Grand Seiko has long been motivated by the pursuit of accuracy. This has led to some of the brand’s, and the industry’s, biggest innovations over the years, including the novel Spring Drive hybrid movement. This year, Grand Seiko has brought back their ‘Fine’ nomenclature to describe their newest Spring Drive caliber, the 9RB2, which is accurate to within +/- 20 seconds per year. For reference, the Spring Drive caliber 9R65 introduced in 2004 boasted a rate of +/- 15 seconds per month. The new movement is fit within the reference SLGB001 and SLGB003 introduced at Watches & Wonders earlier this year, and it represents a shift in Grand Seiko’s approach to the Spring Drive.
Grand Seiko’s obsession with accuracy dates back much further still, with the term VFA or Very Fine Adjusted first appearing in the late ‘60s with the 61GS and the 6185 and 6186 movements, which were accurate to within one minute per month, an impressive distinction at the time. This year, Grand Seiko is using the UFA label for the caliber 9RB2, this time meaning Ultra Fine Accuracy that is orders of magnitude greater than the original VFA watches. The technology has come a long way in the preceding decades, but Grand Seiko’s goals never wavered.
The new references are being offered in either titanium (SLGB003), or platinum (SLGB001) cases that are sized at 37mm in diameter. At 11.4mm thick, and with a 20mm lug span, these watches still feature a robust presence on the wrist. The brand’s typical attention to the finishing detail is present at every corner. The case is exceptional on the wrist, wearing small but confident, and this is a watch I’d recommend to wrists of all sizes. The visual presence goes well beyond the numbers here.
The new movement might be the big talking point here, but the dial will likely be the first thing to catch your attention. The stunning texture was inspired by ‘ice forests’ according to Grand Seiko, appearing like a landscape of frozen trees interlocking. There is a remarkable level of detail to enjoy with these dials, and a keen eye will notice a hint of blue in the titanium reference SLGB003, while the platinum SLGB001 dial is a bit more overt in tone.
Mercifully, Grand Seiko have moved the power reserve indication, a long controversial element of Spring Drive dials, to the movement side of the watch. This leaves just the applied hour markers and a framed date aperture at three o’clock to join the wonderful dial texture. This is a move that makes this watch more broadly appealing, but at the same time I can’t help but wonder if it’s lost a small amount of its funky personality in the process.
Overall, these are two beautiful new watches from Grand Seiko with a seriously impressive step for the Spring Drive as a concept. The SLGB001 in platinum is priced at $39,000, while the titanium SLGB003 is priced at $10,900 on a full titanium bracelet. Grand Seiko
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