Last Week (in Watches) Today: 7 Things You Should Know – Week Ending 31st August 2021

This week has been really heavy on watch releases so let’s skip the usual watch news in favour of limited editions from Grand Seiko, Glashütte Original, Habring & Massena, regular releases from Piaget and Bvlgari, and finally a really convoluted release from Kurono. These are the top 7 things in the world of watches; let’s get into it. 

Grand Seiko New Spring Drive Watches; SLGA007 & SLGA008  

Grand Seiko finally released two watches that would complete its push to the next level, the SLGA007 and SLGA008. Grand Seiko started its next step to the brand’s evolution in its 60th Anniversary year last year with new Hi-Beat and Spring Drive movements. These movements not only contained a host of innovations but also addressed one of the brand’s biggest problems, thick watches. Since then, while the brand has launched a series of watches powered by the new 9SA5 Hi-Beat movement, the 9RA5 Spring Drive was left behind, with only a head scratching 16mm thick diver to its name. Well that finally changes this week with two watches powered by the 9RA5 movement, one in rose gold (SLGA008) and one in steel (SLGA007). The watches, as you would expect, both feature the brand’s trademark nature inspired dials. The rose gold variant comes with a brown “Tree Rings” texture first used on the SLGH007 released earlier this year. In press pictures the tree bark pattern appears far more defined than what was captured in live pictures (as seen on Hodinkee), though I wouldn’t doubt the brand either way.  The steel variant on the other hand features a deep blue dial inspired by the water ripples on Lake Suwa. While a Grand Seiko claims a different inspiration, the dial texture looks remarkably similar to the design on the recently released SBGY007 “Omiwari/Pathway of the gods” but in a different shade of blue. Regardless, with the latest Series 9 case design and new Spring Drive movement allows these two watches to standout in their own right. At 40mm by 11.8mm, they would certainly be wonderful news to those wanting a thinner Spring Drive watch. The price and availability not so much, with only 140 pieces of the SLGA008 each priced at US$49,000, and 2021 pieces of the SLGA007 each priced at US$8,700. Still, this is pretty in line with the brand’s pricing strategies especially for watches with the new Hi-Beat and Spring Drive movements. Whether that is worth it is not something I can decide for you but personally, I find it still reasonable for the quality of watchmaking and finishing on offer. Check out my full thoughts on the SLGA007 here.  

Grand Seiko USA

Martins of Glasgow Watch Servicing and Repair

For those who want something more in line with Grand Seiko’s traditional value proposition, the brand also released a trio of more affordable watches, at US$4,900 each. These watches come from an often overlooked line which comprises only three pieces, the SBGW231, SBGW235 (Japan only exclusive)  and the SBGW255 (Thong Sia Limited Edition). For those unfamiliar with this line, they feature a far simpler dressier case design though also finished to the brand’s usual high standards. The line is powered by the brand’s tried and tested 9S64, which is a time-only 4Hz mechanical manual winding movement with 72 hours of power reserve and regulated to the brand’s usual +5/-3s accuracy standards. This week, with the new SBGW273, SBGW275 and SBGW277, this line has been effectively doubled in size, if only in USA, unfortunately. All three feature unique textured green dials though the shade could not be more different. The SBGW273 comes with a pale mint shade, the SBGW275 a bluish green shade, and the SGW277 a moss green tint. All three are inspired by the Genbi Valley in Japan’s Iwate Prefecture. For those interested, there are only 140 pieces of each available so act quickly.

Glashütte Original PanoInverse Limited Edition in Platinum with Guilloché Dial 

Glashütte Original (GO) is a uniquely positioned brand in my opinion. On one hand, it is very much a luxury watch brand given its around S$10,000 and upwards pricing. On the other hand, it is more affordable than A Lange & Sohne, in the same way that that is a affordable than Moritz Grossman. That means that GO offers a lot of the high standards of finishing that watches from the region of Glashütte are associated with. And every now and then, when the reins are taken of, the brand is allowed to really show off what it is truly capable of. Its latest release, the PanoInverese Limited Edition is one such instance. Being cased in platinum means that by design the watch was never going to be for the masses, and so GO designed a watch that is so visually stunning in its finishing that it is more work of art, less time telling device. Instead of  an openworked dial, this PanoInverse Limited Edition reduces its off-centre dial that allows the movement’s main plate (both front and back) to basically be a blank canvas. That canvas is fully taken advantage of, with a stunning guilloche pattern that plays with light beautifully. The three-quarter plate is, naturally, complemented with equally well finished blued screws and balance cock. While its 42mm x 12mm case means it will be a larger wearing piece, that also increases the surface area for the wonderful finishing on display and hence plays into the watch’s strengths. This is certainly a watch that has to be fully appreciated in person though with only 25 pieces available and a EUR45,000 price tag, very few will get that opportunity.

