Since when is a stroll through a picturesque forest enough to conjure up the design inspiration needed to carefully craft a precise, refined and delicate watch? Since Grand Seiko turned towards the handsome white birch trees near its Japanese design studio for inspiration in crafting the Grand Seiko SLGH005.
It’s outfitted with the kind of technical specs one expects from a legendary watchmaker, and it’s nearly as visually striking as the scenery from which it was dreamed up.
Known as the Series 9 Design and a new introduction to the stunning Grand Seiko Heritage line, it’s a watch befitting of a company never content to rest on its laurels (we’ve also been impressed by the recent launch of the exclusive Grand Seiko Club).
But back to the landscape that helped this luxurious watch spring to life. The bark of the white birch trees is reflected in a striking textured white dial that looks quite a bit like peering through a thicket of trees in search of mystery and adventure. Distinctive hands and grooved markers pop nicely against the dial, which also features an open sapphire crystal case back.
The crown jewel of the Grand Seiko SLGH005 might be the fact that this is a “high-beat” watch, one made with Grand Seiko’s recently introduced Caliber 9SA5 movement. This movement features a Dual Impulse Escapement, an innovation to the component that quite literally makes the watch tick. The escapement, proprietary to Grand Seiko, works to provide smooth, symmetrical watch movement, and has been heralded as a new frontier in watchmaking.
This is a watch that’s both a collector’s item and also remarkably wearable with winter-to-spring style essentials, from a tailored dress shirt and wool trousers to a navy cotton polo, tan chinos and Horween leather loafers.
Simply put, if you want a precise, exquisitely well-crafted and remarkably durable stainless steel watch, this is the timepiece you want. The Grand Seiko SLGH005 retails for a cool $9,100.