SBGW044 « AZ Fine Time Blog

In celebration of the arrival of the new Grand Seiko 44GS Manual Wind Limited Editions, we present one of the rarest LE’s to come out this year, the SBGW044. The SBGW044 is identical to the SBGW047 (stainless steel model) we reviewed yesterday, but with a beautiful 18kt yellow gold case.

The first variation of the 44GS debuted in 1967 and was the founding of what is known today as “Seiko Style”. Seiko Style is a very specific design element that takes traditional Japanese aesthetics and implements them to the watches design in numerous ways. The basic Seiko Style includes attributes like multifaceted-cut hands and indexes, an elegantly curved side line of the case, and super mirror polished surfaces.

The super mirror polish utilized is known as Zaratsu. This painstaking art form is a hand finish that originally derived from the katana blade. This 3 stage process provides a a distortion free finish that is quickly becoming known as one of the finest in the watch industry. There are only a small amount of highly experienced craftsmen capable of applying this finish to Grand Seiko.

To compliment the beauty of the exterior, and remain reminiscent of the original from 1967, Seiko uses their in house manufactured 9S64 caliber. In yesterdays review, I discussed the Spron 510 mainspring which provides the piece a 72 hour power reserve of only one barrel. Today, I would like to discuss the Spron 610 alloy, which is utilized for the hairspring.

The Spron 610 alloy is also manufactured in house by Seiko and is essentially made of the same materials as the 510. The hairspring is one of the most sensitive parts in any mechanical watch. The goal of the Spron 610 was to make a hairspring that was more durable, more shock resistant, longer lasting, and a less effected by temperature fluctuation, and Seiko did exactly that. The resilience of the 610 alloy is incredible and has already proven it can take a beating (no pun intended) and still perform like new after numerous years of use.

With such an elegant retro design and an incredible fit and finish the 44GS in 18k yellow gold is truly exquisite. This incredibly rare model is limited to only 70 pieces for the entire world only one of which came to the US. We are proud to say, this model (as well as the other 2 versions of 18k gold) are exclusively sold at AZ Fine Time in the US market.

The MSRP on the Grand Seiko 44GS Historical Collection Manual Wind SBGW044 is $17,500. Considering the case is solid 18k gold, and the movement has one of the most strict accuracy ratings in the world, this 44GS is actually very reasonably priced and well worth every penny. If you have any questions, please feel free to call us at 1-800-486-3996 and check us out on AZFineTime.com.

Thanks for reading! Stay tuned for our review tomorrow on the 18k Pink Gold 44GS, SBGW046.

See our video review below…

See more pictures below…

For the 100th Anniversary in watchmaking for Seiko, one of the most unique case designs for the brand was brought back to life in limited edition form for 2013. The 44GS, originally released in 1967 has been reintroduced looking identical to the original, but with the state of the art technology on the inside. This gorgeous design will be implemented in the brand as 4 limited edition manual wind models, and 2 automatics. These very special timepieces are scheduled to come in sometime in early August, but we couldn’t wait to share some of the details before their arrival.

The truest remake to the original is going to be the 4 manual wind variations utilizing the 9S64 caliber, which has a 72 hour power reserve due to its Spron 510 mainspring, the ultra-durable Spron 610 alloy (see demonstration HERE), and Grand Seiko standards of -3/+5 seconds a day deviation rate. These models will be 38mm wide and 11.5mm thick with a deeply domed sapphire crystal. The SBGW047 (far right) will be stainless steel and limited to 700 pieces for the world. The SBGW046 (rose gold), SBGW044 (yellow gold) and SBGW043 (white gold) will be limited to only 70 pieces of each for the world, with only 1 of each shade coming to the US market. We are proud to say, all 3 models in 18kt gold will be exclusively sold at AZ Fine Time in the US market. MSRP for the steel at the newly lowered pricing is set at $5,150. The white and rose gold will be $18,500 and the yellow gold $17,500.

Along with the manual wind variations will be 2 new automatics in the 44GS series. The SBGR081 (silver dial) will have a blue accented second hand and total production count of 1,200 pieces for the world. The SBGR083 (black dial) is going to have yellow gold accents and a total production count of only 700 pieces across the globe. They both are 40mm wide, 13.4mm thick, and use the 9S65 self-winding caliber, which are made (along with the 9S64) completely in-house by Seiko at their Shizuku-Ishi Watch Studio in Morioka, Japan.

The entire design of these models stay true to the original in many ways. While the manual wind variations retain more of the original design and are near exact, both keep true to the inspiration of the impressive 44GS design. All 6 variations will have closed case-backs with individual serial numbers.

The case design of these pieces are incredibly intricate and well thought out. The ideals in creating this design were to make a comfortable shape, that expresses the true beauty of craftsmanship while playing on light and shadow. The aesthetic values of these pieces highlight Japanese tradition. The term “Seiko Style” was derived from utilizing these Japanese styles that have been long implemented in their culture for years. The traits of this style mostly utilize straight lines and flat surfaces, which play beautifully with light and shadow. You may recognize some of these traits in fusuma (sliding doors), folding screens, fans and Shoji screens (paper sliding doors).

With this incredible design, the use of the immaculate Zaratsu katana blade polishing technique is highly visible. The brilliant sparkle of Grand Seiko is something that can only be truly appreciated first hand and with the new 44GS variations, the wearer gets to experience more of it. Thanks to the dominant flat surface of the case, the mirror finish truly shines. The incredibly labor intensive process of Zaratsu is not only utilized on the case and bezel, but also on the hands and indexes allowing them to glimmer and reflect small amounts of light, making for easier legibility in the dark.

We truly look forward to receiving the new Grand Seiko 44GS Historical Collection models here at Arizona Fine Time. Very few quantities will come to the US, and a vast amount of our allotments are already reserved by anxiously awaiting customers. If you are interested in pre-ordering any of these models or have any questions, please feel free to call us at 1-800-486-3996.

Here is a video from Seiko showing some of the beauty behind the 44GS…