As we fully embrace the outdoors this season, let’s delve into the profound connection between Grand Seiko and Japanese nature. The extraordinary design of our timepieces draws inspiration from a timeless source: the breathtaking landscape surrounding the birthplace of Grand Seiko‘s mechanical movements. The Iwate Prefecture, home to Studio Shizukuishi, is particularly renowned for its diverse natural beauty. Available from August, the Grand Seiko Evolution 9 Collection Manual-winding Mechanical Hi-Beat 36000 80 Hours Ref. SLGW003 reflects the surroundings look of its birthplace.
Beyond the dramatic presence of Mount Iwate – a dormant volcano – you’ll find rugged gorges, lush river valleys, and lakes adorned with delicate pink blossoms in spring and a rugged ice surface in winter. With sensitive eyes, Grand Seiko creators observe the structures, colours, and light effects of nature, recreating these phenomena on our dial surfaces.
Creativity inspired by the birch tree
A recurring design motif is the distinctive bark of the white birch, whose multifaceted aesthetics are reflected in various models. This includes references SLGA009 and SLGH005, known as “White Birch”, the black SLGH017, called “Night Birch”, and the latest success, the SLGW003, dubbed “Birch Bark”, unveiled at Watches & Wonders and available from this August.
The inspiration for the “Birch” models was the white birch forest on the Hiraniwa Plateau in Iwate Prefecture. Approximately 300,000 of these trees form a fascinating yet highly sensitive biotope that requires special protection.
Manual winding, high-beat precision, and 80 hours of power
Today, the ritual of winding a watch is one of life’s pleasures. The simple act of turning the crown taps into the senses to forge a deeper connection with time’s natural flow. In the 1960s and ’70s, manually wound 10-beat Grand Seiko creations were manufactured in the pursuit of better rate stability and higher precision. This year, for the first time in more than 50 years, Grand Seiko announces a new hand-wound high-beat movement, the Caliber 9SA4. It is the third movement to join the latest generation of the mechanical Caliber 9S platform, which was born in 2020 with the automatic Caliber 9SA5 and then followed just last year with the Tentagraph Caliber 9SC5
chronograph.
As with Caliber 9SA5, the new 9SA4 beats 10 times per second while achieving a power reserve of 80 hours when fully wound thanks to its highly efficient Dual Impulse Escapement and two barrels. Both movements use the Grand Seiko Free-sprung Balance and a hairspring with overcoil. As a result, Caliber 9SA4 benefits from the rate stability, resistance to outside interference, and high performance that have long characterized Grand Seiko’s high-beat movements. And, as with other Grand Seiko mechanical movements, 9SA4 is tested in six positions at three different temperatures over 17 days to ensure it meets the Grand Seiko Standard.
Though the new Caliber 9SA4 has many of the same characteristics as 9SA5, nearly 40 per cent of the base movement has been redesigned and reconstructed with careful consideration given to the tactile, aural, and visual sensations experienced during winding. The movement’s click, the part that holds the ratchet wheel to prevent the unwinding of the mainsprings, and the click spring, have been tailored to perfect their feel and sound, and the crown stops when the movement is fully powered. The click is in the shape of a wagtail, a bird recognized as special to Morioka, a city close to the Grand Seiko Studio Shizukuishi, where this and all Grand Seiko mechanical watches are crafted. Thanks to the redesign of the movement, the bird-like pecking motion of the click is visible to enjoy through the sapphire crystal case back during the hand-winding process. Together with the delicate finishing of the movement inspired by the Shizukuishi River, Caliber 9SA4 not only showcases the very best of Grand Seiko’s mechanical watchmaking capabilities but also captures the beauty of the studio’s natural surroundings.
A power-reserve indicator on one of the movement bridges tells the watch’s state of wind. The movement achieves a higher winding efficiency thanks to a rearrangement of the gear train and redesign of the parts, so that Caliber 9SA4 achieves a power reserve of 80 hours with 15 percent fewer crown rotations than are required to achieve the same power for Caliber 9SA5 when winding it by hand. Thanks to its svelte movement, the latest birch-inspired mechanical watch is 38.6mm in diameter and achieves a slimness of 9.95mm.
