Grand Seiko Tentagraph: Rolex Daytona Killer? 

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I really like when you compare one watch against another. You give both the pro’s and con’s without bias and then leave the choice up to the viewer. In this instance, the GS looks really fantastic and I like the technical aspects of it as well over the Daytona. Well done 🥃

Ya, the thinness of the Daytona is one of the things that makes it so nice. This GS is nice though too. I do not like it better than a Daytona, but the Daytona prices are crazy

As much as I am a GS fan, this one missed the mark. While it might operate really well, people want thinner GS sport models!! The decision to use a modular chrono was just not right IMO

Nice watch. Would buy if it were smaller 40-41x11-12mm

I bought a Tentagraph today. Uk 🇬🇧 Very nice watch, joined the GS9 Club 😊

The closest Grand Seiko had come to a mechanical chronograph before was the 6S37 movement, found in such rarities as the Flightmaster Automatic (SBDS003). Cool movement!

GS are definitely punching, and the Tentagraph is a fine watch... Don't understand why they are being so lackadaisical about the bracelet/clasp; they do very good ones on regular Seikos, so why not put some effort with GS. My $200 Citizen has a better clasp than my £6k GS...

Very nice, but I prefer the Omega Speedmaster 57 over these two 👍

I’ll be buying that Tentagraph when someone puts it in the sale @ £8,000. Might take a couple of years, but I’ll be having you my little Japanese hi beat friend.

I have an 8.5 inch wrist and I hate bracelets. Another nice feature of the GS is that I could actually buy one. If I had the money. Which I don't.

I don’t think rhe Daytona has to worry about this killer...😂. With that being said, I prefer a Zenith Chronomaster instead.

GS sports line has some pretty nice pieces, but they are soooo big, maybe some day they will get that point 40-42 mm is the sweet spot

I have a Zeniuth el prem chronograph, the tentograph is just too big 😢

The smooth sweep on the Seiko spring drive is ludicrous.

Beautiful but a beast That case design of the Daytona is so wearable with its slim 12.4 mm height.

The Daytona is considerably more wearable .... but vastly less attainable. You'll need at least $20k, or else fluff your AD just to get on a waiting list, which will cost at least that much. The thing is, nobody buys a Daytona because they need to time anything - they buy a Daytona so they can wear a Daytona. That's why it comes in gold and platinum (and diamond-studded adamantium with an unobtaninium bracelet.) GS can't compete, when the very goal of the contest is to score a Daytona. For those of us who just want a really good chronograph (and don't ask us why we "need" one), the Tentagraph is a pretty high-end option. I'd settle for Omega, or Zenith, or Breitling, and keep the change.

01:25 no it‘s NOT a Quarz drive powered by a spring! It is in fact a mechanical watch using a quarz to replace the escapement

Never liked Daytona (lucky me), but this GS is way too thick and bulky.

Thanks Andrew, thanks a lot. I have the "older"GMT chronograph and now I have to buy a new Tentagraph cos mine isn't as good as I thought. I love my 2018 watch and I'm going to keep it. I wouldn't knock back a free Tentagraph however and you can keep the Rolex.

I think grand seiko made a mistake by pitching tentagraph as a Daytona alternative. If money isn’t an issue, then most watch enthusiasts will buy the Daytona because of its more wearable size and its cult status. However, if this tentagraph were of 40 mm case size, then maybe it would have been a winner. I think it’s hard to beat rolex in their dive watch and chronograph category. And I say this despite being a gs fan boy.

Just saw this watch in person and although the layout of the face is nice, it's not a very good looking dial. I'd take the Zenith Chronomaster any day.

The Tentagraph is a (literally) big miss, with silly dimensions, and the usual bad GS bracelet. The biggest problem is that GS makes arguably the loveliest DIALS in the business, which a chronograph ends up obscuring with sub-dial clutter.

Should’ve chucked the sapphire sandwich Speedy into the mix. Not as refined as the GS, but the 3861 is a lovely looking movement, the watch is timelessly iconic and it’s half the price! Is the Daytona too blingy?

beautiful watch! but its too big. GS needs to make their sports watches around normal wrists.

No one will be faced with that decision.

Honestly ... for everything luxury, is an automatic chrono worth it? If you truly need a functional chrono, I cannot see having anything but a quartz. Your typical G-shocks are perfect .. reliable any time you pull out of the drawer. This is the only thing preventing me from considering an Omega Speedy, as it is truly the apex iconic chrono, IMHO.

I love this channel and it has really sparked my watch itch which is good and bad because I now want every watch I see 😅

Pretty sure the GS ate Rolex’s lunch on this one (outside of the case size). That said, there are easily 20 brands that outclass the marketing monster that is Rolex. Yet lemmings still buy them in droves.

