Grand Seiko SLGH005 Review – Hands-on with the “White Birch”

Whether it be the texture of snow, the ripples on a lake, or the color of the sky at a particular time of the day, Grand Seiko has pretty much interpreted every aspect of nature seen outside their factory windows onto a watch dial. 

The Grand Seiko Studio Shizukuishi is nestled in a quiet forest in Japan’s Iwate Prefecture. It’s here that the original Grand Seiko watch was created and that their new watches and 9S mechanical movements are made.

It seems that outside these windows, Grand Seiko is treated to an abundance of breathtaking scenery from which they can draw inspiration when designing their watches. Whether it be cherry blossoms in bloom in Japan’s early springtime, a garden path through a bamboo forest, or the sight of rain falling on Mt. Iwate, Japan’s nature has well and truly been honored by a Grand Seiko dial more times than we can count.

And yet, just when you think their inspiration must be running thin, they launch one of the most brilliant-looking watch dials I have ever seen. The Grand Seiko SLGH005, nicknamed the “White Birch” for obvious reasons, is inspired by Shirakaba, the Japanese term for white birch trees. “Shira” signifies “white,” and “kaba” combines the kanji for “wood” and “beauty”. 

In images I had seen online, the dial finish looked immaculate, but I had not seen the watch in person… until now. So now that I have it on my wrist, the question is: does the Grand Seiko Evolution 9 SLGH005 live up to my expectations?

The History of the Grand Seiko SLGH005

Before we get into the nitty-gritty details of the Grand Seiko Evolution 9 “White Birch” SLGH005, I want to first mention the impact this watch had on its release. When it launched in early 2020, it felt like the start of a new chapter for Grand Seiko. It wasn’t wholly new in any sense, really; we’d seen the sleek and dynamic Evolution 9 case and bracelet already, and we’d enjoyed several models equipped with their in-house Caliber 9SA5 movement. 

However, what set the SLGH005 apart from its predecessors was that it marked their first regular production model. It wasn’t exclusive to any part of the world nor limited to a specific number of designs to celebrate the company’s 60th anniversary. 

This might not seem all that extraordinary, but when a brand debuts a new case architecture and a new movement to go with it, there’s always some uncertainty about how well it will fare, both in popularity and reliability. 

So, the launch of the Grand Seiko Evolution 9 SLGH005 as a permanent addition to the brand’s portfolio was proof these aesthetics and technologies were here to stay.

The Evolution 9 Case 

For me, dimensions can make or break a watch. I have fairly slender wrists, at around five-and-a-half inches wide, so when I saw that the Grand Seiko Evolution 9 “White Birch” SLGH005 had some healthy proportions, I knew we were off to a good start. 

The case measures 40mm in diameter, 11.7mm in height, and a 47mm lug-to-lug. And for those interested, I measured the end link-to-end link diameter as 50.3mm. These are classic dimensions for a daily beater watch and would happily suit wrists similar to mine or bigger.

It wears a little lower on the wrist than its height suggests, too. That’s helped by the double-stepped case, the low flanks of the bezel, and the beautiful downward-turned lugs. The case is entirely machined from stainless steel and follows the architecture of previous Evolution 9 models. The Evolution 9 series is designed to be a more modern watch compared to some of GS’s more traditional collections like the Heritage and Elegance. 

It cleverly blends a range of aesthetics sourced from Grand Seiko’s design history to create a watch that’s not quite a sports watch nor a dress watch but one somewhere in between. 

This makes the SLGH005 extremely versatile, working just as well with denim as a black tie. Part of the reason it feels like a sports watch is the screw-down crown, which offers 100-meter water resistance, a specification far higher than the typical dress watch standard. 

The contrasting finishes used on the case are also to blame. There’s satin brushing on the case sides and bezel top, which juxtaposes nicely with the bright polishing used on the bezel sides and lug edges. The latter is achieved using Grand Seiko’s famous Zaratsu polishing technique, which is done entirely by hand and is a rather lengthy process. The result, though, is stunning with a mirror-like finish. 

On top, the Grand Seiko Evolution 9 “White Birch” SLGH005 delivers high-quality sapphire crystal glass that is both cambered and box-shaped. The box section is seen outward while the cambered shape is central, creating a seemingly flat but beautifully undistorted view of the dial. Sapphire crystal is also featured on the case back, so you can admire the in-house movement inside when the watch is off your wrist.

The White Birch Dial

Due to its name, I expected the dial of the Grand Seiko Evolution 9 SLGH005 would be white. But it’s not. In fact, the textured display is entirely silver with a metallic finish inspired by the look of the white birch trees spotted outside the Shizukuishi studio. 

I was pleasantly surprised upon unboxing the SLGH005. Part of me had wondered if a white dial would make the design look all too similar to the GS Snowflake. Instead, the silver dial really makes this watch a novelty in its own right. 

The dial texture well and truly looks like the grain of a white birch branch or trunk. I don’t know how Grand Seiko does it, but they are experts in mimicking the colors and textures of nature onto dials. 

The Grand Seiko Evolution 9 SLGH005 is one of the same. It has very deep grooves that give the dial an almost rustic-like appearance and provide plenty of visual interest. It’s one of those displays you can get lost in all too easily. 

