Description
About Grand Seiko SLGA023
Grand Seiko Spring Drive 5 Days Diver’s 200m Evolution 9 Collection
Diver’s watch with 5-days Spring Drive movement
Featuring the Evolution 9 Style, 200 meters of water resistance, and a blue variation on the “ushio” dial initially seen in 2022 in black, the new Reference SLGA023 is the latest diver’s watch from Grand Seiko. Below its distinctive, patterned dial is the Spring Drive Caliber 9RA5, a next-generation movement with automatic winding, ±10 seconds per month accuracy, and a power reserve of 120, or about five days, when fully wound.
The Evolution 9 Style is a set of original design techniques intended to further pursue usability and beauty in wristwatches and is a development upon the Grand Seiko Style. This sports watch combines these design elements with compliance with ISO standards to satisfy the requirements for a diver’s watch, with increased readability, operability, and robustness.
The coastal waters of Japan are influenced by the flow of the Kuroshio Current, one of the world’s major ocean currents, as well as by the nutrient-rich waters of the Oyashio Current, creating one of the world’s most diverse ocean regions. The dynamic undulation of the waves of these ocean currents is expressed in the powerful dial pattern of this watch, which also uses a unidirectionally rotating bezel with an insert made of ceramic. However, unlike last year’s Spring Drive diver’s watch, which was black, this year the dial and bezel are in Grand Seiko blue.
About Spring Drive
Spring Drive is Seiko’s exclusive movement that achieves an unprecedented level of accuracy (+/- 15 seconds per month on average, equivalent to +/- 1 second per day) by regulating a spring-driven watch with state-of-the-art electronic technology that functions without batteries or other external power source.
As in conventional mechanical watches, the sole power source of Spring Drive is a mainspring that can be wound by the motion of an oscillating weight or by winding the crown. And just as in mechanical watches, the mainspring drives a series of gears that rotate the hour, minute and second hands. A rotor, connected to the end of these gears, generate a small electrical charge that activates an electronic circuit and quartz oscillator.
The Tri-synchro regulator is a unique speed controller for Spring Drive that replaces the escapement, which is a mechanical speed control device used in almost all conventional mechanical watches. The Tri-synchro regulator moves the second hand in a smooth motion, without ticking and with extreme accuracy.
Some 80% of the components in a Spring Drive caliber are the same as those in a luxury mechanical watch. Spring Drive is a movement powered by a spring, just like a mechanical watch, with a different kind of regulator and combines the long-lasting autonomy of a mechanical watch with the precision that, until now, only electronic watches could provide.
To ensure reliable and accurate operation, all these parts need to be manufactured to the highest standards of precision, and assembling them requires superior craftsmanship.
The development of the Spring Drive movement caliber 9R was made possible because Seiko is one of the very few manufactures with expertise in both mechanical and quartz watches.
Since the first Grand Seiko Spring Drive in 2004, new movements have been created with even more complex mechanisms–including the GMT in 2005 and chronograph with GMT in 2007. Showing that with the Spring Drive caliber 9R, time never loses momentum.
Grand Seiko SLGA023 Features
The essence of Grand Seiko is infused with Japanese beauty
The Evolution 9 Collection is based on the Evolution 9 Style, a new design methodology born from the pursuit of the ideal wristwatch. Through these efforts, Grand Seiko is forging a new path.
Details about the Evolution 9 Style
Greater readability for the hands and index to meet the needs of a diver’s watch
In 2020, Grand Seiko introduced a new design philosophy called the Evolution 9 Style. It was based, of course, on the Grand Seiko Style, which has always defined the design of all Grand Seiko watches and continues to do so. The Evolution 9 Style preserves the fundamentals of the Grand Seiko Style but adapts them for a new generation by setting new standards of legibility, comfort, and beauty.
This timepiece was developed to meet the needs of divers. To allow the wearer to quickly read the watch, the contrast between the dial and the hands has been emphasized. LumiBrite is used on the hour and minute hands as well as the indexes to give them greater presence. Through these techniques, Grand Seiko’s newest diver’s watch achieves superior readability.
Spring Drive 5 Days Caliber 9RA5
Spring Drive is a unique watch technology. It generates energy like every other traditional mechanical watch but combines this with an electronic regulator to deliver a level of precision that no mechanical watch can match. The development of Spring Drive was possible because Grand Seiko is one of the very few manufacturers with mastery of both electronic and mechanical watchmaking.
In addition to achieving a high accuracy of ±10 seconds/month, this movement is 0.8mm thinner than the previous Caliber 9R65 by adopting the “Offset Magic Lever.” The movement is equipped with a power reserve indicator located on the dial side for safety during diving.
- 38 jewels
- Date display
- Unidirectional rotating bezel
- Three-fold clasp with secure lock
- Power reserve indicator
- Screw case back
- Screw-down crown
- See-through case back
Grand Seiko SLGA023 History
Prior to 1960, to challenge the status of Swiss watches and change the perception of Japanese watches, Daini Seikosha and Suwa began the discussion of a product line that can match the quality of Swiss watches under the suggestion of the parent company. At the time, Suwa Seikosha Co. was in charge of manufacturing men’s watches, so it was decided that Suwa would be producing the first Grand Seiko (GS).
The first Grand Seiko was released in 1960, it was based on Seiko’s previous high-end watch, CROWN. This Grand Seiko has a 25-jewel, manual-winding, 3180 caliber, and only 36,000 units were produced. This was also the first chronometer-grade watch manufactured in Japan, and it was based on Seiko’s own chronometer standard.
Design style
The design language of the Grand Seiko was set in 1967, with the creation of Grand Seiko 44GS. The 44GS set the ground for all future Grand Seiko with nine elements. These elements help improve the legibility of the watch under different situations, and create a sharp, crisp visual impression:
- Double width index at 12 o’clock
- Multi-faceted rectangular markers
- Highly polished bezel
- Highly polished planes and two-dimensional surface
- Half recessed crown
- Flat dial
- Multi-faceted hour and minute hands
- Curved side line
- Reverse slanted bezel wall and case side
- Dress style with simple but beautiful design
- Zaratsu polishing
source : wikipedia
