Of course, when we speak of watchmaking quality, we immediately think of the elegant complexity of the pieces refined by the craftsmen of Patek Philippe, or of the incredible movements assembled twice by the master watchmakers of A. Lange & Söhne, in Saxony. watchmaking. But that would be to forget, wrongly, to turn our gaze to the Land of the Rising Sun, with more than a century of watchmaking experience. A sign that times are changing, it is also Place Vendôme, the world symbol of luxury watchmaking, that a Grand Seiko boutique has now opened its doors. The opportunity for a clientele of aesthetes to discover different watches, always elegant and artisanal, with more than complex movements.
"This is a strong symbol of our ambition: for Grand Seiko to become one of the leading brands in the international luxury watch market, as is already the case in Japan",
he confided. not long ago Shinji Hattori.
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Exclusive artisanal processes
This time, Grand Seiko unveils a new model inspired by the starry sky above the village of Achi, located in the mountains south of the Shinshu region of Japan. In Japanese watchmaking, poetry and nature are never far away ... In this remote place, at altitude, the air is pure and the stars sparkle in the night sky. As on the deep blue star-studded dial of the new model from Grand Seiko's Masterpiece collection. A piece produced in a limited edition of 50 pieces and available from August 2021 in Grand Seiko boutiques. Here, the deep blue of the dial was obtained using exclusive artisanal processes, between stamping, plating and painting. So, it seems to change depending on the viewing angle, like the sky above Achi.In addition, a pattern has been finely engraved in different directions on the 950 platinum case of this piece, to which a Japanese artisanal polishing called Zaratsu has been applied. This 38.5mm diameter coin is only 9.8mm thick. While the hour and minute hands as well as the hour markers are 14k white gold, the Grand Seiko name, minute markers and all other inscriptions are engraved on the dial.the minute markers and all other inscriptions are engraved on the dial.the minute markers and all other inscriptions are engraved on the dial.
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yoshimitsuTakano
Inside this timepiece, a true symbol of Japanese watchmaking know-how, beats a manually-wound Caliber Spring Drive 9R02.
Its signature: the fluidity of the seconds hand, signature of the Spring Drive movement.
This movement was produced by the team of master watchmakers at Grand Seiko's Micro Artist Studio in Shiojiri, a city located in the Shinshu region.
Among them is Katsumi Nakata, consecrated “contemporary master craftsman”.
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祥光 高 野
Here, haute horlogerie obliges, the edges of the bridges, the holes for the rubies as well as the screws are all polished by hand in order to obtain a perfect mirror finish and the hardened blue screws contrast with the brushed finishes of the bridges, highlighting the perfection of the caliber. As for the power reserve indicator, it appears on the back of the movement, next to the barrel, the shape of which is reminiscent of the bellflower, the Shiojiri flower. The remarkable 84-hour power reserve of this caliber 9R02 is powered by two motor springs mounted in parallel in a single barrel using the
"Torque Return" system,
which
"recycles"
mechanical energy not used to wind the watch.
When the main mainspring is fully charged, the torque is maximum.
Approximately 30% of the available power is not used in maintaining the accuracy of the watch.
In a movement without
"Torque return"
, this 30% of energy is quite simply lost.
The
“Torque Return
” system uses this energy to wind up the secondary mainspring which will then take over, thus providing a longer power reserve.
Grand Seiko, Masterpiece collection, 140th anniversary limited edition of the Seiko manufacture, € 80,000