BY JOVAN KRSTEVSKI
Grand Seiko has gained some nice momentum in the past couple of years. While it still one of the more underrated luxury watch brands out there, Grand Seiko watches are a true representative of exceptional Japanese craftsmanship and in my opinion, are as good or at times even better than their Swiss counterparts. The latest from the house of Grand Seiko is the Autumn Heritage Limited Edition aka SBGH269, a watch that presents an expression of the Japanese autumn season.
One area which all Grand Seiko watches excel in, are their dials and the SBGH269 is no exception. The deep red dial looks stunning and tries to evoke the scene of autumn in Japan when leaves gradually turn red. Further to that the glossy dial also features subtle vertical stripes that resemble the reflective lacquered wooden floors of Japanese architecture and heighten the visual appeal of the watch. To complement the bright background Grand Seiko has thrown in some nice warm golden accents which can be seen in the form of the minute track, the second’s hand, and the Grand Seiko logo. The dial layout is typical Grand Seiko with beautifully faceted and polished indices, a date window at 3 and a razor-sharp sword style handset.
Made from stainless steel the case on the SBGH269 is well sized. It measures 39.5mm in diameter and is 13mm thick which should make it sit comfortably on a variety of wrists. Just like the dial the case exhibits some great attention to detail and features a beautiful interplay between brushed and polished surfaces. The polished sections have a mirror-like finish to then which is made possible using the famous Zaratsu technique and the result is a case that offers some amazing light play. There is a sapphire crystal on both the front and the back and the case is water-resistant to a healthy 100 meters.
Driving this watch is Grand Seiko’s in-house automatic caliber 9S85. This is a high-beat movement that operates at 36000 bph which converts into a super smooth second’s hand that ticks 10 times in a second. It offers a power reserve of around 55 hours and is also highly accurate to within -3 to +5 seconds a day. The movement is also beautifully decorated using perlage and Tokyo stripes, and features an anodized titanium oscillating weight. It can be viewed through the sapphire case back.
The Grand Seiko SBGH269 would be accompanied by a steel bracelet and is limited to 900 pieces. It will retail for USD 6,400.
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