Grand Seiko’s Spring Lineup Includes their Brand New Quartz Caliber, and a First for the 44GS Case

Last week, we covered the introduction of a series of new watches from Grand Seiko meant to mark the beginning of their 60th anniversary year. Well, even before those limited edition watches have hit AD cases. Grand Seiko is back with even more new watches, and these are permanent parts of the collection. These references feature both the coveted 44GS case as well as the new quartz movement we told you about last week. As always with Grand Seiko, there’s a lot to cover, so let’s jump in.

Grand Seiko SBGH277 & SBGH279

• Case Material: Stainless steel 
• Dial: Silver, gray
• Dimensions: 40 x 13.3mm 
• Crystal: Sapphire    
• Water Resistance: 10 bar
• Crown: Screw down       
• Movement: 9S85
• Strap/bracelet: Stainless steel bracelet
• Price: $6,100
• Reference Number: SBGH277, SBGH279
• Expected Release: March 2020

Grand Seiko SBGN011 & SBGN013 

• Case Material: Stainless steel 
• Dial: Champagne, black
• Dimensions: 40 x 12.2mm 
• Crystal: Sapphire    
• Water Resistance: 10 bar
• Crown: Push/pull       
• Movement: 9F86
• Strap/bracelet: Stainless steel bracelet
• Price: $3,000
• Reference Number: SBGN011, SBGN013
• Expected Release: March 2020

Grand Seiko SBGP001, SBGP003, SBGP007 

• Case Material: Stainless steel 
• Dial: Champagne, black. blue
• Dimensions: 40 x 11.1mm
• Crystal: Sapphire    
• Water Resistance: 10 bar
• Crown: Push/pull       
• Movement: 9F85
• Strap/bracelet: Stainless steel bracelet
• Price: $3,200
• Reference Number: SBGP001, SBGP003, SBGP007
• Expected Release: March 2020

First up are two new models making use of the modern rendition of the 44GS case with Grand Seiko’s 9S85 hi-beat automatic caliber beating away inside. This case, when matched with a hi-beat GMT movement, has become a favorite pairing, matching what is perhaps Grand Seiko’s most distinctive case shape with a special movement that remains firmly planted in old-school watchmaking traditions. These new watches represent the first time that this 44GS case has been paired with a time and date only hi-beat movement. Two new references in this configuration will be available in March: the SBGH277, with a silver sun-ray dial and blued steel seconds hand, and the SBGH279, with a grey dial with vertical satin finish. 

Both watches are mounted on a stainless steel bracelet, and can easily shift between dress watch duty and a more daily wear style, depending on the attire you choose to pair them with. While this case makes particularly great use of Grand Seiko’s zaratsu polishing, giving it a touch of glitz that most sports watches wouldn’t touch, it’s also quite robust, with a screw down crown and water resistance to 100 meters. 

Next up are two new watches in the Heritage Collection, and these GMTs mark the first non-limited quartz GMTs in the collection. Grand Seiko’s quartz GMT, with its impressive accuracy and independently jumping hour hand, was introduced in their sports line last year. This new version provides a dressier alternative while losing none of the convenience of the earlier models. Reference SBGN011 features a champagne colored sun-ray dial with a blued steel GMT hand, and SGBN013 has a black dial dial with red lacquered GMT hand. Both are powered by Grand Seiko’s 9F86 movement, which is rated to +/- 10 seconds per year. 

Finally, Grand Seiko has announced three new references in their Heritage Collection Quartz lineup. All feature the brand new 9F85 movement, a time and date quartz caliber that allows for independent jumping of the hour hand. If you were intrigued by the recently announced limited editions featuring this movement but looking for something in a slighty different flavor, these watches will have a definite appeal. References SBGP001, SBGP003, and SBGP005 will be replacing SBGV205, SBGV207, and SBGV239, respectively. The new references all make use of the 44GS case, and feature dials in champagne, black, and blue. 

Lastly, while not part of this new Spring refresh, we also noticed a brand new limited JDM Grand Seiko popping up on social media, and we think it’s worth mentioning. The SBGA421 is new and very limited release for the Japanese market, and features Grand Seiko’s iconic snowflake dial with truly stunning red accents on the bezel, seconds hand, and power reserve indicator. The caseback, also, is translucent red sapphire glass. This reference will be available in select Japanese retailers only beginning at the end of February, and will be limited to just 390 pieces. A tough ticket for American collectors for sure, but we couldn’t let this interesting take on the Snowflake pass by without drawing some attention to it. 

With two major product announcements (featuring a total of 10 new watches), Grand Seiko is already having a busy year. It will be interesting, to say the least, what the rest of this 60th anniversary year has in store for the brand. Grand Seiko