Grand Seiko Just Dropped 7 New Timepieces During Watches & Wonders

By Adrienne Faurote April 10, 2024

From the re-creation of the first-ever Grand Seiko to a few new GMTs and dress watches with a new hand-wound-high-beat movement, Grand Seiko’s showing in Geneva for Watches & Wonders 2024 is strong. Ahead, discover all of the Grand Seiko W&W novelties this year.

SLGW002 & 003

During the 1960s and ’70s, Grand Seiko produced manually wound 10-beat timepieces aimed at achieving superior accuracy and rate stability. This year marks a significant milestone, as Grand Seiko introduces its first hand-wound high-beat movement in over half a century, the Caliber 9SA4, adding to the mechanical Caliber 9S series that began in 2020 with the automatic Caliber 9SA5 and was expanded last year with the introduction of the Tentagraph Caliber 9SC5 chronograph. Caliber 9SA4 makes its debut in a new dress watch belonging to the Evolution 9 Collection (SLGW002 & 003).

SLGH021

Located in Iwate Prefecture, the Genbi Valley, celebrated as a Place of Scenic Beauty and Natural Monument, inspires the design of this Grand Seiko watch, with its dial reflecting the valley’s magnificent and enigmatic landscape through a new pattern and light-green hue. This timepiece, the first in the Evolution 9 Collection, features a case and bracelet made from Ever-Brilliant Steel, known for its unparalleled corrosion resistance and its radiant white luster that complements the dial’s vibrant green. Powered by the Caliber 9SA5, a ten-beat movement, the watch promises up to 80 hours of operation on a full wind.

SBGW314

This refreshed Grand Seiko First model stays true to the original’s refined and understated aesthetics while integrating modern technology and design updates to transition a mid-century icon into today’s context. It showcases an 18K rose gold case paired with a mesmerizing navy blue dial that evokes a starry night sky, a combination that beautifully captures the cosmic tableau. Gold indexes add to the celestial allure, sparkling against the navy background like stars. The modern flair of the navy dial and its matching crocodile strap is balanced with an alternative classic brown crocodile strap, offering versatility. This “starry night” theme not only enhances the watch’s design but also symbolizes the timeless flow of the cosmos, blending the Grand Seiko First’s timeless elegance from its 1960 debut with contemporary materials not found in the original.

SBGJ277

The SBGJ277 features a striking green rotating bezel that stands out against the watch’s delicately patterned white dial, lending the piece a dynamic, sporty aesthetic. This model is distinguished by its pronounced bezel, enabling the tracking of time across three different time zones. Within, it boasts the mechanical Hi-Beat 36000 GMT Caliber 9S86, operating at a swift ten beats per second, ensuring remarkable precision and resilience to external disturbances.

SBGE307

Grand Seiko has always embraced the lion, the emblematic “king of beasts,” as a symbol of strength and majesty. This model’s design captures the essence of the lion’s grandeur, from its commanding stance to the details reminiscent of its claws and mane, with lugs shaped to mimic the creature’s claws for a striking look that sits securely and comfortably on the wrist. The model pairs functionality with its sporty aesthetic, featuring a red-brown GMT hand on a luminous white dial, Lumibrite-coated hands and markers for nighttime visibility, 20 bar water resistance, and is driven by the Spring Drive Caliber 9R66 with GMT function, ensuring accuracy within ±15 seconds per month (or ±1 second per day).

SBGD215

Another lion emblem is demonstrated by this exquisite piece adorned with diamonds and blue sapphires. The Platinum 950 case and dial showcase a masterful gradation of stones, evoking the majestic mane of a white lion against a snowy mountaintop, while the heart of the watch beats with the Caliber 9R01, an 8-day Spring Drive movement from the Micro Artist Studio, symbolizing the fusion of art and precision.

SBGC275

2024 celebrates two decades since the debut of the pioneering Grand Seiko watch driven by the 9R Spring Drive movement, the heart of all Grand Seiko Spring Drive timepieces. Honoring this significant anniversary, a fresh Spring Drive Chronograph GMT has been unveiled, its design influenced by the mountainous vistas of summer. This creation is brought to life through an innovative dial-processing technique that captures the essence of Japanese culture’s reverence for the subtle flow of time, mirrored in the evolving hues of summer dawns in this remarkable