Grand Seiko’s Manual-winding Mechanical Hi-Beat 36000 80 Hours SLGW003 wins “Best of the Best” at the Red Dot Design Award 2025.
On July 8, 2025, the Grand Seiko SLGW003 from the Evolution 9 Collection received the prestigious “Best of the Best” distinction at the Red Dot Design Award 2025 in the Product Design category. This accolade is the highest honour bestowed within the category by the Red Dot jury, composed of 24 experts from around the world. The Product Design category encompasses 51 sub-categories, including fashion, accessories, electronics, and furniture.
“Everything about the SLGW003 from the Evolution 9 Collection by Grand Seiko – from the proportionality of the components to the details such as the finishing and polishing – looks incredibly balanced and harmonious, a rare thing for a watch,” the jury said in a statement. “The design language developed over decades by the brand has found its highest form of expression in this watch.”
The winning creation’s dial is inspired by the slender white birch trees that grow in profusion near the Grand Seiko Studio Shizukuishi, the home of Grand Seiko mechanical watchmaking and the site where this watch is made. The exquisite pattern echoes the beauty of birch bark with its intricate, multi-dimensional texture. The watch belongs to the Evolution 9 Collection, whose design represents a continuation of the Grand Seiko Style that reaches back to the iconic 44GS of 1967. The Zaratsu-polished, distortion-free mirror finish and delicate hairline finish alternate, giving the case the harmonious glow characteristic of the Evolution 9 Style.
“While the watch has a substantial surface area that gives it a bold presence, the overall thickness appears restrained thanks to the thin, hand-wound movement. This contrast between visual weight and structural elegance is a key aspect of the design,” said Kiyotaka Sakai, who designed the watch. “The gently curved case that follows the contours of the wrist, combined with a low centre of gravity, ensures not only elegance in appearance – but exceptional comfort. It’s a quiet triumph of proportion, poise, and wearability.”
Introduced at Watches & Wonders Geneva 2024, the SLGW003 was also nominated in the Men’s Watch category of the GPHG later that year. It is powered by Grand Seiko’s manual-winding Calibre 9SA4, which was designed to enhance the tactile, auditory, and visual experience of hand-winding.
About the Red Dot Design Award
Established in 1955, the Red Dot Design Award is internationally recognized as one of the most prestigious design competitions in the world. Organized by Design Zentrum Nordrhein Westfalen in Germany, the award comprises three disciplines: Product Design, Brands & Communication Design, and Design Concept. Entries in the Product Design category are evaluated based on nine criteria, including innovation, functionality, durability, and emotional content. In 2025, over 7,900 products were submitted by designers, companies, and organizations from more than 60 countries worldwide.
For more details about the award:
https://www.red-dot.org/
For more information on the watch:
https://www.grand-seiko.com/au-en/news/2024/pr/20240409-1
