Grand Seiko SLGB005 Evolution 9 Spring Drive

Hands-On Review of the Grand Seiko SLGB005 Evolution 9 Spring Drive UFA Limited Edition (with " Violet Dawn" Dial)







Built from Everbrilliantsteel, the new watch comes with a dial every bit as stunning as its high-precision movement.



This spring, on the " Watches & Wonders" exhibition in Geneva, Huge Seiko unveiled its record-breaking Spring Drive Caliber 9RB2 to the world. According to Great Seiko, it's the most correct mainspring-driven watch movement available today, boasting an accuracy associated with ±20 seconds per year. It is by design. The Spring Drive movement eschews strictly mechanical construction, juxtaposing an old-fashioned mainspring and gear train using a proprietary sliding wheel and also integrated circuit with a quartz crystal. This creates often the truly smooth Spring Push movement we've come to assume and love. Yet, its veracity is astonishing by virtually any standard, marking a significant breakthrough for Grand Seiko's Spring Drive work at the Shinshu Toki no Takumi course.



Following the platinum SLBG001 and the bright titanium SLGB003, Grand Seiko just lately unveiled the third model inside UFA collection-the new SLGB005. From a distance, you might mistake the idea for just another 37mm ti model, with just a diverse dial. While the two are incredibly similar, subtle changes established it apart.



The SLGB005 is built from Grand Seiko's Ever Amazing stainless steel, a material that may be more corrosion-resistant than standard steel alloys and has a rather lighter hue, especially when finished. In the Evolution 9 design and style language, this primarily implies brushed surfaces embellished together with wide Zaratsu-polished chamfers. Using a smaller case diameter regarding 37mm and a thickness involving 11. 4mm, and water-proof to 100 meters, this kind of watch will undoubtedly appeal to individuals who find the compact case on the SLGB001 a bit light, because it adds a touch of heft with their timepiece.



Maybe confusing many Grand Seiko collectors is that this stainless steel type doesn't feature the new fine-adjustable clasp featured on the SLGB003, which was just released (and received widespread acclaim) with April of this year. This can be likely because the steel buckle isn't ready for mass generation yet, but it will undoubtedly sadden many collectors who had anticipated it would remain a light fixture on subsequent releases.



As a visual designation for this limited edition, a great 18k rose gold Grand Seiko emblem is inlaid about the flat, standard Evolution on the lookout for clasp. We've seen the actual 3D " GS" emblem on the dial in rare metal finishes in the past, but I favor the classic silver look about this watch, as it complements the particular dial's hue more attractively. Honestly, I'd prefer the rose gold colored elements removed entirely or perhaps replaced with white gold, as they stick out too much against the watch's attractive color scheme.



But I digress. Major here is squarely on the face. The " katauchi" (template) pattern, inspired by the frost-covered trees of Suwa Kirimine Plateau (near the Shinshu Toki-no-Takumi workshop), inherits the appearance of the previous two models. This kind of nearly abstract herringbone routine is a deep, inky pink, fading to a lighter blue toward the center. As with lots of Grand Seiko's darker calls, the dark hue with the underlying lacquer coating shows up solid and lustrous within dim light, transforming in to a vibrant, undulating dial inside bright sunlight. It would not be a new Grand Seiko dial without a slightly lyrical press release. In this case, the watch dial color is described as " reminiscent of a frosted natrual enviroment emerging at dawn. "



As we usually say about many Awesome Seiko dials, the printed pattern in the " Violet Dawn" colorway is particularly stunning. While the Caliber 9RB2 has been one of the most striking dials we all saw at Watches & Wonders, ice blue as being a dial color has never resonated with me. Therefore , I've wished for a darker dial for the Evolution 9 UFA. The new purple dial is absolutely beautiful, with a gradient around the ends creating a dynamic look and the right amount of lacquer to give the item a (literally) shimmering glean. During my brief time using this " Violet Dawn" dial watch, I placed it up to a window repeatedly to compare the dial beneath indoor and outdoor lighting effects. It was fascinating to see just how it reacted so in different ways under various conditions.



Thankfully, the caseback, etched with a more very discreet, frosted Grand Seiko brand, reveals the Caliber 9RB2 automatic Spring Drive movements. It boasts a 72-hour reserve of power and exceptional accuracy connected with ±20 seconds per year (approximately ±3 seconds per month). Grand Seiko attributes that performance improvement to a fresh manufacturing and processing way of the quartz crystal, and also an improved temperature-compensating integrated routine. Furthermore, a lesser-known characteristic: for the first time, a Spring Drive movement features a regulating swap, making maintenance much easier for that watchmaker.



That watch, powered by a spectacular Spring Drive movement, is actually a truly stunning sight. A lot of the dial is so gorgeous, I personally hope that it will be a regular production model together with the titanium SLGB003, rather than a minimal edition. However , I hope that you day we will see a non-limited edition UFA stainless steel unit, preferably with a micro-adjustable hold.