I cannot say that I’ve ever seen Mt. Iwate, let alone a sunrise washing over it. However, for their 60th annivesary, Grand Seiko has released a watch – the SBGR321 – that pulls inspiration from that early-morning scene.
This is the very mountain that can be seen from the windows Grand Seiko Studio Shizukuishi (and what you and I can see in that photo up top). Obviously, the blues of the mountains and sky are represented by the dial up front, and the oscillating weight around back. But what about the reds coming from the sunrise?
For that, the Grand Seiko SBGR321 has a red-tipped seconds hand, as well as a red ring inside the sapphire crystal in the caseback. Sure, it’s a little bit more of an abstract representation, but the elements of it all are there. Through that caseback, you see the Caliber 9S65 which offers an impressive 72-hour power reserve and a rate of +5 / -3 seconds per day.
If you’d like to make one of the limited numbers (2,500 to be precise) of the Grand Seiko SBGR321 your own, make sure you’ve got $5,200 ready to go when the watch is offered worldwide next month. grand-seiko.com
Tech Specs from Grand Seiko
- Caliber 9S65
- Driving sysem: Automatic
- Vibrations: 28,800 vibrations per hour (8 beats per second) Accuracy (mean daily rate): +5 to ?3 seconds per day Power reserve: 72 hours
- Number of jewels: 35
- Stainless steel case and bracelet
- Sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating
- See-through screw case back, screw-down crown
- Water resistance: 10 bar.
- Magnetic resistance: 4,800 A/m
- Diameter: 40.0 mm
- Thickness: 13.0 mm
- Three-fold clasp with push button release
- Approximate recommended retail price in the United States: $5,200
- Limited edition of 2,500
