Grand Seiko Heritage Spring Drive "Pink Snowflake" Calibre 9R 20th anniversary pink dial titanium bracelet 41 mm

The story

The development of Spring Drive began in the 1970s, but it took Seiko and Grand Seiko a few decades and many prototypes to present their first movement equipped with Spring Drive technology. It first appeared in a Seiko watch marketed in 1999, at the time under the aegis of Seiko, with the hand-wound caliber 7R68. It took another five years for Grand Seiko to unveil its top-of-the-range version, with the launch of its own movement, the automatic caliber 9R65. Indeed, GS waited until it could reach its own standards before launching its 9R, which had to be even more precise and enduring! It was one of the few calibers of its time to offer 72 hours of power reserve. Introduced in 2004, and thus celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, this technology remains unique on the market and perfectly demonstrates all the contrasts that can be observed in Japan and at Grand Seiko.

But if there were just one year to remember, it would undoubtedly be 2005. It was in this year that the Manufacture introduced a watch that would become one of its most famous models, and a model for future collections: the Snowflake. This model has only been updated once, in 2017, when Grand Seiko became independent. The dial now features a single Grand Seiko signature, and the reference has become SBGA211. But the Snowflake has remained virtually untouched for the past 19 years. To celebrate 20 years of the 9R caliber, Grand Seiko is therefore today launching a colorful limited edition of one of its icons, presenting the Pink Snowflake reference SBGA497.

A "Nature of Time " dial

The texture of this dial and the illustration of Grand Seiko's respect for nature have since captured the hearts of watch lovers around the world. The dial of this timepiece features a pink gradient that vividly captures the sunrise scene over the snow-capped Hotaka Mountains, visible from the Shinshu Watch Studio where all Grand Seiko Spring Drive watches are made.

The snow-covered surface of Hotaka's Peaks is featured, giving this dial the name "Snowflake". It symbolizes the changing morning landscape and the subtle color changes of the dial representing the snowy surface illuminated by the morning sun. The power reserve hand and Grand Seiko logo reflect the tones of dawn. The seconds hand of the Spring Drive movement glides in a fluid motion across the dial, reflecting the natural flow of time.

The model

This new version of the Snowflake retains the same Heritage case design, slightly simpler than the 44GS or 62GS. This watch isn't as rooted in the past as those other two collections and seems a little more classic, a little more timeless too. And yet, on closer inspection, this is a Grand Seiko in its own right. The 41 mm case, made from high-intensity titanium, combines brushed surfaces with highly polished accents, using the Zaratsu (distortion-free) technique. With a height of 12.5 mm and a length of 49 mm, it's quite comfortable on the wrist - and the lugs are curved enough so that the length of the case doesn't show too much. The crown, which is screwed to the case, is slightly recessed and, together with the screw-down caseback, guarantees a comfortable water resistance of 100 meters. It's all classic and well done, as you'd expect from the brand.

An exceptional Spring Drive caliber

This SBGA497 is powered by a Manufacture 9R65 self-winding Spring Drive caliber. This unique movement from Manufacture Grand Seiko, demonstrates all the know-how and mastery of the Japanese brand in movement design. It combines all the group's technologies, with a mechanical caliber base, but where the traditional escapement has been replaced by a "Tri-synchro", housing a quartz crystal. Few watchmakers can offer such a caliber, as it is highly complex and unique on the market. This movement produced at the Shinshu Watch Studio offers exceptional precision of one second per day, as well as a 72-hour power reserve.