Way back in March, when we told you about Grand Seiko?s solid gold SLGH002 with the all new 9SA5 high frequency movement with a Dual Impulse Escapement, a Grand Seiko invention that represents one of the small handful of true innovations in escapement design over the last several generations of watchmaking, we openly speculated about a time in the future when this new movement would make into a watch that was a little more approachable. It?s not that we didn?t love the SLGH002, but a solid gold dress watch that retails for over $40,000 isn?t exactly something you impulse buy. Now, as Grand Seiko?s 60th anniversary year comes to a close, we?re getting our first taste of the 9SA5 movement in a stainless steel watch, much earlier than I?m guessing many observers expected. Let?s take a closer look at the just announced SLGH003.
First things first: while this watch is certainly more attainable than the gold SLGH002, it would be hard to describe it as ?affordable? with a straight face. The new SLGH003 will sell for $9,700, and is limited to 1,000 pieces. Given the present rarity of the 9SA5 movement, this watch is likely to be highly sought after by collectors and difficult to acquire, but it?s genuinely great news for fans of the brand that Grand Seiko has already figured out a way to get the 9SA5 into a watch for less than $10,000. These types of technological advancements have a way of trickling down to the consumer level, but it usually happens very slowly. To have ...