Not all images were able to load for printing. Please close the print window and try again. The Grand Seiko Elegance Collection Spring Drive SBGY008
A new Spring Drive creation captures the winter scenery of Shinshu
As you’ve certainly seen in recent releases by the Japanese watchmaker, Grand Seiko has a thing for its environment, for nature and for seasons. It even created complete collections based on seasonal changes – here and here for instance. Without surprise, as winter will soon be hitting the Northern hemisphere, Grand Seiko has decided to pay tribute to the beauty of snow – and that is also something we’ve come to see in the past at GS – with a new, high-end watch that is discreetly set with diamonds. With a nickname that could be “Shizuri-yuki,” here’s the new Grand Seiko Elegance Collection Spring Drive SBGY008.
Snow and its infinite textures is a recurring theme for Grand Seiko and this new SBGY008 makes no exception to the rule, with once again a superb textured dial. But for this watch, the brand has decided to go luxurious and to add stones to the case, yet in a discreet way that makes me clearly think that it has to be a unisex model. This watch, part of the thin and restrained Elegance Collection collection, with a case shape that has been around for some years already, also packs quite a movement under its caseback.
The case of this Grand Seiko Spring Drive SBGY008 is compact, sleek and elegant – thankfully, for a watch part of the Elegance Collection… It measures 38.5mm in diameter and a reasonable 10.2mm height (GS isn’t known for being an ultra-thin genius…) It is made of 18k rose gold, entirely polished and is equipped with a highly domed sapphire crystal on top, which might account for a large part of the thickness of the watch. However, what’s unique to this luxurious limited edition are the diamonds on the caseband, with a discrete and almost graphic line of stones on the sides – not too visible and quite well integrated.
The dial of the Grand Seiko SBGY008 is everything you’ve come to expect from the brand. Textured, poetic, focused on nature… And, of course, beautifully executed. Here, the brand pays tribute to “Shizuri-yuki,” when snow spills down from the branches of trees, creating a shimmering cascade of light, evoking the bright and fresh snow of winter in Shinshu. On top of this textured base are classic GS applied indexes and hands, here in rose gold, and finished with sharp angles and facets. The watch is worn on a brown Crocodile strap, but an additional satin gold-coloured leather strap is also included (probably for a more feminine audience).
Inside the case is a beautiful hand-wound movement with the Spring Drive technology, a hybrid that combines the beauty of mechanical watchmaking with the precision of quartz regulation – for more details about the technology, check this article. Thanks to the brand’s Dual-Spring Barrel technology, the calibre 9R31 can store up to 72 hours of power reserve (which can be controlled by looking at a discreet indicator on the back) and the precision is impressive, with ± 1 second per day.
Availability & price
The Grand Seiko Elegance Collection Spring Drive SBGY008 is a limited edition of 60 pieces and it will be available at Grand Seiko Boutiques and selected Grand Seiko retailers worldwide in January 2022. The price is announced at EUR 38,000. For more details, please visit www.grand-seiko.com.
