From JustLuxe content partner iW Magazine
A year after Grand Seiko introduced complicated and sporty models to its Evolution 9 Collection, the watchmaker adds its first automatic chronograph to the collection.
The new model, the Tentagraph, features Grand Seiko’s high-beat (36,000 mph) movement, Caliber 9SA5, which is enriched with two barrels and an ultra-efficient Dual Impulse Escapement. The existing GMT chronograph within Evolution 9 is powered with Grand Seiko’s Spring Drive technology (Caliber 9R96).
With these technical enhancements, Grand Seiko says the Tentagraph will retain its power reserve in chronograph operating mode for seventy-two hours, which the watchmaker calls the “longest power reserve in the industry today.”
Grand Seiko tests its Tentagraph movement for twenty days with a strict precision goal of +5 to -3 seconds per day.
The new 43.2mm by 15.3mm titanium-cased watch retains the eye-catching Evolution 9 textured dial finish, here colored blue. The dial’s large indexes and recessed sub-dials deliver a quick read for the wearer.
Grand Seiko also gently curves the chronograph seconds downward so that the tip of the hand is as close as possible to the dial’s markers, again enhancing legibility.
Grand Seiko’s own proprietary Dual Impulse Escapement efficiently transfers energy to the free-sprung balance wheel indirectly through the pallet fork and also directly from the escape wheel, enhancing the movement’s efficiency.
In addition, Grand Seiko builds a vertical clutch and a column wheel into the movement, both of which enhance accuracy and chronograph control.
On the dial, Grand Seiko places its signature Mt. Iwate pattern, named for the nearby mountain visible through the windows of the Grand Seiko Studio Shizukuishi.
The Grand Seiko will make the Tentagraph available at the Grand Seiko Boutiques and select retail partners starting in June. Price: $13,700.
Specifications: Grand Seiko Evolution 9 Collection Tentagraph
(Ref. SLGC001)
Movement: Caliber 9SC5Driving system: AutomaticFrequency: 36,000 vibrations per hour (10 beats per second)Accuracy (mean daily rate): +5 to -3 seconds per dayPower reserve: 72 hoursChronograph with a 30-minute counter at 9 o’clock and a 12-hour counter at 6 o’clock
Dial: Blue ‘Mt. Iwate’ pattern finish.
Case: 43.2mm by 15.3mm high-intensity titanium, box-shaped sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating, ceramic bezel, see-through screw-on case back, screw-down crown, water resistance to 100 meters and magnetic resistance of 4,800 A/m.
Bracelet: Three-fold titanium clasp with push button release.
Price: $13,700.
New Masterpiece
At Watches and Wonders 2023 Grand Seiko also debuted a hand-engraved, manual-wind platinum model in its Grand Seiko Masterpiece Collection.
Its dial consists of the now familiar Shinshu white birch pattern, though here Grand Seiko artisans have added a slightly different tone and a more metallic texture.
Inside Grand Seiko fits its Spring Drive Caliber 9R02 (first seen in 2019). The caliber’s superb eighty-four-hour power reserve is the result of a dual spring barrel in which both mainsprings are set in parallel within the single barrel.
Grand Seiko has set an 18-karat gold plaque on the 38.5mm watch’s lower bridge engraved with the words “Micro Artist.” However, the owner can instead customize it. Price: $79,000 (limited edition of fifty).
Finally, Grand Seiko introduces a Spring Drive jewelry watch inspired by the Brand’s emblematic white lion. The watch’s case and dial gleam with 5.62 carats of diamonds and 1.25 carats of blue sapphires, all set by hand.
The sapphire crystal case back reveals a beautifully finished Caliber 9R01 movement’s one-piece bridge, designed in the image of Mt. Fuji. Price: $260,000.
