Evolution 9 Collection
Manual-winding Mechanical
Hi-Beat 36000 80 Hours
SLGW003
A manually wound Evolution 9 dress watch with high-beat precision and 80 hours of power reserve.
SLGW003
Evolution 9 Collection
GBP 10,300.00
Aug. 2024
Features
This dress watch is equipped with the Grand Seiko Caliber 9SA4, the brand’s first manual-winding 36,000 vph mechanical movement to be created in approximately 50 years.
Today, the ritual of winding a watch is one of life’s pleasures. The simple act of turning the crown taps into the senses to forge a deeper connection with time’s natural flow. In the 1960s and ’70s, manually wound 10-beat Grand Seiko creations were manufactured in the pursuit of better rate stability and higher precision.
Caliber 9SA4 makes its debut in a new dress watch belonging to the Evolution 9 Collection, whose design represents a continuation of the Grand Seiko Style that reaches back to the iconic 44GS of 1967. Only this time, the Evolution 9 Style itself has been further refined to create a watch that instantly communicates the charm, elegance, grace, and subtlety one would expect of a hand-wound dress watch. Several aspects of the design have been revisited – from the prominent, grooved indexes, which have been slimmed down and elongated, to the multifaceted lugs, which are now narrower and have a smaller surface area. The watch’s center of gravity has been lowered to ensure the comfort and stability for which Grand Seiko’s Evolution 9 creations have become renowned.
The case and clasp are made of Grand Seiko’s Brilliant Hard Titanium. The alloy is brighter than traditional titanium, causing the case’s Zaratsu-polished surfaces to appear even more radiant and achieving a sparkle of quality and beauty befitting a Grand Seiko dress watch. Brilliant Hard Titanium makes the watch not only light but also highly resistant to corrosion and scratches while commanding a hardness double that of standard stainless steel.
The movement achieves a higher winding efficiency thanks to a rearrangement of the gear train and redesign of the parts, so that Caliber 9SA4 achieves a power reserve of 80 hours with 15 percent fewer crown rotations than are required to achieve the same power for Caliber 9SA5 when winding it by hand. Thanks to its svelte movement, the latest birch-inspired mechanical watch is 38.6mm in diameter and achieves a slimness of 9.95mm
Specifications
| Exterior: | Brilliant Hard Titanium |
|---|---|
| Case back: | See-through case back |
| Case back with 4 screws | |
| Glass Material: | Box shaped sapphire crystal |
| Glass Coating: | Anti-reflective coating on inner surface |
| Case size: | Diameter 38.6mm Lug-to-lug 45.0mm Thickness 9.95mm |
| Band width: | 20mm |
| Band Material: | Crocodile leather |
| Clasp type: | Three-fold clasp with push button release |
| Caliber no.: | 9SA4 Instructions |
|---|---|
| Movement Type: | Manual winding |
| Mean daily rate: |
+5 to -3 seconds per day
|
| Water resistance: | Splash Resistant |
|---|---|
| Magnetic resistance: | 4,800 A/m |
| Other details / Features: |
|
A dial reflecting the beauty of the white birch
The new creation’s dial is inspired by the slender white birch trees that thrive in northern parts of Japan and that grow in profusion near the Grand Seiko Studio Shizukuishi. The exquisite pattern echoes the beauty of the birch tree’s bark with its intricate, multi-dimensional texture. Combined with the watch’s elegant design and the movement’s high precision, the new creation offers a refined experience of the nature of time.
A beautiful view through an exhibition caseback
The click is in the shape of a wagtail, a bird recognized as special to Morioka, a city close to the Grand Seiko Studio Shizukuishi, where this and all Grand Seiko mechanical watches are crafted. Thanks to the redesign of the movement, the bird-like pecking motion of the click is visible to enjoy through the sapphire crystal case back during the hand-winding process. Together with the delicate finishing of the movement inspired by the Shizukuishi River, Caliber 9SA4 not only showcases the very best of Grand Seiko’s mechanical watchmaking capabilities but also captures the beauty of the studio’s natural surroundings.
Caliber 9SA4
Caliber 9SA4 was created to provide the ultimate hand-winding experience, with a winding sound and feel demonstrating its craftsmanship and quality. It has a high frequency of 10 vibrations per second, which leads to stable precision, and a long power reserve of up to 80 hours.
