Ask anyone who loves mechanical watches about what matters to them when it comes to timepieces, and they are likely to list a mix of both technical and aesthetic details. Finding this perfect fusion is easier said than done, but the Grand Seiko SLGW003 Manual Winding Mechanical Hi-Beat 36000 80 Hours Power Reserve has certainly made the search easier. The timepiece boasts a beautifully crafted ‘white birch’ dial and a technically advanced manual-winding calibre which has a high frequency of 10 beats per second.
Presented at Watches & Wonders 2024 Geneva in the Evolution 9 Collection, at first glance the Ref. SLGW003 draws the viewer in with its beautiful multidimensional, textured dial. Grand Seiko is no stranger to meticulously made, gorgeously crafted dials - its repertoire is rife with nature-inspired pieces that not just showcase the capabilities of its artisans, but also the locales where these watches are developed. Similarly, the Ref. SLGW003 is inspired by the slender ‘white birch’ trees that grow near the brand’s studio at Shizukuishi, where all Grand Seiko mechanical watches are crafted.
The pattern and texture on the dial is a blend of Grand Seiko’s traditional craftsmanship and advanced technology. The dial creation begins with cutting out a round brass piece for base and stamping a ‘white birch’ pattern on it with metal mould. Generally, one stamping is enough to imprint the pattern onto the dial, but since the base is just 0.5-mm thick, low impact stamping is done to prevent it from cracking. The right texture is achieved after a series of separate stampings. Once done, the base is cut to the dial size on which holes are punched for hour markers and then surface finishing is done including techniques like metal brushing, silver plating, and the protective undercoating and wrap coating. Further processes involve printing and quality inspection amongst others.
Though not a new concept for the brand, the ‘white birch’ textured dial has always managed to grab attention. The first watch inspired by the ‘white birch’, the Ref. SLGH005 Heritage Collection "White Birch" came in early March in 2021, and won the GPHG Awards 2021 ‘Mens Watch’ category that year. The 40mm stainless steel timepiece featured a silver dial with a vertical textured ‘white birch’ dial and the brand’s signature Zaratsu ‘mirror’ polished hour markers, and a date window at 3 o’clock. This time and date model was also equipped with an automatic hi-beat movement calibre 9SA5, operating at frequency 36,000vph and boasting an 80-hour power reserve.
In 2022, the brand released the Grand Seiko Spring Drive Ref. SLGA009, featuring the same texture on the dial. The watch made its debut in the Evolution 9 collection, which was introduced in 2020 to commemorate the brand’s 60th anniversary, and representing the nine stages of the brand’s design journey. The difference this time was that the dial was a silvery white. Driving it was the then newly unveiled movement calibre 9RA2. The sapphire crystal topped caseback revealed the movement and a 120-hour power reserve arc with a blue hand.
Grand Seiko SLGW003
Expanding its ‘white birch’ novelties, the brand’s latest timepiece, our digital cover watch, is the Evolution 9 Ref. SLGW003, which harks back to the 44GS, a timepiece that first embodied the brand’s nine design elements introduced in 1967. With a case size of 38.6mm and 9.95mm respectively, the time-only watch is crafted in brilliant hard titanium, an alloy brighter than traditional titanium, highly resistant to scratches and corrosion, and in which the brand’s signature Zaratsu polishing appears more radiant. The ‘white birch’ textured dial, this time done horizontally, features faceted hour markers and slimmer, elongated titanium hands. There is a black minute track on the periphery, and a blued central seconds hand. The dial is topped with an anti-reflective box-shaped sapphire crystal, and the case now features narrower and slightly slimmer lugs. The watch’s centre of gravity is adjusted to ensure the comfort and stable wearing experience for which Grand Seiko’s Evolution 9 creations are renowned.
Besides the design and aesthetics, what makes this dress watch more desirable is its new hand-wound high-beat calibre 9SA4 - it is the brand’s first manual-winding, 10-beat per second, 36,000vph mechanical movement to be created in approximately 50 years. Its high-frequency is thanks to the dual escapement, which allows delivering two impulses in each cycle to the balance wheel, with one impulse given in each direction during the semi-oscillations. The extended 80-hour power reserve is achieved thanks to the twin barrels, which also ensure more consistent power delivery.
The new calibre comes with a +5 to -3 seconds per day mean daily rate, tested in six different positions in three different temperatures and fixed manner under an artificially controlled environment straight for 17 days, and +8 to -1 seconds per day normal accuracy rate.
The new calibre 9SA4 shares similarities with the revolutionary high-beat calibre 9SA5, which debuted in the Ref. SLGH005. However, nearly 40 per cent of the base movement has been redesigned and higher winding efficiency has been achieved thanks to a rearrangement of the gear train - now, the watch requires 15 percent less crown winding to achieve the same power as the Caliber 9SA5 when winding it by hand. Through the sapphire caseback one can also see the power reserve indicator with a blued hand, not to mention the ratchet wheel with the wagtail bird-shaped click that keeps the mainspring from unwinding - the wagtail is commonly found near the Grand Seiko Studio in Shizukuishi. The caseback also allows one to see details like Côtes de Genève, anglage, bevelled bridges, and surface finishing on the wheels.
This beautiful dress watch has one more iteration - Ref. SLGW002. This is an 18K rose gold crafted timepiece, limited edition of 80 pieces, with the same design codes. The watch comes on a black and brown leather strap.
Images: Courtesy Grand Seiko
