Seiko Unveils Grand Seiko 55th Anniversary Spring Drive Chrono Limited Edition


Seiko released its first Grand Seiko wristwatch in 1960. This year, to commemorate the 55th anniversary of the Japanese brand’s most haute watch collection, Seiko has introduced a new, limited-edition Grand Seiko, equipped with its proprietary Spring Drive chronograph movement.

Like many other timepieces on the market these days, the Grand Seiko 55th Anniversary Spring Drive Chronograph Limited Edition features a de rigeur deep blue dial (Seiko says it is the Grand Seiko line’s signature color), which provides an attractive contrast with the chronograph hands, which are gold toned. A center-mounted hand ticks off the stopwatch seconds, while two small subdials on the right side of the dial tally up the minutes (30) and hours (12).

The dial also features a date window at 3 o’clock, a power reserve display at 7 o’clock, small seconds subdial at 9 o’clock, and a central GMT hand. The tachymeter-scale bezel is made of black, mirror-polished ceramic, seven times harder and 25 percent lighter than stainless steel and renowned for its durability and high scratch resistance. The watch is the first Grand Seiko to use a ceramic bezel.

Seiko Grand Seiko 55th Anniversary Spring Drive Chronograph LE - angle

Inside the 43-mm-diameter titanium case is Seiko’s Spring Drive Caliber 9R96, which achieves its high level of accuracy (+/- 0.5 seconds per day, +/- 10 seconds per month) through its combination of a balance wheel, electro-magnetic energy, and a quartz oscillator instead of a traditional escapement; the Spring Drive system does use a traditional rotor for automatic winding of the mainspring — here emblazoned with the Grand Seiko lion emblem in 18k yellow gold (pictured below).

The Grand Seiko 55th Anniversary Spring Drive Chronograph — which is entirely manufactured, from movement to finished watch, in Seiko’s Shinshu Watch Studio in mountainous central Japan — is a limited edition of 400 pieces worldwide, priced at $10,500. Specs on the watch are below the photo.

Seiko Grand Seiko 55th Anniversary Spring Drive Chronograph LE - angle

Technical specifications:

Reference number: SBGC013

Movement: Caliber 9R96 Spring Drive chronograph, automatic winding, 50 jewels, 72-hour power reserve, accuracy of +/- 0.5 seconds per day, +/- 10 seconds per month

Functions: hours, minutes, small seconds, 12-hour chronograph, power-reserve display, GMT indication

Case: High-intensity titanium with ceramic bezel, 43 mm in diameter, 16.5-mm thick, dual-curved sapphire crystal with nonreflective coating, sapphire exhibition caseback, screw-down crown and chrono pushers, water-resistant to 100 meters, magnetic resistance to 4,800 A/m;

Bracelet: Titanium, three-fold clasp with push-button release and “GS” emblem in 18k yellow gold

Limited edition of 400 pieces

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  1. Princetonian

    I bouvht this new and I love the watch. I am a bit shocked. The dealer offered to buy it back one year later. My hit would have been only 10 percent of what I paid for the watch. I might add the watch looks new and I wear it nearly everyday. It is indeed sccratch resistant

    Reply
  2. “A center-mounted hand ticks off the stopwatch seconds…
    Not really – there’s no “ticking” in a Spring Drive movement. All motion is in the forward direction and is continuous, not interrupted.

    Reply
  3. Guy François

    I fail to see why this would be too expensive compared to Rolex or Breitling (compared to even two of each brand).

    This watch from Seiko is high-tech or high-mech if you want and a true limited edition of 400 pieces.

    Reliability, great reserve and accuracy and beautiful on top of all that. Who could ask for more?

    If I could afford it, I’d buy one without hesitating.

    Maybe Seiko does not exude the social status that comes with Rolex, but a true watch enthusiast could not care less about that.

    Reply
  4. Phone Myint

    How much is the price? Possible to buy inYangon ,Myanmar?

    Reply
  5. Fabio de Araujo

    The new Seiko limited edition is too much expensive. With the same amount, 10,500 euros, it is possible to buy two excelent watches, a Breitling Transocean Chronograph and a Rolex Oyster Air King, both with in-house caliber.

    Reply
    • Dario Saric

      I don’t see how the statement “both with in-house movements” is relevant…? Did you mean to say that GS 9R96 isn’t an in-house movement? Or that the Rolex Cal.4130 and the Breitling Cal.01 are Superior…? Or is it that you recently learned about those two watches and the decided to take part in the fame, fuss and pose built around those fine pieces of engineering without really understanding that Grand Seiko is, by all means and aspects of high-end watchmaking, not lesser if not even with Rolex and arguably better then Breitling. Finally, don’t you think that the price for a Rolex Daytona 400 pcs Limited Edition could be a somewhat higher then the price of a regular Daytona…? Apply the same principle and you will understand the price tag on this watch.

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