With their Hi-Beat and Spring Drive movements, it’s easy to forget that Grand Seiko also produces high end quartz pieces. Introduced in 1993, these watches were accurate to within plus or minus five seconds per year and featured a high torque gearing system with an instantaneous date change. The Grand Seiko quartz caliber 9F83 was revolutionary for its time and to celebrate the 9F, Grand Seiko is releasing two 25th Anniversary limited edition pieces at Baselworld 2018.
As has become the norm with Grand Seiko’s offerings the dial is the star here. Both editions feature a special mongrammed treatment on a white dial based on the characters “9FGS.” Looking very closely at the area just inboard of the 25-minute index, you’ll find a “25” very subtly integrated into the overall dial pattern. The gold star just above the 6 o’clock index represents the remarkable +/- 5 seconds per year accuracy of the movement.
The hour markers are treated to Grand Seiko’s characteristic Zaratsu hand polishing technique, as are the beautifully beveled hour and minute hands. Reference SBGT241, harkening back to the 1993 original, sports an all stainless case and bracelet, heat blued seconds hand and a solid case back adorned with an 18k gold version of the Seiko lion. Reminiscent of the original, the day and date are both included at 3 o’clock in a combined window with a polished surround, and the bracelet is a “Grains of Rice” style, with the larger outer links sandwiching three rows of offset “grains.”
SBGV238, designed to recall the famous 44GS of 1967, adds an 18k yellow gold bezel, indices, hands, date surround (day only in this case) and GS logo at 12 o’clock, along with a sapphire case back to show off the handsome 9F82 movement. This reference ships with a 3-link oyster style bracelet.
Both references will be available in select markets in the second quarter of 2018 with the all stainless SBGT241 ringing in just north of $4,200, and SBGV238 getting within a few dollars of $6,200. SBGT241 will be limited to 1,500 pieces, while production of SBGV238 stops at 600. grand-seiko.com
Technical Specifications
- CASE
- Material: Stainless Steel
- Size: 39.1mm x 10.9mm (SBGT241), 40mm x 10mm (SBGV238)
- Crystal: Sapphire, AR Coating On Underside
- Case Back: Solid, Screwed (SBGT241), Sapphire Exhibition (SBGV238)
- Water Resistance: 10 atm/100 m/330 ft
- MOVEMENT: Seiko Quartz 9F83 (SBGT241), 9F82 (SBGV238)
- Functions: Instantaneous Date Change, High Torque
- BRACELET
- Material: Stainless Steel
- Clasp: Three-Fold Deployant With Push Button Release
