Japan’s beating heart
For more than years, luxury watchmaker Grand Seiko has embodied the spirit of takumi, the artisanal pursuit of perfection. These three milestones showcase the precision, legibility and Japanese aesthetic of the feted watchmaker.
: A new design language
Throughout Grand Seiko’s history, accuracy, performance and a distinct design language have been the brand’s markers of achievement. In , seven years after it was founded, the watchmaker released the first GS – a timepiece that utilised the interplay of shadow and light and nine design elements that are still used by the manufacture today. Models such as the Grand Seiko Heritage Collection (ref. SBGY , below) embody the “Grand Seiko style” by featuring a double-width index at o’clock; multi-faceted markers and hands; a curved side profile that softens the angles of the case; a semi-recessed crown that comfortably fits on the wrist; a flat dial for increased legibility; and a slanted bezel and case for a low-profile finish.
: The precise Spring Drive is born
The quartz crisis of the s almost ended the need for mechanical watches as the former were cheaper and more accurate than their luxury counterparts. Knowing this, Grand Seiko set itself a mission to combine the two technologies and, in , after nearly prototypes and years of development, engineer Yoshikazu Akahane succeeded. He built a watch that was powered by the wearer’s movement, propelled by a mainspring and regulated electronically – making it accurate to /- one second. In , the Grand Seiko Spring Drive was launched using a calibre R. The following year, the brand released the Snowflake (ref. SBGA , above), its most iconic Spring Drive model.
: The brand’s philosophy evolves
High-beat movements have long been produced by Grand Seiko in pursuit of efficiency, stability and accuracy. For the first time in more than years, the brand has unveiled a hand-wound high beat movement, the calibre SA (right), which beats times per second and boasts an -hour power reserve, thanks to a Dual Impulse Escapement and two barrels. It sits inside the new Evolution Collection ref. SLGW ’s -millimetre Brilliant Hard titanium case, a proprietary alloy brighter than traditional titanium and lighter and more scratch-resistant than steel. The final touch is the textural dial that has been moulded in brass and silver-plated to represent the slender white birch trees that grow near the brand’s Shizukuishi studio.