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Results for Grand Seiko Snowflake

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Snowflake Grand Seiko

The 2010 Spring Drive reference with a dial textured like fresh Shinshu snow.

Sunday Morning Showdown: Grand Seiko SBGW305 Vs. King Seiko SJE089 Fratello
Grand Seiko SBGW305 Vs King Seiko Jun 23, 2024

Sunday Morning Showdown: Grand Seiko SBGW305 Vs. King Seiko SJE089

It’s Sunday morning, so grab a cup of coffee, and prepare for a showdown rooted in history. Most of you will know the story of Grand Seiko and King Seiko, which goes back over six decades. We decided to put two modern watches from them up against each other. Jorg picked the Grand Seiko SBGW305, […] Visit Sunday Morning Showdown: Grand Seiko SBGW305 Vs. King Seiko SJE089 to read the full article.

Hands On: Grand Seiko “Birch Bark” SLGW002 and SLGW003 SJX Watches
Grand Seiko Birch Bark” SLGW002 May 27, 2024

Hands On: Grand Seiko “Birch Bark” SLGW002 and SLGW003

Nature-inspired textures are a consistent motif across Grand Seiko’s portfolio, so it comes as little surprise that the brand would choose this familiar theme for the launch of its newest dress watches, the hand-wind and mechanical Evolution 9 “Birch Bark” SLGW002 and SLGW003.  With a dial that features a fresh take on the texture of tree bark, the Birch Bark is also noteworthy for the movement within: the first manually-wound caliber in Grand Seiko’s 9S movement family that hitherto was entirely self-winding. The SLGW002 (left) and SLGW003 Initial thoughts There are few things I like more than a manually wound, chronometer-grade dress watch. With this bias in mind, I am predisposed to like watches like the Birch Bark. But Grand Seiko made things easy by making it attractive as well, with a new iteration of its Evolution 9 design language that is lighter in terms of visual weight. The big news is, of course, the thickness, or rather the lack thereof. The Birch Bark is 1.75 mm (15%) thinner than its automatic siblings like the SLGH003, answering’ calls for slimmer, dressier options in the Grand Seiko catalogue. The watch is also 1.4 mm (3.5%) smaller in diameter, resulting in a form factor that sits comfortably on the average wrist and will slide under most shirt cuffs. Dimensions aside, the Birch Bark in titanium feels smaller and lighter than expected due to the case material. This runs counter to expectations, since most dress watches are in precious metal....

[VIDEO] Review: The Grand Seiko Tentagraph SLGC001 Worn & Wound
Grand Seiko Tentagraph SLGC001 Grand Seiko May 22, 2024

[VIDEO] Review: The Grand Seiko Tentagraph SLGC001

Grand Seiko releases a lot of watches. If you’re a cynic, this might be what you’d identify as the brand’s defining characteristic. They’ve developed a reputation for endless variants, swapping dial colors, textures, case shapes, and movements in every conceivable combination. There’s a joke about weather in New England, that if you don’t like it, all you have to do is wait, and you could make a similar one about Grand Seiko: if you’re after a particular dial/color/case combo that doesn’t exist yet, there’s a decent chance it’ll materialize eventually.  But for all the SKUs in the Grand Seiko catalog, and the genuine variety you’ll find there, something was missing: a mechanical chronograph. There’s long been a line of Spring Drive chronographs (and Spring Drive chronographs with a GMT complication) but, kind of surprisingly, there’s never been a purely mechanical chrono under the Grand Seiko banner.  $13700 [VIDEO] Review: The Grand Seiko Tentagraph SLGC001 Case High-intensity titanium Movement 9SC5 Dial Blue Lume Yes, hands and markers Lens Sapphire Strap High-intensity titanium bracelet Water Resistance 10 bar Dimensions 43.2 x 51.5mm Thickness 15.3mm Lug Width 23mm Crown Screw down Warranty Yes Price $13700 That changed a year ago with the launch of the Tentagraph, the centerpiece of Grand Seiko’s Watches & Wonders 2023, and easily their most ambitious release of the year. If you take the Kodo out of the equation, it’s almost certainly t...

