BY HARLAN CHAPMAN-GREEN
The United States is traditionally the largest market for wristwatches owing to the sheer number of folks living there who are wealthy enough to afford a luxury mechanical timepiece or three. Every watch brand knows the significance of this market, and so it’s not uncommon to see special edition watches made exclusively for the US.
The Spring Drive Peach Blossom 62GS SBGA529 features a pale pink-coloured dial inspired by the colours of the blossoms of the peach trees in the small village called Hanamomo no Sato, nicknamed by tourists as the Valley of Peach Blossoms, in the Nagano prefecture. The dial features a lightly frosted texture meant to represent the texture of the blossom petals. Elegant dauphine hands are just what’s required here, and they fit right in, although the date window and power reserve indicator are unobtrusive as well and lend some practicality to the piece.
The new 62GS measures 40mm x 12.8mm and is made from high-intensity titanium with a brushed and polished finish, and comes with a titanium bracelet as well. 100m of water resistance combines with that titanium construction to make for a very practical package despite the 62GS’ obvious nature as a dressy piece. Inside the solid case sits the self-winding calibre 9R65. The 9R65 uses Grand Seiko’s Spring Drive technology, which replaces the traditional balance spring with an electronic circuit and a quartz oscillator, making it much more accurate. The ticking sweep of a traditional mechanical watch is replaced by a dead-smooth sweep, another signature of the Spring Drive movement. Despite having the quartz oscillator keeping time, the 9R65 is still powered by a mainspring, and it has a power reserve of 72-hours and has 30 jewels.
This new Spring Drive Peach Blossom 62GS SBGA529 from Grand Seiko is pretty. It’s also pretty hard to get, as it’s a boutique exclusive, being sold only in Grand Seiko’s boutique in Lenox Square, Atlanta. It’s also limited to just 30 pieces at $7,600.
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