Results for Spring Drive (9R65 / 9R86)

INTRODUCING: The new Grand Seiko SBGC238 Limited Edition Spring Drive Chronograph is futuristic, aggressive, brilliant

I am beginning to run out of synonyms for the scope of Grand Seiko for 2020, with yet another impressive reference being pulled out of what seems to be a very deep hat. This time we are looking at the Grand Seiko SBGC238, a limited edition of the largest most angular case possibly ever from … ContinuedThe post INTRODUCING: The new Grand Seiko SBGC238 Limited Edition Spring Drive Chronograph is futuristic, aggressive, brilliant appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

Texas Special: Grand Seiko x Timeless SBGE249 Spring Drive GMT “Blizzard”

A blizzard in Texas? That would be the Grand Seiko x Timeless collaboration, the SBGE249 Spring Drive GMT.

Watches & Wonders: Grand Seiko’s Nature-Inspired SBGZ011 Spring Drive Limited Release Shows The Shape of Water

Deep in the heart of a primeval forest lies a waterfall whose fresh spring waters are unspoilt by man, and whose mystic beauty is an endless source of inspiration - for the band of artisans who quietly engrave by hand some of the most intricately detailed watches in the world. It’s not a Studio Ghibli movie: the Tateshina Falls are real, located in central Japan’s Nagano Prefecture, which is also home to Grand Seiko’s Micro Artist Studio. And at Watches and Wonders 2026, a limited release pays tribute to this serene locale with a Spring Drive model that, according to Grand Seiko, “conveys time’s eternal flow in nature.”  The Masterpiece Collection SBGZ011 takes Grand Seiko’s sharp-edged 44GS case - rendered in platinum - and imbues it with hand-engraved lines from lug to lug, around the bezel, and entirely within the dial (save for a thin minute ring). These dashed silver lines flow in colliding swirls, bursting forth and blending into each other with seeming chaos; Grand Seiko suggests that they represent spring water bubbling forth from below the earth’s surface. On the bezel and the case’s flat surfaces and intersecting ridges, the patterns appear even more dramatic, resembling petals of a monochromatic flower. And on the dial, the white-gold hands and markers provide smooth, brilliant contrast, while the Grand Seiko and Spring Drive logos are carved and inset in their own boxes.  The manual-winding Caliber 9R02 is Grand Seiko’s thinnest Spri...

Grand Seiko Debuts New 40mm Spring Drive U.F.A. Ushio 300 Diver

The Japanese watchmaker unveiled its smallest dive watch at Watches & Wonders. Here's what you need to know.More

Introducing the Grand Seiko SLGA025 “Atera Blue” Spring Drive

Grand Seiko Marks 20 Years of Spring Drive 9R

Grand Seiko’s debuted its first-ever Spring Drive movement in 2004 with the cal. 9R65. Now the brand is marking 20 years of the 9R Spring Drive movement family with the Elegance Collection SBGY035 and SBGA499, both sporting striking red dials inspired by the sunlit autumn scenery around Mount Hotaka. Part of the Thin Dress Series, the SBGY035 is flat and elegant, with a domed, textured dial. On the other hand, SBGA499 employs the classic Grand Seiko case and bracelet, matched with a sunburst-brushed dial in red that has the signature Spring Drive power reserve indicator at eight o’clock. The SBGA499 Initial thoughts I am a Grand Seiko fanboy. The brand offers a strong value proposition across its catalogue. Furthermore, Spring Drive is synonymous with Grand Seiko. The hybrid approach of Spring Drive means it boasts quartz-level accuracy despite being having an entirely mechanical mainspring and gear train. The new pair are perfect representations of Grand Seiko’s approach to horology, both good and bad. The two watches are striking, especially since red isn’t a colour often employed by Grand Seiko. The SBGY035 in particular stands out since the textured red dial is uncommon for Grand Seiko and dress watches in general. The SBGY035 That said, Grand Seiko’s limited editions feel too frequent, especially since many are only colour variations of each other. This is a regular criticism of Grand Seiko, but it hasn’t dampened sales of such limited editions, which pro...

