Not all images were able to load for printing. Please close the print window and try again. The Autumn-Themed Grand Seiko Elegance Spring Drive SBGA499
A sporty yet elegant proposition from Japan with a characterful red dial to welcome autumn.
This morning we’ve already introduced to you a Grand Seiko watch featuring a deep, rich red dial to evoke the arrival of autumn: the Elegance Karasawa SBGY035 Limited edition. Already a pleasant surprise from the Japanese watchmaker, this watch didn’t come alone and is accompanied by yet another red-toned watch. A sportier, more casual-oriented member of the Elegance collection with familiar traits, the new SBGA499 retains the same overall inspiration and still pays tribute to the 20th anniversary of the Spring Drive calibre 9R series.
In a collecting world where mechanical watchmaking is king, Spring Drive looks at things from a slightly different angle – in a typical Japanese way, if you want. First developed in the 1970s, introduced by Seiko in 1999 and launched within Grand Seiko’s collection in 2004, Spring Drive can be seen as the watchmaking equivalent of hybrid engines in cars. The best of both worlds for some, it combines the beauty and perpetuity of a mechanical movement with the precision of quartz, used to regulate the movement to a precision that would be almost unattainable by a standard regulating organ (± 1 second per day / ± 15 seconds per month).
This year, Grand Seiko celebrates the 20th anniversary of its Calibre 9R series, which has been at the heart of most of its Spring Drive watches ever since 2004. As you’d expect, this new reference SBGA499 continues the legacy and is powered by the calibre 9R65 – a classic from the collection found in multiple references. This time-and-date movement, with an additional power reserve indicator on the dial side, offers superior precision, a comfortable 3-day power reserve and the beauty of a gliding seconds hand. Automatic with a central rotor, it’s visible through the caseback with refined finishing.
But let’s now talk about the watch, this Elegance Spring Drive SBGA499. At a glance, you can immediately recognise the familiar design of this collection, shared with iconic models such as the GMT SBGM221 or the time-only SBGW301. The recipe is simple yet efficient: a fully polished and smooth case, a flat bezel framing a box-shaped sapphire crystal, domed casebands, and nicely designed lugs with a slightly polished, slightly twisted facet. Dimensions here are reasonable, with a 40.2mm diameter and a 12.8mm thickness. Water-resistance is also very decent, rated at 100m. Nothing new here…
What changes is the dial, which is once again inspired by the rising sun in Karasawa Cirque, surrounded by the Hotaka peaks and autumn foliage. Just like the Elegance Karasawa SBGY035, this new Elegance SBGA499 brings a deep red tone and gold accents to add this late summer or early autumn touch. The dial is glossy, rich, deep-red colour, contrasting with the bevelled, brushed and polished hands and markers. A date window sits at 3 o’clock – too bad that the disc doesn’t match the colour of the dial.
Adding versatility to this new reference, Grand Seiko offers the SBGA499 on a 3-link stainless steel bracelet (19mm width), closed by a folding clasp – I can imagine that this handsome and characterful dial would be nicely complemented by a tone-on-tone strap, too… A bold choice, but this could work.
Released as a limited edition of 1,500 pieces and available on 1 September 2024, the Grand Seiko Elegance Spring Drive SBGA499 will retail for EUR 6,300. For more details, please visit www.grand-seiko.com.
