SpotlightGrand Seiko Launch Two New GMT Watches In Their Sport And Elegance Collections

Known for their timepieces that exhibit unparalleled haute horlogerie finesse, Grand Seiko have upped the ante when it comes to mechanical watchmaking. Their two exclusive studios in Japan—Studio Shizukuishi located in the mountainous area of Iwate prefecture in Northern Japan, and the Shinshu Watch Studio in the Nagano prefecture, produce some of the most outstanding watches in the business, using exclusive movements and the highest grade materials. Their Calibre 9S, which debuted in 1998 ushered in quite the revolution and has become the cornerstone for all Grand Seiko watches due to its high precision and excellent durability. In fact the brand have developed an entire series of movements based on this calibre, equipped with different functions, escapements, and complications. And since this year marks the 25^th anniversary of this movement, Grand Seiko have launched two new GMT watches in its Sport and Elegance Collections—each inspired by the azure blue skies over Mount Iwate in the Iwate prefecture, where all Grand Seiko mechanical watches are hand-assembled by skilled watchmakers. Here’s a closer look.

The new watch in the Sport Collection comes in a limited-edition of 2,000 pieces and stands out for its gorgeous dial, crafted in a manner where it illustrates a sea of dense clouds floating on the surface. And on turning the watch over, one can view the movement partially through the sapphire crystal caseback. Here, the titanium oscillating weight comes in a shade of light blue to match the hue of the dial and looks aesthetically quite pleasing. This shade has been achieved through an anodic oxidation process. This is defined as a surface treatment, where the metal is subjected to electrolysis so as to artificially generate an oxide film. This titanium oxide film produces colour according to the light refraction index, enabling the production of different hues by varying the thickness of the film. This is also the first time that a Grand Seiko mechanical timepiece, offering a water-resistance of 200m, features an exhibition caseback

The new watch in the Sport Collection comes in a limited-edition of 2,000 pieces and stands out for its gorgeous dial, crafted in a manner where it illustrates a sea of dense clouds floating on the surface

On turning the watch over, one can view the movement, which features a titanium oscillating weight in a shade of light blue, which matches the hue of the dial and looks aesthetically pleasing

The dial is topped by a rotating bezel with a sapphire crystal in blue and white and amps up the design aesthetics of the watch, in sync with the overall colour scheme. The GMT function here allows a total of three time zones to be read, all at once and is powered by the hi-beat automatic Calibre 9S86, which operates at a frequency of 36,000vph with a power reserve of approximately 55 hours.

The second model is part of the Elegance collection and features a blue dial with a beautiful sunray finish

This limited-edition of 1,700 pieces follows the trajectory of most watches that are part of the Elegance collection ie showcasing a classic form in terms of design

The second model is part of the Elegance collection and features a blue dial with a beautiful sunray finish. This limited-edition of 1,700 pieces follows the trajectory of most watches that are part of the Elegance collection ie showcasing a classic form in terms of design. It features a mirror-finished bezel and case, gently curved lugs with a distortion-free mirror finish achieved through Zaratsu polishing, and a box-shaped sapphire crystal. This watch also has a see-through caseback, which provides a view of the 9S66 GMT movement, decorated with a titanium oscillating weight in blue, achieved by the same anodic oxidation treatment. It operates at a frequency of 28,800vph and can function for up to 72 hours.

It features a mirror-finished bezel and case, gently curved lugs with a distortion-free mirror finish achieved through Zaratsu polishing, and a box-shaped sapphire crystal

The GMT function is pretty easy to use and is ensured through the local hour hand, which is independently adjustable to maintain precision in timekeeping, even when one is in different zones

Pulling the crown out by one notch enables the hour hand to be adjusted without stopping the minutes or seconds hand so that the accuracy is not compromised

The see-through caseback provides a view of the 9S66 GMT movement, decorated with a titanium oscillating weight in blue, achieved by an anodic oxidation process

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The GMT function is pretty easy to use and is ensured through the local hour hand, which is independently adjustable to maintain precision in timekeeping, even when one is travelling and adjusting times in different zones. Pulling the crown out by one notch enables the hour hand to be adjusted without stopping the minutes or seconds hand so that the accuracy is not compromised. There is also a blue 24-hour scale printed on the pale blue sunray dial, which displays the second time zone, along with a date window, placed neatly at the three o’clock position.