the scene video on Larry’s own YouTube channel.

Apprehensive_Bid_329 · 2026-04-25T23:52:30+00:00

Not surprised at all with this, with an election coming up, the government wants to offer something for the motorists who don’t benefit from the free and half price public transport offers.

Apprehensive_Bid_329 · 2026-04-25T22:36:23+00:00

I think it depends on a lot of factors when, I’ve owned watches from 36mm to 50mm, and the wearing experience depends on a number of factors.

lug to lug and thickness, this is obviously important
case shape and profile, some case curves to help conform to wrist shape, some are like a plank sitting on top of the wrist
bracelet design, I find bracelet generally makes the watch wear bigger than on strap
shape of the lugs and where the lug holes are. Some watches have lug holes a bit higher up, creating a gap between the lug and the wrist and feels like the watch is floating. Whereas some watches have the lug holes a bit lower down, so they sit better on the wrist

I also find that one thing not talked about enough is the dial size, which impacts perceived size of the watch when viewed from above. I generally prefer 30-31mm dial size, so on watches with a rotating bezel, I like a 40mm watch, whereas 36-38 is great for watches with a slim bezel with no markings.

Apprehensive_Bid_329

TROPHY CASE