Habring x Massena ERWIN LAB03 

If good finishing is your cup of tea but the GO’s price tag is not, there is always the latest collaboration between Habring and Massena, which comes in at US$9,495. That is does not make this release accessible though, with only 66 pieces made that is at the time of writing, all spoken for already. Still, it can be enjoyed from a far for what it is, a beautiful vintage styled dress watch that makes full use of Habring’s 38.5mm x 9mm case size. This elegant understated case allows the bronze dial to truly stand out and rightly so, given the brilliantly finished basket-weave guilloche pattern in the centre of the dial. That is complemented by beautiful blued Breguet style hands and large painted Roman numerals at 3, 6, 9 & 12 o’clock. The dead-beat seconds movement is also plated in rose gold to match the bronze dial. What is interesting is the fact that this is one of the first watches to be chronometer certified by the Horological Society of New York. For all that this watch offers, it is no wonder that it sold out as quickly as it did. 

Bvlgari Alumnium GMT 

When a company has as many watchmaking records as Bvlgari has, it earns the right to branch out into paths less trodden which it did last year with its additions to its Aluminum watch line. As the name of the suggested, the sporty 40mm cases were crafted in aluminium, and came with rubber straps. They provided a more fun and sporty option at a more accessible price point. This week, the brand has expanded with a new GMT watch, that retains the design aesthetic of the original additions last year, but now in navy blue. The bezel that carries the Bvlgari logo, the rubber strap, the dial and 24-hour hand now comes in navy blue where the originals were black. The dial also carries a blue and red 24 hour scale for easier tracking. While not explicitly stated, given the ETA roots of the original, I believe the movement in this watch is also ETA based which means an independent 24-hour hand, something that might actually be more useful currently where travel options is still rather limited. Overall, this is a fun new addition to the line-up that also offers something different at a relatively affordable price point of S$4,890. 

Piaget Polo 36mm 

With the demand for luxury steel sports watches, particularly with integrated bracelets, at an all time high, different brands have released collections to take full advantage. One such collection is Piaget’s Polo collection, first released in 2016. Those initial releases only offered 42mm case options which naturally wore large because of the cushion case design. This week, Piaget has sought to rectify that with new 36mm options. The only downside? They come only with the usual smatterings of diamonds, a category that many watch brands stereotype female buyers into. There are four new additions; a steel bracelet and case with your choice of a blue dial and diamond indices or a white dial, diamond set bezel and indices, as well as a rose gold case with a diamond set bezel and indices on either a matching bracelet or alligator strap. I have to say, these watches look good, and the new 36mm would make them extremely wearable in my opinion. It is a shame then that the designs do not include the sort of versatility that would have made them true hits.

Kurono SeiJi 

 

Speaking of versatility and inclusivity, we have the latest release from Kurono that came with good intentions, but at best was poorly executed. For those who do not know, the brand earlier this week announced a new watch that was basically the same as all the other time only watches it released this year, but with a turquoise dial. What was different though was the purchase process. Touted as a means bring more women into the hobby, the brand announced that only women were going to be allowed to purchase the watch. In order to ensure this, 70% of the allocation would be reserved for current owners (who had bought directly from the brand) to nominate a wife or girlfriend to purchase the watch. The remaining 30% would be reserved for the public, though purchasers would have to prove they are female. I am not sure how the company would verify that. Unsurprisingly, commenters had a field day with the brand’s post on Instagram. Comments varied from questions about why those who did not identify as male or female were being left out, to why the brand felt that women needed men to nominate them, to disgruntled men claiming reverse sexism (something that has no merit whatsoever in my opinion). Within a day, the brand backtracked and opened the launch to all. Now before I go to my thoughts, I have to qualify, all of these are a very brief summary that do not go into a lot of the fine print and terms and conditions (which in my defence changed constantly throughout the day) as well as the exact conversations and replies from the brand in the comments section.

Personally, I feel that the desire to create a more inclusive brand has to be applauded. I for one will never say oppose any watch release is that is meant for and limited to other genders in the market. At the same time, I feel that if the brand truly wanted to include other non-male genders, it should have taken the effort to design and market the watch to other genders. Simply swapping a dial colour, and coming up with a complicated allocation system that carried criteria that could easily be misinterpreted as the misguided prejudices of the brand certainly doesn’t cut it, in my opinion. In fact, it could come across as lazy even if that was not the intention of the brand. Given that I have absolutely no idea what went on in the company itself, all I am commenting on is how this could appear, and I like to believe that this was just a poorly executed well intentioned move by the brand. It is something I am sure Kurono will learn from and hopefully improve on in future releases. 

So that is it for this week. As always, get in on all the action on the Scottish Watches website, YouTube Channels (Scottish Watches, Scottish Watches Live as well as Watches Unboxed) and of course, the podcasts on your podcaster of choice. Till next time, take care everyone.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *