Grand Seiko took the opportunity of exhibiting among the premier Swiss watchmakers at Watches & Wonders to introduce its most complex watch to date, the Kodo, which combines a tourbillon and a constant-force mechanism as one unit on a single axis.
Kodo, Japanese for heartbeat, has an open worked dial with hours and minutes on a dial at the top of the watch and the tourbillon pulsing at the bottom.
The 340 component 9ST1 movement, previously only seen as a slightly larger concept calibre in 2020, can be seen in the watch from above and underneath, thanks to a sapphire case back.
Grand Seiko says it took a decade to bring the Kodo to market. It will be available as a limited edition of 20 pieced in October 2022 for £310,000.
The integration of a constant-force mechanism and a tourbillon as one unit on a single axis without wheels or other components in between means there is no loss or change in the torque transmitted from the constant-force mechanism to the balance wheel.
This leads to a more stable amplitude of the balance, which improves accuracy.
It also saves space, making the movement smaller so that it has room to breathe in the 43.8mm platinum case.
