I’ve always been an ardent fan of Grand Seiko, and although I discovered them too late in life, I have always respected the classic design that forms the DNA of this brand. This Japanese luxury brand is celebrating its 60th year of existence this year, and the festivities commenced way back in January 2020.
Celebrating landmark occasions with commemorative pieces, is something that Grand Seiko does best. For example, the Grand Seiko Godzilla Spring Drive Limited Edition; a timepiece dedicated to our favorite monster. The announcement also marked two decades of the Grand Seiko Spring Drive.
Rocking the 60s in style
Resurrecting the original Grand Seiko design from 1960s, is no small feat, but to capture them into three new regular production models, is something else. The build-up for celebrations also includes the fact that the watchmakers have also moved into a new mechanical manufacturing studio, close to Mt. Iwate and near Shizukuishi, Japan.
Before we go into the details of the new Re-Creation Watches, it is important for us to acknowledge the first modern reinterpretation of the original 1960 Grand Seiko, which was released in 2017. This version broke some of the norms, which can be seen carried forward in the 2020 version.
For example, both the version boasts of a 38mm case, but the 2020 watches are slightly thicker, they measure 10.9mm – 0.2 mm more than the previous iteration. Another commonality is the choice of crafting the watches in 18k yellow gold and platinum.
Why 2020 is different!
The 2017 watches came in 999 platinum; however, the 2020 timepiece uses 950 platinum. Apart from this, the third model uses Grand Seiko’s proprietary Brilliant Hard Titanium – an alloy that is known for its bedazzling gleam on stainless steel and is light as well durable.
When you flip the case, you get taken away by the beauty of the sapphire display back, which showcases the movement. The three Grand Seiko 1960 Re-Creation series sport the original dial design, and the classic dauphine hands add to the nostalgia. Grand Seiko’s 9S64 manufacture hand-wound movement powers the watch and provides 72-hour power reserve.
Maintaining the same dial text font, which sits above the teeny star emblem at 6 o’clock, the clean dial is one of the selling points. The 18k gold watch is very similar to the original 1960 watch and its creamy white dial and gold accents are completely retro.
The platinum watch sports a subtle sunburst dial pattern, and the etched Grand Seiko logo at 12 o’clock is very evident in this version. The Brilliant Hard Titanium model comes with a deep navy sunburst dial and a painted silver logo.
The three Grand Seiko 1960 Re-Creation watches come with a crocodile leather strap – black for the platinum ($8,000), honey brown for gold ($26,000), and midnight blue for the titanium watches ($38,000).