Grand Seiko SBGJ271G Yuki Gesho
The Grand Seiko SBGJ271G Yuki Gesho timepiece is inspired by the ‘snow covered’ scenery surrounding the Japanese brand’s Shinshu watch studio. It is equipped with the Spring Drive calibre 9S86, a self-winding movement, accurate to +5 to -3 seconds per day. However, as Angus Davies explains below, this is just one of several recent releases from Grand Seiko.
Grand Seiko
It seems the secret is out, the excellence of Grand Seiko is no longer the preserve of a small group of GS geeks. On the contrary, the brand is now widely recognised for making exceptional timepieces. Indeed, the Japanese marque has a sideboard buckling under the weight of trophies.
There are several reasons for the brand’s growing popularity. Firstly, it doesn’t seek to emulate German or Swiss rivals, rather it embraces its Japanese origins, referencing nature and the nation’s traditional artisanal crafts and culture. For instance, the dials, often inspired by the landscape and other natural phenomena, wonderfully play with colours and textures. The cases encompass Zaratsu polishing, juxtaposed with ‘hairline finished’ surfaces, replicating the appearance of light and shadow.
Furthermore, Grand Seiko has not aligned itself solely to the Swiss lever escapement, it also makes watches incorporating quartz and Spring Drive movements. In 2020, the brand also released an exceptional mechanical movement, the Caliber 9SA5, featuring a revolutionary dual-impulse escapement.
Consistent with its stated aims, when the brand was launched in 1960, the company’s models deliver peerless legibility, precision and notable wearer comfort.
Image – Caliber 9S86
The company has also invested heavily in marketing and retailing, heightening brand awareness and enhancing the overall GS shopping experience. And lastly, it has been prolific, releasing a plethora of new models just in the last four weeks alone, inviting even more individuals to experience the joys of GS ownership. Below, I’ve detailed just some of the models that have recently caught my eye.
Grand Seiko SBGJ271G
Grand Seiko devotees frequently enthuse about the brand’s iconic ‘Snowflake’ dials. These dials were inspired by the freshly fallen snow found outside the company’s Shinshu Watch Studio during winter months.
Now, as part of the brand’s ‘The Nature of Time’ theme, Grand Seiko has created SBGJ271G Yuki Gesho. The name means ‘snow covered scenery’ and once again, the dial design has been inspired by the wintry landscape surrounding the company’s watch studio. It comprises straight lines running vertically from north to south. However, typical of the Grand Seiko, the true complexity of its execution can only be discerned at close quarters. Each line is formed of a circular brushed motif that wonderfully toys with light.
On this occasion, Grand Seiko has chosen to use its self-winding Spring Drive caliber 9S86. The movement has a mean daily rate of +5 to -3 seconds with a power reserve of 55 hours and the watch also features a GMT function making it ideal for frequent flyers.
- Price: £6,400 (RRP as of 16.2.2023)
Grand Seiko SLGA021
Continuing with the nature theme, the Grand Seiko SLGA021 aka ‘Lake Suwa Before Dawn’ features a wave-themed dial, designed to mimic the appearance of a ‘wind-swept lake in the pre-dawn stillness’. This may sound like marketing-rich hyperbole, however, one glance at the dial dispels any cynicism as the undulating dark blue dial bewitchingly engages with light.
Housed in a 40mm stainless steel case, the watch features the brand’s unique Caliber 9RA2 Spring Drive movement, delivering an accuracy of ± 0.5 seconds per day. Assuming the mainspring is fully tensioned, the movement will run autonomously for 120 hours (5 days).
- Price: £8,700 (RRP as of 16.2.2023)
Grand Seiko SBGW295G
The Grand Seiko SBGW295G ‘Urushi’ timepiece is a re-creation of the first ever Grand Seiko released in 1960. The faceted dauphine-style hour and minute hands and central seconds hand uphold the styling of the original model. However, where this latest model differs significantly from its 1960s antecedent is that the indexes are now formed of 24-carat gold, applied using the Japanese artisanal technique of maki-e. The dial is made from urushi lacquer (read our Seiko review for more details about this technique), a traditional craft unique to Grand Seiko’s home nation.
Grand Seiko has housed the model in a 38mm ‘brilliant hard titanium’ case. This lightweight alloy is not liable to corrosion, it’s very hard and it’s hypoallergenic. The Caliber 9S64 is visible via a sapphire caseback. The hand-wound movement employs a Swiss-lever escapement to control the flow of time and it has a power-reserve of approximately 72 hours (3 days).
- Price: £12.450 (RRP as of 16.2.2023).
- Limited to 500 pieces
Grand Seiko SBGC253G
The SBGC253G ‘Tokyo Lion’ takes its name from Grand Seiko’s emblem that first appeared on its inaugural watch of 1960. The rationale for using this emblem was to portray the brand as the ‘king of watches’, inspired by the lion’s status as the ‘king of the jungle’.
In this instance, the brand has replicated the appearance of a lion’s mane. The topography of the dial is distinctive, appearing very different from its German and Swiss counterparts. The counters are arranged at 2, 4 and 9 o’clock, while the display also features a power-reserve indicator and date display.
Equipped with a Spring Drive movement, the Caliber 9R86, the Grand Seiko SBGC253G is endowed with a fully integrated chronograph and GMT function. Moreover, the combination of a column-wheel and vertical coupling confers a silky-smooth pushpiece action and a stutter-free actuation of the central chronograph seconds hand. The movement has a stated accuracy of ± 1 second per day (± 15 seconds per month).
- Price: £11.250 (RRP as of 16.2.2023)
Closing remarks
The aforementioned watches represent a mere taste of what the company has released in recent weeks. With the brand exhibiting at the forthcoming Watches & Wonders exhibition in Geneva next month, I suspect there will be many additional models to whet the appetite of GS devotees, myself included.
