Earlier this year, Grand Seiko quietly released two timepieces within its Sport Collection. These two watches, SBGV243 and SBGV245, weren’t as flashy as the releases we saw from the Japanese firm at Baselworld 2019, nor did they utilize a mechanical movement or one of the brand?s Spring Drive calibers. Instead, Grand Seiko equipped both of these watches with one of its emblematic 9F quartz movements, a decision that ? in my opinion ? only serves to enhance the watch?s appeal. We recently got our hands on one of those two watches, SBGV245, for a trial period to see where it fits within Grand Seiko?s ever-increasing lineup of timepieces. 
The Grand Seiko SBGV245 is a relatively new addition to the Grand Seiko catalog and is one of the brand’s first sports-oriented quartz watches that isn’t a diver. Over the past few years, we?ve seen Grand Seiko build an impressive amount of brand clout within the minds of American consumers. Gone were the perceptions built during the heyday of the Quartz Crisis of a company intent on pushing away our anachronistic mechanical comforts and replacing them with cold electronic timekeeping machines; today, Grand Seiko occupies rarefied territory among watch enthusiasts worldwide due to its ability to coexist in the genre of accessible luxury while firmly maintaining its superlative watchmaking ability. 

The new SBGV245 fits firmly in the realm of accessible luxury with a price of $3,000 (same for its black-and-yellow sibling...