Watches and Wonders 2024: Grand Seiko’s Evolution 9 Style ‘White Birch’ Pieces Get A New Manual-Winding Hi-Beat Movement

The humble act of winding forges a deeper connection with a mechanical timepiece. The crisp clicks of the winding action render an unimaginable grade of pleasure that one craves to recreate at any possible moment. Grand Seiko rekindles the joy of winding with the release of new dress watches equipped with an all-new hand-wound high-beat movement, the Caliber 9SA4. Announced at the Watches and Wonders 2024, the references SLGW002 and SLGW003 within the brand’s Evolution 9 Style series introduce a first-of-its-kind caliber from the manufacture in more than 50 years.

The Joy of Winding with the Caliber 9SA4

Carrying on the impressive legacy of the manually wound 10-beat Grand Seiko calibers from the 1960s and ’70s, the latest generation 9S family mechanical movement offers an impressive 80 hours of power reserve. The Caliber 9SA4 is an extensively reworked and improved version of the Caliber 9SA5. Its mechanical tweaks enhance the rate stability, resistance and power reserve while being finished to a high horology standard. The impressive caliber features a completely redesigned click mechanism with the click and click spring heavily modified to yield a better visceral and tactile pleasure while winding.

The high-beat Caliber 9SA4 oscillates at an impressive frequency of 36,000 vibrations per hour and achieves a power reserve of 80 hours. This is indicated through a dedicated display on one of the movement bridges. Apart from its impressive click-action and high beat rate, the architecture is where the caliber shines as it measures a mere 4.15 mm in thickness.

A Refined Grace for a Dress Watch

Adhering to the signature aesthetic codes of the Grand Seiko Evolution 9 Style, the newly released timepieces presented at Watches and Wonders 2024 are refined at an exceptional level. Both timepieces, the titanium ref. SLGW003 and the limited-edition 18ct rose gold case ref. SLGW002 adorn a signature ‘white birch’ dial texture, this time however featured in a horizontal graining pattern. The slender indexes matching the case material have been elongated ever so slightly, the angular lugs made narrow and slimmer and the overall case finished in high-grade Zaratsu polishing result in a radiant and remarkably refined dress watch aesthetic.

The rose gold iteration released at Watches and Wonders 2024 is offered as a limited-edition of 80 pieces.