# COST OF SERVICING GRAND SEIKO



## sender

Hello Everyone



First time here...usually at the Steinhart forum.

A retailer in my neck of the woods said, servicing the Grand Seiko is extremely expensive, what say you all .
I think he meant way north of 500.00 Canadian.

Thx in advance

And Happy Happy Happy to you all


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## mpalmer

While I cannot recall the costs of servicing, I remember what I read on other threads raised my eyebrows...


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## Laso1

I've heard $600.00 mentioned, but I'm not sure. I've also heard that is far less than some of the Swiss companies that sell in a similar or slightly higher price range. I've paid $200.00 to $300.00 a few times for vintage watches, if $600.00 is correct, it doesn't seem unreasonable.


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## Likestheshiny

Keep in mind that the Canadian dollar is currently depressed -- US$600 is something like CDN$850 right now. So, yeah, well over $500.

That said, that sounds about right for a watch in that price range.


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## wannawatch

Likestheshiny said:


> Keep in mind that the Canadian dollar is currently depressed -- US$600 is something like CDN$850 right now. So, yeah, well over $500.
> 
> That said, that sounds about right for a watch in that price range.


Are there any independent watchmakers servicing GS's? Not just GS but watches in general watches these days are just priced without any regard to what you are actually buying. It is so out of control you have to laugh when you here the industry suffering.

$5500 buy in, $600 every 3 year. That comes out to $170 a month for 3 years to wear that watch. Of course the watch will last longer and payments can be spread out to adjust for that but $100 a month will still be an average. Then factor in resale loss and you have a car payment on your wrist.

The one thing about service is you get a brand new watch back. I am always amazed at how well a watch looks after service, the $300-$700 bill isn't so easy to look at though.


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## Likestheshiny

> Not just GS but watches in general watches these days are just priced without any regard to what you are actually buying. It is so out of control you have to laugh when you here the industry suffering.


This is not a new thing, even for watches. Google _veblen goods_. And Seiko is doing just fine, as are many of the other big players.


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## Jim Smyth

Use the search function and you will find your answer. I cant remember exactly but $500-$600 comes to mind. Cheaper than a Rolex service imo..........


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## Alex_TA

wannawatch said:


> Are there any independent watchmakers servicing GS's? Not just GS but watches in general watches these days are just priced without any regard to what you are actually buying. It is so out of control you have to laugh when you here the industry suffering.
> 
> $5500 buy in, $600 every 3 year. That comes out to $170 a month for 3 years to wear that watch. Of course the watch will last longer and payments can be spread out to adjust for that but $100 a month will still be an average. Then factor in resale loss and you have a car payment on your wrist.
> 
> The one thing about service is you get a brand new watch back. I am always amazed at how well a watch looks after service, the $300-$700 bill isn't so easy to look at though.


First not every three but 5-10 years or even more.

Second, it seems you just don't know the price of service of mid-tier (Rolex, Omega etc), let alone high end watches like Vacheron.

GS goes for service to Japan. Your watchmaker down on the corner can't handle it, sorry.


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## alex_b

wannawatch said:


> $5500 buy in, $600 every 3 year. That comes out to $170 a month for 3 years to wear that watch. Of course the watch will last longer and payments can be spread out to adjust for that but $100 a month will still be an average. Then factor in resale loss and you have a car payment on your wrist.
> 
> The one thing about service is you get a brand new watch back. I am always amazed at how well a watch looks after service, the $300-$700 bill isn't so easy to look at though.


I'm pretty sure the Seiko Boutique in Ginza said 5-6 years service interval on my SBGH037 which is the same as my Omega PO. I don't believe that the servicing is any more expensive than the Swiss competitors either. If you're going to buy a $5000 watch I don't think 10% of the value every 5 years is particularly unreasonable as a service cost.


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## Nokie

$500, give or take, is in the ball park based on my experience.


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## sender

THX everybody
THX much


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## Lftwgr

The servicing issue has always been on my mind for the GS's. I was looking for a Snowflake, but decided that servicing-wise, sending it back to the motherland for god knows how much cost just isn't my cup of tea. So I started looking at quartz GS's, and somehow it got rationalised to looking at either Astrons or even Casio MTG - JDMs that do the job (and with GPS may even be better tech-wise than HAQs), look ok, needed minimal or zero maintenance and burned a smaller hole in the wallet. 

