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The Watches

Grand Seiko Adds Dark ‘Birch’ Dial

Grand Seiko launches the SLGH017 Night Birch, a darker sibling of the award-winning Grand Seiko White Birch from 2021. With similar size and technical characteristics as the earlier Birch model, the new design will display a vertically patterned deep black dial and will be cased in titanium rather than steel.

The new Grand Seiko SLGH017 Night Birch.

The original Hi-Beat 36000 80 Hours SLGH005 White Birch, which launched Grand Seiko’s new Evolution 9 series, was awarded the Men’s Watch Prize at the 2021 Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève.

This new Night Birch edition will not only serve as a darker version of the original, but is the first in the Birch series to be built with Grand Seiko’s proprietary High-Intensity Titanium alloy. The watchmaker says its titanium alloy offers a brighter appearance than is seen on other titanium watches while also offering a greater hardness.

As its name implies, the Night Birch features a black and gray dial that portrays the white birch tree forest at night, more specifically during a moonlit night. Grand Seiko artisans press the dial multiple times to create its unusual depth.

Inside Grand Seiko fits its excellent caliber 9SA5, first seen in 2020. The ten-beat (36,000 vph) movement boasts eighty hours of power reserve and a precision rate of +5 to -3 seconds a day. It incorporates three Grand Seiko technical features: a Dual Impulse Escapement, a free-sprung balance and a horizontal gear train. Available in August for $10,400.

Inside Grand Seiko fits its excellent caliber 9SA5, visible through the see-through back.

 

Specifications: Grand Seiko SLGH017 Night Birch

Movement: Caliber 9SA5 Hi-Beat 36000, automatic with 80-hour power reserve, Accuracy from +5 to -3 seconds per day (when static), free-sprung balance, dual-impulse escapement, twin barrels, 36,000 vph.

Dial: Black and gray, vertically patterned, baton markers.

Case: 40mm by 11.7mm high-Intensity titanium, box-shape sapphire crystal, Zaratsu polished, distortion-free mirror finish and delicate hairline finish, see-through back, screw-down crown. Water resistance to 100 meters.

Strap: High-Intensity Titanium with clasp.

Price: $10,400.

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Featured News

HSNY Online Auction Set For July 6-13

The Horological Society of New York (HSNY) and Phillips in Association with Bacs & Russo will host an online watch auction July 6 to July 13, with proceeds to assist HSNY as it advances the art and science of horology. Funds raised from the auction will underwrite offering financial aid to watchmaking institutions and scholarships to full-time watchmaking students.

Timepieces for HSNY: 2022 Charity Auction will include interesting and often rare watches from Swiss, German, Japanese and American brands, including a Tiffany-stamped watch, one prototype model and many others. Bidding is encouraged with a ‘No Reserve’ policy in force.

Here are the Lot items from Timepieces for HSNY: 2022 Charity Auction.

Lot 1 — Unimatic x Massena LAB, U1-MLBN “Family and Friends”, DLC-plated stainless steel, circa 2020. Brand New. Donated by Massena LAB.

Lot 2 — Nomos Glashütte, Ludwig Neomatik 39, stainless steel, circa 2020. Brand New. Donated by Nomos Glashütte.

Lot 3 — Equation of Time x Atom Moore ‘Fat Arrow’ Prototype, stainless steel, circa 2022. Brand New, with limited edition metal print. Atom Moore and Roland Murphy/EOT Watches.

 

Lot 4 — Grand Seiko, Reference SBGW277 U.S. Exclusive, stainless steel, circa 2021. Brand New. Donated by Grand Seiko.

Lot 5 — Ulysse Nardin, open-face chronograph pocket watch with certificate and presentation box, gunmetal blue steel, circa 1912. Donated by Ulysse Nardin.

Lot 6 — Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso, stainless steel, circa 2022. Brand New. Donated by Jaeger-LeCoultre.

Lot 7 — Paket Philippe, Reference 715, open-face pocket watch retailed by Tiffany & Co., 18K yellow gold, circa 1967. Donated by Collectability.

Lot 8 — TAG Heuer, Hodinkee TAG Heuer Carrera ‘Dato’ Limited Edition, stainless steel, circa 2020. Brand New. Donated by Hodinkee. .

Lot 9 — Zenith, Collective x Zenith Chronomaster El Primero C.01, stainless steel, circa 2019. Pre Owned. Donated by Collective Horology.

