Up Close: Grand Seiko Heritage Collection SBGH287 “Snow on Blue Lake”
For the third year running Grand Seiko’s distributor in Southeast Asia gets a limited edition exclusively available in the markets it represents, namely Brunei, Hong Kong, Macau, Malaysia, and Singapore. Following the large and sporty “Champagne Diamond” of 2020, this year’s edition is just right in terms of size, style and function. The Heritage Collection SBGH287 “Snow on Blue Lake” is classic Grand Seiko – it’s an automatic with time and date – in a compact, 40 mm package that’s quintessential Grand Seiko in style. But its best feature – as is often the case with Grand Seiko limited editions – is the textured dial that’s finely grained and rendered in pale blue, a colour meant to evoke fresh snow as it reflects the colour of the blue sky. Initial thoughts Going by its previous editions, it is clear that Grand Seiko’s representative in the Southeast Asia, Thong Sia Group, has a good eye. With the brand already offering a seemingly endless stream of iterations in familiar colours and textures, it is surely challenging to conceive of something that combines existing elements while still being unusual and tasteful, but Thong Sia and Grand Seiko aced it. With its light blue palette, the dial of the SBGH287 calls to mind past models like the SBGA407 “Blue Snowflake” and SBGY007 “Omiwatari”, but its texture is different from either of the two. The finish is granular and slightly sparkly, living up to its snowy nickname. Dial aside, the ...