Grand Seiko Four Seasons SBGH271 Review
Grand Seiko takes great pride in making exceptional timepieces with each handcrafted watch striving for excellence in function, and beauty in a design that holds deeper values in its heritage. The Grand Seiko SBGH271 from the Heritage collection, the Japanese season’s special edition, showcases just what this tradition in excellence truly means. With every season comes new a journey with new experiences, feelings, and beauty. The season’s edition watches bring the changing emotions of each season in the form of a fantastic timepiece keeping the nature of time right to your wrist. The Grand Seiko SBGH271 priced at $6,300 gives us the joy of Early Summer (Rikka). As Spring shifts changing into the full lush green of summer, and the land blooms bringing the feelings of renewal; the Japanese zephyr (kunpu) blows gently over the fields and grass. The Grand Seiko SBGH271 draws its design inspirations from this rebirth of deep greens on the earth and gives us a rich green dial enhanced by gold hands/ hour markers meant to encourage one to seize a summer moment to enjoy forever. The Grand Seiko SBGH271’s beauty is held within the deep connection to the summer season brought to the wrist with its rich color choices. While its case design brings a modern reinterpretation to the iconic 62GA launched in 1967 which was the first automatic movement. This design gained popularity through its striking features: a mirrored multi-sided case, wide dial opening, Seiko signature Zaratsu polishing, and its bezel-free construction. This design is a true classic embodying purity, refinement, and nobility.
The Grand Seiko SBGH271 carries with it a 9S85 caliber movement masterly crafted in the Shizukuishi watch studio in the Iwate Prefecture. This modern movement makes use of innovations to the mainspring, hairspring, and escapement which improves precision and gives pure power from its mechanical hi-beat 36,000 (10 beats per second). First, the hairspring uses new materials that enhance fundamental performance. These new materials, honed from 50 years of Grand Seiko experience, bring about a new generation of Sopron alloys called Sopron 610 which took about five years to develop. This material had the ability to take on twice the impact, and three times higher magnetic resistance. Second, the mainspring increases torque for high-speed oscillation and longer power reserve utilizing a Sopron 530 alloy that took six years of development. Delivering six percent more power than its predecessors along with with keeping the same corrosion resistance, five more hours of power reserve, and durability. The 9S85 caliber brings greater accuracy but also brings a greater challenge as well that few watchmakers choose to take on. The Grand Seiko SBGH271 meets the challenge of the 9S85 caliber head-on with an accuracy of +5 to –3 seconds per day when static and +8 to –1 seconds per day with normal usage. While also maintaining 55 hours of power reserve and the durability the Grand Seiko brand is known for despite the faster rotational speed having a tendency to wear on a watch’s ability to support longevity. Grand Seiko spent many years perfecting their craft of the 9S85 caliber movement, and the SBGH271 showcases the effort perfectly. This Automatic with a manual winding capacity watch has a water resistance of up to 10 bar or 100 meters, magnetic resistance equipped, date display, thirty-seven jewels, and a stop-seconds hand function. The SBGH271 has a case size of 44mm in diameter by 12.9mm in thickness and comes with: a screw case back that is see-through and carries the lion emblem on it, a screw-down crown, and a threefold clasp with push-button release. Along with every Grand Seiko watch the case material for the SBGH271 continues this tradition of excellence with nothing but the best: Sleek stainless steel with dual-curved sapphire glass that has an anti-reflective coating on the inner surface.
As the season entices one to go out and adventure the Grand Seiko Japanese Seasons editions watches are with you every step of the way. Spring and winter editions, assembled at Shinsuwatch studio, bring focus to the high precision of spring drive movements; where Summer and Autumn, assembled at Shizukuishi watch studio, focus on power and dynamics of the mechanical hi-beats 36,000. Summer emulates this power and dynamism with its rising intensity of heat, shorter nights bringing a small respite from the ever-present sun, and ending with its hottest day of the year before settling into its new season. The Grand Seiko SGBH271 aptly encompasses this meaning of summer, power, and dynamics in a flawlessly elegant design. This watch will have onlookers stopping in their tracks trying to catch a glimpse of summer radiance tied deeply to the SBGH271 that is as addictive as the season itself. Capturing the vibrant energy brought with the season of summer the Grand Seiko SBGH271 shines bright among watches!
