2020 is a special year for Grand Seiko as it is the 60th anniversary of its creation. The date was December 18, 1960. For some time, a determined team in Seiko’s Suwa facility in central Japan had been working on the creation of a watch that would be as precise, durable, comfortable and beautiful as humanly possible. On that day, the result of all their efforts was released. It was a watch with a 14k gold filled case and a slim movement whose precision met the highest international standard of the time. Such was the level of their achievement that it was decided to call the watch Grand Seiko. Now, in this special year, a new re-creation of the first Grand Seiko watch from 1960 takes its permanent place in the collection.
ORIGINAL
ORIGINAL
The first Grand Seiko born on December 18, 1960.
It was the determination to excel that brought about the birth of Grand Seiko in 1960. During its development and ever since, the idea that drove the designers and engineers was that Grand Seiko should be the ‘ideal’ watch with standards of precision, durability and beauty that would lead the world.
DESIGN
The re-creation is presented in three versions, all with the same slim profile and high precision afforded by the use of the manual-winding caliber 9S64.
The case shape and the softly curved dial and hands are entirely faithful to the 1960 original, but the case back is now in sapphire, revealing the beautiful finish of the movement. In line with today’s aesthetic, the case diameter has been increased from 35mm to 38mm and a three-fold clasp makes the watch easy to wear.
All three offer a remarkable blend of slimness, efficiency and precision. The cases are just 10.9mm in depth, the power reserve is 72 hours and the accuracy rate is +5 to –3 seconds per day. All three versions feature crocodile straps. All three watches in the series will be available at Grand Seiko Boutiques from June 2020 onwards.
MOVEMENT
9S Mechanical
The concept of Grand Seiko was born from the desire to build the world's best watch, and the collection continues to push precision in mechanical watches to the limits of timekeeping technology.
As a true manufacture, Grand Seiko incorporates the latest technology alongside its breadth of craftsmanship to raise the art of watchmaking to its peak.
With anywhere between 200 and 300 individual parts, mechanical watches must exhibit a near-perfect consistency of functionality in the detail of these parts to ensure the precision of the movement. Seiko employs Micro Electro Mechanical Systems (MEMS) technology in the manufacturing of its escapements, bringing the mechanical accuracy of its parts to the forefront of technology.
Mere parts alone, however, cannot constitute the level of precision for which Grand Seiko is renowned.
The task of assembling Grand Seiko is borne by craftsmen and women who have honed their craft to such an extent that they can adjust parts by hand to tolerances of one hundredth of a millimeter. This extremely detailed craftsmanship is what has made possible the very precise timekeeping delivered by the 9S mechanical movement.
Manual-winding 3-DAY Power Reserve
Caliber 9S64
Manual-winding 3-DAY Power Reserve
Caliber 9S64
The Caliber 9S64 has improved its duration from about 50 hours to about 72 hours (about 3 days) to achieve more stable accuracy.
This caliber has a beautiful appearance with a sense of unity unique to manual winding movements.
The case in the platinum version is in Platinum 950 and the dial carries the star mark that signifies that its hour markers are in 18k gold. The engraving of the Grand Seiko name on the dial is particularly sharp thanks to the fact that the dial, too, is in 18k gold.
Re-creations of the first Grand Seiko
Platinum 950
The third case is in Brilliant Hard Titanium, which is exclusive to Grand Seiko. It is as light as pure titanium but twice as hard as stainless steel and therefore highly resistant to scratches. Its color is brighter than the other forms of titanium used for Grand Seiko and allows the Zaratsu polished surfaces to stand out even more prominently.
Re-creations of the first Grand Seiko
Brilliant Hard Titanium