Grand Seiko Celebrates 20 Years of 9R Spring Drive

Grand Seiko is celebrating the 20th anniversary of 9R Spring Drive movement with a pair of limited editions featuring dials inspired by the sunrise at Mount Hotaka, a peak near the Grand Seiko workshop in Shiojiri. The first model is the Heritage Collection Caliber 9R 20th Anniversary “Pink Snowflake” (SBGA497) that revisits the first ever watch model with the 9R but with the trademark “snowflake” dial in pink. And the second is the Sports Collection Spring Drive GMT Caliber 9R 20th Anniversary (SBGE305) combining a black ceramic bezel with a dark red sunburst dial. Initial Thoughts The invention of the Spring Drive calibre is arguably one of Seiko’s most important achievements. It encompasses most of the advantages of mechanical movement while retaining the accuracy of quartz. Similar to a fully mechanical movement, it is powered by a spring rather than a battery, while timekeeping is regulated by a quartz crystal. As the first-ever commercially available Spring Drive variant, 9R marks an important feat for Grand Seiko. Nevertheless, despite the two new releases being celebratory models for the 20th anniversary of the 9R Spring Drive movement, they don’t seem to offer anything remarkable or unprecedented. Rather, the choice of a Hotaka mountain-inspired dial for both watches seems cliche, considering how pink and red colour dials have been relatively common in the brand’s catalogue. Plus, the inspiration behind Grand Seiko’s dial seems rather repetitive, a...

Introducing the Spring Drive’s Next Generation: The 5 Days Caliber 9RA2

Grand Seiko launches the next generation of their Spring Drive movement with the 5 Days Caliber 9RA2 fitted into two limited edition timepieces that are inspired by nature.

Grand Seiko Introduces the Spring Drive 5 Days Caliber 9RA2

Having introduced a new design language along with the all-new, automatic 9SA5 last year, Grand Seiko is now doing the same for the Spring Drive. The watchmaker has debuted a pair of Heritage Collection Seiko 140th Anniversary Limited Editions, the “Minamo” SLGA007 in steel and the “Tree Rings” SLGA008 in rose gold. Both are powered by the 9RA2 that’s part of the family of latest-generation Spring Drive movements first seen last year in the Grand Seiko Diver 600 m SLGA001. Just 5 mm high, the slimness of the 9RA5 means the pair of new models are the thinnest Grand Seiko Spring Drive watches to date. Initial thoughts The new models are essentially Spring Drive versions of the self-winding Heritage models launched last year (including an ultra-luxe platinum version and the more recent “White Birch”). That’s a good thing for two reasons. One is the intrinsic appeal of the design, which is vintage inspired and appealing, packaged in a case that’s a good size and easily wearable. And the other is the increased consistency in styling between Grand Seiko’s Spring Drive and automatic models, doing away with the confusing distinction between movements and designs. The “Minamo” SLGA007 in steel But that’s also the downside for the buyers of the limited-edition models (either these or the automatics), since the design has been replicated as a standard-production watch with the automatic movement, and the same will surely be done for the new 9RA2 Spring Dr...

Citizen Eco-Drive vs. Citizen Automatic: Which Affordable Dive Watch Wins After Hands-on Testing?

We compare the Citizen Promaster Eco-Drive and NY0040 hands-on to see which affordable dive watch offers the better ownership experience.

Review: Citizen celebrates Eco-Drive’s 50th Anniversary with the new Photon

Here is our review of a 3 week loaner of the Citizen Eco-Drive Photon, a model released to commomerate the 50th anniversary.

Hands-On: The Citizen Eco-Drive Photon Keeps The Brand Ahead Of Their Light-Powered Competitors

A little over a month ago, Citizen celebrated the 50th anniversary of Eco-Drive with a massive bash in New York and a few new releases. The most striking, and unlike anything they had released in the past, was the new Photon. Aptly named, of course, because of the very particles—oh wait, or is it waves?—that power Eco-Drive movements. And before we get any further, these aren't solar watches like most watch movements that could be considered a "competitor" on the market. They are powered by any light around you, whether it's your office lights, home lights, or yes, the big bright ball in the sky that's starting to peek out more and more in New York. If you want to know more about Eco-Drive, our friend Griffin recently published a story about the technology (and its history) here. But this watch requires a slightly different history lesson. If you take a look at the dial below, you'll see it has a very unusual design. It's also out of the ordinary for Citizen, which prides itself on creating watches that can pass for any other watch aesthetically and don't require slits in the dial to transmit light (a problem other brands have struggled to engineer around). The new Citizen Eco-Drive Photons are two watches measuring 39.6mm by 9.9mm with integrated bracelets, all of which are made of Super Titanium with Duratect coating. One features a titanium carbide finish, while the other, with a two-tone dial and case band, uses a DLC finish. Each is limited to 5,000 pieces and ava...

