Too big, and very beautiful
By Kenji Watanabe, Osaka ยท
Kanoko is a traditional tie-dye technique, kanoko shibori, which produces small dappled squares on fabric. The blue dial of the SBGE275 borrows that pattern, and I think it is one of Grand Seiko's most interesting dials.
And yet. The case is 44.2 mm across and 14.7 mm thick, steel, on a heavy bracelet. That is a sport watch size, and with 200 m water resistance it is clearly meant to be one. On my wrist it would feel dominant, and with a shirt it would simply stay outside the sleeve.
The 9R66 GMT is excellent, with a jumping local hour hand and a 24-hour hand for home, a date and a power reserve indicator, 72 hours. For travellers it is very practical.
It is for bigger wrists and for people who like a sportier Grand Seiko. For those of us with average wrists, it may be better to admire it at the boutique and buy something smaller. 6,600 to 7,000 dollars.