Grand Seiko Anniversary Limited Edition Comes to the U.S. Market

At Baselworld Seiko officially launched three limited edition Grand Seiko timepieces as a part of the brand's 130th Anniversary Commemorative Collection. All three models house a newly developed mechanical hand-winding movement, and all three will come to the U.S., market, albeit in very small numbers. Find pricing and wallpaper inside. The design of this limited edition pays faithful homage to the now-collectible original Grand Seiko model from 1960. Until last year, Grand Seiko was available only in Japan and a very limited number of retail locations elsewhere, but now enthusiasts in over 20 major countries are discovering Seiko's finest timepieces. The caliber in these timepieces, 9S64, is entirely new. Like the original 1960 model, it is a mechanical hand-winding movement with excellent timekeeping performance, and the new caliber uses the latest Seiko high technology. The mainspring is Seiko's proprietary “SPRON510” alloy. The balance spring is made of another recently developed highly shock resistant and anti-magnetic alloy “SPRON610” and the caliber uses a new escape wheel and pallet manufactured by Micro Electro Mechanical System or MEMS. Seiko claims a -3 to +5 seconds per day mean daily rate under static conditions. The cases, available in steel, 18k yellow gold, and platinum, are polished by hand, using Seiko's Zaratsu technique, and the dual-curved sapphire crystals have an anti-reflective coating. The Grand Seiko name on the dial and buckle is exactly as it was on the first 1960 Grand Seiko watch, and the "lion" symbol adorns the case back. The gold and platinum versions are offered in a limited edition of just 130, while the steel execution edition is of 1,300. The USA should receive approximately 20 steel pieces, and 5 or 6 each of the gold and platinum. The steel version is priced at $6500. The gold is $16,500, and platinum is $25,000. Specifications appear below the images, which may be enlarged with a click.

Specifications: • Caliber 9S64 • Manual winding - Hour, minute and second hands • 28,800 vibrations per hour • 24 jewels • Power reserve: 72 hours • Mean daily rate between -3 and +5 seconds per day (under static conditions) • Movement diameter: 28.4 mm, thickness: 4.9 mm • Available in September 2011 SBGW033 • Case: Stainless steel • 35.8 mm in diameter • Band: Crocodile with stainless steel buckle • Glass: High definition dual-curved sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating • Water resistance: 3 bar • Magnetic resistance: 10,000 A/m • Limited edition of 1,300 pieces • Retail price: $6,500 USD SBGW039 • Case: Platinum • 35.8 mm in diameter • Band: Crocodile with platinum buckle • Glass: High definition dual-curved sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating • Water resistance: 3 bar • Magnetic resistance: 10,000 A/m • Limited edition of 130 pieces • Retail price: $25,000 USD SBGW040 • Case: 18 karat yellow gold • 35.8 mm in diameter • Band: Crocodile with 18-karat yellow gold buckle • Glass: High definition dual-curved sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating • Water resistance: 3 bar • Magnetic resistance: 10,000 A/m • Limited edition of 130 pieces • Retail price: $16,500 USD