“The watches donated for HSNY’s 2022 auction are amusing, exciting, historical and most of all – meaningful,” said HSNY Executive Director Nicholas Manousos. “The proceeds from the generosity of the donors and bidders will go a long way towards ensuring the success of watchmaking students, and I encourage everyone to bid with that in mind.”

“We are honored and delighted to once again support HSNY’s efforts that continue to advance watchmaking science and culture in the United States,” adds Paul Boutros, Phillips’ Head of Watches, Americas. “One hundred percent of the proceeds from the sale of each watch, including Phillips’ buyers’ premium, will benefit HSNY’s educational programs, scholarships, and watchmaking school awards.”

Phillips in Association with Bacs & Russo (at 432 Park Avenue in New York) will be hosting viewings of Timepieces for HSNY: 2022 Charity Auction by appointment only from July 6-13. To schedule an appointment contact watchesny@phillips.com.

 

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The Watches

Grand Seiko Expands U.S. Special Editions

Grand Seiko adds two new U.S. special edition models with nature-inspired dials to its Elegance collection. As two highlights among the brand’s June debuts, both new manual-wind watches exhibit beautiful handcrafted dials set within 39mm steel cases. Both are also powered by Grand Seiko’s superb Caliber 9S63 with a power reserve of seventy-two hours and an accuracy rate of +5 to -3 seconds per day.

The new Grand Seiko SBGK015 Ryūsendō is a U.S. limited edition of 250 watches.

One watch, reference SBGK015 Ryūsendō, is a limited edition of 250 watches and features a dial inspired by the blue and green underground lakes of the Ryūsendō located near Grand Seiko’s Shizukuishi Watch Studio. And while the color is certainly evocative of crystalline underground streams, it’s the dial’s curvy, patterned texture that catches my eye. Note how lines gather along the perimeter of the dial to create a gentle frame for the patchwork dial.

The second debut, Grand Seiko U.S. Special Edition SBGK017, is not a limited edition but will be made available within Grand Seiko’s ongoing Elegance collection in the United States.

Grand Seiko U.S. Special Edition SBGK017, also available on a steel bracelet.

Here Grand Seiko says it was inspired by Nanbu tekki ironware, a form of metalwork produced in the city of Morioka in Iwate prefecture. The tableware is prized for its distinctive texture called arare (hailstone) on its exterior. Grand Seiko artisans mimicked that texture on the watch’s dark gray dial.

As manual-wind watches, both these debuts are thin and beautifully polished using Grand Seiko’s much-heralded Zaratsu method, which is specially tuned to highlight curved surfaces. Similarly, the dials and their sapphire crystals are also curved, with the minute and power reserve indicator hands shaped to follow the curve of the dial.

Both watches display a small seconds hand at the nine o’clock position and a power reserve indicator at three o’clock. +5 to -3 seconds per day (when static).

The SBGK015 Ryūsendō and the U.S. Special Edition SBGK017 will be available starting in September at Grand Seiko Boutiques and selected retail partners in the United States.

Prices: $7,500 (SBGK015 “Ryūsendō) and $8,900 (SBGK017 U.S. Special Edition).

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The Watches

Grand Seiko Introduces Blue-Dialed, Manual-Wind Beauty

Grand Seiko expands its Elegance collection with the blue-dialed SBGW279, the latest example of this watchmaker’s impressive ability to represent natural beauty using artisanal dial-making techniques.

The new Grand Seiko Elegance Collection U.S. Special Edition SBGW279.

For this U.S. Special Edition, Grand Seiko says it was inspired by the work of illustrator ShiShi Yamazaki to create a deep blue sunray-pattern dial meant to recall the blue feathers found on the Oruri songbird.

The watch’s blue sunray pattern is inspired by the Japanese songbird known as Oruri.

“Like the Grand Seiko craftsmen behind the Oruri watch, I was inspired by the journey of the Oruri bird as it travels to the mountains of Japan each summer,” says Yamazaki. “The watercolor animation I’ve created represents the beautiful movement of the bird and its stunning deep blue coloring.”

Caliber 9S64 manual-wind movement, visible through the clear caseback, boasts an impressive 72-hour power reserve.

Influenced by the first Grand Seiko of 1960, Grand Seiko frames the Yamazaki-inspired blue dial within a classically sized 37.3mm steel case. Inside you’ll find a Caliber 9S64 manual-wind movement that boasts an impressive seventy-two-hour power reserve and accuracy of -3 to +5 seconds per day.

Grand Seiko has wisely opted for a clear sapphire caseback to allow a view of the beautifully finished finished movement. The watchmaker pairs the Elegance Collection U.S. Special Edition SBGW279 with a brown crocodile leather strap.

