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The 20th anniversary of Spring Drive is celebrated this year with a new design in Grand Seiko’s sport collection that showcases the watches’ capabilities to withstand the most demanding sport environment. The design brings a new edge to the collection with its sharp corners and bold case and today, a new creation celebrates the anniversaries of both Spring Drive and Japan’s iconic monster, Godzilla, in a striking commemorative edition.
Grand Seiko and Godzilla share an unlikely but common history. Godzilla made its debut in Japan in 1954 and it was in this first Godzilla film that the creature appears in Ginza, the birthplace of Seiko, and destroys the famous clock tower which rises above the Wako store, a retail establishment of Seiko’s that first opened its doors in 1952.
The strength of the Grand Seiko watch is met with the power and force of the king of monsters and with it a brand new creation in the sport collection is born.
ABOUT GODZILLA
Godzilla first appeared in Toho’s “Godzilla” (1954), a classic monster movie widely regarded a masterpiece. The work launched a monster franchise that expanded over 64 years with more than 30 films. Toho’s line of original movies continues up to the controversial “Shin Godzilla” (2016); the following year, Toho launched its first animated production currently streaming on Netflix. The character has been adapted via numerous international motion pictures, including TriStar Pictures’ “Godzilla” (1998) directed by Roland Emmerich (“Independence Day”) and Warner Bros. Pictures’ and Legendary Entertainment’s “Godzilla” (2014), directed by Gareth Edwards (“Rogue One”), re-introducing the character to a new generation and a global audience. Godzilla continues to stomp through popular culture with “Godzilla: King of the Monsters,” directed by Michael Dougherty (“Krampus“), released in May 2019, and “Godzilla vs. Kong” in 2020.
The creature makes its fierce presence on the watch in a number of ways. Godzilla’s signature roar and the “heat ray beam” that it shoots from his mouth to strike his opponents is expressed in the rays of the red dial.
The design of the hands as well as the Lumibrite on the hands, hour markers and bezel, and the high definition dual-curved sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating all allow for enhanced legibility making it the perfect watch for any sports situation.
The lug of the case has a flat surface without distortion by Zaratsu polishing and hairline finish. It is a case design that gives a impression the power and force of the king of monsters, Godzilla.
Thanks to the curve of the lugs and the low center of gravity of the case the watch sits comfortably on any wrist.
Shark straps adopted to express the texture of Godzilla's skin have red coating, giving the glow of Godzilla.
* The clasp’s material is stainless steel.
The see-through case back is stamped with the scene where Godzilla destroys the iconic clock tower that had long been the symbol of the area and still stands today at the main intersection of the Ginza district.
The watch will be available as a limited edition of just 650 in November, 2019 at selected Grand Seiko and Seiko boutiques and selected retail partners across the world.
* In an actual product, the case back direction might be different from the photograph.
Just as the lion is the king of beasts, Godzilla, the king of monsters, would be appropriate for the case back of this Grand Seiko watch. I wanted to create a completely new Godzilla and gave my best to design this in the image of what can be called ‘Grand Godzilla’.
“Shin Godzilla” Special effects director
Shinji Higuchi
MOVEMENT
Caliber 9R15
Caliber 9R15 is specially adjusted Caliber 9R65, to deliver an even higher level of precision.
Caliber 9R65 is ?15 seconds a month (equivalent to ?1 second per day), whereas Caliber 9R15 is ?10 seconds a month (equivalent to ?0.5 seconds per day).
The difference between the two movements lies in the quartz crystal oscillator, which delivers accurate electrical signals.
All 9R Spring Drive use quartz crystal oscillator with stable accuracy. Among them, only quartz crystal oscillator, which exhibit particularly excellent performance, are selected and mounted on the Caliber 9R15.
The Grand Seiko lion in 18K gold graces the oscillating weight to symbolize the enhanced accuracy.
PRESS RELEASE
Oct 2, 2019
anniversaries in a Grand Seiko limited edition.
Grand Seiko and Godzilla share an unlikely but common history. Godzilla made its debut in Japan in 1954 and it was in this first Godzilla film that the creature appears in Ginza, the birthplace of Seiko, and destroys the famous clock tower which rises above the Wako store, a retail establishment of Seiko’s that first opened its doors in 1952.
The strength of the Grand Seiko watch is met with the power and force of the king of monsters and with it a brand new creation in the sport collection is born.
Godzilla, the king of all monsters
The creature makes its fierce presence on the watch in a number of ways. Godzilla’s signature roar and the “heat ray beam” that it shoots from his mouth to strike his opponents is expressed in the rays of the red dial. The shark strap is applied black and red to re-create the tone and rough texture of the monster’s skin. Most notably, the strong angular case of the watch brings to life the magnitude of Godzilla.
A celebration of Spring Drive and a new level of performance for sport
The watch carries Spring Drive Caliber 9R15 and has high shock and temperature resistance. It is also specially adjusted to have an enhanced precision of 0.5 second a day. The design of the hands as well as the Lumibrite on the hands, hour markers and bezel, and the high definition dual-curved sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating all allow for enhanced legibility making it the perfect watch for any sports situation. Thanks to the curve of the lugs and the low center of gravity of the case the watch sits comfortably on any wrist.
Two icons on the see-through case back
The see-through case back is stamped with the scene where Godzilla destroys the iconic clock tower that had long been the symbol of the area and still stands today at the main intersection of the Ginza district. Its design pays homage to the Grand Seiko lion and is illustrated by Shinji Higuchi, co-director and special effects director for the movie “Shin Godzilla” (2016). Shinji Higuchi comments, “just as the lion is the king of beasts, Godzilla, the king of monsters, would be appropriate for the case back of this Grand Seiko watch. I wanted to create a completely new Godzilla and gave my best to design this in the image of what can be called ‘Grand Godzilla.’”
The watch will be available as a limited edition of just 650 in November, 2019 at selected Grand Seiko and Seiko boutiques and selected retail partners across the world.
SBGA405
Godzilla 65th Anniversary Limited Edition
Spring Drive 9R15
Driving System: Automatic
Power reserve: 72 hours
Accuracy: ?0.5 second per day (?10 seconds per month)
Number of jewels: 30
Specifications
High-intensity titanium case
Sapphire crystal bezel
High definition dual-curved sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating
See-through screw case back, Screw-down crown
Diameter: 44.5mm, Thickness: 14.3mm
Water resistance: 20 bar
Magnetic resistance: 4,800 A/m
Shark strap with three-fold clasp with push button release
Approximate recommended retail prices in Europe: €12,700
Limited edition of 650
About Godzilla
Godzilla first appeared in Toho’s “Godzilla” (1954), a classic monster movie widely regarded as a masterpiece that launched a monster franchise expanding over 64 years with more than 30 films. The character has been adapted via numerous international motion pictures, re-introducing the character to a new generation and a global audience. Godzilla continues to stomp through popular culture with “Godzilla: King of the Monster,” released on May 2019, and “Godzilla vs Kong” in 2020. To learn more about Godzilla, visit: www.godzilla.com
https://www.ablogtowatch.com/grand-s...edition-watch/ Grand Seiko Godzilla 65th Anniversary Limited Edition Watch
OCT 08, 2019 — BY ROB NUDDS
The Grand Seiko Godzilla 65th Anniversary Limited Edition (reference SBGA405) will hit the shelves in November 2019 and will be limited to 650 pieces worldwide, available at select Grand Seiko and Seiko boutiques around the globe, as well as a handful of authorized dealers. It will retail for approximately €12,700.
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