So much for my GS hunt  

Maybe I'll revisit getting a GS when they start moving maintenance closer to their international distributors.


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## 6R15

sender said:


> servicing the Grand Seiko is extremely expensive. I think he meant way north of 500.00 Canadian.


What? I just sent in an Omega Speedmaster Professional (with a generic Lemania Chronograph movement that has been around since forever) for servicing and it cost me almost $800 USD with tax. I think $500+ Canadian is relatively reasonable, especially since I'm sure the GS can last much longer than the Swiss counterparts without servicing


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## ten13th

Here is the official Omega service price list. Seiko need to publish one for GS so people can stop guessing, complaining about cost of GS service.

http://www.omegawatches.com/customer-service/service-prices/

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## samanator

6R15 said:


> What? I just sent in an Omega Speedmaster Professional (with a generic Lemania Chronograph movement that has been around since forever) for servicing and it cost me almost $800 USD with tax. I think $500+ Canadian is relatively reasonable, especially since I'm sure the GS can last much longer than the Swiss counterparts without servicing


Actually the Omega's with the 8xxx and 9xxx series co-axail movements have twice the service period of a GS(8-10 years). The GS matches the Rolex. My GS SD that I had serviced in the US a few years ago was just a smidge under $500. Reasonable IMO.


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## Likestheshiny

> What? I just sent in an Omega Speedmaster Professional (with a generic Lemania Chronograph movement that has been around since forever) for servicing and it cost me almost $800 USD with tax. I think $500+ Canadian is relatively reasonable, especially since I'm sure the GS can last much longer than the Swiss counterparts without servicing


Well, you can't really compare servicing a chronograph to a regular three-hander -- _many _more parts in the chrono, and service will always be meaningfully more expensive. Note that a Grand Seiko chrono costs something like a grand to service, although that's also a spring drive.


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## Spirit of the Watch

Keep in mind that after 10 years there is no guarantee Seiko will manufacture the parts.... a problem if you buy a vintage model. I think the Ssnowflake will be around for a while though.


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## Jannal

That's why I stopped collecting and sold all my automatic watches (mainly Rolex), servicing them can be very expensive hobby. :-(
To compensate my addiction I have bought watches with quartz movement instead. Besides changing batteries every couple of years it only needs servicing once in every 50 years! 
Not only it saves me loads of money in servicing cost it is also much more accurate than the standard quartz/mechanical movements. :-d


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## Schleepii

I heard of costs as high as 600 USD also - but that's only important IF you service your watch, right?

So Seiko recommends SD to be serviced every 5 years - but nobody does that. Since SD is almost friction-free and very durable by design, I think 10 years is more realistic.

I think I'll send my SBGA029 in when it stops working or I see that it doesn't keep time correctly anymore. Until then, I don't worry about that.


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## Btreichel87

I've heard Spring drives and Hi Beats are definitely more. Closer to $800 or so USD. i can't recall if that includes the shipping costs, which i think are like $150.


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## Whitershadeofpale

sender said:


> Hello Everyone
> 
> First time here...usually at the Steinhart forum.
> 
> A retailer in my neck of the woods said, servicing the Grand Seiko is extremely expensive, what say you all .
> I think he meant way north of 500.00 Canadian.
> 
> Thx in advance
> 
> And Happy Happy Happy to you all


The beauty of the 9F movement is the 50 year service life. So I recently purchased one, so when I reach age 112 it will need it's first service. I'm not going to worry about the cost of service. I will leave that to my son to fret over.


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## Herbalizer

I got a similar quote


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## John MS

Folks we are talking about spending $50 to $100 per year in maintanance to keep a fine mechanical watch running for a lifetime. Not exactly a budget buster.


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## Rallyfan13

There is no advantage to maintenance costs.

Those here that find them negligible: your argument would gain a hint of merit if you start a fund to pay the costs for others...

Didn't think so.


