Grand Seiko just announced their new watch the SLGH005 which has a dial that is inspired by white birch trees. For the price of a Grand Seiko watch and just in general very few come even close to the dial designs as well as the beauty they have presented on their watches. This watch is no exception to that which is inspired by the white birch trees from just outside Grand Seiko’s Studio in Japan. This watch will definitely rival the infamous Grand Seiko Snowflake dial and will be very heavily demanded once it does release in March.
The movement that is used in this watch needs just as much recognition as the dial as this watch is powered by the 9SA5 automatic movement. It was first unveiled in 2020 and was only used in a few limited edition watches but now has been released with this watch. It has an accuracy of +5/-3 per day and comes with a power reserve of 80 hours. The movement can be seen through the exhibition caseback and you will see some more subtle details showing further influence from the Japanese landscape. The bridge of the movement is curved in a way to resemble the shape of Mt. Iwate and the bend to resemble the nearby Shizukuishi River which runs past the Grand Seiko studio where the watch is being manufactured.
The look of the watch is known as the Series 9 design which stays true to the Grand Seiko style back in 1967 and this is very evident from the case of the watch. The hands and indices of the watch has is also based on this Series 9 design and comes in a case size of 40mm with Grand Seiko’s Zaratsu finish on the case. The case and the bracelet of the watch is made out of stainless steel and comes with sapphire crystal for both the dial and the caseback of the watch. The watch is also 100m water resistant and there is also a date window at the 3 o’clock position on the watch. The signature blue second hand that is seen on the Snowflake is also in this watch which contrasts beautifully with this new dial design.
This watch will only be released in March and is not a limited edition watch and will be available through Grand Seiko boutiques and authorised dealers. It will be priced at $9,100 and for the small price increase for a brand new and a definite upgrade in the movement as well as this beautiful dial it is definitely worth considering if this was in your budget range. Even though it is not a limited edition watch it will be no surprise if boutiques run out of stock for this watch so a pre-order might be necessary.
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