Another week, another limited edition Grand Seiko (SBGY009)!”
Not that I’m complaining, no. But it can seem at times that Grand Seiko is perhaps milking the whole concept of limited edition a little too much. Anyway, we’re not here to dwell on that. Today, we’re taking a look at the recently released Grand Seiko SBGY009.
The SBGY009 is built to celebrate the 55th anniversary of the original 44GS launched way back in 1967. Long story short, the ‘Grammar of Design’ was established in ’67 by Taro Tanaka. Since then, it has been the cornerstone in GS’s design playbook. So, first things first, how much and how limited? The Grand Seiko SBGY009 carries an “approximate” price of RM36,000. It is limited to 1,500 units.
“And on to the dial!”
As we can expect, the star of the show is the dial. The full moon above the Shinshu mountains inspires the deep blue we see here. The sunray texture on the dial is designed to catch even the faintest amount of light. This is reminiscent of “the gentle sparkle that the moon casts over the landscape when it is at its highest point in the sky.”
Elsewhere, there are gold elements in the form of the applied GS logo and seconds hand. And speaking of hands, both the (polished and faceted) hour and minute hands are curved at the tip for improved legibility at almost any angle.
Useful especially considering the box-shaped sapphire crystal (with AR coating) that sits on top.
“Tech specs? Dimensions?”
So, the SBGY009 has a case size of 40 mm and a thickness of 10.5 mm. Lug to lug stands at 46.2 mm. There’s an exhibition case back when you flip the watch over, revealing the Spring Drive Calibre 9R31. This 30-jeweled, hand-wound movement has a power reserve indicator (on the main plate of the movement) and reserve of 72 hours. Accuracy is quoted at +/-1 sec per day. Water resistance is a healthy 100 m.
Finally, the watch comes on a dark blue crocodile leather strap with a tri-folding clasp and push-button release. The lug width is 19 mm.
“Remind me again, how much is the Grand Seiko SBGY009?”
It’s set to hit boutique shelves in August 2022 with an approximate price of RM36,000. There are only 1,500 units worldwide.