Grand Seiko Unveils Two New Calibre 9R Spring Drive Timepieces

Grand Seiko celebrates 20 years of Caliber 9R Spring Drive with a colourful new three-hander and a new GMT.

Back in 1970, Grand Seiko wanted to create a timepiece with the combined power of a mainspring and electronic watchmaking technology to deliver a watch with a level of precision that a conventional mechanical timepiece cannot attain. Named the Spring Drive, this concept started its development and took more than 30 years for completion.

The first generation of Spring Drive was born in September 2004, a vision worthy of the Grand Seiko name finally coming to life. The Spring Drive movement was given the name 9R, and is the movement that powers all Grand Seiko Spring Drive watches till this day. The first timepiece featuring the 9R movement released exactly 20 years ago, featured automatic winding and 72 hours of power reserve.

Released last month, Grand Seiko has now unveiled two new Calibre 9R Spring Drive Timepieces as a dedication to the 20th anniversary of the Spring Drive. The first watch honours the original Spring Drive watch from 2004 by featuring the same case design and the celebrated ‘snowflake’ patterned dial that debuted the following year, in 2005. 

Grand Seiko Calibre 9R Spring Drive

Featured as part of the Grand Seiko Heritage Collection, the new Calibre 9R 20th Anniversary Limited Edition (SBGA497) has a beautiful texture and a light pink coloured dial that ties itself to nature, has won the hearts of many watch fans around the world.

The case, bezel, and bracelet designs all mimic the very first Spring Drive 9R created in 2004. This latest generation, however, comes with a high-intensity titanium case and bracelet, which is about 30% lighter and more scratch-resistant than stainless steel. This material provides for an overall lighter watch, giving a more comfortable fit on the wrist, whilst also providing durability with the titanium’s scratch resistant properties, making this watch an ideal daily watch.

While there have been many different iterations of the 9R Spring Drive calibre being created since the 2004 original, Seiko has used one of the latest in the 9R65 movement to power this new watch. Suited to the three-hander models, the 9R65 Spring Drive model features a power reserve indicator between 7 and 8 o’clock whilst also powering the date function at 3 o’clock. The accuracy of the movement is what the Spring Drive prides itself on, which is reduced to +/- (1 sec) a day or +/- (15 seconds per month)! Like most 9R Spring Drive models, it provides a 3-day (72-hour) power reserve.

Grand Seiko Spring Drive GMT

The second model in this latest release from Grand Seiko is the Spring Drive GMT (Calibre 9R 20th Anniversary Limited Edition SBGE305), released as part of the brand’s Grand Seiko Sport Collection. Easy readability and durability are some of the main qualities that make up Grand Seiko Sports models, and these are perfectly displayed through this latest Spring Drive GMT timepiece.

The Grand Seiko Spring Drive GMT is presented on a 40.5mm stainless steel case, with matching stainless steel five-link bracelet. Adding a nice touch of colour variation is the black ceramic bezel with its white inscriptions of the 24-hour scale for the second time zone.

The sunray finished dial showcases the dark and light tones of the red colour well under different lighting angles. The silver toned hour indices, hands and dial inscriptions also contrast nicely against the red background, providing easily legibility of the dial. The dial features include the date window at 4 o’clock, power-reserve indicator between 8 and 9 o’clock, and the GMT hand for second timezone, shown through the arrow-tipped hand.

The GMT hand’s operation is quite simple, as the ease of use is ensured through the local hour hand, which can be set independently, forward or backward, while the watch is running, ensuring precision is maintained when changing time zones according to one’s travels.

Grand Seiko has used their dedicated 3-hander GMT Spring Drive 9R66 movement for this timepiece, first introduced back in 2006. Like the 9R65 movement, the 9R66 has an accuracy of +/- (1 sec) a day or +/- (15 seconds per month). This movement also comes with a magnetic resistance of 4,800 A/m, and provides a 3-day (72 hours) power-reserve as well. The case back of the watch comes engraved with “LIMITED EDITION” along with the individual serial number.

Final thoughts:

Grand Seiko keeps the heritage of the Spring Drive alive and updated with the release of these latest timepieces. As a celebration of the 20th anniversary of the Spring Drive 9R, An elegant 3-hander with a stunning dial, and a sports GMT are presented, both great pieces to update the Spring Drive collection, with the (SBGA497) being presented as a great daily watch and the (SBGE305) GMT a stylish practical tool watch for travellers.

The Spring Drive GMT’s dial could’ve been a lot more “busier”, had it not been for the brand positioning the date window to replace the 4 o’clock hour marker. The date window seamlessly blends in with the other hour indices and doesn’t feel out of place, compared to when it normally sits between the 4 and 5 o’clock hour markers like in some timepieces.

Normally, the GMT hand is also colour-coded in some way, either the arrow tip or the whole hand itself. I understand that by keeping the hand the same colour as the rest of the hands, it has a uniform design and aesthetic appearance. However, imagine if this hand was yellow-coloured. I think it would’ve looked fantastic and made the dial more colourful and lively, especially with the yellow matching the GS logo underneath the 12 o’clock hour marker.

Both models are presented as limited edition timepieces, with the 3-hander Calibre 9R 20th Anniversary Limited Edition (SBGA497) produced to 1500 models, while the Spring Drive GMT (Calibre 9R 20th Anniversary Limited Edition SBGE305) is being limited to 1300 models. The 3-hander (SBGA497) will be available for purchase in March 2024, while the Spring Drive GMT (SBGE305) will be available in June 2024.

Reference:  SBGA497 (Grand Seiko Heritage Collection)

Specification

• Case: 41.0mm x 12.5mm thickness
• Case Material: High-intensity titanium case 
• Dial: ‘Snowflake’ pink patterned dial  
• Crystal: Dual-curved sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating on the inner surface
• Water resistance: 100m (10 Bar)
• Movement: 9R65
• Movement Frequency: N/A
• Power reserve: 72 hours
• Bracelet: High-intensity titanium bracelet with three-fold clasp with push-button release.

Australian Recommended Retail Price: $ 9,400 AUD

Availability: Limited to 1,500 timepieces. Available March 2024 through Grand Seiko boutiques or the online website Grandseiko.com.au

Reference: SBGE305 (Grand Seiko Sport Collection)

Specification

• Case: 40.5mm x 14.7mm thickness
• Case Material: Stainless steel
• Dial: Sun-ray finished dark red dial
• Crystal: Dual-curved sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating on the inner surface
• Water resistance: 200m (20 Bar)
• Movement: 9R66
• Movement Frequency: N/A
• Power reserve: 72 hours
• Bracelet: Stainless steel bracelet with three-fold clasp with push-button release.

Australian Recommended Retail Price: $9,300 AUD

Availability: Limited to 1,300 timepieces. Available June 2024 through Grand Seiko boutiques or the online website Grandseiko.com.au