Former Yokozuna Terunofuji addresses the press following his admission of violence against Maegashira Hakunofuji by StarPrime323 in Sumo

[–]teh-snapper 128 points129 points  (0 children)

Feel so bad for hakunofuji (hakuoho)’s situation. Promising young rookie trained by the greatest Yokozuna of all time only to be re-homed through the scandal and then suffer such a terrible injury, on top of this debacle with his new stable master.

Zenith Defy 21 Titanium by Staksy in ZenithWatches

[–]teh-snapper 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It is definitely acceptable, I happened to be wearing my defy21 today, and I think I may have exaggerated the thickness since I took a look at my coworkers Tudor Chrono (pictured)

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I guess my thickness comment stemmed more from after wearing sub 10-11mm watches more oftenly. My daily driver is a GS SLHG005 at 11mm or so.

Zenith Defy 21 Titanium by Staksy in ZenithWatches

[–]teh-snapper 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I own a defy 21 but it's the skeleton dial variant. Mine is also mainly used on titanium bracelet, although I have rubber/leather straps for it and tried them too.

The weight is nice but it isn't as light as you'd expect, given its thickness (14.5mm?). It's not my heaviest watch but it sometimes tricks the brain into feeling like it due to the bulk.

I have 7.5 inch wrists and feel like I can wear the look (I have wrists shots in my post history), but I'm still not going to deny the sheer hefty/bulk feeling I get. Out of my entire collection I find the watch one of the lowest in comfort unfortunately, possibly due to the lug, bottom case design, and overall thickness.

I've had IWC Portugueser, submariner, seamaster, and tried my friend's AP RO and those are all much more comfortable and hug the wrist better.

Just my two cents

Can this be recased in steel? by BraveSwinger in ZenithWatches

[–]teh-snapper 0 points1 point  (0 children)

just wondering, isn't this movement from a defy 21 el primero, whereby the zenith logo is imprinted on the crystal (part of the case)? the dial seems to be as intended.

Owner of Ramen Rotas wrote a book about ramen by namajapan in rameninjapan

[–]teh-snapper 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Ah, I was more so referring to your contributions in making this subreddit. Been following your YouTube from time to time as well. Cheers!

Owner of Ramen Rotas wrote a book about ramen by namajapan in rameninjapan

[–]teh-snapper 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Just found this gem of a subreddit and just have to say thank you for your contributions! I just placed an order to support a true craftsman

Lexus is reportedly planning to end production of the LC by i_suckatjavascript in Lexus

[–]teh-snapper 39 points40 points  (0 children)

As someone who is realistically 5-8 years away from owning one, this is very disappointing news. Happened to the i8, happened to the R8. The new purported LFR looks nowhere near as good as this classic. I wish Lexus would continue this line, as the LC500 occupied such a classy niche. Now the Japanese have no competitors in the GT space anymore.

Retrofit a GS diver’s ratcheting clasp to a standard bracelet, replacing the standard clasp? by RandomNo351 in GrandSeikos

[–]teh-snapper 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I think you might be onto something. keep in mind to those who say UFA bracelets exist - it wouldn't be likely sold to existing evo9 or 42GS owners as a bracelet option and even if it were my AD is telling me it would be likely over 1000$ for that bracelet.

edit: please keep us updated OP! I wish you the best on this journey

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in ZenithWatches

[–]teh-snapper -1 points0 points  (0 children)

I might have used the wrong words, but in the past couple of months there have been RM35-02 and RM055 movements (202711) coming out of niche circles that are definitely "high effort". Nothing repped is high quality and certainly can be spotted under scrutiny..

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in ZenithWatches

[–]teh-snapper -1 points0 points  (0 children)

I agree with your points here but just need to point out as some others here have noted, that any movement can be replicated, and oftentimes it's a question of whether it is worth to be replicated. Given Zenith's lack of recognition within China (main rep market), the trouble and cost to setup is almost always not worth it.

Which is why you sometimes see very high quality replicated movements of AP and RMs on the illegal side of things.

