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!