SEIKO SPB 221 SERIES

The brightly polished surfaces are obviously not the mirror-polished Zaratsu style of a Grand Seiko, but pretty close. The integrated steel bracelet is also vertically brushed with a central link with polished borders. Although the crown is bead-blasted in deep relief and signed with an вЂSвЂ™ logo, it is not a screw-in crown nevertheless, the water-resistance is a comfortable 100m.

The surface of the lugs is vertically brushed (hairline) and contrast with the brightly polished case flanks that reflect the light. The finishings, as you can imagine, are not as exquisite as those on a Grand Seiko but are extremely well executed. The stainless steel case and bracelet are reinforced with SeikoвЂ™s proprietary super-hard coating that protects the surfaces from scratches and retains the bright polishing. However, because the large lugs have a prominent slope, the watch sits comfortably on larger wrists. The diameter is 42.2mm, the lug-to-lug length 49.2mm and the thickness 13.7mm. ThereвЂ™s no getting around the fact that the Seiko Shard Edged GMT is a large watch. And no doubt Seiko intentionally promoted this similarity to attract a wider audience that couldnвЂ™t fork out EUR 6,400 for a Grand Seiko GMT but would happily put down EUR 1,500 for a well-built Seiko GMT. The strong lines, the angular surfaces, the sharp facets, the robust lugs, the colourful textured dials and the alternating brushed and polished surfaces are so similar that a preliminary glance can be misleading. I have to admit that when I first glanced at the Sharp Edged GMT, I thought I was looking at a Grand Seiko Sport GMT Spring Drive. We were fortunate enough to have four dial variants of the Sharp Edged GMT models for our hands-on review, including the elusive and limited SPB223J1 model with a white dial launched as part of a quartet to celebrate the 140 th anniversary of Seiko and only went on sale last month. In February 2021, the Sharp Edged collection welcomed this family of GMT models that retain the dynamic angular lines of the time-and-date models, as well as the hemp leaf pattern (Asanoha) on the dial but incorporate a useful GMT function that travellers will appreciate.

SEIKO SPB 221 SERIES

The Sharp Edged series was introduced in 2020 with sharp-dressed 39.3mm time-and-date models and interesting textured dials. Combining the best Japanese craftsmanship with SeikoвЂ™s unquestionable technical expertise and exceptional value for money, the Presage Sharp Edged Series is a sporty dress watch with a sharp, angular case construction that seems closer in spirit to the more pronounced forms of a Grand Seiko.

While most of our readers are familiar with the robust Prospex range of divers, SeikoвЂ™s Presage collection was a well-kept Japanese secret until 2016, when it hit the international scene.

Seiko spb 221