Sunday Morning Showdown: Grand Seiko SLGW003 “Birch Bark” Vs. Chopard L.U.C XPS Forest Green Fratello
Grand Seiko SLGW003 “Birch Bark” Vs Apr 28, 2024

Sunday Morning Showdown: Grand Seiko SLGW003 “Birch Bark” Vs. Chopard L.U.C XPS Forest Green

It’s Sunday morning, so it’s time for another Sunday Morning Showdown. After two battles featuring Rolex and Tudor, it’s time to move on to something else. This week, we put two classic dress watches up against each other. Both came out at Watches and Wonders, and both impressed journalists and watch fans alike. Robert-Jan’s pick […] Visit Sunday Morning Showdown: Grand Seiko SLGW003 “Birch Bark” Vs. Chopard L.U.C XPS Forest Green to read the full article.

First Look – The New Grand Seiko Hi-Beat 36000 GMT SBGJ277 “Sekkei” Monochrome
Grand Seiko Hi-Beat 36000 GMT SBGJ277 Apr 19, 2024

First Look – The New Grand Seiko Hi-Beat 36000 GMT SBGJ277 “Sekkei”

Since its independence from mother brand Seiko in 2017, Grand Seiko has left its imprint outside Japan with its continuous stream of excellent watches. Impressively built, finished and powered, some of the most popular models are those with nature-themed dials. Unveiled by Grand Seiko at Watches & Wonders 2024, the new Hi-Beat 36000 GMT SBGJ277 […]

Hands-On with the Grand Seiko SLGH021, Featuring an All New Dial Texture and a Genbi Valley Inspired Shade of Green Worn & Wound
Grand Seiko SLGH021 Featuring Apr 17, 2024

Hands-On with the Grand Seiko SLGH021, Featuring an All New Dial Texture and a Genbi Valley Inspired Shade of Green

We’ve already brought you news on what are likely the highest profile releases from Grand Seiko this year: the all new SLGW002 and SLGW003, the SBGC275 with an amazing dial that is only red some of the time, and, of course, a new Kodo. But there’s one more Grand Seiko novelty that caught our attention, the SLGH021. This is another reference in the rapidly expanding Evolution 9 Collection and features an all new dial texture from Grand Seiko in a color that will be familiar to fans of a highly sought after limited edition from a few years ago. The watches in the so-called Genbi Valley trilogy from 2021 have been collector favorites since the moment they were announced at the Couture show in Las Vegas. The different expressions of green in those dials were an immediate hit, and now Grand Seiko has gone back to the Genbi Valley for inspiration for this latest reference. The light green color of this dial is meant to evoke the scenery along the Iwai River that created the gorge now known as the Genbi Valley, which has been given a designation as a Place of Scenic Beauty in Japan.  For Grand Seiko collectors the truly exciting aspect of this release is the new dial texture. The molded pattern has a chaotic and almost organic quality to it, with distinctive small ridges throughout that look like crinkled paper, or confetti. In our meeting with Grand Seiko at Wathes & Wonders I found myself coming back to this reference over and over again – the dial catches the light in a...

Hands-On With the Grand Seiko SBGC275, with a Dramatic Red (but Sometimes Orange) Dial Worn & Wound
Grand Seiko SBGC275 Apr 15, 2024

Hands-On With the Grand Seiko SBGC275, with a Dramatic Red (but Sometimes Orange) Dial

Something we find ourselves saying a lot: these pictures don’t do justice to this watch. These pictures, by Kat Shoulders, are excellent, of course, but because they only capture a single moment in time, they miss an important element of drama in the dial of Grand Seiko’s new SBGC275. The new Spring Drive chronograph GMT has, at a glance, a pretty brilliant red dial. But thanks to a new process, the color changes, and I mean really changes, when it’s seen at an angle. It’s actually uncanny, and not merely the common experience we’ve all had of seeing the range in tone on a colorful dial as it’s seen in different lighting conditions. It makes a watch that would otherwise feel like “just another variant” something a little more substantial in the Grand Seiko catalog.  Grand Seiko achieves the effect of a color-changing dial with something they call “Optical Multilayer Coating,” which is described by the brand as a physical vapor deposition process. This process results in Multiple layers of a nanoscale film adhering to the dial which allow for the shifts in how we perceive the color. From head on, it looks dark red. But if you start to tilt the dial a bit the tone becomes lighter, and will appear as orange as a Doxa Professional if you turn it just right. The moment where it noticeably changes is an incredibly cool thing and even harder to describe than it is to show in still images. It’s not really a gradual shift, like you’d expect. One second the ...

