Grand Seiko Heritage Re-creation 45GS - 1968 mechanical Hi-Beat white dial leather strap 38,8 mm

The story

In 1968, Grand Seiko introduced the 45GS, just one year after the 44GS, the legendary creation that established the brand's design code, the Grand Seiko Style. Although the two watches were almost identical in terms of style, the 45GS featured a dramatic improvement in stability and performance with the brand's first high-frequency hand-wound movement, caliber 4520.

This model was produced by Daini Seikosha (now Grand Seiko Studio Shizukuishi producing 9S mechanical watches) and had a relatively long production run, appearing in the catalog until around 1973, with several different models to choose from. One of the main features of the 45GS was its frequency, 36,000 vibrations per hour, a real technical challenge in its day. This hand-wound caliber achieved excellent results in chronometry competitions at the Neuchâtel and Geneva Observatories in the late 1960s. In 1968, Suwa Seikosha even placed 4th to 10th at the Geneva Observatory, achieving a score of 58.19 points out of 60, the absolute record in the history of the Geneva tests for a mechanical wristwatch!

The 45GS came in several versions, including one with a V.F.A. (Very Fine Adjusted) certified caliber 45, once rightly considered one of the world's finest and most precise timekeeping movements! Its accuracy was ± 1 minute per month maximum, and that was in 1969!

While the 44GS has enjoyed renewed success with reissues faithful to the original, the 45GS has been somewhat neglected by Grand Seiko. In 2013, the brand celebrated its watchmaking centenary with a reinterpretation of the 44GS. Today, it's the 45GS's turn to be brought up to date, with steel and gold versions that respect the spirit of the original.

A design faithful to the heritage

This new creation closely follows the original design of the case and dial. The angular design of the original case, featuring flat, mirror-polished surfaces and curved case sides, has been recreated using Grand Seiko's latest watchmaking technology. The design creates a remarkable brilliance based on the interaction of light and shadow, which has been at the heart of Grand Seiko's design grammar since its inception in 1967 with the 44GS. You'll note, however, that the case has been slightly enlarged, from 36.5mm to 38.8mm, surely to match more contemporary tastes.

However, the opaline dial color and lettering are virtually identical to the original models! At 12 o'clock appear the Seiko letters, designed to re-imagine the vintage character of the original lettering. At six o'clock are the letters GS and Hi-Beat, the number 36000, signifying the movement's high frequency, and even the Daini Seikosha factory logo, indicating the birthplace of the original 45GS. The clean-cut minute track and polished, faceted, diamond-cut hour-markers are appreciated.

An evolution in watchmaking technology

Winding a movement is a ritual that is part of everyday pleasures. The simple act of turning the crown reconnects us with the natural flow of time. In the 1960s and 1970s, Grand Seiko's hand-wound, 10-alternations-per-second creations were designed with stability and precision in mind.

For this recreation, Grand Seiko has decided to equip this watch with Grand Seiko's latest high-frequency, hand-wound mechanical movement, caliber 9SA4. Like the caliber 4520, the new 9SA4 beats 10 times per second and features a through-bridge for the balance wheel! However, it has a power reserve of 80 hours when fully wound, thanks to Grand Seiko's highly efficient double-pulse escapement and its two barrels. Not only has the 9SA4 caliber been designed to achieve the ultimate in high-frequency watchmaking performance, but the movement has also been engineered with particular attention to the tactile, auditory and visual sensations felt during manual winding to create an ideal experience for the watch owner.

The pawl is shaped like a wagtail, the emblematic bird of the town of Morioka, near the Grand Seiko Studio Shizukuishi where all Grand Seiko mechanical watches are produced. The movement has been redesigned to make it visible through the sapphire caseback during winding, imitating the bird's beak. Sublimated by delicate finishes inspired by the Shizukuishi, the calibre 9SA4 synthesizes Grand Seiko's horological know-how and expertise, while capturing the beauty of the Studio environment.