If I had the money, this would be my go-to watch. That Tentagraph is gorgeous!

Frankly, I wouldn't have either chrono. They're both way too chonky for me. I would go with either the new Breitling glass box or the new retro Zenith chrono. They may not have GS quality of finishing nor the 1st class spring drive nor even Rolex's flex, but they're wearable for me without making me look like I'm wearing an Invicta from a distance.

I still wish they released a SpringDrive based chrono with a less busy dial.

Jlc Polaris Chrono is the better watch . In the price range there is also the Glashütte Seaq Chronograph that beats everything.

Very straight and to the point comparison with much needed details. Thank you 👍🏼

The gs is a good watch on paper, and sort of good looking looking too. But I'd be crazy to buy it over the daytona. Jesus christ. Unless I already had another daytona, it would not even be a question.

The biggest problem with the spring drive is that it's vulnerable to an EMP blast or very strong solar flare. If you want to keep time after the apocalypse (and who doesn't?), the spring drive is not for you.

Looks nice, and I am a GS fan, but this modular movement chronograph in a 43.2 mm case that is also 15.3 mm thick may be many things, but a competitor to the Daytona it is most certainly not.

That date window positioning... Whyyyyyyyyyyyy??

It looks very much like the blue dial Tag Heuer Sport Chronograph 44mm.

If it was 40 mm I would choose it as my next chronograph.but with 6.5 inch wrist!! Not gonna be mine

Here I am with my 6inch wrists, and normie bank account. With my sub- $1k daytona clone appreciating the chinese for offering such quality experience i would otherwise never have.

4hz chronos measure 1/8 of a second? How? Reading either the sub-seconds markers or the gap between them?

No date on a Daytona always bugs me but if you can get it at RRP it’s a no brainer because of its resale

Hi, I’m from the future…the tentagraph did not murder the Daytona

Watchfinder offered me 30% of retail price to buy my slightly used Grand Seiko, what a joke

Running seconds at 3 is the easiest to implement movement-wise for a chronograph. Seconds at 6 and 12 are much more difficult.

Got on the GS hype back in 2018 and made a boutique special purchase. I also own several Rolexes, Tudors and a single Omega. I was never able to shake off the feeling that there is always something off with Seiko and GS watches. Regret my purchase and badly want to get it out of the collection. You know you enjoy a watch and justify the purchase when you actually keep wearing it. Not the case with GS here. Also the bracelet, extremely underwhelming.

Tentagraph, like many GS's is just too chonky.

To me, the Grand Seiko just has a more refined design compared to the Rolex. If only it were a bit smaller and thinner. But it does display the high level of engineering and finishing that Grand Seiko is known for.

GS makes some mighty fine watches. I'd rather park my money into their dress watches like that white birch. That's one magnificent watch

43mm x 15.3mm… I’ve said it all

GS as many mentioned is thickness. As beautiful as their dials and movements are, they lose a lot of point by being as thick as my wrist 😂

Lost me at 15.3mm

Did you know SEIKO has double meaning?, Precise(精工) and Success(成功) That's why Japanese old bussiness person chooses Seiko for succes.

As Rolex costs now about 30tht and GS is about half of it, there is not even competition.. it's of course Seiko. Only if you are looking for investment, then it's different situation. And of course size matters.. GS is a big watch.. it needs some wrist to carry it.

It's really very wrong to say that Spring drive is a quartz movement powered by a spring, because it's not. It's a mechanical movement regulated by a quartz escapement. That's a big difference because quartz movements use a stepper motor to power the hands, whereas the hands on a Spring Drive are powered by... well, a spring - because the "movement" is mechanical. It's also "almost" the only movement in the world which measures time the way time flows, without any steps, which makes it very special.

grand seiko hibeat dual impulse escapement is the greatest mechanical movement ever made period, it seems similar to george daniels co axial escapement but its completely different and way better and more efficient

are people going to wait years to have the GS Tentagraph like they do for the Daytona? There is your answer to the title

I still choose the Daytona.

I've owned a chronograph for 6 years , I've used it thrice , I thought I'd use it all the time.

It's the same at GS as it is at Omega. The watches are too thick and thus lose their elegance. That has always been the interesting thing about Rolex, to have found the absolute measure. I have a 7.7-inch wrist, but watches that are too thick remind me of outdoor activities. Whereas, 41-42 mm I consider optimal for my wrist circumference (flat wide wrist, and not a thick one due to overweight). BTW, the build quality of a GS, and then in titanium.... 🙂

Grand Seiko: 15.3 mm Daytona: 11.9 mm End of story.

Andrew, I just wondered if you had ordered a Bel Canto?

I'd take a Speedmaster over both of those.

