Two new members of the Grand Seiko Elegance Collection are outfitted with superb Urushi lacquer dials nestled within pink gold cases. While this Japanese lacquer can be applied to a variety of different objects, it is primarily known in the Western world as an artistic decoration on high-end fountain pens. Here Martin Green explains how Urushi dials give Grand Seiko an edge over its competition.
Each year usually has its own distinctive color trend. While an armada of new watches with green dials sailed into view last year, following in the wake of an even more powerful fleet of blue dials in previous years, 2019 seems to be all about a wide variety of colors with many refined pieces in eye-catching hues. Color has never looked so spectacular, so let’s dive right into five of 2019’s brightest newcomers.
Seiko’s story is much more complicated than most people might think. This is a manufacturer that not only followed a trend, but actually created some of its own, capitalizing on expertise, knowledge, and skills that were practically the mother of necessity for this manufacturer located so far away from the established European centers of watchmaking. Including its extraordinary Micro Artist Division.
The Seiko Credor GXBE998 pocket watch’s “secret” is an engraving that celebrates life. The brand’s artists honor Credor’s 45th anniversary with something truly unique: a three-dimensional hand-engraving of the tree of life, which is a significant concept in both the Shinto and Buddhist religions.
Seiko has plunged once again into its rich history, this time resurfacing with a cool limited edition timekeeper drawing inspiration from the aptly named “1970s diver’s watch.”
When most people think of Seiko, they think of the mass-produced quartz watches that dominated the world’s markets in the 1980s and thereafter. What many don’t realize is that Seiko, one of only a handful of companies able to manufacture a watch from A to Z, makes the full range all the way up to full-on mechanical handmade horological delicacies with fine finishing and artful embellishment. And they don’t come more full on than the Seiko Credor Fugaku Tourbillon.
There was a time when viewers didn’t consciously pay that much attention to what kind of wristwatches movie characters wore. This often meant that actors wore their personal watches on set, sometimes even when it didn’t suit the movie. Today placing a wristwatch in a big film is big business, which also changes the types of timepieces characters now wear.
Diver’s watches were to be found all over Baselworld 2018, and Sabine shares her favorite newcomers in this technical field. These five debutants delight with their unique styles and convincing technical features. No wonder, for each one of them was made by an expert in the category.
Seiko’s story is much more complicated than most people might think. This is a manufacturer that doesn’t follow trends, but has created a few of its own, capitalizing on various types of expertise and knowledge that were the mother of necessity for a manufacturer located so far away from the established centers of watchmaking in Europe. Grand Seiko is the most appealing line to connoisseurs of fine watchmaking, and we look at it in some depth here.
Grand Seiko makes some of the finest movements in the world, so it seems only natural that the Japanese brand pull out all the stops for Baselworld 2018: limited editions with the latest technology that also conserve original aesthetics – a task that the Japanese watch giant fulfills with much aplomb.
