Description
About Grand Seiko SBGC275
Grand Seiko Automatic Spring Drive 3-Day Caliber 9R 20th Anniversary Chronograph GMT Model Limited Edition Sport Collection
A sports watch inspired by the beautiful Shinshu sunrise reflecting off the Hotaka landscape
This limited-edition watch commemorates the 20th anniversary of the Caliber 9R Spring Drive movement.
The vast Hotaka mountain range rises in the Shinshu region of central Japan, where all Grand Seiko Spring Drive creations are made. The sun reflecting off this soaring landscape at dawn creates beautiful mountain scenery with ebullient colors transforming from pink to orange as the early morning progresses. This model features a powerful, angular case design inspired by the lion, a symbol of the brand since the first Grand Seiko watch in 1960. Synonymous with strength and courage, the lion represented the aim of the original Grand Seiko team to create the very best timepiece of which they were capable in terms of accuracy, legibility, durability, and beauty, and these values remain today. The lion’s presence is demonstrated in every detail of the new watch, such as the angularity of the case and the claw-like, hairline-finished lugs, which provide a point of contrast to the Zaratsu-polished surfaces.
Water resistant to 20 bar, the watch is made to ensure the highest level of performance in any sporting situation. The hour and minute hands are designed for heightened legibility, and the wide indexes further enhance the superior legibility for which Grand Seiko is renowned. The case and bracelet are made of high-intensity titanium, which is about 30% lighter than stainless steel and has a brighter color. The bracelet, too, is designed for comfort, with thick, H-shaped links that easily conform to wrists of all sizes. The hour and minute hands, as well as the hour markers, have Lumibrite that glows green, while the GMT hand and the numbers on the bezel glow blue, enhancing the watch’s legibility in dark conditions.
Limited edition of 700 pieces.
About Spring Drive
Spring Drive is Seiko’s exclusive movement that achieves an unprecedented level of accuracy (+/- 15 seconds per month on average, equivalent to +/- 1 second per day) by regulating a spring-driven watch with state-of-the-art electronic technology that functions without batteries or other external power source.
As in conventional mechanical watches, the sole power source of Spring Drive is a mainspring that can be wound by the motion of an oscillating weight or by winding the crown. And just as in mechanical watches, the mainspring drives a series of gears that rotate the hour, minute and second hands. A rotor, connected to the end of these gears, generate a small electrical charge that activates an electronic circuit and quartz oscillator.
The Tri-synchro regulator is a unique speed controller for Spring Drive that replaces the escapement, which is a mechanical speed control device used in almost all conventional mechanical watches. The Tri-synchro regulator moves the second hand in a smooth motion, without ticking and with extreme accuracy.
Some 80% of the components in a Spring Drive caliber are the same as those in a luxury mechanical watch. Spring Drive is a movement powered by a spring, just like a mechanical watch, with a different kind of regulator and combines the long-lasting autonomy of a mechanical watch with the precision that, until now, only electronic watches could provide.
To ensure reliable and accurate operation, all these parts need to be manufactured to the highest standards of precision, and assembling them requires superior craftsmanship.
The development of the Spring Drive movement caliber 9R was made possible because Seiko is one of the very few manufactures with expertise in both mechanical and quartz watches.
Since the first Grand Seiko Spring Drive in 2004, new movements have been created with even more complex mechanisms–including the GMT in 2005 and chronograph with GMT in 2007. Showing that with the Spring Drive caliber 9R, time never loses momentum.
Grand Seiko SBGC275 Features
A dial that depicts the morning glow of the Hotaka mountain range in summer
Early on summer mornings before dawn, the sun’s red light illuminates the peaks of the Hotaka mountain range. Eventually, the light spreads to the surface of the mountains, turning the entire range a light crimson color, which gradually changes to the color of shinonome, or dawn. This beautiful moment, which can only be seen for about 30 minutes before and after sunrise, is expressed on the dial. A new technique called Optical Multilayer Coating makes this color-changing dial possible.
Caliber 9R96
Caliber 9R96 is a version of Caliber 9R86 that has been specially adjusted to deliver an even higher level of precision. The Grand Seiko lion in 18K gold graces the oscillating weight to symbolize this enhanced accuracy.
- 50 jewels
- LIMITED EDITION on the case back
- Serial number engraved on the case back
- Date display
- Three-fold clasp with secure lock
- 24-hour hand (dual time display function)
- Chronograph with 30 minutes & 12 hours
- Power reserve indicator
- Calendar-linked time difference adjustment function
- Screw-down crown
- See-through screw case back
- Allergy-safe metal
Grand Seiko SBGC275 History
Prior to 1960, to challenge the status of Swiss watches and change the perception of Japanese watches, Daini Seikosha and Suwa began the discussion of a product line that can match the quality of Swiss watches under the suggestion of the parent company. At the time, Suwa Seikosha Co. was in charge of manufacturing men’s watches, so it was decided that Suwa would be producing the first Grand Seiko (GS).
The first Grand Seiko was released in 1960, it was based on Seiko’s previous high-end watch, CROWN. This Grand Seiko has a 25-jewel, manual-winding, 3180 caliber, and only 36,000 units were produced. This was also the first chronometer-grade watch manufactured in Japan, and it was based on Seiko’s own chronometer standard.
Design style
The design language of the Grand Seiko was set in 1967, with the creation of Grand Seiko 44GS. The 44GS set the ground for all future Grand Seiko with nine elements. These elements help improve the legibility of the watch under different situations, and create a sharp, crisp visual impression:
- Double width index at 12 o’clock
- Multi-faceted rectangular markers
- Highly polished bezel
- Highly polished planes and two-dimensional surface
- Half recessed crown
- Flat dial
- Multi-faceted hour and minute hands
- Curved side line
- Reverse slanted bezel wall and case side
- Dress style with simple but beautiful design
- Zaratsu polishing
source : wikipedia