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## lorsban

Lftwgr said:


> The servicing issue has always been on my mind for the GS's. I was looking for a Snowflake, but decided that servicing-wise, sending it back to the motherland for god knows how much cost just isn't my cup of tea. So I started looking at quartz GS's, and somehow it got rationalised to looking at either Astrons or even Casio MTG - JDMs that do the job (and with GPS may even be better tech-wise than HAQs), look ok, needed minimal or zero maintenance and burned a smaller hole in the wallet.
> 
> So much for my GS hunt
> 
> Maybe I'll revisit getting a GS when they start moving maintenance closer to their international distributors.


I have the exact same issue with GS mechanicals.

Besides the repair itself, there's shipping cost plus the potentially long wait. Plus, you'd probably need your AD to facilitate the whole transaction. So, that's yet another issue if the AD doesn't handle things properly.

Now, I mentioned mechanicals because I don't think you have the same issue with Quartz because anybody can do a basic battery swap. And you'd only need to send to Japan IF something goes wrong, which is exceedingly rare for GS quartz.

They're far cheaper too.

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## EugV12

SD needs servicing just as much as a mechanical movement. Plenty of moving parts, and plenty of possibilities of a wear-down or decrease in performance.


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## BigSeikoFan

Rallyfan13 said:


> There is no advantage to maintenance costs.
> 
> Those here that find them negligible: your argument would gain a hint of merit if you start a fund to pay the costs for others...
> 
> Didn't think so.


Show me which posts said the maintenance costs were negligible. Two or three examples would be fine...

Didn't think so.

Apologies if English is not your first language...


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## Hitlnao

Jim Smyth said:


> Use the search function and you will find your answer. I cant remember exactly but $500-$600 comes to mind. Cheaper than a Rolex service imo..........


It's objectively cheaper than a Rolex service lol


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## lorsban

Hitlnao said:


> It's objectively cheaper than a Rolex service lol


Rolex service cost seems country dependent tho. In the Philippines, standard 3-4 hand/date watches cost an average of $350 for a full overhaul/polish/crown + stem replacement/gaskets. This is at RSC.

Rolex is about as expensive as Tag Heuer auto service locally.

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## eblackmo

Interesting. I have always assumed that a watch that costs thousands is going to cost a bit to service. My uncle just had his seamaster serviced at one of the omega service centres here in aus and it cost him 800 bucks. I own a sinn 857 and I made the assumption when I bought it that it would be going back to germany to get serviced. I don't see a local watch maker replacing the copper sulphate capsule and refilling the watch with an inert gas after servicing.


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## Hitlnao

eblackmo said:


> Interesting. I have always assumed that a watch that costs thousands is going to cost a bit to service. My uncle just had his seamaster serviced at one of the omega service centres here in aus and it cost him 800 bucks. I own a sinn 857 and I made the assumption when I bought it that it would be going back to germany to get serviced. I don't see a local watch maker replacing the copper sulphate capsule and refilling the watch with an inert gas after servicing.


If it's pre-Coaxial your uncle could've gotten any competent watch guy to service its ETA for less than half that amount...


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## Hitlnao

lorsban said:


> Rolex service cost seems country dependent tho. In the Philippines, standard 3-4 hand/date watches cost an average of $350 for a full overhaul/polish/crown + stem replacement/gaskets. This is at RSC.
> 
> Rolex is about as expensive as Tag Heuer auto service locally.
> 
> Sent from my LG-H818 using Tapatalk


Whoa. I had no idea it was so much cheaper. I'll get a quote from the Hong Kong RSC soon, but if what you're saying is true it might be cheaper for me to go to the Philippinnes twice to get it repaired than doing it here!


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## lorsban

Hitlnao said:


> Whoa. I had no idea it was so much cheaper. I'll get a quote from the Hong Kong RSC soon, but if what you're saying is true it might be cheaper for me to go to the Philippinnes twice to get it repaired than doing it here!


Not sure about HK/Singapore. Their labor cost is quite high over there.

Thailand/Malaysia/Indonesia might have similar costing as us.

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## Hitlnao

I meant that I'm in HK myself. A return flight to the Philippines is about $200 USD. 

It'll be a while before i need to get my Rolex serviced, but when the time comes it might be a good idea to hit up Manila instead of doing it here!

