Grand Seiko will only produce 2,000 pieces of the SBGP017, and they will be available as of July 2022. The SBGP017 with its thinner case has a much more attractive price tag of €3,800. The GS Evolution 9 watches are significantly more expensive than the other GS collections, such as the Heritage and Elegance. With the Evolution 9 series, the thickness problem has been solved, but that, of course, comes at a certain price. Looking at my own Grand Seiko with a 44GS-style case ( SBGJ201), this new release is nearly 4mm thinner. The case of the Grand Seiko 44GS 55th Anniversary Limited Edition measures 40mm in diameter and only 10.7mm in height. As always, the applied hour markers, handset, and date-window frame are impeccable when it comes to finishing. On the Grand Seiko website, you will find a brilliant rundown of all features of the 9F calibers, which is worth a read. The date also changes instantaneously at midnight, so you’ll never see the calendar in “limbo mode”. Caliber 9F85 also allows you to adjust the hour hand in one-hour increments without stopping the seconds. This five-pointed star indicates that it has a 9F quartz movement with a deviation of just ±5 seconds per year. On the dial, you’ll find a blue applied GS logo at the top, as well as a gold applied star at 6 o’clock. I think this is something the enthusiasts and collectors need to do, not the brand.
It also made me smile to see that Grand Seiko itself didn’t decide on a nickname this time. I am wondering what nickname the community will come up with now. Jokes aside, the textured blue dial on this Grand Seiko SBGP017 simply looks stunning.
Unfinished wooden hand mirror full#
The press release continues to explain how this sea of clouds originates, but I will happily direct you to the official Grand Seiko website for the full description. Please note, however, that this sea of clouds can be only witnessed on “some mornings”, definitely not all. As always, the poetic marketing gurus at Grand Seiko came up with an amazing description for this blue dial.Īccording to them, the dial is inspired by the sea of clouds that can be seen in the mountain area of the Shinshu region in Japan. Grand Seiko is famous for the work of its dial magicians, and the SBGP017 is another perfect example. This watch belongs to the Heritage Collection and its official name is the “44GS 55th Anniversary Limited Edition”.įor most people, the beauty of Grand Seiko is not only in the 44GS-style case but also in the dial. For this anniversary, Grand Seiko decided to celebrate “in style” (no pun intended) and came up with this beautiful 40mm Grand Seiko reference SBGP017. The 44GS, or Grand Seiko Style, as it’s often referred to, was invented by Seiko’s Taro Tanaka and came to fruition in 1967 as we covered in this article. This year is the 55th anniversary of the Grand Seiko 44GS design. SBGP017 - A celebration of the Grand Seiko Styleīefore I jump into the details of the new Grand Seiko SBGP017, let’s take a step back for a moment. In fact, I think it looks nicer than many of the cheaper (or unfinished) mechanical movements I sometimes come across. It’s a joy to observe, despite the lack of moving parts and the battery. Not only by its features - such as thermo-compensation and a regulatory wheel that adjusts the backlash between gears to prevent vibration of the second hand - but also by the beautiful finishing of the movement. When I saw the quartz movement through the sapphire case back of that watch, I was smitten by it. But in 2016, when I reviewed my first Grand Seiko quartz model (SBGV019G), it didn’t take long to fall for the caliber 9F. Truth be told, I needed some convincing as well. Combining signature aesthetics with a beautiful (and visible) 9F caliber, it’s a convincing package even for skeptics of quartz.
Today, the brand announces its newest release, the SBGP017. As the brand does so, more and more collectors are realizing that a quartz Grand Seiko is no longer a compromise. Grand Seiko, however, keeps pushing the 9F caliber into its attractive new collections. Journe’s exclusivity and ballooning gray-market prices make buying a quartz-powered Eleganté an extremely costly endeavor. But Rolex discontinued the OysterQuartz nearly 20 years ago, and Breitling mainly uses the SuperQuartz in its digital watches. Journe with its caliber 1210 are also to credit. Surely, brands like Breitling with its SuperQuartz, Rolex with its OysterQuartz, as well as super-high-end brands like F.P. It’s a brand like Grand Seiko with its prestigious high-end quartz calibers that is making this type of movement desirable again. In my opinion, that’s largely thanks to Grand Seiko’s beautiful 9F movements. Quartz movements are getting more respect from watch enthusiasts these days.
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