Why The Grand Seiko Spring Drive Is The Greatest Watch Movement & How It Works

Hi everyone, I hope you enjoyed this one as it took quite a bit of time to put together but I think the Spring Drive is one of the more misunderstood developments in all of watchmaking and I really wanted to make this. Also, I want to give a big shoutout to Joe Kirk, the National Training Manager at GS for providing me his presentation assets to help explain this topic. I will have a link to one of his full presentations of the Spring Drive in the description if you want to learn even more. Have a great rest of the weekend.

Why don't they use solar to power a Tri-Syncro Regulator?

What kind of sound is generated by the Spring Drive? it's got to be different than the tick-tock that is made from ordinary automatic movements.

Pitty u dropped nukes on them all . yea, alls fair in love and war.... They started it.. u finished it... wonder why the japs always invent the top stuff... a mystery for sure... great video thanks for exsplaning... liked 🤯🤯🤯

Do they make a pocket watch?

Simply the best

🤫🤫🤫🤫

Been waiting and saving to buy a Rolex for a little while now. Not after anything major expensive. Something around the 5k mark. I'm close however just seen a deal for one of these that i can buy now with what i have saved. I'm torn. A Rolex may appreciate whereas a seiko certainly won't as it stands yet, i think this movement is outstanding and I really liked the look of the GS i could buy now. I also really like accuracy. I have CDO ( same as OCD but IN THE RIGHT ORDER!). My head is spinning. Accuracy and undoubted quality with fast depreciation or almost as good with higher prestige and something to pass as an heirloom? I guess ill be saving more whilst I think about it. 😂

WoW. I didn’t really want a Grand Seiko until I watched this video 😅

Grand Seiko dails and movements are simply incredible also price point is very good

Interesting to know - as a Japanese, GS never interested me. It's like a Toyota for the price of a Bugatti. Seiko stands as an economic brand in Japan, it's not prestigious, and putting "Grand" in front of it doesn't justify the price range closing in to AP and the like. Afterall, branding is important. And it doesn't really let us know what's so special inside it either.

The swiss culture is corrupted now, Japan is the last stand for a homogenous culture 😞

Grand seiko you charging a good amount of money now anyway, replace those Copper coils for Silver coils…. Charge us a $50-$100 more but replace that to a silver coil……. It’s a luxury piece and should have no cheap material if possible and silver is the best conductor of electricity . It would Marke it even better .

Great video! I would love spring drive from the heritage collection, but where are the 35-37 mm sizes, and where are the micro adjustments....

Fantastic all around. I mean explanation and the beautiful GS.

Considering that an integrated circuit needs a supply voltage to be operational, managing to maintain that voltage using the tri synchro regulator, which also provides the magnetic force to regulate the glide wheel, is truly genius. The demand for a very reliability Integrated Circuit that requires very low power consumption takes some engineering. An amazing movement in so many ways. The one thing I would be missing is the thing that the spring drive is designed to not do, tick.

And it's so quiet!

this is why Seiko is more superior than Rolex

Yes, the mechanism is unique, combining mechanics and electrical impulse ,with achieving a yearly rate of ±10 seconds.The system is unique, because it does not need a battery, and it achieves greater precision than mechanical watches.

I bought the SBGE255 a few days ago. I am so in love with it! I can't stop looking at it! Quality and beauty combined!

Great video, well done

I hate the gliding movement, but I would still get a spring drive, because I appreciate the engineering

I would like to see a video comparing the seiko kinetic to the grand seiko spring drive.

I need a spring drive in my life

One more step to refine SpringDrive - maybe just few people care but thermocompensation borrowed from 9Fxx is quite an idea to try:)

First time I heard of this SD and went online shopping for one. You are indeed a great lecturer that make me sit through your whole commentary and get me hook onto this amazing timekeeping technology. Tnx u so much for ur insightful sharing.

The second hand sweep looks just like an old electric wall mounted clock. I think the value/charm/excitement in a pure mechanical movement is that it doesn't use anything but mechanical energy. A mechanical perpetual calendar watch is a wonder; an electric one, not so much.

This is an amazing video, you did a great job of breaking down the essentials of the different movements in an intelligible way.

thanks

The key question is how accurate is the spring drive. I read somewhere that it was one second a day fast. If true, I have no interest in this watch. It still uses a quartz module. That is terrible for what remains as a quartz watch powered by kinetic energy.

no ticking no fun.

Great video, question please, what is the difference between this Spring Drive and Kinetic?

Nice content; it’s just so hard to take Australian accent seriously

Great video, Teddy!

Quartz watches that keep great time used to cost hundreds. Now, thanks to mass production, they can be had for under $10.
I have seen quartz pocket watches tat sell for just under $8.00 on Amazon. They keep good time, too ... at least until the cheap factory battery goes dead after a couple months, at any rate. A battery upgrade gives a watch that keeps good time for at least a year or more before the battery needs replaced again.

Do you "think" or "believe" that spring drive watches (not necessarily the Seiko) will be mass produced and the prices fall to be comparable to a quartz watch, after Seiko's patent on the basic design expires, and they no longer have a monopoly on the type?

As it is, as wonderful as the spring drive watch may be, for me, at my age and income level, it is a lot more economically viable to replace the battery every eight or nine years in my call it "$35" Casio Forester watch, or sub $15 Casio analog watch every 2 to 3(?) years.
(The factory battery in that one went dead after 2 months. I will presume it had either (a) a several years old battery installed that was near the end of its shelf life. or (b) the battery was/is defective.)
I can get five new good name brand batteries for under $3, so I will be able to figure out which happened for not a lot of cash. I can change the battery myself.

In the mean time, I have the Forester, and a couple mechanical pocket watches (including a recently serviced c.1885 Elgin key wind/ket set) that keep good time that I can use.

IF the Spring Drive falls below say $40~$50 before I'm dead in the next 20~30 years, I might splurge and get one.If not ... the current crop of quartz and mechanical watches keep plenty enough accurate time for my needs.
I don't "need" so-called "exact" time since retirement. With-in a few seconds one way or the other is plenty accurate/"good enough". 😊

Nothing but beauty of that watch

Cool

Fanfuckentastic Teddy❤ fair dues kid

they should think about using even more precise femto clock

Outstanding video

If it's so great, which I'm not disputing, why does it only appear in Grand Seiko watches you don't see it anywhere else really.

Outstanding instruction. Clarity. Appreciated. Can't say enough of how this video helps in understanding how watches work. Great.

I'm buying one of these homies

Any day better than overpriced Euro hype.

Having recently turned 40 and with a casual interest in watches I decided to mark the occasion with the purchase of one. Cliched I know. Anyhow, I had no preconceived ideas as to what to buy, I just wanted something that I’d love to wear and that I could pass on some day. Ended up doing a lot of research and store visits. Never been a big fan of Rolex, fine as their timepieces are, they mainly seem to be purchased for showing off in my part of the world (many of which are probably fake anyway). I got the full treatment at the Patek and AP salons, but it seems like you’ve got to beg them to sell you watch from parts of their collection they deem appropriate for first time customers. Kind of put me off, maybe they’d put me on a waiting list for a watch I’d like for my 42nd birthday if I’m lucky. Came across this video and once I knew the history of the development of this magnificent movement my mind was made up. I have an SLGA019 at home now and am very satisfied with my purchase. Thanks so much for this video.