A dress watch in the Evolution 9 Style
Calibre 9SA4 will make its debut in a new dress watch belonging to the Evolution 9 Collection, whose design represents a continuation of the Grand Seiko Style that reaches back to the iconic 44GS of 1967. Only this time, the Evolution 9 Style itself has been further refined to create a watch that instantly communicates the charm, elegance, grace, and subtlety one would expect of a hand-wound dress watch.
Several aspects of the design have been revisited – from the prominent, grooved indexes, which have been slimmed down and elongated, to the multifaceted lugs, which are now narrower and have a smaller surface area. The watch’s centre of gravity has been lowered to ensure the comfort and stability for which Grand Seiko’s Evolution 9 creations have become renowned.
The case and clasp are made of Grand Seiko’s Brilliant Hard Titanium. The alloy is brighter than traditional titanium, causing the case’s Zaratsu-polished surfaces to appear even more radiant and achieving a sparkle of quality and beauty befitting a Grand Seiko dress watch. Brilliant Hard Titanium makes the watch not only light but also highly resistant to corrosion and scratches while commanding a hardness double that of standard stainless steel.
A dial reflecting the beauty of nature
The new creation’s dial is inspired by the slender white birch trees that thrive in northern parts of Japan and that grow in profusion near the Grand Seiko Studio Shizukuishi. The exquisite pattern echoes the beauty of the birch tree’s bark with its intricate, multi-dimensional texture. Combined with the watch’s elegant design and the movement’s high precision, the new creation offers a refined experience of the nature of time.
A limited edition in 18k rose gold
A limited-edition creation with a case and clasp made of 18k rose gold will also join the Evolution 9 Collection. The watch shares the same dial colour and pattern as the Brilliant Hard Titanium version, but it carries the star mark that signifies its hour markers are crafted in gold. Just as with the Brilliant Hard Titanium creation, its case, indexes, and hands all reflect the Evolution 9 Style but are redesigned for elegance.
Both watches will be available beginning in August 2024, with the rose gold version as a limited edition of 80 exclusive to the Grand Seiko Boutiques. The Brilliant Hard Titanium version will join the mainstay Evolution 9 Collection and be available at both the Grand Seiko Boutiques and select retail partners worldwide.
Grand Seiko stands for a bright future
Out of respect for this unique natural environment, Grand Seiko has committed to contributing to the preservation of birch forests. The brand wants future generations to experience the beauty of nature, which is such an integral part of the Grand Seiko philosophy: “ALIVE IN TIME”! Enjoy your summer – whether in nature or elsewhere!
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Grand Seiko Evolution 9 Collection
Manual-winding Mechanical Hi-Beat 36000 80 Hours Limited Edition Ref. SLGW002
Manual-winding Mechanical Hi-Beat 36000 80 Hours Ref. SLGW003
Caliber 9SA4
Driving system: Manual-winding
Frequency: 36,000 vibrations per hour (10 beats per second)
Accuracy (mean daily rate): +5 to -3 seconds per day
Power reserve: 80 hours
Number of jewels: 47
Diameter: 31.0mm, Thickness: 4.15mm
Specifications
18k rose-gold case and clasp (SLGW002)
Brilliant Hard Titanium case and clasp (SLGW003 – € 11.700,00)
Box-shaped sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating on the inner surface
See-through case back
Water resistance: 3 bar
Magnetic resistance: 4,800 A/m
Diameter: 38.6mm, Thickness: 9.95mm
Crocodile strap with three-fold clasp with push button release
Recommended retail prices in Europe: €49,500 (SLGW002), €11,700 (SLGW003)
Limited edition of 80 (SLGW002)
For further information:
https://www.grand-seiko.com/global-en/collections/slgw002j
https://www.grand-seiko.com/global-en/collections/slgw003g