First Look – The Grand Seiko Spring Drive Chronograph GMT Tokyo Lion SBGC275 Monochrome
Grand Seiko Spring Drive Chronograph GMT Apr 12, 2024

First Look – The Grand Seiko Spring Drive Chronograph GMT Tokyo Lion SBGC275

In the previous year, Grand Seiko introduced the Spring Drive Chronograph GMT SBGC253, showcasing a bold case design and distinctive dial texture, thus enhancing the brand’s Sport collection with the permanent addition. This followed the anticipation stirred by limited edition models SBGC230 and SGBC231 in 2019, along with the red gold cased SGBC238, launched in […]

Grand Seiko Introduces the SLGW002 and SLGW003 “Birch Bark” SJX Watches
Grand Seiko Introduces Apr 12, 2024

Grand Seiko Introduces the SLGW002 and SLGW003 “Birch Bark”

Grand Seiko has introduced the Evolution 9 “Birch Bark” SLGW002 and SLGW003, in rose gold and “brilliant hard titanium” respectively. Named after the dial pattern, the “Birch Bark” is powered by a new manually-wound, high-beat caliber that features the brand’s proprietary dual-impulse escapement. The only completely new model introduced by Grand Seiko at Watches & Wonder this year, the new references introduce a new, notably slimmer aesthetic to the brand’s Evolution 9 collection.  Initial thoughts Grand Seiko has earned a devoted following in recent years, but collectors have been asking for slimmer options for some time; this release proves the brand is listening. While there’s nothing revolutionary about it, the watch has been nipped and tucked in all the right areas, getting the case down to 38.6 mm in diameter and just under 10 mm in thickness.  Compared to the most similar existing watch in the catalog, the Spring Drive SLGA009 “White Birch” launched two years ago, the new Evolution 9 feature a new movement, a thinner case, slimmer dial markers, and a horizontal interpretation of the brand’s signature white birch-inspired dial texture. The slimmer profile is made possible thanks to the new 9SA4 movement, which is essentially a 9SA5 without automatic winding. This makes it the first manually wound caliber from Grand Seiko’s latest generation of mechanical movements, and also the first to be available without a date function. Perhaps the onl...

The Grand Seiko Kodo Saga: Daybreak Worn & Wound
Grand Seiko Kodo Saga Daybreak Apr 10, 2024

The Grand Seiko Kodo Saga: Daybreak

The Grand Seiko Kodo Constant-Force Tourbillon was such a hit that they decided to make a sequel. Okay, that’s not totally accurate. 2022’s unexpected breakout watch did get a new version just two years later, but rather than a sequel, it’s more of a redux-a different take on the same story. A director’s cut? For those who need a recap, however, the Grand Seiko Kodo Constant-Force Tourbillon was nothing short of complete and utter shock when first unveiled, even though there had already been a teaser trailer (I’m going to try to keep this movie thing up) in the form the T0 concept movement. While known for its finishing, spring drive, and high-beat movements, Grand Seiko was not considered a manufacturer of high-end complications. As such, even though it was a concept movement, the T0, which unveiled a novel constant-force tourbillon, took everyone by surprise. When Grand Seiko then unveiled the Kodo just a short while later, which included a refined and manufacturable version (if on a small scale) of the same complication within a skeletonized and highly finished movement on par with any haute Swiss brand, it announced that Grand Seiko was ready to play on a different level. A few years later, the Kodo, though sold out, is still being assembled via a team of three specialized watchmakers within Grand Seiko Atelier Ginza studio. Back to the present. Light and shadow are pervasive themes in Grand Seiko’s design. Alongside nature, they are at the core of their ...

Introducing – Grand Seiko Revisits its 1960 Icon with the SBGW314 Hoshizukiyo Monochrome
Grand Seiko Revisits Apr 10, 2024

Introducing – Grand Seiko Revisits its 1960 Icon with the SBGW314 Hoshizukiyo

In 1960, a team of Seiko engineers produced a watch that encapsulated precision, durability, refined execution and beauty. Launched in a 35mm yellow gold case with a slim, chronometer-rated movement, the specifications of the new watch were so well calibrated that it was christened the Grand Seiko. Celebrating Grand Seiko’s official independence from Seiko in […]

[VIDEO] Hands-on Impressions of the Beautifully Slender Grand Seiko SLGW002 and SLGW003 Worn & Wound
Grand Seiko SLGW002 Apr 9, 2024

[VIDEO] Hands-on Impressions of the Beautifully Slender Grand Seiko SLGW002 and SLGW003

