Grand Seiko celebrates its 140th anniversary with a bunch of new watches
Grand Seiko and Seiko’s annual event Grand Seiko and Seiko Online Summit 2021 is under way right now, and this year it revolves around the manufacturer’s 140th anniversary. Eqotime’s Ola Jacobsen is taking part in the event and here is his report on the news from Grand Seiko.
Text: Ola Jacobsen
Photo: Seiko Watch Corp.
Right now Grand Seiko and Seiko's annual event Grand Seiko and Seiko Online Summit 2021 is under way, which this year revolves around the manufacturer's 140th anniversary. Eqotime's Ola Jacobsen is taking part in the event and here is his report on the news from Grand Seiko.
Like many other manufacturers Seiko has over the past year focused on digitalising its marketing. The physical presence at big fairs has been replaced by digital global events, like the ongoing Grand Seiko and Seiko Online Summit 2021, where invited journalists get to take part in presentations and question sessions.
Of course it is not the same thing as seeing the watches in reality and meeting the people responsible for design and market in person, but at the same time it makes it possible for more than a small few to take part.
Since Grand Seiko was broken loose from Seiko and became an independent brand the focus has been clearly on communicating the brand's history. Shuji Takahashi, chairman, COO and CMO of Seiko Watch Corp, explained that Grand Seiko will going forward strengthen their communication on three fronts. Partly through their Grand Seiko Boutique Online in various places in the world, where they offer a combination of digital experiences and personal contact.
Grand Seiko will focus the marketing around three messages: the brand's history, the passion for the craft itself and their own technical development. The third focus area is about strengthening the bond with the customers, through for example clubs like the GS9 Club, which has recently opened branches in China and the USA. Maybe we will see a European GS9 soon?
Grand Seiko presented new models, some of which are released as limited editions and some as additions to the regular collections.
Grand Seiko GMT
First out was a series of four GMT watches that pay tribute to the seasons, or really phases of each season. According to Japanese tradition each season is divided in six phases and each watch represents one of these.
For example the winter watch represents the phase Tōji, when the winter solstice falls. The dial is meant to bring to mind the texture and the colour of a winter landscape when the sun has just reached above the horizon.
The list price in Europe is 6 800 euro for the Spring Drive models and 7 600 euro for the ones with Hi-Beat movements.
To pay tribute to Kintaro Hattori, who founded Seiko in 1881, Grand Seiko releases a limited model in the new 9-series case with the newly developed 95A5 movement.
The dial's tree ring structure is meant to bring to mind Seiko's 140 years. The model is called Grand Seiko Heritage Collection Seiko 140th Anniversary Limited Edition, Ref. SLGH007, is made in platinum in 140 examples and costs around 60 000 euro. The small star mark on the dial indicates that the indexes, logo, calendar frame and buckle are made in solid precious metal.
The movement is Grand Seiko's thinnest Hi-Beat movement, which means 36 000 vibrations an hour, or 10 per second. The effect is a more sweeping motion of the seconds hand and higher accuracy. Despite the more energy-hungry Hi-Beat construction the designer has managed to increase the power reserve to 80 hours. Several different techniques contribute to this, among them the new Dual Impulse Escapement and the Grand Seiko free-sprung balance.
Grand Seiko Masterpiece
Anyone who likes green, stones and has 195 000 euro to spare can consider the watch with one of the world's longest names, long even measured by Seiko standards:
Grand Seiko Masterpiece Collection Spring Drive 8 Day Jewelry Watch Seiko 140th Anniversary Limited Edition, or SBGD207.
The watch, which is driven by a manual Spring Drive movement with 8 days of power reserve, is made of platinum and is produced in 15 examples.
Grand Seiko also releases a limited 140-year chronograph, the SBGC240. The watch is a new variant of the manufacturer's Spring Drive chronograph, now with a combination of ceramic parts and gold. The SBGC240 will be made in 500 examples and cost around 19 200 euro on the European market.