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## lorsban

Hitlnao said:


> I meant that I'm in HK myself. A return flight to the Philippines is about $200 USD.
> 
> It'll be a while before i need to get my Rolex serviced, but when the time comes it might be a good idea to hit up Manila instead of doing it here!
> 
> Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk


Oh ok! Haha well yeah that'll definitely be easy for you. It's only a 1.5 hour flight.

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## eblackmo

Hitlnao said:


> If it's pre-Coaxial your uncle could've gotten any competent watch guy to service its ETA for less than half that amount...


True enough.


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## Tseg

Interesting after 4 pages of comments no one is very definitive of what it costs to service a Grand Seiko back at the Japan studio. Maybe they need no service? I recall seeing a price list online a year ago that ranged from several hundred dollars for an older basic GS movement, topping out at $850 for the Spring Drive chronograph GMT. I've recently scoured the web and now cannot find that document. On top of the servicing expense, Zaratsu re-finishing in Japan is something like $250... an added service fee. On top of all this I understand shipping/insurance costs to Japan can also cost over $100. Then timing of the service round-trip is measured in months, not weeks. It is what it is.


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## Alex_TA

Tseg said:


> Interesting after 4 pages of comments no one is very definitive of what it costs to service a Grand Seiko back at the Japan studio. Maybe they need no service?


Exactly


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## lorsban

Tseg said:


> Interesting after 4 pages of comments no one is very definitive of what it costs to service a Grand Seiko back at the Japan studio. Maybe they need no service? I recall seeing a price list online a year ago that ranged from several hundred dollars for an older basic GS movement, topping out at $850 for the Spring Drive chronograph GMT. I've recently scoured the web and now cannot find that document. On top of the servicing expense, Zaratsu re-finishing in Japan is something like $250... an added service fee. On top of all this I understand shipping/insurance costs to Japan can also cost over $100. Then timing of the service round-trip is measured in months, not weeks. It is what it is.


Seems on par with Omega/Panerai.

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## JoeOBrien

Alex_TA said:


> GS goes for service to Japan. Your watchmaker down on the corner can't handle it, sorry.


I would think that with 9S mechanicals, the issue is more about a watchmaker being willing to do it, rather than being unable. It's a pretty simple movement design after all - the difference is mainly in the manufacturing process and precision of the components, right? Surely a competent watchmaker would have no trouble servicing it, as long as they had access to technical sheets, and no replacement parts were required. I would imagine that something like a co-axial would be much more difficult.



alex_b said:


> I'm pretty sure the Seiko Boutique in Ginza said 5-6 years service interval on my SBGH037 which is the same as my Omega PO.


If that's true, and not just an optimistic guesstimate from a salesperson, it would be nice if Seiko actually came out and said it. GS manuals recommend 2-3 years for 9S calibres, with particular emphasis being placed on the first service 
(presumably to account for the age of the oils in the watch before it was bought). I'm sure 2-3 years is just a typical Seiko low-ball estimate, but I'd love to hear what a GS watchmaker had to say on the subject. Or from anyone who has actually had a 9S serviced.



samanator said:


> My GS SD that I had serviced in the US a few years ago was just a smidge under $500. Reasonable IMO.


Did you send in the SD as just a routine check-up, or was it showing signs that it needed service? How old was it?


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## Alex_TA

JoeOBrien said:


> I would think that with 9S mechanicals, the issue is more about a watchmaker being willing to do it, rather than being unable. It's a pretty simple movement design after all - the difference is mainly in the manufacturing process and precision of the components, right? Surely a competent watchmaker would have no trouble servicing it, as long as they had access to technical sheets, and no replacement parts were required.


But you can not bring them to a watchmaker on the assumption that the spare parts are not needed. And what about polishing ? The famous Zarathustra - KamaSutra finish? it is made only in Japan.


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## JoeOBrien

Sure, but even if parts were needed, is there anything in a GS mechanical that can't be substituted with a 'normal' component? Of course, the watch might never perform the same as it would if genuine GS parts were used, but you run that risk with any brand. 

Personally I'd always send it back to Seiko for service (in the UK, GS service can be performed at the offical service center). Just saying that I don't think a standard 9S is something most watchmakers can't handle.


