Grand Seiko Just Dropped Two U.S.-Only Limited-Editions—We Wore (and Loved) Them
We wore these new limited-edition Spring Drive models from Grand Seiko ahead of their release, and the dials struck us as thoroughly astounding. This is not a huge surprise, as Grand Seiko has put the dial front and center in the past decade.
We’ve certainly been interested in vintage Grand Seiko lately and even explored in detail seven Grand Seiko watches that are especially collectible. And while those older models are rather stunning, it isn’t until the modern era of Grand Seiko that the dials became the talk of watch enthusiasts the world over. While the platform of these two new watches is familiar (titanium 44GS case and Spring Drive caliber 9R65), the dials will require a deeper dive to appreciate the artistry that goes into them and the meaning that radiates off of them.
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American fans of Grand Seiko watches used to grow frustrated by the brand’s many Japan-only editions. When Grand Seiko launched its American corporate branch in 2018, Americans were treated to their first U.S.-only limited-edition Grand Seiko. Since then, the brand has followed up with new U.S.-only releases, and they’ve often been fan favorites that celebrate the seasons or Samurai swords. This time around, however, Grand Seiko offers up a pair of dials meant to remind us of kirazuri ukiyo-e wood block prints. These prints sometimes included mica dust to give them their sparkling effect, which Grand Seiko has achieved with entirely different techniques on the SBGA509 and SBGA507.
Speaking with Grand Seiko expert and official brand historian Joe Kirk, we learned the brass dial is first stamped with what I would describe as a “linen” pattern. This stamping technique is perhaps reminiscent of woodblock printing itself, where the artistry goes into making the block (or in this case the stamping plate) that leaves its mark on the final product. Next, that stamped plate is electroplated, a technique that we’ve gone into some detail in our history of salmon dials. The metal coating during electroplating contains some of the color, but the rest of the color is achieved with very thin lacquers coating the electroplated surface. Finally a clear coat is applied, adding visual depth as well as creating a flat surface for type printing and applying the hardware markers and gold “GS” logo.
Two very unique dials are the products are all that craft; while not subtle, they’re also not as overwhelming as they might seem. The rose pink is gorgeous, very hip, in fact, and not as feminine as some of the other pinks in the Grand Seiko canon. The blue is perhaps more versatile, but no less striking. In both dials, the pattern becomes more of a texture when seen at time-telling distance, but under the loupe—or our macro lens—the texture is downright fascinating.
Spring Drive is a wonderful technology unique to Grand Seiko, using mechanical winding to store electricity that drives electromagnetism to control the speed of the escapement. It’s all a bit elaborate, but the result is an auto-winding mechanical watch with precision better than one second per day. On top of that, there is a full 72 hours of power reserve.
The watch and bracelet are in stainless steel, and the price is a rather approachable $5,600. Only 300 examples of each color will be produced.
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