Grand Seiko’s Evolution 9 series has, since its inception, been a collection that has veered toward the sporty. The outright sports models are commanding in their wrist presence for sure, but even the “standard” Evolution 9 watches have a robust quality to them that makes them ideal daily drivers. Now, for Watches & Wonders 2024, Grand Seiko has introduced an all new branch of the Evolution 9 collection with a pair of watches they have specifically identified as being in the dress category: the SLGW002 and SLGW003, featuring the all new manually wound 9SA4 caliber.  The cases, crafted in rose gold for the SLGW002 and Brilliant Hard Titanium for the SLGW003, measure 38.6mm in diameter and 9.95mm tall. The lines of the case recall other watches in the Evolution 9 collection (these watches still have a ton of wrist presence thanks a wide stance and clearly executed facets) but are more refined overall. Also, like other Evolution 9 cases, these wear as if the center of gravity is lower, and the watch plants satisfyingly on the wrist, and especially in titanium it feels very ergonomic.  The big news here though is the new movement that allows for such a sleek rendition of the Evolution 9 principles. The 9SA4 caliber is effectively a hand wound version of the 9SA5, Grand Seiko’s next generation high beat rate movement with their proprietary dual impulse escapement. But Grand Seiko has done more than simply strip the 9SA5 of its winding rotor. Much of the gear train has...

Introducing The Very Limited Grand Seiko SBGW314 Two Broke Watch Snobs
Grand Seiko SBGW314 While I'm admittedly Apr 9, 2024

Introducing The Very Limited Grand Seiko SBGW314

While I'm admittedly more of the sporty mil-spec watch type, I know a beautiful watch when I see it. So far, today's new releases have been really strong over at the Tudor and Grand Seiko camps, and I think they've stolen the start of the show. One of these killer new releases is the Grand Seiko SBGW314, a limited edition watch that's meant to pay tribute to the early days of the brand while offering some modern touches. Of course, we get some of the design inspiration coming from nature. In this case, we're talking about a starry night sky.

First Look – The Lush Green Dial of the Grand Seiko Hi-Beat SLGH021 Genbi Valley Monochrome
Grand Seiko Hi-Beat SLGH021 Genbi Valley Apr 9, 2024

First Look – The Lush Green Dial of the Grand Seiko Hi-Beat SLGH021 Genbi Valley

Grand Seiko has won over legions of admirers for its wonderful textured dials that recreate elements of Japanese nature. With its sophisticated Hi-Beat movement, elegant case responding to the latest design evolution, and gorgeous green textured dial, the new SLGH021 Genbi Valley is going to fly off the shelves. In 2020, Grand Seiko introduced the […]

First Look – Grand Seiko Goes Hand-Wound With the New Birch Bark SLGW003 and SLGW002 (incl. Video) Monochrome
Grand Seiko Goes Hand-Wound Apr 9, 2024

First Look – Grand Seiko Goes Hand-Wound With the New Birch Bark SLGW003 and SLGW002 (incl. Video)

In 2020, for its 60th anniversary, Grand Seiko unveiled two milestones: a new automatic, hi-beat movement named calibre 9SA5 and a new collection of watches with an updated design language known as Evolution 9. It took us and the watch community a bit of time to understand the importance of this move by the Japanese watchmaker; […]

Grand Seiko Releases A String Of New References At Watches And Wonders Fratello
Grand Seiko Releases Apr 9, 2024

Grand Seiko Releases A String Of New References At Watches And Wonders

Besides one or two focus releases, Grand Seiko releases a plethora of new variations to its current models every year. In this article, we’ll summarize most of Grand Seiko’s Watches and Wonders 2024 releases, which will be available later this year. There is plenty to enjoy with a beautiful addition to the Evolution 9 lineup, […] Visit Grand Seiko Releases A String Of New References At Watches And Wonders to read the full article.

Introducing: Grand Seiko SLGW003 And SLGW002 “Birch Bark” Hand-Winders Fratello
Grand Seiko SLGW003 Apr 9, 2024

Introducing: Grand Seiko SLGW003 And SLGW002 “Birch Bark” Hand-Winders

As part of the Watches and Wonders 2024 releases from Grand Seiko, here we have the Grand Seiko SLGW003 and SLGW002. These are two new additions to the Evolution 9 collection. This is Grand Seiko’s newer design language that, while rooted in the 44GS, aims to push the brand forward. Today, Grand Seiko adds two […] Visit Introducing: Grand Seiko SLGW003 And SLGW002 “Birch Bark” Hand-Winders to read the full article.