Grand Seiko Spring Drive Chronograph GMT 15th Anniversary SBGC251 Replica Watch

Grand Seiko Unveils New Chronographs, Diver's Watches and High Craftsmanship Watches at Watches and Wonders 2023 Let's take a moment to appreciate the technical complications of the new Grand Seiko Tentagraph SLGC001, the brand's first fully mechanical chronograph developed entirely in-house. This vertical clutch column wheel chronograph is rigorously tested with a standard daily deviation of +5/-3. Its caliber 9SC5 is a high-frequency 5Hz movement accurate to tenths of a second and has a power reserve of three days. Its dial is inspired by Mount Iwate, which the Grand Seiko manufacturing plant in Japan faces.

You'll see a new blue dial version of the SLGA023 "Ushio" diver's watch. Its 43.8 mm "high-strength" titanium case houses the 9RA5 movement, which offers a 120-hour power reserve.

Next is the hand-engraved limited edition platinum SBGZ009. Its finely handcrafted dial and meticulously fluted case are reminiscent of the birch forests at the eastern foot of the Kita Yatsugatake Mountains.

Finally, you'll enjoy the all-new limited edition SBGY026 "Hana-ikada," powered by a Spring Drive caliber 9R31.

Grand Seiko presents Tentagraph, a new sports chronograph with three-day power reserve and high-frequency movement

The highlight of this year's Grand Seiko is the new Tentagraph, an imposing and technically impressive chronograph featuring a new high-frequency movement and a case derived from previous watches in the Evolution 9 series shape. It's hard to believe, but until now, there hasn't been a purely mechanical chronograph in Grand Seiko's collection. If you need a watch for timekeeping, steaks, or anything else, Spring Drive has ruled the day, but that's changed this year.

With the Tentagraph equipped with reference SLGC001, Grand Seiko introduces a new movement, Caliber 9SC5. This movement is notable for sharing its architecture and basic technical characteristics with the next-generation 9SA5, a double-impulse escapement movement introduced by the brand a few years ago. In a relatively short production time, we've seen basic time and date calibers adopted in all sorts of excellent watches, but this is where the real fun gets: we now have a new caliber derived from 9SA5 that will of course make any concerned People at the brand think a) we'll see more chronographs from Grand Seiko in the Evolution 9 line, and b) we'll probably see more complications. The 9SA5 now replaces it as a halo movement with many possibilities in size variations.

Like the 9SA5, the 9SC5 beats ten times per second and is powered by two barrels that provide a three-day power reserve. This is the run of the chronograph, which Grand Seiko boasts is the longest power reserve of any 10-per-second chronograph in production today. They're positioning it as a tech-heavy sports watch that feels like a great value for the money given the impressive specs. Looking back at the release of the 9SA5, it seemed logical to use it for a chronograph, given the high beat rate and the inherent advantages of this type of movement in timing events.

As far as the design of the watch is concerned, the titanium case measures 43.2mm in diameter and shares some similarities with previous Grand Seiko chronographs (those buttons!), but has more in common with earlier Evolution 9 watches. It's big, but the case isn't as aggressive and side-heavy as the SBGC253. It's 15.3mm tall, but the silhouette introduced in the Evolution 9 design language hides a lot of bulk. It doesn't fade away on the wrist, but it doesn't completely overpower either.

The dial is finished in a gorgeous shade of blue, the traditional color of Grand Seiko when launching new or special watches. It is decorated with the Iwate ridge pattern familiar to many collectors. This dial texture strikes a nice balance between "always on your face" and "I'm not actually sure it's there". It really comes to life in direct light, but mostly appears blue with just a little extra. The three-register design is balanced, which feels like an obvious thing to do, but it's a quality that Grand Seiko chronographs have lacked until now, with the Spring Drive power reserve indicator occupying between 7 and 8 on previous chronographs. space, and a somewhat unusual asymmetrical sub-dial layout. Black ceramic bezel with engraved tachymeter scale.

Then there's the name: Tentagraph. A common complaint is that even among die-hard Grand Seiko fans, the brand doesn't have a knack for naming watches. Many limited and special editions have nicknames based on their dial colors and textures, as well as points of inspiration mainly from nature, but most of the time what we get is a string of numbers and letters that only start when you go further Meaningful rabbit hole. There’s no “Submariner” or “Speedmaster” in the line, but the Tentagraph seems to be reaching that status, with the watch’s name stamped on the dial, like the iconic Swiss sports watch it will compete with in the high-end chronograph market. Incidentally, Tentagraph describes the main features of this watch: ten beats per second, power reserve of three days,