Grand Seiko Celebrates the 20th Anniversary of Iconic Spring Drive Movement with a Pair of Watches

Now considered to be a paragon of horological brilliance and beauty, Grand Seiko was originally intended to be a luxury-focused watch range from Japanese giant Seiko in 1960. Going independent in 2017, GS has given us some of the most impressive mechanical movements ever crafted while arguably being the generators of some of the most beautiful dials in the world — which we somehow get to see on a regular basis. 

Celebrating 20 years of its groundbreaking Caliber 9R Spring Drive movement, the Japanese luxury brand has already given us its first manually-wound movement in 50 years as well as a beautiful GMT chronograph. Now, it presents us with two more anniversary editions to commemorate the occasion.

Hybrid Workhorse

In 2004, the folks at Grand Seiko unveiled what would end up being among the most significant horological creations of the 21st century so far (and still) after over two decades of R&D. It was a hybrid movement blending functions from both mechanical and quartz calibers. Essentially, the mainspring of a traditional mechanical movement gets wound and powers the hands as it unwinds, and the balance spring is what regulates the mainspring’s accuracy. However, in the Spring Drive movement, the mainspring’s accuracy is managed by an electronic speed-regulating unit. 

Electronic quartz movements, while not as eloquent or expensive as an automatic movement, are far more accurate. As such, Grand Seiko has referred to its Spring Drive as a “mechanical watch having accuracy equivalent to a quartz watch.”

Grand Seiko SBGY035 Basics

As stated, this newest release consists of a pair of watches. First up is the SBGY035, a classic time-only dress watch featuring a manual-winding-based Caliber 9R31 Spring Drive inside a stainless steel measuring 38.5mm across with a 10.2mm thickness just like your standard SBGY case. Paired with a crocodile leather strap with a folding clasp, the watch has a power reserve of 72 hours.

But the real star here is the dial, with brush-stroked texturing “inspired by the enchanting morning glow of the Hotaka mountain range.” It’s nothing we haven’t seen before but now it gets a cool deep red hue. Grand Seiko continues that the dial’s gradation effect reflects “the vibrant red of the mountain landscape as it awakens. At the periphery, a deep red gradually brightens toward the center, mirroring the radiant glow of autumn leaves emerging from the darkness of dawn.” Pretty deep stuff.

Grand Seiko SBGA499 Basics

Next up is the SBGA499, powered by the Caliber 9R65 Spring Drive, which is an automatic-based movement. As with the SBGY035, the movement on this watch is visible through the exhibition caseback. The case size here is a bit larger with a 40.2mm diameter and 12.8mm thickness. And as expected, this 9R features a power reserve indicator and date window along with its handset, the former of which gets a notable rose gold color.

Like the first watch, the dial here is also deep red, although without the brushstrokes. Radiating more thanks to its sunray finish, the dial “captures the brilliance of autumn leaves bathed in golden morning sunlight” according to GS. It also has 100m of water resistance compared to the mere 30m on the SGBA499.

Spec Sheet

Pricing & Availability

Both a part of the brand’s Elegance Collection, the SBGY035 and SBGA499 are limited to just 700 and 1,300 units, respectively. Nevertheless, at $8,500 and $5,800 the prices of the watches aren’t that much more than your non-limited counterparts. Head over to Grand Seiko’s website to learn more.

Recap

Grand Seiko 20th Anniversary SBGY035 and SBGA499 Watches

Grand Seiko celebrates 20 years of its groundbreaking Spring Drive hybrid movement with a pair of watches inspired by the autumn sunrise.

Learn More: Grand Seiko