Grand Seiko Releases A Quartet Of New Watches

Sometimes news comes in thick and fast, and just this week Grand Seiko decided to launch not one but four new watches. And as always, there’s plenty to talk about but we’ll stick to the important things first. The reason is simple; we’re aiming to follow these up with hands-on coverage as soon as possible but we didn’t want to make you feel like you’ve missed something. Grand Seiko is well-known for using the dial of a watch as a canvas, and this quartet reaffirms that reputation once more. The news consists of the Grand Seiko Evolution 9 SLGH019G Hi-Beat Mt Iwate, the Grand Seiko “Flow of Seasons” Elegance Collection SBGW281 & SBGW287, and the Grand Seiko Omiwatari SBGY013 Elegance Collection. And don’t worry, we’ll talk you through each one at a time.

Evolution 9 SLGH019g Hi-Beat Mt Iwate

The recipe is simple but captivating, yet again. The new Evolution 9 SLGH019G Hi-Beat Mt Iwate is a 40mm wide and 11.7mm tall sports watch under the Evolution 9 collection, using the “Grammar of Design” aesthetic codes. The case and bracelet are made of high-intensity titanium, also used for the Night Birch SLGH017. In fact, it’s almost an exact copy apart from the dial. Where the Night Birch SLGH017 uses a charcoal tone and that lovely birch-tree pattern, the SLGH019 Mt Iwate comes with a finely textured blue dial inspired by Mt Iwate that overlooks Grand Seiko’s Studio Shizukuishi. Power comes from the Calibre 0SA5, it will be available as of November onwards and will retail for EUR 10,500.

Quick Facts – 40mm x 11.7mm – high-intensity titanium case – box-shaped sapphire crystal – sapphire caseback – 100m water-resistant – finely textured blue dial – applied hour indices – Zaratsu-polished hands – Calibre 9SA5, automatic winding – 47 jewels – Dual Impulse Escapement – Grand Seiko free-sprung balance – 36,000vph – 80h power reserve – hours, minutes, seconds, date – brushed and polished titanium bracelet – EUR 10,500

flow of seasons elegance collection SBGW281 & SBGW287

Next in line is a pair of dress watches under the Flow of Seasons collection, again inspired by nature as so many Grand Seiko watches are. Both have a compact 37.3mm wide stainless steel case that measures 11.7mm in height. A boxed sapphire crystal covers either a sleek champagne (SBGW281) or deep burgundy (SBGW287) dial. faceted hands indicate the time, paired with rectangular indices. A sapphire crystal caseback reveals the Calibre 9S64 that’s also found in the SBGW291GH & SBGW293G. This delivers 72 hours of running time and is regulated to run between -3 to +5 seconds per day. Worn on a crocodile leather strap, both will be available from November 2022 for a price of EUR 4,800.

Quick Facts – 37.3mm x 11.7mm – stainless steel case – box-shaped sapphire crystal – sapphire crystal caseback – splash-proof (no rating specified) – textured champagne or deep burgundy dials – faceted hands and indices – Calibre 9S64 – manual winding – 28.800vph – 72h power reserve – regulated within -3 / +5 seconds per day – hours, minutes seconds – crocodile leather strap – EUR 4,800

omiwatari sbgy013 elegance collection

The fourth novelty from Grand Seiko is the Omiwatari SBGY013 Elegance Collection, inspired by the Japanese legend of Omiwatari or Crossing of the Gods. The ice-white dial mimics the colour and ridges as Lake Suwa (near the Grand Seiko factory) freezes over, with the ridges forming the paths by the gods from one shore to the other according to legend. Set in a 38.5mm wide and 10.2mm thin stainless steel case, the Spring Drive Calibre 9R31 drives the central hour, minutes and seconds hands. The Omiwatari SBGY013 comes on a 9-row stainless steel bracelet and will be available worldwide from November 2022 as well, with a retail price of EUR 8,800.

Quick Facts – 38.5mm x 10.2mm – stainless steel case – sapphire crystal on both sides – splash-proof (no rating specified) – textured ice-white dial – faceted hands and indices – blue seconds hand – Calibre 9R31 – manual winding with Spring Drive technology – 72h power reserve – accuracy rate of ±1 seconds per day – hours, minute, seconds – stainless steel 9-row bracelet – EUR 8,800

For more information, please visit GrandSeiko.com