Amidst the plethora of heavy-hitters launched at the Watches and Wonders 2024, there were certain dress watches that stood out, including our digital cover watch, the Grand Seiko Hoshizukiyo – ‘Starry Night’ Limited Edition Ref. SBGW314. Though some may argue that the new Evolution 9 watches featuring a new high-beat movement, the Spring Drive Chronograph GMT, and the daybreak inspired Kodo Constant-force Tourbillon launched alongside Ref. SBGW314 stole the spotlight at Grand Seiko, it was the “Hoshizukiyo” that immediately grabbed my attention because of its legacy and design.
Joining the brand’s Elegance Collection, the timepiece is the latest to join a line of watches that reinterpret Grand Seiko’s very first watch, launched in December 1960. This OG Grand Seiko Ref. 3180, today commonly referred to as ‘First’ by collectors, was made with the intent of being an ideal watch that was beautiful, durable, low maintenance and accurate. Most of this was achieved thanks to the new Calibre 3180 that beats inside it. This movement, with a 45-hour power reserve and 2.5Hz frequency, allowed the watch to become the first Japanese wristwatch to meet the then Swiss chronometer standard of +12/-3 seconds a day. It also made it the first watch in Japan to be compliant with the standard of excellence of the Bureaux Officiels de Contrôle de la Marche des Montres. Its clean dial was embossed with Grand Seiko’s logotype in Gothic font, and right below it was emblazoned ‘chronometer’.
With regards to its design, the watch appeared in a 35mm size, and was crafted in gold-plated steel and incorporated with a ratcheted crown at 3 o’clock with an ‘S’ engraved on it. Its white dial featured diamond-cut multifaceted hour markers accompanied with broad minute and hour dauphine hands - the makers kept the minute hand elongated to reach the peripheral track, so that the wearer could read time precisely, justifying the watch’s accuracy. At 6 o’clock one could read ‘Diashock with 25 jewels’, which signified that the watch was shock-protected, and just below it sat the eight-star logo, indicating that the markers on the dial were solid gold. The timepiece had a closed caseback with a lion emblem engraved in the centre. It was fitted with a brown leather strap.
Also Read: Grand Seiko presents two dress watches, a GMT, and a tourbillon at Watches and Wonder 2024
This very first model was followed by two iterations in the same year - one which appeared with Grand Seiko’s engraved logotype on the dial (made for a short range of time), and the second crafted in platinum and made in limited numbers.
Elegance Anew
It is this model, Grand Seiko’s very first watch, that finds a new interpretation in the Hoshizukiyo – ‘Starry Night’ Limited Edition. Part of the brand’s Elegance Collection, at 38mm, the watch is larger than the model that inspired it, not to mention ‘richer’, cast as it is in 18K rose gold. It shares the 10.9mm thickness of its older siblings - other models that are reinterpretations or are inspired by Grand Seiko’s first watch (more on these below) - and comes with slender bezel and slightly curved lugs, all finished with Zaratsu-polishing, the brand’s signature technique that results in distortion-free reflections. At 94 grams, it also feels light on the wrist.
However, the most striking aspect of the Grand Seiko Hoshizukiyo – ‘Starry Night’ Limited Edition is its clean, legible, and impressive blue “Hoshizukiyo” dial. Japanese for “starry night”, the dial points to the brand’s love for nature-inspired designs, and has a domed, sun-ray brushed, silky finish. Its navy-blue appearance is contrasted with a peripheral white minute track, and rose gold dauphine hands and faceted hour markers.
When the light hits the dial at the right angle, one can observe a shimmer come alive, reminiscent of the twinkling stars in the night sky. The dial is topped with dual-curved sapphire crystal, which has anti-reflective coating on the inner surface.
Another aspect that makes the dial appealing is the presence of the eight-pointed star—the SD (Special Dial) mark—positioned at 6 o’clock, and accompanied by ‘Diashock 24 jewels’ written above it. Just below 12 o’clock, Grand Seiko’s logotype is written in the brand's most traditional, emphatic Gothic lettering, which evokes the brand's respect for mechanical watchmaking history. The word ‘chronometer’, mentioned in the earliest model, is omitted from this one.
The beauty seen through the caseback is equally enticing, revealing a mix of striping and perlage decorations on the in-house manual winding Calibre 9S64, which provides an accuracy of +10 to -1 seconds per day. It operates at a frequency of 4Hz, has a 72-hours power reserve, and also features in the older re-interpretive models. The watch is limited to 50 pieces and is water resistant up to 30 metres.
The watch is fitted with a comfortable navy blue alligator strap with 18K rose gold triple-folding clasp and is also offered with an additional brown crocodile strap.
Historic Models
While the inaugural model launched in 1960, it wasn’t until 2017, when Grand Seiko was established as an independent brand, that the original watch was reincarnated. The first of these was unveiled at BaselWorld - Ref. SBGW251, Ref. SBGW252, and Ref. SBGW253, crafted in 999 platinum, 18K yellow gold, and steel in that order, and all featuring a clean white dial. The diameter of the watches was 38mm with a 10.9mm, and ‘Diashock 25 jewels’ changed to ‘Diashock 24 jewels’; the rest of features remained largely unchanged. Only the steel version differed slightly with its blued seconds hand and the omission of the eight-pointed star on its dial. Fitted with black or brown leather, the watches were equipped with the then new hand-wound Calibre 9S64, which is also seen in the “Hoshizukiyo” dial watch.
In 2020, the brand commemorated its 60th Anniversary with the release of Ref. SBGW259, Ref. SBGW258, and Ref. SBGW257 in titanium, yellow gold, and platinum, the trio harkening the features of the original watch. Only, the titanium model entailed a blue dial and was without the logo of the eight-pointed star. The 38mm timepieces had a slight modulation in the crown design, and were also equipped with the Calibre 9S64. Read more on the timepieces here.
Last year, the brand executed the limited edition Ref. SBGW295 encased in a brilliant hard titanium with a contrasting black urushi lacquer dial, inspired by Ref. 3180, to commemorate the 110th anniversary of Seiko. The edition was powered by the same calibre beating inside the aforementioned novelties, but featured an interwoven calf leather and textile black strap.
The new Grand Seiko Hoshizukiyo – ‘Starry Night’ Limited Edition is priced at Rs. 22,10,000 (approx.) and will be exclusively available at Grand Seiko Boutiques from June 2024.
Images: Grand Seiko
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