Grand Seiko lights up Watches and Wonders 2024 with a new hand-wound movement and an anniversary special

Artistry and innovation emulsify in Grand Seiko’s sensational high-beat hand-wound and Spring Drive novelties

Grand Seiko makes a splash at Watches and Wonders 2024 with the redesigned Evolution 9 collection bearing a new hand-wound movement and the sporty Caliber 9R 20th Anniversary Limited Edition SBGC275.

At Watches and Wonders 2024, Grand Seiko underscores once more why it is a veritable force to be reckoned with in the realm of horology with astutely-designed novelties.

The unveiling of the ebullient Caliber 9R 20th Anniversary Limited Edition, SBGC275, and the sumptuous SLGW003 in the revised Evolution 9 style, reasserts Grand Seiko’s reputation as an unwavering champion of watchmaking artistry and innovation. Drawn from moving scenery in the vicinity of its famous ateliers, the Japanese-inspired aesthetics is brilliantly rendered into these new editions as delightful arias to capture the imagination of would-be collectors.

SBGC275 CELEBRATES A MOMENTOUS MILESTONE

Grand Seiko is a renowned neoteric of Spring Drive. A dynamic movement coalescing the exceptional attributes of mechanical and electronic watchmaking savoir-faire, Spring Drive remains Grand Seiko’s prerogative. 2024 marks the 20th anniversary of the first Grand Seiko creation powered by the 9R Spring Drive movement series. Not only is the SBGC275 a tribute to one of the greatest accomplishments in watchmaking history, it is a metamorphosis thanks to the new dial-processing technology.

At Grand Seiko, innovation goes hand in hand with introspection. To create the mesmerising dial of the SBGC275, it doesn’t have to seek inspiration from afar. The Hotaka mountain range, which towers over the Shinshu region of central Japan where all Grand Seiko’s Spring Drive movements are made, serves as a creative catalyst. Through Optical Multilayer Coating, the dial recreates the ephemeral transition of the jagged peaks bathed in summer morningtide. At times burgundy, other times crimson; the tonal fluidity is the result of this patented dial-coating process. Underneath the dial, the Caliber 9R96 inculcates the Spring Drive Chronograph GMT with 72 hours of power reserve, as well as up to 12 hours for chronograph, together with an extraordinary accuracy of +/-10 seconds per month. The commemorative edition, limited to 700 pieces, is anchored with a 44.5mm high-intensity titanium case, influenced by the lion, a symbol of Grand Seiko’s courage in endeavouring the best in watchmaking accuracy, legibility, durability and beauty. This indomitable spirit is manifested in the finishing, where the angularity of the case and the claw-like, hairline-finished lugs are juxtaposed with the Zaratsu-polished surfaces. The ergonomic bracelet too is crafted from high-intensity titanium to achieve 30% less weight compared to stainless steel. The sporty number is water resistant to 20 bar.

THE REDESIGNED EVOLUTION 9 COLLECTION

At Watches and Wonders 2024, Grand Seiko also presents a new hand-wound high-beat movement, Caliber 9SA4, for the first time in over half-a-century. In conjunction with the launch of the third movement of the series inaugurated in 2020, Grand Seiko takes the opportunity to recalibrate the Evolution 9 aesthetics. The SLGW003 is one of the first beneficiaries in this evolution.

Past designs have been revisited and refined, including scaling down the grooved indexes and multifaceted lugs, coupled with a lower centre of gravity to achieve improved comfort. For enhanced luminosity and durability, the 38.6mm case is attired in Brilliant Hard Titanium, an alloy fairer than conventional titanium and twice as hard as standard stainless steel.

Innovation is abound in the Caliber 9SA4. Featuring a Grand Seiko free-sprung balance and hairspring with overcoil, the movement is tested in six positions at three different temperatures over 17 days to ensure it conforms to the superior Grand Seiko standard. It beats 10 times per second, coupled with an impressive 80 hours of power reserve, gaugeable via an indicator positioned on one of the movement’s bridges.

The SLGW003 is replete with evocative detail. Such is the depth of Grand Seiko’s watchmaking commitment that the distinctive click spring, observable through a transparent caseback, is designed as an homage to the wagtail. The bird holds significance to Morioka, a city near the Grand Seiko Studio Shizukuishi, where all Grand Seiko mechanical novelties are crafted.