An Attainable Japanese Independent Every Collector Should Know
An authorized retailer of watches from TUDOR, Grand Seiko, OMEGA and more, Teddy Baldassarre is your destination to learn watches and discover your next watch.
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The 2010 Spring Drive reference with a dial textured like fresh Shinshu snow.
Nine new references, a better bracelet, and the Spring Drive UFA making its way into classic Evo9 cases. Here's what actually changed.
An authorized retailer of watches from TUDOR, Grand Seiko, OMEGA and more, Teddy Baldassarre is your destination to learn watches and discover your next watch.
Two Broke Watch Snobs
These Grand Seiko Snowflake alternatives deliver exceptional finishing, dial depth, and lasting wrist appeal. Discover our hands-on picks beyond lookalikes.
Hodinkee
Happy Friday again, Ballers, and congrats to whoever snagged the Omega 2998-4 on Goodwill earlier this week. I'm fighting multiple aspects of my nature—as a midwesterner and a dad—to avoid making lame jokes about the heat, but fingers crossed, the fever's breaking, and it'll return to average temperatures sometime soon for all of us. Scorekeeping last week's picks, the Hamilton sold for $4,300, the Speedmaster Soyuz for €18,000, and the Universal Genève Rattrapante for GBP 4,250 . The Goldpfiel Vianney Halter sold, but the auction house hasn't listed the price online and hasn't responded to my email, so we'll all have to live with the mystery. Strays I mentioned Always Sunny last week, and now this week there's this exquisite Movado Ermeto with a caseback dedication—Dennis from Mac—that feels too good not to include. I figured it'd be fun to stir the pot last week and argue the Hamilton Model 21 as the Most Important American Watch in history. For whatever it's worth, the runner-up would've been the Bulova Accutron, and the purest expression of that watch is the Spaceview, of which there's a nice (though non-running) version available here, which auction lot also includes a Spaceman watch (also not working), and the Spaceman, for what it's worth, deserves more oddball attention. Photo courtesy of Seuyco. Here's an almost comically reserved but gorgeous Grand Seiko SBGW235, and, in the same auction, here's what sure seems to be a great example of an IWC 'Steril...
Two Broke Watch Snobs
Grand Seiko quartz and mechanical watches both have serious appeal, but after hands-on time with the SBGV233 and SBGH295, one became the easier watch to recommend.
Fratello
Good morning, everyone, and welcome to another Sunday Morning Showdown. I don’t know if it’s due to the heatwave we’re experiencing here in Europe, but this week, we’re doing things a little differently. On the other hand, it might simply be that Grand Seiko launched new Evolution 9 models that left us rather impressed. However, […] Visit Sunday Morning Showdown: Grand Seiko’s Hi-Beat 9SA5 Vs. Spring Drive U.F.A. 9RB2 to read the full article.
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Jaeger-LeCoultre has finally introduced a smaller 40mm Polaris, Grand Seiko has fixed one of collectors' biggest complaints with a new micro-adjust clasp, Breitling is officially joining Watches & Wonders, and Basel i...
Time+Tide
Sometimes, small improvements are all it takes to turn a good watch into a great one. Baltic brings back the Scalegraph in the permanent collection in an array of colours, Sartory-Billard dedicates a SB04-E to the Time+Tide Studio in NY, and Grand Seiko brings the long-awaited bracelet updates to many of its staple, fan-favourite pieces. … Continued
WristBuzz
Nine new references, a better bracelet, and the Spring Drive UFA making its way into classic Evo9 cases. Here's what actually changed.
SJX Watches
The much-anticipated refresh of Grand Seiko’s Evolution 9 line has arrived with new bracelets for six existing dials, as well as a newcomer and a mid-sized version of the fan favorite Lake Suwa. This brings much improved bracelets to Grand Seiko’s upmarket (and very successful) Evolution 9 line, fueling Seiko’s global ambitions for its flagship luxury brand. Moonlit Lake Suwa (SLGB007) Initial thoughts If the UFA Ushio Diver launched earlier this year proved anything, it’s that Grand Seiko is listening to its customers, and those customers want slim watches, case back power reserve indicators, better bracelets, and a tool-less quick adjust clasp. The Evolution 9 line, launched six years ago in 2020, met half of these requirements, being let down by only the bracelet. With this refresh, the Evolution 9 becomes an even more competitive, and compelling, collection. Grand Seiko’s in-house quick-adjust clasp. Image – Seiko Watch Corporation Unfortunately, the changes also come with a significant movement downgrade for the Spring Drive models, replacing the extended power reserve cal. 9RA2 with the simplified cal. 9RB2. That said, the UFA designation will be seen as a significant upgrade to all but the nerdiest collectors, making it a coup for Grand Seiko as the new movement adds value for the customer while presumably being less expensive to manufacture. Cal, 9RB2. Image – Seiko Watch Corporation But before you run out to buy one of the five-day Spring Drive watch...
