Celebrating Seiko’s 140th Anniversary, Grand Seiko presents a limited edition Spring Drive watch (reference SBGZ007) from its Masterpiece collection. Featuring a platinum case, this elegant timepiece has a deep blue, star speckled dial inspired by the spectacular night skies of Achi, a mountainous village located in the southern part of Japan’s Shinshu region.

This masterpiece watch was made by the elite team of watchmakers at the Micro Artist Studio in Grand Seiko’s manufacturing facility in Shiojiri, located in the same Shinshu region as Achi.

The blue dial has a remarkable depth that is accentuated by the quiet and delicate sparkle of what appear to be distant stars. A unique manufacturing and finishing technique combining stamping, plating and painting gives the dial a different aspect at each and every viewing angle, just as does the sky above Achi. The Platinum 950 case is carefully engraved with a pattern which is replicated in different directions on the Zaratsu polished case, again capturing the exquisite order and ever changing aspect of Achi’s starry skies.

Refined and slim, its case has a diameter of 38.5mm and depth of 9.8mm.The hour and minute hands and hour markers are in 14k white gold. The Grand Seiko name, the minute markers and all the other markings are etched into the dial.

Grand Seiko Spring Drive Caliber 9R02

The new Grand Seiko Masterpiece SBGZ007 watch from the Seiko 140th Anniversary Limited Edition houses the Spring Drive manual-winding caliber 9R02.

First presented in 2019 to mark the 20th anniversary of Spring Drive, this movement comes with a power reserve indicator on the back side of the movement next to the barrel. The distinct shape of the barrel echoes that of bellflower, the symbol of Shiojiri. The rims of the bridges, the holes for the rubies and the screws are all expertly hand polished to a perfect mirror finish. The tempered blue screws stand out in contrast to the hairline finish of the bridges to heighten the perception of the perfection of the engineering.

The 18k yellow gold plaque on the lower bridge carries the engraved words “Micro Artist”. If the owner wishes, this inscription can be replaced with a word of his or her choice.

This spring drive movement offers an outstanding 84 hour power reserve thanks to the Dual Spring Barrel, in which two mainsprings are set in parallel within a single barrel, and the Torque Return System. When the mainspring has been fully wound and the torque output is at its highest, approximately 30% of the available power is not needed to maintain the precision of the watch and is in effect wasted in a normal movement. The Torque Return System uses this energy to rewind the mainspring, resulting in an increase in the power reserve. In Caliber 9R02, this system is activated for 48 hours after the mainspring has been fully wound.

The watch will be available as a limited edition of 50 at the Grand Seiko Boutiques in August 2021.

Technical details

Reference: Grand Seiko SBGZ007 Spring Drive Seiko 140th Anniversary Limited Edition
Collection: Masterpiece Collection

Movement
Caliber 9R02
Driving system: manual-winding Spring Drive
Power reserve: 84 hours
Accuracy: ± 1 second per day (± 15 seconds per month)
Dual-Spring Barrel and Torque Return System
Power reserve indicator
Number of jewels: 39

Case
Material: Platinum 950
Dual-curved sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating
See-through screw case back
Water resistance: 3 bar
Magnetic resistance: 4,800 A/m
Diameter: 38.5mm, Thickness: 9.8mm

Strap
Crocodile strap with three-fold clasp with push button release
Platinum 950 clasp

Price
Approximate recommended retail price in Europe: €80,000

Edition
Limited edition of 50 pieces