Seiko

The 18K rose gold dress watch is equipped with the Grand Seiko Caliber 9SA4, the brand’s first manual-winding 36,000 vph mechanical movement to be created in approximately 50 years.

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.

Caliber 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 center of gravity has been lowered to ensure the comfort and stability for which Grand Seiko’s Evolution 9 creations have become renowned.

SLGW002 has a case made of 18K rose gold. The dial is decorated with a pattern reminiscent of beautiful birch bark, and at the 6 o'clock position is the SD mark (Special Dial mark), which indicates that the hour markers are also made of solid gold.

SLGW003 has a case and clasp 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.

The movement in both watches 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 dial reflecting the beauty of the white birch

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 beautiful view through an exhibition caseback

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.

Movement

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)

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) Limited edition of 80

€11,700 (SLGW003) Stock model

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