Worn & Wound
Grand Seiko has announced a major refresh in their Evolution 9 collection across multiple metals and movements, and incorporating enthusiast favorite dial designs. A total of nine new watches have been announced as part of the update, and together they serve as what appears to be a new standard for Grand Seiko’s flagship collection. There’s a lot to chew on here, and depending on what interests you about Grand Seiko (or where you feel they have shortcomings) a number of different aspects of this update might be what draws you in. Everything they’ve announced, though, represents tangible improvement over what came before. First, the news that many enthusiasts will probably zero in on immediately: Grand Seiko’s micro-adjustable clasp now appears to be standard. After introducing it last year in a limited fashion, there were plenty of gripes about backwards compatibility and options for the future. The message here seems to be that the more heavily tapered bracelet with micro-adjustment built into the clasp will be a regular feature across Evolution 9 watches. Importantly, for these releases, that applies to both 37mm and 40mm references. Grand Seiko is also standardizing their premium alloys in steel and titanium in the Evolution 9 collection. Of the new watches introduced this week, the seven in steel are all in Grand Seiko’s Ever-Brilliant Steel alloy, which has a more lustrous shine and shows off Grand Seiko’s finishing more dramatically than standard stee...
Monochrome
It is a big day for Grand Seiko, which is releasing no fewer than nine new references in its Evolution 9 collection. Two of them, the 37mm Spring Drive UFA Lake Suwa SLGB015 and the 40mm Spring Drive UFA Lake Suwa SLGB007, are unprecedented configurations that required their own article. Next to these are three […]
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I've owned my Grand Seiko SBGX355 for over 3 months.
Hodinkee
What We Know Today, Grand Seiko introduces nine new variants to the three-hander, time-and-date models in its Evolution 9 collection. If you're feeling overwhelmed by that already, don't worry. Yes, there's quite a bit of nuance to unpack here among all these references, but not all nine are really new watches, per se. Many of them are existing models, just slightly modified. If you've read the title of this article, you'll already know that the biggest updates to these Evolution 9 models are things that collectors have long clamored for— tapered bracelets and clasps with tool-free microadjustment. Yes, for those who weren't able to achieve a perfect fit with previous Evolution 9 models, they will be able to now and can adjust accordingly, especially in hotter months with more wrist swelling. The clasp design comes from the original Evolution UFA SLGB003 model introduced last year, but now has spread to the rest of the collection, in both steel and titanium versions, and both 37mm and 40mm. Gone are the 5-day Spring Drive 9RA2 calibers used in the collection, replaced entirely with the U.F.A caliber 9RB2. This means that for those who found the 37mm U.F.A models too small, the more classic 40mm versions now get the ultra-accurate caliber that features an annual rated accuracy of +/- 20 seconds (timing per month is quoted at +/- 3 seconds). This is a big deal, and I think it suggests that Grand Seiko could be making a move to replace all of its Spring Drive calibers down ...
Monochrome
Just a couple of hours ago, we introduced one of Grand Seiko‘s new models for 2026, the Spring Drive UFA 40mm Lake Suwa SLGB007. And yes, we decided to give this model its own dedicated article, being a new reference in the Evolution 9 collection. However, there is more coming from Japan… Grand Seiko has […]
Monochrome
While in an article that will be published in a few on MONOCHROME, explaining the update that concerns the rest of the Evolution 9 collection, there is one model that stands apart for bringing a fresh new look to the range. Indeed, the new reference SLGB007 introduces the classic Lake Suwa texture in an unprecedented […]
Monochrome
Back in April 2025, as the highlight of Watches and Wonders, Grand Seiko unveiled an important new duo of models for its Evolution 9 collection: the titanium SLGB003 and the platinum SLGB001. A new 37mm case, an unprecedented and appealing new dial texture, finally a micro-adjustment on the clasp and, most importantly, the launch of the new calibre 9RB2, also known […]
Fratello
Here we are, just a couple of short months after Watches and Wonders 2026, and Grand Seiko is pressing the launch button in a major way. Today, we’ve got live photos of the refreshed Evolution 9 collection, which encompasses five new Spring Drive and four new Hi-Beat models. This is one of the most important […] Visit Grand Seiko Launches Four New References In The Updated Evolution 9 Hi-Beat Collection to read the full article.
