GRAND SEIKO

The majority of people associate Seiko with low-cost quartz timepieces and the occasional automatic diver. Most watch lovers, however, are aware that Seiko is capable of producing luxury timepieces that can compete with even the most prestigious Swiss brands. Grand Seiko and Credor are the brands of these timepieces. In this piece, we'll go into Grand Seiko in further detail.

Seiko is, in reality, a very inventive company with a significant presence in the watch business. Grand Seiko, their premium watch brand, was founded in 1960 by Daini Seikosha and Suwa Seikosha, two Seiko corporate divisions. They intended to design a watch line that could compete with Swiss watchmakers. Only Swiss timepieces were considered luxury watches prior to this period. They were also thought to be significantly superior to Japanese timepieces. Suwa Seikosha was the first company to produce the Grand Seiko.

The GS cal. 3180 was used in the first generation of Grand Seiko watches, and it was the first chronometer grade watch ever made in Japan. It was exorbitantly priced; today's equivalent is almost $3500, which was an outlandish price for a Japanese watch. You could purchase the best Swiss watches for that money. These watches were available in gold plated or platinum casings, with the platinum models being more unusual. There were a few elements in the initial generation of Grand Seiko that would be included in all subsequent collections. The movement contained a hacking mechanism, which meant that when the crown was pulled out to set the time, the entire movement would halt, allowing for more precise timekeeping. It had a two-phase regulator mechanism, as well as a timekeeping rating certificate in the box. While this watch was excellent, the Grand Seiko 2nd generation from 1963 was astoundingly high quality for its day, especially coming from Japan.

Suwa Seikosha's 57GS, a low-beat hand-wound wrist watch, put Grand Seiko on the map in 1963. It was a watch that was practically indistinguishable from the first generation. It had a stainless steel casing, which was unique for a luxury timepiece at the time; indeed, the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak, which debuted in 1972, is usually regarded as the first stainless steel luxury wristwatch. Rather than a snap back, it had a screw down case back. This meant the watch could withstand 50 meters of water. A date that changes automatically was added to the 3180 movement. This movement was chronometer certified, but in 1966, it was significantly adjusted to boost the beat rate to 19.800 from the previous 18.000. Its chronometer certificate was also lost.

Suwa also launched the 62GS, the first automatic Grand Seiko, in 1966. This model had a little crown at 4 o'clock to emphasize the fact that it did not require manual winding. Grand Seiko has risen in popularity since then, not only in Japan but across the world. From 1970 to 1990, Grand Seiko had a 20-year hiatus since Seiko's entire focus was on quartz timepieces. However, in the 1990s, it was revived with new models. These were the very first Grand Seiko watches that have bands. After decades of development, the Spring Drive movement was finally completed in 2004. This is a mechanical movement with quartz regulation.

This Spring Drive movement is used in some of Grand Seiko's most popular models today, including the Grand Seiko SBGA011, dubbed the Snowflake because of its stunning, textured dial, which is designed to appear like snow outside of Grand Seiko's studios.