Back in July, I wrote about the Grand Seiko SBGY009, which I described as ?the highlight of the year? in one that has proven to be absolutely packed with special watches. The SBGY009 – now sold out – was part of Grand Seiko?s year long celebration of the 44GS case, which celebrates its 55th anniversary in 2022. For many collectors, the SBGY009 represented something of a perfect combination of design, technical, and aesthetic elements that draw people into Grand Seiko in the first place. Not only did it make use of the iconic 44GS case shape, but it also had a beautifully textured dial and was powered by a hand wound Spring Drive movement, a technology invented by the brand that has been embraced by more and more collectors year after year. Now, mere months after the release of the SBGY009, Grand Seiko has unveiled the regular production follow up, the SBGY011. 
This pattern, of course, is typical of Grand Seiko. Like clockwork (excuse the pun) they can be counted on to release a limited edition version of a watch with a combination of dial, case, and movement features that is highly sought after, and then release variants on that watch in the permanent collection that are slightly tweaked, and maybe have slightly more mass market appeal than the collector focused LE. For the new SBGY011, we have exactly the same case (a slim version of the 44GS that measures 40mm across and just 10.5mm tall) and the same Spring Drive movement. The caliber 9R31 is a ha...