I love GS, but there's 2 things about the Tentagraph I don't like... the 4:00 date window and the name. The Tentagraph name is a little silly. I wouldn't mind if they called it that, but then they went and stamped that silly name on both the front and back. I could live with the size and bracelet issues. But for my tastes, the 4:00 date window and name on the dial are showstoppers.

As much as I would love to say so unfortunately the answer is not yet: design is awesome but the watch is way too thick, especially when the Daytona is so slim and feel so good on the wrist. And sorry but to me a modular chronograph will always be behind a fully integreted one, nice try still and I wish some day GS will make a better watch than the Daytona

It should match or beat on the accuracy.

It’s not a Daytona killer, because it’s not a Daytona 🤷🏻‍♂️

I love how GS just choose a design or function and completely masters it, making the swiss look lazy and silly

I am a Seiko guy,but still like the daytona more,because of it's legacy.That said,still in doubt

With all my love for GS, I'd still get Daytona every time - thinner, smaller, screw down pushers, great bracelet.

It doesn’t even compete with the Zenith

Underrated Brand and Unloved by Many.

I will go to Zenith chronograph , cheaper hi beat eye catching watch and it is movement is the mother of all automatic chronograph movement and used to supply rolex with Daytona movement , even Daytona movement cal 4130 & 4131 are take so many thing from zenith

I tried one on. It's wonderful, luxurious and impeccably well-made. But it's not elegant in any way - the handset spoils the balance of the dial and feels cumbersome comapred to the fine detail elewhere on the watch face. Although very comfortable, and light, it sits awkwardly, and the transition between case and bracelet is a bit clunky (sorry GS!). It;s a mechanical tour-de-force, but not a classic. An El Primero delivers 1/10's, in a much thinner movement. Shame - I wanted to love it, but it left me feeling a bit 'meh'.

The Grand Seiko has to me what I am into watches for, Innovation. The Rolex is purely a status symbol at this point, wonderful watch too, but not innovative any longer.

Aesthetically, the Rolex wins by a large margin.

I gave my Daytona to my son. It just didn’t do it for me, and he loves it. The Daytona is beautiful, but the quest of getting one outweighs the actual watch. The issue I have with the GS is the S. Sorry, I can’t get past the Seiko name. Rolex is just such a powerful brand. Amazing how they have parlayed the brand into more than it really is.

naaa, I know you love gs but the chrono is no way near the daytona. and I’m no rolex fan at all. in sports models gs is hard to beat. but comparing this to the polaris chrono hurts me deep inside…

I love my Seiko Spring Drive Landmaster. I also love my Daytona Homage watch. The Daytona is the perfect every day wearing size.

“It has that feel that feel that every Grand Seiko is” …. A Seiko. Sorry but it’s true. I have an Astron, I tried the tentagraph and looking closely, it’s special. But until you just wear it, they become similar. 😢

It’s big and chunky like an Omega. You should compare it to an Omega.

I saw one in a shop about a month ago and I would really really really want it (if I could pull it off)

To me this is not GS territory. The Daytona is an icon for a reason.

Grand Seiko don’t make your sports watches absolutely gigantic challenge 2024 because they sure won’t be doing it this year

Hi I like your videos Can you please make a review of Tag Heuer Monza. Thank you

If I had to chose between my own life or the continuity of Grand Seiko, I'd be running up a pretty large credit card tab in the Maldives...

I'd buy the Skipper.

So many Rolex killers and still Rolex sales more watches than all of them combined. 😂

I just don't like the hour hand on the GS

The tentagraph is honestly awful. One of the selling points of making a movement with impressive features/complications is to be able to do so in a thin and refined manner. Grand Seiko truly has a gift when it comes to doing the exact opposite of that.

I think GS jacked up their prices too quickly, almost like overnight they now position their prices above Omega, IWC etc. 🤔🤔🤔 🤷🏻‍♂️ I’m not sure if they have built up the brand power and prestige yet to command such a price. It’s like Lexus is successful as it cost maybe 20% less than a Merc and BMW and comes better optioned. I don’t think Lexus would have enjoyed such success if they priced themselves at Mercedes prices. Brands like Breitling have been in the game for a century and still dare not charge such crazy prices. I’m not paying 15k for that, there’s a lot to chose from at that price, even in precious metals.

Daytona kills it, looks and size

What are some of your favorite writers/books?

I feel like GS is loosing one of their strengths, which was that they were no braines against Rolex, better quality and lower price. Now seems that they’re saying well, it still cheaper than the Rolex you can buy now… on the grey market

Prefer the Daytona its smaller and thinner, The GS is just too big for my wrist

Why can’t GS make smaller watches? If it was 40mm then maybe.

It’s just too big. Yes, GS are masters at polishing a turd, but it does not change the fact that it is a turd.

This is a competitor to the AP RO offshore or any Panerai chrono...not to the Daytona