A gathering of Grand Seiko GMTs. A GS Chrono. A Presage Chrono. An Alpinist re-creation. A Prospex re-interpretation of the dive watch that went to the tops of the world. All this and more is what Seiko Watch Corporation Chairman and CEO presented to the world February 24, 2021. The old with the new, heritage with technology. He quoted the vision of his great grandfather and Seiko founder Kintaro Hattori in discussing how all must move forward regardless of how the world was going. “Don’t run but always keep going” He would say. “Always one step ahead of the rest” Great news for longtime enthusiasts and fans of the brand. And with renewed interest in the wider array of names within Seiko, great news for all the new enthusiasts and buyers as well.
The new 2021 Grand Seiko GMT watches. Inspiration of color and texture in a family of elegance
A personal favorite of many will be the new series of Grand Seiko GMT watches inspired by the many seasonal phases, or sekki, of Japan. The colored and textured dials are a wonderful addition to their elegant GMT line that has it’s own look in a world awash with sporty travel watches. And just to remind everyone that they will always be going forward, this release has four watches. In Japan, there are 24 seasonal phases. The watches are powered either by the Hi-Beat 36000 GMT Calibre 9S86 or the Spring Drive GMT Calibre 9R66.
The new 2021 Grand Seiko Spring Drive Chronograph GMT SBGC240 140th Anniversary Limited Edition joins the Sport Collection with a little gold flash
This new Grand Seiko is more bold than elegant, as befitting the Sport Collection Family. A GMT as well, the limited run of 500 pieces uses the Spring Drive Calibres 9R86 but encased in a new design and a new combination of materials. The bezel has the flash, a dodecahedron shape with a zirconia ceramic outer layer and an 18k gold base. The case itself is a study of contrasts, hairline finish with details of zaratsu polishing. Definitely more attention-getting than the other GS GMT releases this year.
And a non-GMT. The Grand Seiko Heritage Collection 140th Anniversary Limited Edition SLGH007
This limited run of 140 pieces uses a platinum 950 case and clasp, but that actually isn’t the interesting part. The dark dial has flow, delicate lines in a series that are meant to remind you of the rings that are created every year a tree grows. The wood grain pattern uses small but visible variations in depth to create lighter and darker tones on the dial. The case is is a clear Series 9, the movement a Hi-Beat 36000 9SA5. A sapphire crystal case back shows the highly finished movement
The Grand Seiko Spring Drive 8 Day Jewelry Watch
Seiko 140th Anniversary Limited Edition SBGD207
Clearly a specialty piece, especially with a run of only 15 pieces, this jewelry watch is in Platinum 950 and has 97 diamonds and 24 green garnets. The green garnets act as indices on the mother-of-pearl dial. It uses the Calibre 9R01 manual-wind movement, which has a specially-shaped bridge created in the shape of Mt. Fuji and the landscape that surrounds the Micro Artist Studio that creates the watch. It is visible on the back through the sapphire crystal.
