Hey guys, I'm on a roll with the reviews! Woohoo! Hope you enjoy this one :) Some pertinent information: Reference number: SLGH005 Diameter: 40mm Thickness: 12mm L2L: 46mm LugW: 22mm Weight head: 66g Weight sized bracelet: 153g
the most detailed review of this watch, which actually shows an owners perspective of even the smallest details. This is the most detailed and useful review on the internet.
I agree with you regarding the bracelet. A lot of reviewers complain about the taper, but I think the design of it is perfect. It wears so well and feels proportional for me. Glad you called out the design details and the feel. Solid review as always, BTW! 😊👍
Such a beautiful watch, and really well done review. It was great that you were able to have it for a while. Great job on the video, as always! Farewell, sweet White Birch! 😢
This was a very good review. As you mentioned its not very technical but it makes up for that with personal experiences and details that alot of reviews miss. Things like the inner chapter ring is something that also caught my eye and you are the only person who picked this up. Keep up the good work and thanks for the review.
Hi Sanjay, You've made another amazing video! I bet everyone seeing this before their purchase of a 9SA5 movement watch would enjoy it even more knowing the cons before hand. I didn't think the white birch was such a strap monster!
Received my WB after waiting 8 months: was 16 sec/day fast. Sent it back to Japan to regulate in December and it just came back after 4 months. Now it is +4 sec/day which is acceptable. They did a full service on it, and adjusted the escapement.
@@clark2275 that's unacceptable, do they have the same "quality assurance" of standard Seikos? Why so many wathches that doesn't meet the specifications?
Incredible timepiece, sir! GS is quickly becoming my favorite watch brand. I have the SBGJ203 "Mt Iwate" with the 9S86 movement. Absolutely love the watch but it could be thinner which the White Birch fixes.
I'm late to the party, but I finally bought one today. As soon as I got home I took it off of the bracelet. Too beefy and not enough taper for me. The dial overall is wonderful. The movement is spectacular, although mine is very noisy as you pointed out. Suppose the mainsprings rattle until more tightly wound? A relief to know I am not alone! And yes, I wish it wore a bit thinner. Does hug the wrist nicely though. Thank you for your review. I watched it when it when you first uploaded, and again today with my new watch on my wrist.
Great review for both the pros and cons. I like you pointed out the tiny little details that might be an issue for someone. Great reference for someone considering buying the white birch. Yeah, for the rotor noise, my seamaster NTTD has that too, even with screw down case (partly because the titanium case I think).
Nice review! Thanks for clarification on the bracelet quality. Also many people don’t realize it does slightly taper 2mm. Regarding wobbly crown I’ve never understood this complaint. I’ve never had the urge to try to wobble rather than turn when I pull out a crown. Also never noticed any weird vibration from my rotor (although I haven’t tried tapping it). The accuracy on mine is pretty similar to yours. I’m totally fine with it too. I appreciate your videos! Thanks for solid info as always! ✌️
Thanks so much Mark, you’re too kind! I always forget to mention bracelet taper in my reviews! I didn’t really set out to look for these quirks, they kind popped up in day to day use. Crown wobble came when I hacked the seconds to sync time. Rotor vibration came up when I was doing dishes etc etc. Definitely not dealbreakers for me. Thanks again, Mark. Looking forward to to chatting with you again soon!
Great review as always bro & really appreciate that you can highlight the cons even when its your own watch - that being said even despite the cost cutting here & there with the crown etc, it's still such a good looking watch. Looking forward to when they put a GMT variant of this movement into a GS...not sure if to wait on that or go all in on the SBGE011 🤔
Thanks so much Fred! That’s so kind of you to say! Hope things are coming along well 😉 I can assure you, A GMT with this case design and movement will be egregiously priced! If you’re okay with the thickness of the SBGE011, I’d say, Go for it! Go for it now!! haha
Best review I’ve seen on the White Birch. The cost-cutting details you identified are important to mote. To that, Jenni Elle’s review noted that the dial shows the same exact texture pattern across pieces, which is to be expected, but a little disappointing as well.
I also got my white birch and it was running +16 seconds a day. I sent it for a service under warranty and it came back +1 second a day. Besides the bracelet, I LOVE this watch now.
Stunning watch. The case shape and dial are amazing. Just wish they scaled down the proportions a bit to a 39mm with 20mm lugs. I would’ve picked one up on a second.
Like the Birch great video review and very truthful thanks 😊 Was lusting for this watch ⌚ 👀 but now will just stick with my Selko LX titanium spring drive
Great review! My Birch has been running at +3-4 seconds per day--fairly consistently. I did notice more variance as the main spring unwound, so I keep it fully wound. I have heard the the main time-keeping issue is with regulation because it is GS's first movement with a free-sprung balance, which may also explain why some Birches are running at +1-2 seconds per day and others aren't even out performing a 9S85 movement. Cool review for a great watch (I am biased about that).
That's really interesting. Thanks for sharing, Mark! I'm sure GS will continue to improve their consistency over the next few years! Also, thank you for your kind words! 🙂
Try to rest it in different positions. Vertical positions (eg crown up) are causing time loss but I am nut sure. I am able to handle my 9s65 with this technic and I have not set time for 5 months. It runs -1+3 depending on the resting position (over night, average)
I got my WB at the end of December and didn't wear it until Jan. I was really looking forward to it.. however, like you, mine ran fast..+9 seconds a day. I was not happy, so I took it back to the Seiko boutique for adjustment. They wanted to send it back to the factory, which would have taken several months. This didn't sit well with me as I'd just bought the new King Seiko and several other GS watches. To their credit, they agreed to replace it. I collected it yesterday. I've only checked it for one day, but so far, it's +4 seconds fast. Others have also commented on how fast their runs. Not what the specifications suggest they should be. My Rolex Datona is more accurate at +2.
