Grand Seiko’s “White Birch” Hi-Beat 36000 80 Hours held off outstanding Swiss competitors to win the GPHG prize for this year’s best men’s watch.
The award was accepted with a speech by Akio Naito, President of Seiko Watch Corporation, who joined the ceremony remotely from Tokyo, Japan.
In his speech, Mr Naito said: “This watch exemplifies Grand Seiko’s never-ending pursuit of watchmaking excellence in every aspect. We are honoured that the tradition of quality and spirit of Grand Seiko’s watchmaking is recognized at our industry’s most important award ceremony.”
Grand Seiko has taken its watchmaking artistry, finishing and engineering to a new level since its 60th anniversary last year.
One of the key developments has been the creative dial treatments, which caught the GPHG judges’ eyes with the White Birch, but have also been applied to other Hi-Beat watches including the ‘Snowflake,’ and ‘Skyflake,’
These award-winning timepieces will be among the star attractions of the Grand Seiko stand at WATCHPRO Salon, which takes place from November 12 to 13 (Friday and Saturday) at The Londoner Hotel on Leicester Square.
Hi-beat 36000 80 Hours
The £8,500 Hi-beat 36000 80 Hours watch offers a new perspective on Grand Seiko’s philosophy, The Nature of Time.
Its dial is inspired by the white birch tree forests that thrive in northern parts of Japan, and that grow in profusion near the Grand Seiko Studio Shizukuishi where this and all Grand Seiko mechanical watches are made.
The design is true to the Grand Seiko Style defined back in 1967 with the celebrated 44GS, but its heritage is combined with a contemporary feel that points towards a new era.
The watch is powered by the Hi-beat Calibre 9SA5, which has a precision rate of +5 to -3 seconds a day and achieves a long power reserve of 80 hours.
The precision, power and slimness of Calibre 9SA5 are the result of the radical re-design of key structures including the entirely new escapement and free-sprung balance developed in-house.
Calibre 9SA5 will be the foundation upon which a whole new generation of Grand Seiko mechanical watches will be created in the future.
WATCHPRO Salon
Grand Seiko is one of the star brands at this year’s WATCHPRO Salon, a showcase of prestige watchmakers and a chance for brands, retailers and press to meet collectors and enthusiasts in 5-star luxury.
The two-day event takes place from November 12 to 13 at The Londoner, a brand new 5-star hotel on London’s Leicester Square.
Other confirmed exhibitors include:
ALLEMANO | BALL WATCH | BIANCHET | BONHAMS | BRITISH HOROLOGICAL INSTITUTE | CHARLES GIRARDIER | CHRISTOPHER WARD | CYRUS | CZAPEK | DELMA | DOXA | DUCKWORTH PRESTEX | ENCELADE | GRAHAM | GRAND SEIKO | IKEPOD | JUNGHANS | LAURENT FERRIER | MARATHON | MAURICE LACROIX | MECCHANICHE VELOCI | MICHEL HERBELIN | ORIS | PARMIGIANI FLEURIER | PEQUIGNET | PERRELET | QLOCKTWO | SCATOLA DEL TEMPO | SCHOFIELD | SIDEREUS | SINN | SPEAKE-MARIN | SWISS CAPSULE | SWISS KUBIK | THE SPLINED HUB | U-BOAT | VICTORINOX | VOUTILAINEN | WOLF | WILLIAM WOOD WATCHES | ZEITWINKEL