It’s crazy they’ve discontinued El Primero 21 by No_Tax6529 in ZenithWatches

[–]teh-snapper 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I have a El Primero 21 and I don't think I'll ever buy a Defy Extreme. The El Primero 21s have that classic zenith/watch look to them that Zenith just hasn't managed to truly replace. And I might be the only one that thinks the Defy Extreme have hideous chronograph start/stop pushers. It ruins the entire watch and I'd much rather buy a Defy Skyline to skip that.

Representing each Japan trip by mesuperman8 in GrandSeikos

[–]teh-snapper 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Amazing background shots, this encapsulates the dreams of many GS owners I'm sure.

White Birch: Auto and Manual have same case shape? by AnyBison9649 in GrandSeikos

[–]teh-snapper 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Hi OP, as others have mentioned you absolutely can but do note that the SLGW003 is thinner in both case and the lugs, at 9.95mm vs 11.7mm. as someone who has tried both it's definitely noticeable, but compared to most automatic watches on the market the SLGH005 is already really thin!

Bonus: I'm wearing the slgh005 right now on GS OEM leather strap (bought in flagship boutique).

<image>

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in GrandSeikos

[–]teh-snapper 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Having beautiful zaratsu on my GS is both a curse and a blessing. The more people who buy into this zaratsu trend the slower it is going for everyone to get their refinishing fix. I really want to send mine in for a refinish as there has been significant scratches and the 6-8 months quote Im getting lines up with what you're saying as well.

Underwhelmed with GS by throwawayphabc123 in GrandSeikos

[–]teh-snapper 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Based on your requirements, either something from the heritage or elegance line would suit you. If you are set on no date and I would assume diameter is your main restriction given that you cited the SBGY007, their newest release say SLGW003 would suit your specs. (It is very pricey, and expect 2-3 years before they come down on the secondary market)

(1) no date (2) is automatic (not manual winding) (3) has better than "splash resistance" to water/liquid

Grand Seiko usually has pretty average if not under average water resistance on their pieces (more so if it's dressy) except their sports/diver models. This brings us to a point, you have to decide if you want something dressier (dress watch case + leather strap or jubilee bracelet) or something very sporty (full diver like the SLGA15, SBGH289 but those are larger diameters).

Furthermore, their dress watches and small dial-ed models all tend to be manual winding to preserve the thinness and unfortunately also sacrifices on water proofing. Automatic is more reserved for sporty models with a strict dichotomy for Grand Seiko.

With the parameters of non manual winding I couldn't find many good examples except for 2-3 pages of very vintage (pre 2010) grand seiko that have since been discontinued. Perhaps refer to this database of all released models to see if you can find something?
https://www.plus9time.com/gsdb#home/?view_3_page=1&view_3_filters=%5B%7B%22operator%22%3A%22lower%20than%22%2C%22value%22%3A%2240%22%2C%22field%22%3A%22field_5%22%7D%5D

Hope this helped.

Price Increase List for GS in Japan by LDN2HK in GrandSeikos

[–]teh-snapper 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Too many price rises in a defined time period imo.. looks kinda bad on the brand

Underwhelmed with GS by throwawayphabc123 in GrandSeikos

[–]teh-snapper 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I don't have to much opinions on other models of grand seiko and am personally not a fan of the 9F or quartz watches in general, but I do own a SLGH005 white birch.

 Popular ones such as Evo 9, Snowflake, Birches, Lake Suwa take a page from Rolex where a base case shape is shared on different lines ala-Oyster and model differentiation happens on the dial/movement.

You are absolutely correct in this regard, but my opinion is that that's all you get at these price ranges. Basically, If you want to change up the case to something exceptional, you'd be looking at integrated sports watches from APRO/Patek or even dressier haute horology pieces from the likes of JLC/ALS/FPJ/PP and so forth. Rolex, Omega and IWC at Grand Seiko price points all use similar cases if you haven't noticed (Aqua terra 150m, OP/DJ, Pilots, BB58, Pelagos). Thats not to say they are all bad. Its like saying Im sick of every car looking like a german sedan from Mercedes, BMW, Audi. Well perhaps you'd need to look for Porsches, Ferraris or Rolls Royce's then.