According to Grand Seiko, creating the SLGH005’s dial is no easy feat. It requires up to 20 steps to fabricate, many of which involve clear coating the surface. This is done up to 14 or 15 times before the finishing touches are done to create the final silver color and texture. It’s only after that that the Japanese watchmaker can begin adding the GS logo, silver-bordered date window, and hands and minute markers. 

For the Grand Seiko Evolution 9 “White Birch” SLGH005 watch, the indexes are hand-applied and faceted with the 12 o’clock marker featuring the Evolution 9’s double-faceted profile. The hour hand is uniquely shaped, with a flat end, while the minutes and seconds are kept nice and sharp. 

The latter is steel and fired blue for a brilliant contrast against the rest of the monochromatic display. There’s no lume in sight, but the bright polishing of all the hardware provides plenty of legibility, at least in the daytime.

Movement 

With so much going on with the case and dial, it’s easy to forget that the movement within the Grand Seiko Evolution 9 SLGH005 watch is just as much, if not more impressive. 

The movement in question is Caliber 9SA5, an in-house manufacture movement that brings together some of Grand Seiko’s greatest proprietary technologies into one place. The result is a movement with a weekend-proof 80-hour power reserve and a high beat frequency of 36,600 vibrations per hour.

One of the biggest draws of the Caliber 9SA5 is the escapement design. It has a dual-impulse, increasing energy efficiency and allowing for such a high frequency and long power reserve. 

I won’t go into too much detail about how this works because I’m no engineer, but I do know it’s technology garnered plenty of applause and is considered a real example of haute horlogerie. It’s also 15% slimmer than previous 9S calibers, measuring to just 5.18mm tall. This is achieved by placing the barrel and gear trains in a special horizontal layout. 

In addition to being technically impressive, the Caliber 9SA5 is a beautiful movement. Through the sapphire crystal case back, you can view the breathtaking bridges designed to mimic the flowing lines of Mt. Iwate and the Shizukuishi River. The surfaces are treated with striping, polished bevels, and perlage, and the oscillating rotor has a more openwork design compared to previous 9S Calibres, giving us a better view of the components below that are hard at work.

Straps

Like all the watches in the Evolution 9 Series, the Grand Seiko “White Birch” SLGH005 is finished by a modern and broad metal bracelet. It matches the case in its stainless steel construction and has a wonderful array of finishes including polished links on the outer face and a satin-brushed top. 

I particularly like the staggered link alignment, as this adds to the watch’s sporty persona, plus the bracelet has an integrated end link to remove any awkward gaps between the case and strap. 

The buckle is just as beautifully finished with both satin and polished finishing and the GS logo in relief. It’s a single-fold deployment clasp with a twin trigger release, so it’s not easy to accidentally pop open. 

The strap is 22mm wide, so swapping it out for another is made easy, plus its length can be adjusted by screws. My only real complaint, as is normally the case with Grand Seiko bracelets, is that there’s no fine adjustment clasp. But there are varying ranges of link sizes that can be taken out, so finding a good fit won’t be too difficult.

On-Wrist Experience

The Grand Seiko Evolution 9 “White Birch” SLGH005 is a unique offering from the Japanese watchmaker for many reasons, one being its wearability. On paper, the dimensions are extremely wearable and don’t get me wrong, this is a comfortable watch, but it is a little larger than some of their other models. 

Much of that is down to the lug-to-lug distance of 50.3mm when you include the male end links. It still wears nicely on my five-and-a-half-inch wrist, but it felt more like a statement timepiece than a real daily beater. I’d recommend that if you want this watch to be your everyday go-to, you’ll need to be an individual with 6.75-inch wrists or more. 

That said, it has a nice low profile, making it feel a touch more compact. It’s the perfect height for a dress watch, as it’ll slip under the cuff of a shirt without issue. But I have to say, with a dial like this, I wouldn’t want to hide the Grand Seiko Evolution 9 SLGH005 under a sleeve. I’ll say it again, but this dial is beautiful. I want to stare at it and have others stare at it, too. 

Price & Availability

The Grand Seiko Evolution 9 “White Birch” SLGH005 retails brand new for $9,100 or can be found on the second-hand market for between $5,000 and $7,000. It’s a non-limited edition, so it is currently part of the brand’s permanent collection. If you’re interested in this model, we recommend purchasing a watch of this caliber through an authorized retailer like Exquisite Timepieces.

Conclusion

There’s no putting this any plainer: the Grand Seiko Evolution 9 “White Birch” SLGH005 is a beautiful watch and represents the very best of what this Japanese watchmaker can do. The case’s design language, the exquisite finishing of the dial and the technology incorporated within the high-beat movement is just exceptional and there are very few watches made to this standard available under $10,000.

My favorite feature of the model will come to no one’s surprise. It’s the dial. The intense metallic silver color with its shimmering tree bark effect is breathtaking, and it creates an almost mesmerizing coherent finish with the metal case and bracelet. This really is a watch you deserve to see in person. Sadly, I’m not sure even my writing skills can translate this watch’s immaculate beauty.