About the Evolution 9 Style
Elucidating the design aims of the Evolution 9 Collection
from the SLGH005 “White Birch”
The innovative Grand Seiko design houses the Caliber 9SA5, which was newly developed in 2020, yet it showcases its consistency with Grand Seiko’s legacy. Its design elements were compiled into a code and subsequently embodied in the Evolution 9 Style. How was the design conceived, and what was the underlying aim? Let’s take a look behind the scenes.
The watch commonly known as the 44GS was released in 1967, and it inspired the design concept of Grand Seiko. Indeed, the design elements incorporated in the 44GS were later codified as the Grand Seiko Style, defining the design of Grand Seiko. The new design code is themed “freedom from the constraints of the times,” for the Grand Seiko Evolution 9 Collection is an updated version of the Grand Seiko Style.
Design planning started with the question: “What kind of watch is Grand Seiko in the first place?” In other words, it was about deciphering the basics of Grand Seiko. What would be the ideal design for a watch that encases the outstanding automatic movement of the Caliber 9SA5? This profound theme was crystalized in the SLGH005, known as the “White Birch” model, with nine design elements included. As with the 44GS, since the SLGH005 had design elements that were considered essential to the Grand Seiko collections that followed, design elements were extracted as design codes to be later embodied in the Evolution 9 Style. The new design features three major advances: They include aesthetics and legibility, which Grand Seiko has sought over many years, together with superb wearing comfort.
Thoroughly explaining the Evolution 9 Style showcased
in the “White Birch” model
in the “White Birch” model
<Ⅰ.Evolution of aesthetics>
Hairline gradation imparts a “light and shadow” effect for a more three-dimensional appearance
Grand Seiko has an image of being earnest, simple and sturdy, whereas the new Caliber 9SA5 symbolizes the spirit of innovation. The Evolution 9 Style had to be designed in such a way that it could combine these two different qualities. And the heritage of the Grand Seiko models served as the source of inspiration.
Grand Seiko models in the past, such as 61GS V.F.A., expressed the high precision of watches with fine indexes. The Evolution 9 Style expresses the same message in its case design. The four lugs securing the bracelet have been created in as straight a form as possible, instead of a curved line to fit the contour of the wrist. Grand Seiko are elongated to the tip. This feature plays a part in improving wearability and emphasizing the watch as an object.Although the initial idea for the design of the Evolution 9 Style included lugs that were bent downward, they were finally redesigned so that the tips were lifted upward to create a characteristically sharp form.
The vertical lugs were conceived from sculptural methods. For instance, with sculptures, the finished object may look light despite the heavy materials used. The figurative technique produces beauty from tension. Likewise, the design team envisioned a case that looks light and airy despite its volume. They also included elements of “light and shadow” in the design. Grand Seiko models in the past had a larger portion of mirrored surfaces for a dressy look that went with business suits. The Evolution 9, on the other hand, was designed for a contemporary work environment, where people not only wear suits but active attire as well.
This was why the use of mirrored surfaces, one of the characteristic features of the 44GS and other Grand Seiko models, was restrained and replaced by hairline finishing. Reducing the mirror finish and increasing the hairline finish made the mirror finish on the exterior more prominent. In the end, the team was successful in coming up with a design that showcased a sharper contrast than the recent predecessors of Grand Seiko.
<Ⅱ.Evolution in legibility>
Taking a cue from the first GS, a sharper contrast is rendered for the hands and indexes.
The Evolution 9 Style was reviewed for the element of legibility, a signature feature of Grand Seiko. The first thing that catches the eye is the sharp contrast rendered for the hour and minute hands.
To showcase the value of housing a superior caliber, the team decided from the start to design the 12 o’clock index larger.
The advanced legibility is embodied in the large indexes, along with the different thicknesses of the hour and minute hands. As the team probed into the functions essential to Grand Seiko, they elucidated what outstanding legibility is all about in the true sense. This was how the idea of changing the thickness of the hour and minute hands was conceived. They initially designed both hands with pointed tips, but they later trimmed the tip of the hour hand so that it overlapped the indexes. This was so that users would be able to read the approximate time at a glance or tell the exact time by closely looking at the slim minute hand. Eventually, the functional design was completed.
The clearance between the hands and the dial, which has always had a generous clearance with Grand Seiko, is reduced in the Evolution 9. Furthermore, the tips of the minute and seconds hands are significantly bent toward the dial to enable users to read the time with ease, even from a diagonal direction. A ring-shaped part inclined inward is fitted on the outer rim of the dials. The minute track printed on the inclined ring brings the hands as close as possible to the track.
<Ⅲ.Evolution in wearing comfort>
Another advanced feature of the SLGH005 is its relatively slim case, which is made possible by the Caliber 9SA5, which is thinner than the previous 9S calibers. Its bracelet, with its appropriate width and thickness, uses links that are 1 mm shorter than their normal counterparts, which promises even greater wearing comfort.
The SLGA009 with the Spring Drive 5 Days automatic movement is basically identical in design to the SLGH005. Although Its bracelet appears to have three rows, it actually consists of five, using two narrow links in between. Following the tradition of Grand Seiko, the links have an optimum allowance of moving sideways for better wearability.
A next-generation movement allows enhanced wearability by lowering the center of gravity and expanding the lug width
Aesthetics and legibility are two elements that have been pursued in previous Grand Seiko models. What makes the Evolution 9 Style unique is the added focus on wearability.
The 44GS model that established the Grand Seiko Style in 1967 housed a thin, manual-winding movement. At the time, there was no need to consider the issue of improving wearability. However, after the dawn of automatic movements and the pursuit of sturdiness, the movement increased in thickness. This is why wearability became an element to be considered.
The first thing our Grand Seiko team worked on to define the Evolution 9 Style was to lower the center of gravity. As with a car, the watch becomes less shaky as the center of gravity is lowered. When the movement is positioned closer to the case back, the weight of the watch body moves closer to the wrist. Moreover, Grand Seiko models after the 44GS had cases with the sides shaved off toward the case back. This time, however, the team took on the challenge of leaving something behind. Using a three-dimensional crystal was another way to lower the center of gravity. The difference in the actual dimensions may be minimal, but as long as the glass was raised to secure a hollow space for the movement of the hands, the height of the glass rim could be significantly lowered to render a thin appearance.
The bracelet was also entirely reinterpreted. Its predecessors have bracelets with a width of 20 mm attached to cases 40 mm in diameter. The SLGH005 are designed to have a 22 mm-wide bracelet in line with the Evolution 9 Style. A wider bracelet disperses the weight of the watch, improving wearing comfort.
Alterations were made not only to the width of the bracelet but also to the attached position. Compared with the previous models, the team chose to use links that were 1 mm shorter for a better fit. The bracelet is also thicker so that the lugs and bracelet have a seamless look. As a result of designing a thicker bracelet, the weight of the watch body and bracelet achieve a balance. The Grand Seiko Style is inherited in the bracelet by preserving the narrow mirror surface links and the hairline finish of its predecessors.
Interview
Kiyotaka Sakai Product Designer
Sakai joined the company in 2012. Today he is in charge of designing Grand Seiko, after developing watches for domestic and international markets. He designed the Evolution 9 Collection, the “White Birch” and the thin dress watch series. His designs have received several awards, including GPHG and the Red Dot Design Award.
Photographs by Eiichi Okuyama
Text by Masayuki Hirota (Editor-in-Chief of Chronos Japan Edition)