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## Toshk

UK Service Prices:

9F - £230. £60 Battery only
9S£230 - £260
9SH £230 - £260
9R- £270


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## JoeOBrien

Did you get those from Seiko UK? Those are great prices, if accurate. I heard somewhere it was approximately £325 for mechanical and £425 for Spring Drive.


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## Toshk

JoeOBrien said:


> Did you get those from Seiko UK? Those are great prices, if accurate. I heard somewhere it was approximately £325 for mechanical and £425 for Spring Drive.


Yes I did. Figures might have changed a little due to exchange rates, but these were the prices Seiko UK gave me a couple of months ago.


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## lorsban

JoeOBrien said:


> Sure, but even if parts were needed, is there anything in a GS mechanical that can't be substituted with a 'normal' component? Of course, the watch might never perform the same as it would if genuine GS parts were used, but you run that risk with any brand.
> 
> Personally I'd always send it back to Seiko for service (in the UK, GS service can be performed at the offical service center). Just saying that I don't think a standard 9S is something most watchmakers can't handle.


I don't think GS movements will be able to accept normal parts. I read somewhere that even their movement parts are finished more finely than normal.

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## wiesn089

I figure you can get 7-10 years easily out of every mechanical watch, maybe 5 if you really beat on it (sports etc.). I'd generally pay no mind to the manufacturer's estimate. And why should you after all the companies thrive on regular services. Of course they'll recommend you get your watches serviced as often as possible. Besides that $500 isn't too bad for a higher end mechanical watch. A service is a time-consuming matter. The movement needs to be disassembled, every part checked for issues along the way, then reassembled again, they will polish the case, retest accurracy, pressure test everything, etc. If you add this up, it's 3-5 hours easy spend on an individual piece. That's $100/hour, a fair deal imo.


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## Doca

We've been hearing for at least two years that Seiko was going
to open a GS service facility in the U.S.

Is that just rumor?


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## Vlance

Doca said:


> We've been hearing for at least two years that Seiko was going
> to open a GS service facility in the U.S.
> 
> Is that just rumor?


I'm hoping if I buy one now, there will be one in North America within 5 years.


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## curvexguy

Doca said:


> We've been hearing for at least two years that Seiko was going
> to open a GS service facility in the U.S.
> 
> Is that just rumor?


This link contains the info that follows: https://www.watchuseek.com/f666/some-questions-answered-seiko-us-2384626.html

*Some Questions answered from Seiko US* 
While I have a few more questions that we are waiting on answers from Seiko Japan here are a few that may be of interest for GS owners or potential owners here in the US. Since there seems to be some discrepancies on these topic these are the words right from Seiko US. It is really nice to have a direct channel for these things:

*Can any of the Spring Drive or High Beat watches be serviced in the US?* Yes All GS calibers with the exception of the Spring Drive Chronograph 9R86 can be serviced in the US.

*For Japan and US service what is the general turn times to complete regular maintenance?* For the US, we do not have an answer at the moment because this is very new for us. Only recently was one of our craftsmen certified to repair and service Grand Seiko. He spend many months over 2 years studying, practicing, taking examinations and travelling to the factories in Tokyo before he could be certified.


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## Oblongata

Toshk said:


> UK Service Prices:
> 
> 9F - *£230*. £60 Battery only
> 9S£230 - £260
> 9SH £230 - £260
> 9R- £270


The 9F has a sealed cabin which is suppose to be good up to 50 years. So basically no service for 50 years except for battery changes.


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## tzakiel

As a new spring drive owner I do wonder if I can wait 10 years or so before worrying about it.


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## noizer

I recently spoke to the Seiko distributor here in Singapore about the possibility of polishing my GS SBGF017 quartz.

Their quotes are: 

POLISHING SERVICE
1) Case S$492.20 
2) Bracelet S$428.00 
3) Case & bracelet	S$749.00 

So polishing the case will cost half the price I got the pre owned GS....


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## KrazyK

I called the US Seiko Service Center the other day with a couple questions. Yes the Hi-Beat and Spring Drive are now serviceable in the US. Only a full original refinish with brushed and polish will be sent back to Japan. And Now Grand Seiko will have parts available 30 years after a model has been discontinued. I almost pulled out of my buy when I kept seeing 10 years. 


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