Grand Seiko started as a sub-brand of Seiko, and on older models you’ll actually see both the Seiko name and Grand Seiko branding. In 2017 Grand Seiko became its own separate brand, watch dials were adjusted accordingly (such as this one), and as a brand it operates in the luxury space.

Diameter: 38.9mm

Lug-to-lug: 46.6mm

Thickness: 12.4mm

Lug width is: 19mm

The watch is listed as having 100 meters of water resistance.

Looking at the face of this watch the first thing one notices is the champagne dial, which has been noted as an involved multi-step process to create and is applied in a sunburst fashion. The hour markers are applied polished metal, as is the Grand Seiko logo at the 12 o’clock position. The hands are also polished metal, with the hour and minute being in the dauphine style. A bordered date window exists at the 3 o’clock position. Above the 6 o’clock marker is the notation that this is a spring drive watch, and flanking that marker is the movement information. At approximately the 7 o’clock position is the power reserve indicator. While the hand that points is obviously applied the markings are printed on the dial, unlike many other spring drive watches which feature a cut away section for the power reserve. The crystal is sapphire and has anti-reflective coating on the inside.

The case is stainless steel and consists of an interesting mix of brushed and polished sections, the latter being the famed Zaratsu polishing method which results in an exceptional mirrored finish. The crown is signed, is a screw-down and features four positions. In position zero the crown is screwed down for maximum water resistance. In position one the watch can be wound. The winding sound is perhaps best described as “weird” versus traditional watches (to me it sounds like a high-pitched whine like you are manually pushing a motor). In position two you have the quick-date function. In position three you can set the time.

The watch has a closed caseback with the lion logo associated with Grand Seiko. The bracelet is a three-link style, brushed on the main surfacing but polished on the edges. The clasp is a three-fold with a push-button release. There is no micro-adjust but there are half-links. The watch uses an unusual, and annoying, link system. It’s a sort of screw-and-pin system, where there is a threaded screw on each side of a link and a pin held between them. The screws are very short, as is the pin, and in my view it is a sort of worst of both worlds split between a pin-and-collar system and a screw-link system.

This watch features the Spring Drive caliber 9R65 movement. Without going into all the details, Spring Drive is essentially a hybrid technology between a mechanical watch and a quartz watch. Spring drive watches do not use batteries or capacitors, their power comes from a mainspring like a mechanical watch. Quartz regulates the movement via a mechanism called a tri-synchro regulator, as mechanical power from the mainspring is used to generate electrical power for the quartz, and also electromagnetic power to serve as a brake. The end result is a watch with quartz levels of accuracy but mechanical drive. The telltale sign of a Spring Drive is the perfectly smooth second hand sweep, which lacks the stutter of mechanical watches (which comes from how the pallet works) or the typical one-second tick of quartz (designed to minimize battery draw).

The 9R65 itself is a 30-jewel movement that offers roughly 72 hours of power reserve and has an accuracy rating of + or – 15 seconds per month. Given how Spring Drive works I cannot test this on my timegrapher, however from my own use of the watch it seems within the advertised standard.

My overall thoughts:

The positives:

• Attractive dial from the sunburst effect to the grammar of design philosophy

• Extremely accurate

• Fascinating technology

The negatives:

• Would have been nice to have a display caseback to see the movement

• Garbage-tier bracelet

I believe this watch retailed at $3,800. When I bought it Grand Seiko listed it as an available model on their website but it has since been discontinued.