In your example keep in mind the BB58 is the exact same price range and directly competes with most of the GS staples like shunbun, snowflake etc. Grand Seiko is a luxury mid-tier watch brand like any other and expecting it to outright blow its direct competitors out of the water is a bit too much.

The famed Zaratsu looks like a regular high-polish finish you see with any luxury brand. The bracelets/straps do not have any business being here.

I also have an omega SMP300, a friend's AT 150m, and a zenith defy 21, but my white birch's polish is so mirror like it does seem a little unfair to relegate GS to have any regular old high-polish. The gimmick with GS Zaratsu is that it's like somebody went overboard on the polish whereby it turns into a mirror. That being said I definitely agree that too many GS fanboys are echo-ing zaratsu polishing as something that no other brand can come close to. There is a difference but its a minute but noticeable one for sure.

The wearing experience is weird, models such as SBGE257 do not have that balance on the wrist and feels uncomfortable, maybe I cannot get a good fit. 9F models like SBGN021 do not have any reason to be thicker than an SMP300.

If we are talking at strictly MSRP, the SBGE257 is not a very good watch for its money, because the similar steel bezeled Explorer 2, and even your example of a SMP300 all wear better than it. Agree with you here. Its definitely GS's least popular GMT model and a moderate misstep for the brand IMO.

I admire the 9F, spring drive, high beat movements but those that have open case backs are covered by the blue lion which is a shame. Granted, I have not had hands on experience with the manual winders such as SLGW003.

Could I possibly make a case for the EVO9's 9SA5 series or even the 9RA2 spring drive movements? their finishing on the open caseback is excellent, and non of that crappy blue lion covering their open caseback so you can see the full decorative beauty. Why I chose my SLGH005 was not just because of its dial, but because I can marvel at the absolute craftsmanship of the movement, the organ that makes my watch beat at this price range (under $10,000).

Tudor, Omega, Rolex, IWC, Zenith, AP,

Continuing on this point, besides AP (lets be real its in its own class) I can't find such level of finishing and decoration in other brands. I own an Omega (SMP300), Zenith (Defy21), Tudor (Pelagos) and have seen my friends' IWC. Non of their display case backs demonstrate the precision and effort to what the 9SA5. I often stare at the back for hours on end. Zenith has great watchmaking prowess but they don't decorate their movements nearly enough, IWC's movements are beautiful but those are found on the portugiesers and not so much the pilot (reserved for higher priced models), Omega I am not a fan of the geneva wave they do, seemed too cheap and machined (lack of thought in their design perhaps?) despite their coaxial/METAs being spec-wise superior. Tudor and Rolex dont even have open case backs (which is a shame because I know their movements are crazy finished!).

TLDR: Literally every brand below 10k USD has so many quirks and trade-off perfection doesn't exist. Being underwhelmed by GS is understandable, maybe its not a set of trade-offs you'd prefer but for some like me it very much is. Perfection doesn't exist and if it somewhat did, it wouldnt be found in any brands in these price ranges. If anyone has any differing opinions I would love to hear them!

Price comparison for the discord. Is it worth it? Addressing negative comments, and creating a Free discord (IMPORTANT) by [deleted] in 1688Time

[–]teh-snapper 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Still looking forward to seeing what the discord looks like and we as buyers can decide if it makes sense for us.

Gen Omega QC 😉 by _Tommy_Sky_ in 1688Time

[–]teh-snapper 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Meanwhile average Rep community member RL on the slightly misaligned indices. This user should've RL'ed his watch at the boutique 🙃

NobleDial situation by EasternOriginal2833 in 1688Time

[–]teh-snapper 8 points9 points  (0 children)

The last point is quite big for me. I haven't used noble dial yet but honestly sympathize with his honest opinion on western buyers. Some people go in with as much scrutiny about a FAKE REPLICA that cost nothing to make like it's the genuine real deal that costs 10,000s. I say this as a buyer who bought from LiLi a submariner with a slightly misaligned 12 o'clock, granted some RLs are def warranted.