Price: $4,600.

 

Specifications: Grand Seiko Elegance Collection U.S. Special Edition

Movement: Manual winding 9S64, power reserve of 72 hours, accuracy of +5 to -3 seconds per day (when static).

Case: 37.3mm by 11.6mm steel case with box-shaped sapphire crystal and anti-reflective coating, see-through screw case back. Water resistance to 30 meters.

Dial: Deep blue sunray pattern.

Strap: Brown crocodile leather.

Price: $4,600

 

 

 

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The Watches

Watches and Wonders 2022: Grand Seiko Adds Five Sporty Titanium Watches

At Watches & Wonders 2022 earlier this month, Grand Seiko introduced five sport models in its Evolution 9 collection. And echoing many of the other high-end watchmakers at the show, Grand Seiko also focused its debuts on titanium-cased designs.

(Grand Seiko also debuted its first mechanical complication watch, the Kodo Constant-force Tourbillon, which we’ll discuss in a future post).

But unlike all other watchmakers, Grand Seiko is able to offer a level of precision rare for any pure mechanical offering thanks to its proprietary Spring Drive movement, a mechanical-electronic hybrid built and finished to high watchmaking standards.

One of two new Spring Drive GMT models (SBGE285).

Within its relatively new Evolution 9 collection, Grand Seiko adds two GMT models (SBGE283 and SBGE285), two Chronograph GMT models (SBGC249, a blue-dialed 15th Anniversary Limited Edition, and SBGC251), and a 200-meter dive watch with caliber 9RA5 (SLGA015), a movement with an impressive five-day power reserve. All these titanium-cased watches offer screw-down crowns and a strong anti-magnetic resistance to 4,800 A/m.

For the debuts, Grand Seiko has refined its cases as well as various dial details. All the new models benefit from wider lugs and thicker bracelets. Also note the collection’s bolder hands that point to a new font along the bezel, notably on the GMT models. In addition, Grand Seiko now coats all its hands and indexes with more Lumibrite than we’ve seen previously. In addition, crown guards are somewhat smoother than on earlier sports models.

New Grand Seiko Spring Drive GMT (SBGE283).
Up close on the dial of Spring Drive GMT SBGE285.

Spring Drive GMT

These two 41mm debuts (above) feature highly textured pattern dials in either black (SBGE283) or light gray (SBGE285). Both offer a box-shaped sapphire crystal, a 72-hour power reserve and are powered by Spring Drive Caliber 9R66, which offers incredible precision of plus or minus one second per day. Price: $8,400, and available in August.

The Grand Seiko Spring Drive Chronograph 15th anniversary edition (SBGC249).

Two chronographs

The first of the two new 45.3mm Evolution 9 chronographs features a blue dial and offers a higher rate of accuracy than the already phenomenal one-second per day. This Grand Seiko Spring Drive Chronograph 15th anniversary edition (SBGC249, above) is adjusted to achieve an enhanced accuracy rate of just half-a-second per day, (or plus or minus 10 seconds per month) and is offered as a limited edition of 700. In addition to the
 12-hour chronograph, the watch also features a rotating bezel and a GMT hand. Price: $12,400.

The black-dialed version (SBGC251, below) delivers the standard high accuracy of 1-second per day (±15 seconds per month) and otherwise offers the same design and specifications as the limited edition. Price: $11,400.

The SBGC251, one of two new new 45.3mm Evolution 9 chronographs.

Dark Dive Watch

Finally, Grand Seiko adds an impressive new 200m diver’s watch (SLGA015) to the Evolution 9 collection. As is often the case at Grand Seiko, the watch’s textured black dial arrives on your wrist already wrapped up with an inspiring origin story.

Grand Seiko’s impressive new 200m Black Stream diver’s watch (SLGA015).

Inspired by the Kuroshio Current, also known as the Black Stream, the dial echoes the darkness visible in the waters that flow northwards past Japan towards the North Pacific. The Black Stream’s darkness inspired Grand Seiko’s artisans to create the new watch’s particularly evocative dial.

Powered by Spring Drive Caliber 9RA5, the new 43.8mm by 13.8mm titanium Black Stream dive watch offers an accuracy rate of ±10 seconds per month and a five-day power reserve.

The diver’s hands are among the boldest we’ve seen on a Grand Seiko dial, and this bezel among the most robust. In fact, Grand Seiko has forged the bezel’s inside from ceramic to reduce the possibility of scratching. Price: $11,600 and available in August.

 

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