Great review, I can't wait to see more videos of you with the watch hahaha long term review coming up? Buh bye WB don't let the door hit you in the ass on your way out!
This is probably the best looking watch ive seen in a long time.. im contemplating selling my 1861 speedmaster in order to purchase this one... should I do it?🤔
That watch is incredible. Where did you get that strap btw? I had never seen one on a strap and it looks INCREDIBLE. would love one of those in black, dark blue (the match the second hand) and dark green
You notice things I wouldn't have seen (the loose crown, cheap outer dial circle) and I appreciate your attention to detail. Every other watch channel missed those slights. My question is do you think GS brushed thew entire bracelet because it's titanium and more easily scratched? I'm still learning and am under the impression that brushed polishing makes metal more scratch resistant.
Did the same with with the leather strap. Just havent put it on until the oem GS clasp arrives. Should be another week or so hopefully its a good match up with the custom leather...haha
Great honest review. Grand Seiko says a time grapher can’t be used to measure accuracy and amplitude for the 9SA5. A time grapher will give you results but they aren’t correct. Not exactly sure why, might have to do with the dual impulse escapement. Apparently there is one time grapher is Japan that is compatible with the 9SA5 and they are designing/building one for the US soon. Of course there are other ways to test accuracy besides using a time grapher.
My GS white birch as been sent back to Japan since it’s was running +20sec daily. Still don’t have the watch back from early October. New spring drive white birch is much better and it’s in my collection now..
thanks for the video, very informative. I did not expect to see that many issues at a watch of this level. A 22 mm lug width for a 40 mm case is a big joke. Even +7 sec /day is way too much for such a high end Hi Beat movement (Hi Beat itself should provide for a better accuracy). The unstable crown, c'mon it's not an Orient. Considering all that, 10k usd for such a watch seems a bit criminal for me, and I did use to admire GS.
Been watching the Theo and Harris channel for watches but man those two have to be the most unlikable people I've heard speak. This was a great break down of the watch can't wait to see more!
Interesting about the accuracy… I have a white birch and I’ve always seen it at closer to +2 to +4 and I don’t get those sounds… strange that you’re experiencing that… I’d get it checked out 🤷🏻♂️ …and wobbly crown? For sure something is off! No wobbly crown on mine at all, it’s perfectly rigid and slides nicely from position to position…
Mine ran +6 seconds per day after a week on the wrist. So no excuses about power level or breaking it in. So a second outside of specs. Tough pill to swallow given how proud they are of the movement. Especially with my new Rolex being -0.5 seconds per day. Still love this oversized, freaky watch. Wear it a lot in sporty and short sleeves situations. Doesn’t wear like a dress watch at all. Too big.
My watch runs for about plus 10 seconds a day and also makes noise when I tap the rotor with my finger. The accuracy is a bit disappointing for me, but I really like the watch. The watch makes an amazing impression and the bracelet is of great quality.
Everyone interprets the accuracy specs wrong. It is actually -1 / +8 seconds. Their 6 position test shows -3 to +6 seconds. But actual wearing the watch is something else. This happens to every watch. It clearly says in the manual for White Birch: "The target range of normal usage accuracy when the watch is actually used by a customer is set to -1 to +8 seconds per day." They even describe in the movement manual how they test it.
Saw this and tried it on in the boutique today. Strangely, I couldn't get the movement to start after moving it around considerably for a few minutes, unlike all other mechanicals I've tried that start almost immediately after a few moves. I had to wind it somewhere around 10 turns before it started working which is rather strange, I actually thought it was broken at first. Must just be a characteristic of this new movement type.
…and remember it’s a double barrel, that too requires more winding than a typical mechanical movement… to fully wind this movement requires over 70 rotations easily…
It's looks like the usual GS affair close but no cirgar, hence why I haven't bought one yet. Don't get me wrong I know no watch is perfect but GS seem to do some odd things at times, at least they seem to be listening and upgrading there braclets but for more money and still not the finished article.
I’ve owned a few GSs over the past couple of years. For me, this watch felt like the first one where they came up a bit short when it comes to “attention to detail”…
@@engineer_wannabe Hi there, you must of been lucky or you done your homework. For me GS has done all of the hard work but then let there watchs down with case sizes and braclet and clasps not in keeping with the rest of the watch.
I believe GS only applies Zaratsu polishing to cases, not hands, indices or even bracelets. Zaratsu polishing isn't only a distortion-free mirror polishing technique. The key point is it's applied via the special Sallaz machine. So it's definitely not suitable for tiny parts like hands or indices. GS' hands and indices are indeed greatly finished, just by other polishing methods.
@Chia-Ming Yang That’s really interesting! Thanks so much for clarifying! Now that you mention it, having seen video of Sallaz polishing, what you’re saying makes a lot of sense!
I do love GS. I had a Hi Beat GMT with screw down crown and now have a Skyflake with the pull out crown and neither wobble(d) so it could be a QA/QC issue. At their price points and aspirations in the marketplace they should be perfect when unboxed. Buf it is not an issue for you more power to you!
@@5amarillo5 It indeed has a quartz crystal, but far more complicated than "quartz regulated". I do accept all types of watches, but Spring Drive is my favorite.