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An in-the-metal look at the Spring Drive Karesansui, one of the most photogenic dials Grand Seiko has produced for the dress-watch lineup.
Fratello
The Grand Seiko Evolution 9 core collection gets an update with five new Spring Drive references — SLGB007, SLGB009, SLGB011, SLGB013, and SLGB015. They are not limited editions, nor are they wild departures from the collection’s existing visual language. Instead, Grand Seiko refreshes the core Spring Drive side of its flagship Evolution 9 lineup with […] Visit The Grand Seiko Evolution 9 Spring Drive U.F.A. Models Get Serious Fan-Requested Updates to read the full article.
The next evolution of the signature line goes for new, U.F.A.-powered models, fresh dial variations, and novel microadjustment bracelet upgrades.More
Time+Tide
Grand Seiko is back with another hand-engraved masterpiece, and this SBGZ011 'Majestic Waterfall' may be the best one yet.
Fratello
This article comes right on time, as tomorrow marks the official start of summer here in Amsterdam. Besides, temperatures are already rising well above 30° Celcius here these days, so it’s the perfect moment to think about which watches I’d like to take with me on my family’s summer vacation to the southwest of France […] Visit The Best Summer Watches: Daan’s Picks From Tissot, Sinn, Tudor, Grand Seiko, And Daniel Roth to read the full article.
Teddy Baldassarre Videos
In today's Q&A, Teddy takes watch-related questions from the audience across social media. Topics include: The most valued watch in Teddy's collection. How to be on the Real Collectors series. Chasing vs. buying watches. Opinions on the new Grand Seiko UFA Diver, and more!
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For inquiries and collabs: twtw.mike@gmail.com
Hodinkee
It's somehow nearly halfway through June, and your reward is a chance for a breather with a few interesting watches to distract you from the heat. While, to my knowledge, Hodinkee has no specific editorial policy for supporting sports teams, given that it's a New York-based publication, it feels only fair to note that I hope the NBA Finals conclude tomorrow and the Knicks get their (long-overdue) chip, and I hope the long-suffering fans get a chance to absolutely freak out. Scorekeeping last week's picks: the Cartier pocket watch sold for €3,980, the Explorer sold, but the auctioneer didn't list the price and hasn't answered my email yet, the Gruen Techno Quadrant sold for €1,300, the Tudor Ranger II for €1,600, the Broad Arrow Polerouter for £6,200, and the Railmaster did not sell. On to the main course. Strays Photo courtesy Dannenberg. If you're looking for ways to jump-start a relationship with a local watchmaker, or if you're simply in the mood for what promises to be an equally fun and maddening series of projects, here's a tantalizing box of Valjoux 72 parts/movements/dials/cases (if yes on chronographs but no on that particular option, here's a box of Tissot parts and here's one of Lemania and Valjoux parts). Crazy for LIP watches? It's your lucky day (well, technically, next Friday is). Photo courtesy Finarte. Perhaps you, like me, have felt an odd urge toward asymmetric watches of late; if so, this Vacheron Constantin should get your motor running, and, ...
With Grand Seiko Brand Curator Joe Kirk as our host, we’re exploring the relationship between the natural world and the high-precision craftsmanship that defines one of watchmaking’s most distinctive brands.More
Deployant
Grand Seiko adds to their Heritage Collection with the new Cherry Blossoms Sakura Wakaba SBGH376, released in WWG26. Hands on review.
Teddy Baldassarre Videos
If you have ever spent a brief amount of time looking at watches online, you will have come across Grand Seiko. The brand has rightfully developed one of the most passionate followings of any name in the industry through their unbelievable demonstration of the craft in every detail. Despite this, if you were ever in th
Teddy Baldassarre
A limited edition of just 80 pieces, the SLGB006 delivers luxury and world-class accuracy in equal measure. More
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On this channel, we review watches that are available for purchase on TeddyBaldassarre.com
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