Hands On: IWC Pilot’s Venturer Vertical Drive

IWC teams up with Vast, prospective constructors of the International Space Station’s private successor, with the IWC Pilot’s Venturer Vertical Drive, a uniquely astronaut-friendly take on a spacefaring watch that breaks new ground for IWC’s signature pilots watches. If all goes well, these watches pass the Kármán line next year when Vast plans to launch the Haven-1 commercial space station. Initial thoughts Vast is an American aerospace company hoping to develop modular commercial space stations (Haven-2), and, at a glance seems more promising than the average ambitious space startup. If all goes to plan, the Vast Pilot will launch with the Vast’s Haven-1 prototype space station in 2027. The Pilot’s Venturer Vertical Drive - which could easily have been called the “Vast Pilot” as a play on its popular Big Pilot - is among the most visually appealing watches from IWC in recent memory. Computer rendering of the Vast Haven-1. Image – Vast Pressroom The combination of white and dark gray, and a clean but technical look leans into the “NASA Punk” aesthetic. The minimalist industrial look calls to mind watches like the IWC Ocean 2000, designed by Ferdinand Alexander Porsche. The gradated blue horizon around the dial is an inspired thematic choice, and is paired with a matching seconds hand. The lack of a chronograph is surprising, given IWC’s general affinity for them, as well as their domination of the space watch genre. I find that refreshing, sinc...

Introducing: The IWC Pilot’s Venturer Vertical Drive - A Watch Made For Space

Space - the final frontier. Well, with the recent launch of Artemis II and a host of space-related tech advances, there is a renewed cultural interest in exploring the stars. IWC has partnered with Vast, which is building the world’s first commercial space station, to develop its take on what a space watch should be. […] Visit Introducing: The IWC Pilot’s Venturer Vertical Drive - A Watch Made For Space to read the full article.

Nomos Explores Spring Colors With The Club Campus All Olive And Full Rose

It has become an annual tradition for Nomos Glashütte to release 36mm and 38.5mm Club Campus models with two new dial colors to celebrate spring. The Club Campus is the perfect youthful series in which to explore new hues. As some of you might know, I love Nomos for leading the way in using uncommon […] Visit Nomos Explores Spring Colors With The Club Campus All Olive And Full Rose to read the full article.

New and Reviewed: The Citizen Eco-Drive 50th Anniversary Edition

The Citizen Eco-Drive lineup is extended with another Japanase washi paper dial, now in green. Here is our hands-on review after a few weeks on the wrist.

Mr Worldwide: Review of the Citizen Attesa Eco-Drive Radio-Controlled

We take a look at the latest addition to the Citizen line-up, featuring the Attesa Eco-Drive Radio-Controlled with the brand's DLC Blue Super Titanium.

Hands-On: Citizen Promaster Eco-Drive Professional Diver BN1024-01E

Citizen has updated one of its most popular Promaster Eco-Drive diver models. The BN0150-10E becomes BN1024-01E and has been updated in almost all areas-it’s bigger, goes deeper, is stronger, lasts longer, and is now suitable for professional use. Let’s dive into the details! For over 35 years, Promaster has stood for functionality and professional use. […] Visit Hands-On: Citizen Promaster Eco-Drive Professional Diver BN1024-01E to read the full article.

Comprehensive review: the new Citizen Attesa Eco-Drive Satellite Wave GPS

We had a loaner of the new Citizen Attesa Eco-Drive Satellite Wave GPS for a couple of weeks, and here is our hands-on review of the watch.

New: Citizen Attesa Eco-Drive Satellite Wave GPS

Citizen launches two new models from their Attesa line with ceramic bezels and packed with the latest Eco-Drive Satellite Wave GPS technology.

New and Reviewed: Citizen Promaster Land U822 Eco-Drive Ref. JV1005-02W

Review of the new Citizen Promaster Land U822 Eco-Drive Ref. JV1005-02W, part of Citizen celebrations for the 35th Anniversary of the Promaster.

Citizen broadens Marvel Eco-Drive line in time for Deadpool & Wolverine

Citizen extends its collaborative range with Marvel to include Deadpool & Wolverine Eco-Drive watches just in time for the film.The post Citizen broadens Marvel Eco-Drive line in time for Deadpool & Wolverine appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

The Citizen Promaster Eco-Drive Diver Orca Beaches On The Shores Of Fratello

Did you know that orcas sometimes intentionally beach themselves? They do it to hunt for shoreline seals, for instance. It’s a spectacular sight, but there’s quite a bit of risk involved, and seeing them struggle to get back to sea is a nerve-wracking experience. Last week, a Citizen Promaster Eco-Drive Diver Orca beached on the […] Visit The Citizen Promaster Eco-Drive Diver Orca Beaches On The Shores Of Fratello to read the full article.

Hands-On With The Citizen Super Titanium Eco-Drive Chrono And Day-Date

Among affordable watches, the offerings from Citizen are hard to ignore. “Hard to beat” would be an even better choice of words. The Japanese brand is almost invincible when it comes to offering great value for money. The latest series added to the brand’s lineup are the Super Titanium Eco-Drive Chrono and Day-Date lines. Both […] Visit Hands-On With The Citizen Super Titanium Eco-Drive Chrono And Day-Date to read the full article.

Why is Citizen Eco-Drive so underrated?

Why is Citizen Eco-Drive underrated? Adam weighs in on the solar-powered legend here.The post Why is Citizen Eco-Drive so underrated? appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.