Grand Seiko unveils new model featuring woodgrain dial honouring the founder's beliefs

To commemorate the 140th anniversary of Seiko's founding, Grand Seiko has announced a new model that expresses the founder's beliefs and Seiko's evolution through the image of the tree rings. This special limited edition model features the new Spring Drive movement, Cal. 9RA2, housed in an 18K pink gold case. Only 140 pieces will be available worldwide, with sales scheduled to begin on Friday, November 19, 2021.

The second in the unique "Tree Ring Dial" series

　Grand Seiko is celebrating its 140th anniversary in 2021, and is releasing several commemorative models throughout the year. The newly announced "Heritage Collection Seiko 140th Anniversary Model" SLGA008 is a high-end Grand Seiko model featuring an organic dial, a new Spring Drive movement, and an 18K pink gold case.

　Based on the creed of Seiko's founder, Kintaro Hattori, to "always be one step ahead of the times," Grand Seiko has aimed to create the finest watches since the brand's founding. The brand has continued to innovate and evolve in order to pursue and realize the essential qualities of a watch, such as accuracy, ease of viewing, and beauty, at a higher level.

　This model reflects the founder's beliefs and the evolution of the brand on a dial that resembles a large tree that grows one layer each year. This concept was first adopted in the mechanical model equipped with the caliber 9SA5, which was released in July this year, and combined a black dial with a platinum case.

　The new model, which follows on from this, combines a dark brown dial with a pink gold case, creating a warm look that contrasts with the previous model. The dial, which is based on the motif of the growth rings of a large tree, has a greater difference in height than conventional stamped patterns, and the streamlined wood grain grooves are decorated with hundreds of fine veins, giving it an original and realistic texture.

　As is typical of Grand Seiko, which places great importance on legibility, the design of the indices and hands has been given special attention. Like the case, the indices are made of 18K pink gold and are carved from a solid block. They are polished and hairline-finished, with a deep groove in the center, giving them a delicate and beautiful shine. The hands are also similar, with sharply beveled hour and minute hands creating a strong contrast that enhances legibility.

　Additionally, the case design inherits the design adopted for the 44GS, released in 1967, while incorporating the Japanese sensibility of finding beauty "between light and shadow." The surface, finished with Grand Seiko's specialty, Zaratsu polishing, is almost distortion-free, creating an unparalleled texture.

The new Spring Drive movement that will lead the next generation

　This model is equipped with the new Grand Seiko-exclusive caliber 9RA2, which has the same performance as the innovative caliber 9RA5, developed in 2020, but with a new power reserve indicator placed on the gear train bridge.

　By offsetting the "Magic Lever" automatic winding mechanism from its usual central position, the movement has been made thinner. In addition, by positioning the crown as close to the case back as possible, the center of gravity has been lowered, improving the fit of the case.

The movement features a blue steel power reserve hand and a "Shinshu frost finish" that represents the frost seen in the bitterly cold Shinshu region, and can be viewed through the transparent case back.

　The Caliber 9RA2 has evolved in many ways and is an innovative movement that will lead the next generation of Grand Seiko.