I obtained a way that Grand Seiko was simply getting warmed up with the announcement of its 60th Anniversary items final month, and boy was that ever placing it mildly. Persevering with the anniversary comes reference SLGA001 – a burly 600 meter titanium dive watch geared up with a groundbreaking new five-day Spring Drive motion that’s objectively higher than its predecessor in practically each manner.
Earlier than we get too *ahem* deep into the brand new dive watch, it’s price noting that the 60th anniversary is acknowledged as a extra momentous event in Japanese tradition – notably within the realm of timekeeping, the place 60 is after all the first governor for 2 of any watch’s most vital capabilities: seconds and minutes. However in a extra esoteric sense, 60 can also be a divisor of the speed at which practically all mechanical watches are regulated: 36,000bph (60 x 600), 28,800 (60 x 480), and 21,600bph (60 x 350). It bears repeating that since many of the 60th anniversary releases we’ve seen to date are restricted in some capability, it’s extremely unlikely that any of that is the final of what Grand Seiko has for its followers in 2020.
The brand new five-day Spring Drive 9RA5 calibre
If this explicit reference appears acquainted – it ought to. It’s markedly much like a mainstay in Grand Seiko’s sport assortment: reference SBGH255, which has lengthy been powered by a Hello-Beat automated motion (go hands-on with that reference proper right here). I say ’comparable,’ as a result of due to the up to date proportions of the brand new Spring Drive calibre 9RA5, this new diver is available in a millimeter thinner at 16mm, but it surely’s nonetheless the identical 46.9mm (c’mon, let’s simply name it what it’s: it is a 47mm diver) titanium case. Whether or not the brand new proportions have been achieved by merely utilizing a less-domed sapphire crystal or a slimmer caseback stays to be seen – however judging from the Zaratsu-polished case sides, sharp bevels, and stubby, sculpted lug design, it’s extremely probably that these each make the most of the identical bodily case.
The brand new Magic Lever winding system has been de-centered to scale back its general thickness
All that being stated, the true story right here is the motion – and an enormous factor of what makes Grand Seiko such a compelling model to observe is for its wholly proprietary motion know-how – particularly, their improvements with the Spring Drive, which is arguably one of the subtle mass-produced mechanical actions that cash should purchase. In the event you’re new to Grand Seiko, Spring Drive primarily makes use of a standard rotor-wound mainspring design however it’s regulated by the staggering precision of an in-house produced quartz module. A 3-day energy reserve and an ultra-smooth sweeping seconds hand have all the time been the hallmarks of Spring Drive, however everytime you’re prepared for a deeper dive, don’t miss David’s exhaustive rationalization on how this know-how works, proper right here.
The 9RA5 calibre makes use of two mainspring barrels, rising the reserve to 120 hours (5 days) and offering extra energy wanted for a faster date change
This new 9RA5 calibre ups the ante on the 9R6-series Spring Drive actions in just about each significant manner: it’s now much more correct (+/- 10 seconds a month, improved from 15 seconds a month) due to thermo-compensated regulation of the quartz oscillators – an innovation borrowed from Grand Seiko’s 9F-series quartz actions, however a primary for Spring Drive. It additionally has an extended energy reserve – elevated to 5 days (120 hours) up from three, it’s extra shock-resistant because of a brand new one-piece middle bridge within the motion, and the pace of the date change at midnight has been dramatically elevated. However Grand Seiko engineers additionally re-positioned crown and winding stem whereas re-orienting the motion’s ‘Magic Lever’ mech with out compromising its winding effectivity, leading to a slimmer general motion, opening up loads of avenues for fascinating watch design for future merchandise.
9RA5 is just 5mm thick, opening up an unlimited array of fascinating Spring Drive-powered watches with skinny instances
Given the magnitude of all these enhancements, it’s just a little ironic that the debut platform for a slimmer, markedly extra succesful new motion isn’t a svelte new sports activities watch with an built-in bracelet (nonetheless ready on Grand Seiko’s Nautilus-killer) however moderately a thick titanium dive watch. Even with out a completely new case design, I personally would have most well-liked to see a limited-edition replace to the much more wearable 44mm SBGA231 – Grand Seiko’s traditional titanium diver which has additionally been lengthy overdue for an replace, but it surely’s additionally comprehensible to see the model reserving precedence for its latest know-how in its flagship fashions. I’ve all the time been a fan of Grand Seiko’s dive watch design – with their fascinating cathedral-inspired handset, outsized utilized hour markers, and ultra-chunky serrated bezels – all the pieces within the watch’s presentation screams ‘functionality,’ proper all the way down to the daring proportions. In the end although, as I discussed above, it’s kind of a case of “when,” not “if” Grand Seiko rolls this new 9RA5 calibre into the remainder of the Spring Drive-equipped line.
As a part of the model’s 60th Anniversary celebration, the Grand Seiko SLGA001 is proscribed to 700 items, and carries an MSRP of $11,100. You’ll be able to be taught extra about this, and the remainder of the anniversary assortment at grand-seiko.com.
