Jewellery & Watch News
As Grand Seiko celebrate their 60th birthday in 2020, we have been treated to a remarkable range of new releases including the Grand Seiko 60th Anniversary Professional Diver SLGA001G watch which houses an all new Spring Drive calibre. The limited edition of 700 pieces is also the deepest-diving Spring Drive Pro Diver from Grand Seiko with an impressive 600 metre water resistant case.
The theme for Grand Seiko’s 60th birthday appears to be the evolution of their legendary technology. Earlier in the year we saw the unveiling of the Grand Seiko SLGH002 Limited Edition which showcased the new Hi Beat 9SA5 calibre with an 80 hour power reserve. Similarly, the Grand Seiko 60th Anniversary Professional Diver SLGA001G Limited Edition boasts an improved calibre, but this time in the form of one of their iconic Spring Drives. The new 9RA5 movement incorporates a number of enhancements, with Grand Seiko’s main objective seemingly to create thinner watches with the 9RA5 boasting a new, flatter profile.
One of the ways they have slimmed down the movement is by repositioning the Magic Lever away from the centre of the movement so that it sits flatter under the winding rotor. Since its design in 1959, Grand Seiko’s magic lever has remained a signature feature of Seiko’s watches and is a truly extraordinary device for improving the efficiency of the winding system. Another change is also made with the gear train which has also had its layout altered. It now lies along the central horizontal axis of the movement under a one-piece central bridge. The result is a stronger construction and better resistance to shock to meet the ISO standards for diver’s watches.
It has been said before that Grand Seiko’s Spring Drive technology may be the perfect innovation for a diver’s watch, since it has the accuracy of a quartz watch without the dependence on batteries. With the new Grand Seiko 60th Anniversary SLGA001G achieving all this and more with an incredible 600 metre water resistance, this might become one of the most coveted Spring Drive models yet. A longer power reserve has also been achieved courtesy of two mainspring barrels which lie in the same plane of the movement. The two barrels are asymmetrical in size, which allows them to fit in the available space while still offering maximum power for energy delivery. We also have a new temperature compensation, the first for any Spring Drive movement. This technology involves a thermal sensor located in the same sealed package as the quartz crystal to ensure temperature reading matches the ambient temp affecting the crystal. Lastly, accuracy is improved to ±10 seconds per month compared to ±15 seconds per month for a standard Spring Drive calibre.
The case and bracelet of the Grand Seiko 60th Anniversary Professional Diver SLGA001G watch is engineered from high intensity titanium, a fantastic choice of material for its lightweight and scratch resistant properties. Titanium is 40% lighter than steel making the piece effortless to wear despite its 46.9mm and 16mm dimensions. The limited edition is completed by a range of classic diver’s features such as a screw down crown, screw in case back, a unidirectional bezel with black ceramic insert, a high definition sapphire crystal glass and a striking, easy to read dial with Lumibrite indications.
The dial is coloured in the famous Grand Seiko blue and detailed with large central hands for hour and minutes, a sleek seconds hand, rounded divers indexes, a date window at 4 o’clock and a power reserve indicator at 9 o’clock. The indicator has been carefully divided into five parts to show exactly and clearly how many days of power you have left out of its max power reserve of 120 hours. To mark its limited edition status, the Grand Seiko 60th Anniversary SLGA001G is presented in a special anniversary box and fitted with a high-intensity titanium bracelet with folding clasp and diving extension that can be easily swapped out with an interchangeable blue silicone strap.
The Grand Seiko 60th Anniversary Professional Diver SLGA001G Limited Edition will be released in August at a retail price of £10,000 but if you’d like to reserve one of the 700 pieces early, you can pre-order the model in advance on the C W Sellors website here. Get in touch with the team today on 01335 453453 or at sales@cwsellors.com for any assistance with your purchase and for advice on the interest free finance and free delivery options available.
Specifications: Grand Seiko 60th Anniversary Professional Diver Limited Edition (SLGA001G)
- Case Material: High-intensity titanium
- Case Size:9mm diameter x 16mm thickness
- Bezel: Uni-directional, black ceramic insert
- Glass: Sapphire crystal with anti-reflective treatment
- Crown: Screw in
- Case Back: Screw down
- Water Resistance: 600 metres
- Movement: 9RA5 Spring Drive
- Functions: Hour, minutes, seconds, date, power reserve indicator
- Power Reserve: 120 hours
- Jewels: 38
- Frequency: 28,800vph
- Accuracy: ±0.5 second per day (±10 seconds per month)
- Dial: Blue with Lumibrite indicators
- Strap: Titanium bracelet
- Buckle: Folding with diving extension
- RRP: £10,000
- Limited Edition: 700 pieces
- Release Date: August 2020
