Unique within their catalog, it features flowing curved Zaratsu polished surfaces, as well as a more traditional vintage style. Matching the case, the dials on these models are domed, and the hands curve to match, all finished to Grand Seiko’s incomparable standards. At 38mm with a clean, brushed silver dial, the SBGX331 is conservative and reserved, but so damn stylish.
So, why this watch? Well, apart from the looks, It has all the fit and finish of Grand Seiko’s that typically cost over $8k, but thanks to the HAQ 9F movement within, can be had for around $2,500. Yeah, that’s an incredible value, and all for a watch that could likely be the most accurate in a collection. The more I think about it, the harder it is to resist. Luckily, 2023 is just around the corner, and then all bets are off… right?..
Zach Kazan
When you see new watches as often as we do over the course of doing this job, it’s only natural that some of them are going to work their way into your brain, nearly to the point of distraction. You find yourself thinking about them in your absent mind, perhaps visiting the article you wrote about them months ago, reminding yourself of the particular specs, availability, price, and other pertinent information. When a new watch comes out that makes you think, “Hey, I’d like to buy you!” the next thought that comes into your head is something along the lines of “But wait, what about that one?” The lingerer is that watch that acts as a backstop to a new purchase.
That doesn’t mean that we always end up buying the lingerer. On the contrary, I think most of us don’t, but these watches serve an important role in our collecting habits as they filter out the stuff that might otherwise be bought impulsively. If it gets past the lingerer, it must be a fairly serious affair.
I turned to my rarely updated WatchRecon alerts to identify the lingerers in my life. A lingering watch, by its very nature, isn’t always at the top of mind. It traipses through the outskirts of your subconscious until an opportune moment when you’re reminded of it, so I needed an assist to identify the watches that meet the tough to pin down qualities we identify with this somewhat vague category. The answer was right at the top of my alerts: the Bulgari Octo Finissimo.
I love the Octo. Whenever I try one on, I’m impressed with the bracelet and the design of the case, which takes a familiar idea (the integrated bracelet sports watch) and turns it into something almost alien. It’s remarkably thin, of course, but it still has a sculpted quality to it that I find appealing. I haven’t bought an Octo yet, but when I’m thinking about buying any other watch, invariably part of the calculus is “How much further away from an Octo Finissimo will I be after this?” If it were a grail that I couldn’t live without, I wouldn’t let anything stop me in my pursuit. But it’s not. I’ve bought other watches after asking that question and doing the requisite math. It’s just a great watch that I can’t quite stop thinking about. A true lingerer.