Schwarzesbrett » Grand Seiko replica watches

Grand Seiko shines on multiple fronts at Watches & Wonders 2024 From new hand-wound high-frequency movements to patented dial treatments, the Japanese watchmaker’s watchmaking prowess was on full display.

Since its debut at Watches & Wonders 2022, Grand Seiko has been one of the most talked-about brands at the show; it debuted its first mechanical complication, the Kodo Constant Force Tourbillon, and followed up last year with its first mechanical chronograph, the Tentagraph. This year, it covered all the bases with a range of elegant dress watches and beautiful sports watches, while catching the eye with the 20th anniversary Spring Drive Caliber 9R, an updated version of the GPHG-winning Kodo, and even a new high-frequency movement. Here are some of the highlights.

Evolution 9 (Ref: SLGW002 and SLGW003)
Grand Seiko’s headline products may not be as flashy as in previous years, but they’re just as noteworthy. At first glance, both watches feature textured dials said to be inspired by birch trees. Yet, hidden within this otherwise understated dress watch is the Japanese watchmaker’s first manual-winding high-beat movement in 50 years, the Calibre 9SA4, the third automatic movement in the 9S platform, which includes the Tentagraph’s 9SC5.

Although based on the Calibre 9SA5 and sharing some common features, such as a 10-beat frequency and 80-hour power reserve (thanks to an efficient double-impulse escapement and two barrels), nearly 40 percent of the 9SA4 has been redesigned and reworked to enhance the tactile, auditory, and visual experience of winding. For example, its pawls (the parts that make the ratchet wheel resist the force of the mainspring) are shaped like wagtails, and their bird-like pecking action can be observed through the sapphire crystal caseback when winding.

The 38.6mm case is just 9.95mm thick and is available in either shiny hard titanium (Ref. SLGW003) or 18K rose gold (Ref. SLGW002). The “star” designation indicates that its hour markers are also made of yellow gold.

Calibre 9R 20th Anniversary Limited Edition (Ref. SBGC275)
Celebrating the 20th anniversary of the first Grand Seiko watch to feature the 9R Spring Drive movement, this new Spring Drive Chronograph GMT features a patented dial treatment called “Optical Multi-Coating”. Essentially, multiple layers of nano-thin films are applied via physical vapor deposition to highlight the dial’s intricate “lion’s mane” texture. The dial’s design is inspired by the Hotaka Mountains and, thanks to a novel technique, it appears to change color, evoking the colors of a summer morning amidst the vast landscape.

Limited to 700 pieces, the Ref. SBGC275’s 44.5mm case houses the self-winding Spring Drive Chronograph GMT Calibre 9R96, a specially calibrated version of the 9R86 with an accuracy of ±10 seconds per month and a power reserve of 72 hours.

Kodo Constant Force Tourbillon (Ref. SLGT005)
Speaking of mornings, the Kodo Constant Force Tourbillon returns this year, inspired by dawn. The 2022 original, which won the Chronometer Award at that year’s GPHG, was a bit somber with its grey-toned interweaving of light and shadow, but the new Ref. SLGT005 lights things up with silver-toned movement components that recall dawn. Notably, sapphires are used for the first time in a Grand Seiko movement, seemingly mimicking morning dew.

Housed in a 43.8 mm diameter case in 950 platinum (inner case) and bright hardened titanium (outer case), the innovative Calibre 9ST1 is more striking than ever, as its meticulously hand-finished components are even more visible here. Barely shielding the curious eye, this 340-part skeleton movement proudly displays its inner workings, including the ingenious integration of the constant-force mechanism and tourbillon as a unit on one axis, thus ensuring that the transmitted torque is not lost or varied.