And there’s nothing wrong, and everything right, with owning one (or more) of each Grand Seiko movement.
However, no matter which you choose, you will be in a world of watch bliss and happiness.
Still others prefer that familiar, perfect tick of second hand and instant date change on a Grand Seiko quartz.ĭifferent Grand Seikos call to different people. It doesn’t have a battery or capacitor and it does have a mainspring.) Other watch enthusiasts are drawn to that smooth sweeping second hand of a Spring Drive, a tranquil sight not seen in any other mechanical watch. ( Spring Drive is not a quartz movement, not at all. Some purists swear by a one hundred percent mechanical movement, and reject quartz and Spring Drive no matter how high end it is. Many Grand Seiko owners have tested this accuracy, only to discover that their watches are even more accurate than stated specs.Įach movement has its pros and cons, its fans and detractors. The more stringent 9R15 Spring Drive movement is accurate to +/-0.5 seconds a day. No other mechanical in the world can compete with Spring Drive’s accuracy of +/-1 seconds a day. Time flows on a Spring Drive, the way it does in nature. Spring Drive stands out in the watch world because it has a completely smooth gliding second hand. It is unique to the Grand Seiko, Credor, and a few higher end Seiko brands, including some Seiko dive watches. Grand Seiko’s Spring Drive is the baby darling of the Seiko universe, a combination of mechanical and quartz technologies (and electric and kinetic).
Because nothing’s free in physics: Normal automatics have a power reserve of seventy-two hours compared to a hi-beats’ fifty-five hours. Hi-beat mechanical watches have greater shock resistance than ordinary Seikos the second hand ticks ten times per second, compared to eight times per second for their regular automatics. In addition to their stellar engineering, many of the recent beautiful, intricate dials come from the mechanical line. They are accurate to +5 or -3 seconds a day and adjusted for temperature and to six positions (while other brands test only five positions). Grand Seiko’s mechanical movements (including their 36,000 beats per hour hi-beat movement) are the workhorse of the Grand Seiko brand. Most of Grand Seiko’s quartz watches are accurate to within ten seconds per year, and their enhanced ones are accurate to five seconds per year (these have a * above the six o'clock marker). Grand Seiko grows, ages and tests its quartz crystals in their own factory in Shiojiri (where they also make Spring Drive movements). Grand Seiko's quartz movement is not your typical, run-of-the-mill quartz movement you find in other brands. Zaratsu is a magic unlike no other watches in the world.Įach of these three movements are also shining examples of Grand Seiko's technology, dedication and focus to details and accuracy. All Grand Seiko watches are zaratsu polished to mirror finishes that catch and reflect light.
Every gear, pin, oil, case, and you name it, are all made internally from start to finish. (Spring Drive movements are also used in some non-Grand Seiko watches).Īll movements, as well as everything in their watches, are developed and constructed in-house. Grand Seiko is known for its three movements: quartz, mechanical, and its unique Spring Drive. He says that Spring Drive is a God-like watch movement. Jason Chien is a humble fan of Grand Seiko and their watches, a huge fan of Japan, Japanese culture, its food and its people.