Grand Seiko
Introducing the Grand Seiko SBGH287 “Snow on the Blue Lake”
Grand Seiko
Introducing the Grand Seiko SBGH287 “Snow on the Blue Lake”
The Low-Down
Grand Seiko needs no introduction as the luxury watchmaking arm of Seiko, which allows the company to flex itself fully in the unrestrained pursuit of excellence. That is what Grand Seiko is for, that while production Seikos fill the field with pragmatic quality at accessible prices (we’ll make a note that inflation has left the bench and is doing warm-ups by the track), Grand Seiko watches coming out of two units — Seiko Epson at Nagano and Seiko Instruments at Iwate — are created to chase the ideal of the perfect watch. As poetry that aims to say much with very little, the ideal of what constitutes perfection is rather succinctly defined at Grand Seiko: of enduring beauty and precision, made in-house with world-class skills.
In this regard, the SBGH287 “Snow on the Blue Lake” is like many of its stablemates, simply styled and beautifully proportioned. The case is flared from the top view but nothing too crazy, and the crown is slightly nestled into the caseband that affords some protection but without actual shoulders that could disrupt the harmonious flow of its profile. The surfaces polished and brushed and bevel lines are sharp and crisp; nothing looks muddled, every surface and body line is sharply defined, from the fine detail of the dauphine hands, the facets of the hour markers, to the ‘folds’ on the case. It’s a treat like looking at an object with the perfect vision of a child (before myopia).
While technical prowess and competence would rank a Grand Seiko as among the best wristwatches in the contemporary (European) school, it needs something from its roots to truly stand apart. And that’s where its series of dials come from. The Grand Seiko menu has several models with coloured/textured dials to express the hues of the seasons, and natural features such as Mount Iwate.
In this instance, SBGH287 “Snow on the Blue Lake” expresses the wintry beauty of Hachimantai, a city in Iwate Prefecture where mechanical Grand Seiko watches are manufactured by Seiko Instruments in the town of Shizukuishi. The ethereal scene of waterfalls frozen over, frost-covered trees and the clearest of blue skies have been abstracted into the SBGH287’s frosty blue dial.
IMHO
Grand Seiko represents the pinnacle of classical watchmaking at its price segment, bearing a certain purity of purpose that informs the minimalist styling of much of its collection, and the sheer focus of its mechanical innovations. For the wearer, the Grand Seiko is a simple, yet utterly sophisticated timepiece, with unique dials that reference the awesome natural beauty around which it was created. Not least a fingerprint, terroir matters, no?
Tech Specs
Movement: Self-winding 9S85, 5Hz, -3/+5 mean daily rate, 55 hours power reserve
Functions: Hours, minutes, seconds, date
Case: 40mm, steel
Strap: Crocodile leather
Price: SGD 8,881
Price: Limited to 140 pieces