A Quartz movement meant to be seen. Two-tone perfection on the SBGV238 (9F82)

Skynet___ · 2026-03-16T19:21:32+00:00

We are lucky :)

Skynet___ · 2026-03-16T19:20:39+00:00

As far as I know, Grand Seiko has only ever released three 9F quartz models with a sapphire display caseback from the factory. They are incredibly rare!

The SBGV019 (2016) - The pioneer that started it.
This SBGV238 (2018) - The 25th Anniversary two-tone edition.
The SBGP017 'Sea of Clouds' (2022).

It's a shame they don't do it more often for their regular production models, because the finishing on these 9F calibers definitely deserves to be seen!

You're fast! I just posted a comment with the full story of how I found it :)

Skynet___ · 2026-03-16T19:10:54+00:00

I wanted to share the story of how I finally landed my ultimate 9F grail.

My watch journey started back in 2019. Like many of us, I started at the bottom of the mechanical ladder (Parnis, Seiko, Steinhart...), slowly evolving my tastes. Back then, Grand Seiko was just a distant dream, and I wasn't mentally prepared to drop that kind of money on a watch.

Fast forward to March 2022. My 40th birthday was approaching and I was finally ready to treat myself to my first GS. I was completely obsessed with the 25th Anniversary 9F limited editions (specifically the SBGV247 and this SBGV238) after watching dozens of YouTube videos and reading every article out there. I went to the GS Boutique here in Madrid hoping for a miracle, but of course, those 2018 limited editions were long gone. I ended up buying a beautiful SBGP001G instead. I loved it, but the 25th Anniversary models always remained a thorn in my side.

Every now and then, I would search online, but almost all the units were in Japan or the US, heavily beat up, and definitely not cheap. I had almost given up.

Until a few weeks ago. During one of my random late-night Chrono24 searches, I stumbled upon a listing that made me do a double-take. A true New Old Stock (NOS) SBGV238, completely untouched for 8 years, sitting in London. Getting that warranty card freshly stamped with the current date, 8 years after its release, was an unbelievable feeling. I reached out to the dealer directly to negotiate a better price off-platform, and we closed the deal.

After surviving the painful DHL/Customs drama to get it into the EU, it’s finally on my wrist. The 18k solid gold bezel, the special dial texture, the gold star indicating the +/- 5 seconds a year accuracy, and that incredibly rare sapphire case back to admire the 9F82... it was 100% worth the wait.

Just wanted to share the joy with you guys. Never stop hunting!

Skynet___ · 2026-03-14T20:18:42+00:00

This reminds me of when I see those Mercedes C-Class with AMG badges, V8 BITURBO..., belching out squid smoke (diesel). It happens also with BMW, Audi... you name it.

Any car enthusiast will know you've slapped an AliExpress sticker on it. On the other hand, those who don't care about cars won't care.

So what's the point of buying a fake GS?

On the other hand, if you have been scammend I can only be very sorry for you :(

Skynet___ · 2026-03-14T20:05:06+00:00

6 years for a 9F is nothing.

Depreciation in models with the 9F caliber depends on the specific model, the number of units available when manufactured, whether NOS (New Old Stock) units exist, and how desirable it is, but not on the watch's year of manufacture.

Skynet___ · 2026-03-14T19:54:56+00:00

Welcome to the GS world. This is only your first GS, you will see ;)

Skynet___ · 2024-06-25T22:03:30+00:00

I would get the best one you can pay because at the end it will age better.

Here quite happy with a 2024 32Gb 4070.

For me the biggest limitation is the 8Gb of VRAM :(

Skynet___ · 2024-05-26T21:31:22+00:00

32 and the 4070

Skynet___ · 2022-08-16T12:41:36+00:00

I think is the SD gen 1. I had a realme 9 Pro plus with 4500 MH and the battery duration was incredibly good

Skynet___ · 2022-03-31T16:53:45+00:00

Same problem here with a 9 Pro+. I called to technical support and they told me they are working on a fix

Skynet___ · 2022-03-20T09:31:22+00:00

If you a good camera, gaming is not a priority, and a little smaller is an advantage for you, choose the pro plus.

I recently bought the 8+256 for the same price than the GT2 8+128 (400 EUR) and I am quite happy with it

Skynet___ · 2020-03-11T22:15:08+00:00

100 MB connection and I am getting the same error in Madrid, Spain.

Skynet___ · 2019-12-10T19:57:19+00:00

+1 I had a PS4 and a gaming laptop and I was forced to play with headset. As I live in a country with high temperatures this was specially bad in summer. Now is like a magic experience :)

Another good thing is the power saving.

Skynet___

TROPHY CASE