| WATCH YOUR TIME
FOCUS
63
F O C U S
Grand Seiko, whose entire mission is to
produce the ideal watch combining the
most exceptional chronometric perfor-
mance (especially when finely regulated
by skilled watchmakers) with Japanese
beauty, has broken new ground with the
Grand Seiko Spring Drive U.F.A.
Just as the perfect katana cut that is the mark of
Iaido – the art of drawing and cutting with a Japanese
sword – requires an absolute mastery of movement, ulti-
mate chronometric precision has been a cornerstone of
Grand Seiko’s watchmaking values since the launch of
its first model in 1960. A part of the Seiko Group that was
founded in Tokyo in 1881 by Kintaro Hattori, Grand Seiko
became an independent entity in 2017 with a clear aim:
to celebrate the Japanese spirituality of time brought to
life by Takumi, or Japanese craftsmanship.
By 1969, just ten years after the debut of the first
Grand Seiko watch, the manufacture unveiled a series
of watches powered by mechanical movements that bore
the label V.F.A. (Very Fine Adjusted) on their dials. These
had escapement and balance assemblies so finely tuned
that the timepieces achieved monthly accuracy levels
of one minute, fast or slow. Given that Seiko introduced
the world’s first commercial quartz timepieces later in
the year, achieving a new order of magnitude in preci-
sion (a monthly variation of just five seconds), Seiko’s
engineers could have halted their quest for ever greater
accuracy right there. That, however, is not the way of
true technological visionaries.
While some at Seiko continued to develop multi-func-
tional quartz movements, others later turned to hybrid
systems that could combine the best of mechanical
watchmaking with the cutting-edge capabilities of elec-
tronic timekeeping. In 1977, engineer Yoshikazu Akahane,
working in the Suwa facilities in Japan, began work on
Spring Drive technology. It took over 20 years of active
research to develop the concept far enough for the first
(manual wind) edition to be launched in 1999, with the
automatic 9R65 Spring Drive movement, reserved for
Grand Seiko, was officially launched by Shinji Hattori,
heir to the manufacture’s founder, in 2004. Its design
redefined the limits of mechanical precision. Watches
equipped with these innovative movements – whose
rotors power a unique ‘Tri-synchro Regulator’ are so
accurate they deviate by no more than 15 seconds per
month, even in regular use.
Today, that legacy of precision timekeeping reaches
new heights with the introduction of the Spring Drive
9RB2 movement. With a barely credible annual (not
weekly or monthly) rate of +/- 20 seconds, the move-
ment is considered precise enough to earn the title U.F.A.
or Ultra Fine Accuracy. The 37 mm watch is available
as an 80-piece limited edition in 950 platinum with a
crocodile strap or in High-Intensity Titanium case and
bracelet as a continuous production. Inspired by the 1969
models, the designation now appears on a dial treated to
resemble the frost that forms on the trees of Shinshu’s
forests, near the Shinshu Watch Studio where the rev-
olutionary movement is made.
The movement is able to fit in a 37 mm case thanks to
its incredibly compact design – these new models are the
smallest Grand Seikos ever to be powered by a 9R Spring
Drive movement. As you would expect, the movements,
visible through sapphire crystal backs, are finished to
perfection and have a generous 72-hour power reserve.
This significant leap forward is the result of improved
manufacturing techniques and enhanced processing
methods for the quartz crystal oscillator (which under-
goes a three-month ageing process), combined with a
next-generation integrated circuit. As before, the oscil-
lators and sensor are vacuum-sealed to shield them
from environmental influences. Tested across a range
of temperatures, the thermal compensation data is pro-
grammed into the low-power integrated circuit. The
9RB2 is also the first Spring Drive to feature a regula-
tion device. This component, akin to a swan-neck reg-
ulator on a Swiss lever escapement, allows the watch-
maker performing servicing to correct any deviation in
accuracy that may appear after prolonged use. Thanks
to these substantial innovations, this new Spring Drive
timepiece stands as the most accurate wristwatch move-
ment powered by a mainspring currently available in
the world. ■ Vincent Daveau
Grand Seiko’s new Spring Drive calibre 9RB2 offers exceptional
precision: ±20 seconds per year (about ±3 seconds per month),
highlighted by the inscription “SPRING DRIVE ULTRA FINE ACCU-
RACY” on the rotor, visible through a sapphire caseback. It debuts
in two 37 mm Evolution 9 models featuring the “U.F.A.” indica-
tor on their dials:
1. GRAND SEIKO Evolution 9 SLGB001 in Platinum – This pres-
tigious edition features a blue dial and a crocodile leather strap.
Limited to 80 pieces and exclusive to Grand Seiko boutiques.
2. GRAND SEIKO Evolution 9 SLGB003 in High-Intensity
Titanium – The silver dial evokes frost-covered forest trees
near Grand Seiko’s Shinshu Watch Studio. The matching tita-
nium bracelet includes both a quick-change and length-adjust-
ment system.
Approaching
perfection