Grand Seiko 6246-9000

A video!

Introduction

As mentioned on the About page, the purpose of this Substack is primarily to share content that in the past I would have posted on Instagram.

One of the key advantages this site is that there is no algorithm - you sign up to content creators whom you want to follow, and you get notifications every time they post new content.

Don’t forget you can use the comment section at the bottom of each post to share your thoughts or ask any questions.

Enjoy the video, and don’t forget you can freely share this newsletter with your others if you think they would enjoy it!

---

Grand Seiko 6246-9000

The 62GS series of Grand Seiko were the first automatic watches in the range, and were launched in Seiko’s “Number 2” catalogue in 1967.

They were a direct evolution from the earlier Seikomatic Chronometers, and it is clear from examples that have appeared that there was actually a slight overlap in the early months of production. The cases of the Seikomatic Chronometers and the 62GS were actually identical - you can only tell these references apart by their different dials and engravings on the rotors of the automatic movement.

This unfortunately does lead to a few instances where people will re-dial an early Seikomatic Chronometer with a dial from a Grand Seiko, so you do need to be careful when looking to add one of these to your collection. Be wary of any Grand Seiko 62GS from earlier than March 1966, and insist on seeing the movement. Certainly if the caseback dates the watch to late 1965, walk away.

The 62GS series - utilising calibers that ran at 19,800 bph - was only in production for a short while before being replaced the 36,000 bph 61GS references. Examples with casebacks showing production in 1966 (such as the one featured here) have -9000 cases, and can be easily identified by the lion medallion caseback.

Watches from the series that were produced in 1967 (and a very few examples from 1968) have -9001 cases, and can be identified by the use of the updated GS caseback medallion.

Naturally it is the earlier lion medallion watches that are more collectible, and I can confidently state that you will find no better example than the one presented here, which is unpolished (it is very rare that such a statement can be made for a 57 year old watch!), and still retains its original caseback protection sticker.