Grand Seiko Heritage Collection Series 9 SLGH007 Tree Ring Dial In Platinum
I’ve written quite extensively on the new Grand Seiko 9SA5 Hi-Beat 36,000 movement before and indicated that it could (as I think many of us hoped it would) become a new cornerstone of the brand’s catalog. Today, with the official announcement of the new platinum-cased Heritage Collection Series 9 SLGH007, we get to see the 9SA5 in action once more. The only danger with this release? That you’ll be too bewitched by that beautiful black dial to notice…
The Heritage Collection Series 9 SLGH007 watch is a special piece. Sure, it features one of the brand’s most impressive movements. Yes, it has an artful dial. Of course, it is fashioned from platinum. But what is perhaps most important about the Heritage Collection Series 9 is the case shape.
…alternating finishes between hairline brushing and Zaratsu polishing.
The Series 9 case is the latest offshoot of Grand Seiko‘s grammar of design that most famously began with the 44GS case of 1967. I personally enjoy the alternating finishes between hairline brushing and (you guessed it) Zaratsu polishing. The 44GS case has, of course, a bit more “oomph” thanks to its large, flat, mirrored surfaces standing shoulder-to-shoulder, but for daily wearability, the Series 9 (even in platinum), strikes me as the better option.
It’s all about that dial
But let’s not kid ourselves. As important as I think this case is for today and tomorrow, most people will be talking about that dial. And what a dial it is. Last week, we were lusting after the new white birch dial that seemed an immediate contender to the brand’s own Snowflake. Well, now it is a three-way battle.
This “tree ring” design is created in much the same way as the snowflake and the birch. Special molds apply the patterns to the dial before refined lacquering techniques give us the finish.
The chunky, sharply cut hour markers and the wide, flat hands of the Series 9 concept provide excellent legibility against what is a bewitching, but ultimately subtle surface finish for the dial. This 40mm case is 11.7mm thick and looks to wear very nicely on the wrist from the hands-on pics we’ve seen thus far (we’ll endeavor to get this one into the studio as soon as possible, so we can get that dial under all kinds of lights).
The only bad thing
Okay, the price is obviously going to be pretty substantial for such an artisanal piece in platinum. I hope you’re ready for it… €60,000. There! I said it. Painful? I’m sure it is unless you have 60k kicking around. However, more brutal than the retail price (perhaps) is the fact that just 140 of these divinely debonair timepieces will make it into existence. That makes me sadder than the thought of never owning one, to be honest.
…the future of the Series 9 case looks secure.
What is cause for celebration, however, is that the 9SA5 movement is being used more frequently, Grand Seiko seems very willing to experiment with seriously novel dial textures after this, the white birch, and the “Sekki” GMT releases, and that the future of the Series 9 case looks secure. A bittersweet release that will keep me dreaming of Grand Seiko dials for another night. Learn more about the brand here.
