By Jovan K
Grand Seiko’s Tentagraph first showed its face in 2023, but the new SLGC006 from their Evolution 9 Collection feels like a watch that has inhaled the copper air of Mt. Iwate at sunrise. That mountain looms large in the brand’s identity, visible from the Shizukuishi studio where these watches are made, and here it lends more than scenery.
The case is a cocktail of materials that do not often share the same table. The case measures 43.2mm x 15.3mm, a size that makes no attempt to hide. Lightness comes from high intensity titanium, warmth from rose gold, and bite from the black ceramic bezel etched with a tachymeter. Capping it all is a box shaped sapphire crystal that has been treated to keep glare under control. It does feel more like a sculpted instrument than an ornamental jewel.
It is the dial that commands the eye. Copper-pink, with a radial pattern echoing Mt. Iwate’s slopes balance its complications with surprising restraint. Running seconds sits at three, the 12-hour register at six and the 30-minute counter at nine. A date aperture sneaks between four and five, leaving all markers intact. Even the chronograph seconds hand is curved, its tip kissing the edge markers precisely.
Beneath it all runs the 9SC5. This is not just another chronograph, the 9SC5 calibre marks the brand’s first foray into a true in-house automatic high frequency chronograph engine; striking ten beats per second. Two barrels and a Dual Impulse Escapement stretch the autonomy to three full days, even if the chronograph is worked continuously. Each example is tested for 20 days to sit within Grand Seiko’s own accuracy code of plus five to minus three seconds per day.
The titanium bracelet, alternating satin and Zaratsu polish, locks with a three-fold clasp. Water resistance is rated to 100 metres. Available in October at Grand Seiko boutiques and salons, price is €23,000/US$22,600 and for those who want one, the race is capped at 300 pieces worldwide.
