Grand Seiko Elegance "Shosho" GMT automatic Hi-Beat 36000 39,5 mm Full Set 2022

The story

In 2019, Grand Seiko unveiled the well-received "Japan Seasons" collection. This initial launch featured four watches, each representing one of Japan's twenty-four sekki (or micro-seasons), which mark the progression of the four seasons. SBGA413 (Shunbun) celebrates the spring equinox and evokes the spirit of the ephemeral sakura season. SBGH271 (Rikka) marks the days when spring turns to summer. SBGH273 (Shubun) evokes the autumn equinox, and more specifically the moment when day equals night. Finally, SBGA415 (Taisetsu) represents the heavy snow of winter, accumulating and shining against the sunlight.

In 2021, the Japanese Manufacture continued its exploration of the twenty-four sekki with four new models in the "Japan Seasons" collection - SBGJ249, SBGJ251, SBGE269 and SBGE271.

Reference SBGJ249: The sparkle of summer

In Japan, each of the four seasons of the year is experienced in six phases, each with its own character. The subtle changes from one to the next bring the nature of time ever closer to our senses. In Shōsho, the eleventh of the year's twenty-four seasons, midsummer approaches and, at last, the rainy season comes to an end. The warm wind creates delicate ripples in the thousands of lakes and ponds glistening in the early summer sun across Japan. The wave-patterned dial brings Shōsho to life, and the tempered blue steel GMT hand adds the color of the blue summer sky.

An exceptional model

This SBGJ249 features a steel case influenced by the first Grand Seiko design from 1960. The watch measures 39.5 mm in diameter by 13.9 mm in thickness, with a "vintage" aesthetic enhanced by a "box-saphed" sapphire crystal. The design is classic, thanks to the mirrored surfaces of the bezel and case, and slightly curved lugs with a distortion-free mirror finish, achieved through the Zaratsu polishing process, a signature of the Japanese Maison. The design of this "Elegance" model has become a true classic of Grand Seiko mechanical watchmaking.

Mechanical side

Grand Seiko has chosen to equip this watch with a GMT Hi-Beat 36,000 alternations manufacture caliber ref: 9S86. This choice is not insignificant, as such a frequency allows extreme precision and demonstrates all the know-how and mastery of the Japanese brand in the design of High Frequency movements. Indeed, few watchmakers propose to take up this challenge, as a faster rotation speed can affect the power reserve and even the longevity of the movement itself. Backed by 50 years of experience, and the fruit of many years of development and research, this movement produced at the Shizukuishi Watch Studio offers a precision of -3 to +5 seconds per day, as well as a 55-hour power reserve. Chronometry standards superior to the COSC!

The package

This Grand Seiko is in excellent condition! This model will be delivered to you Full Set, with its original case as well as all its documents. As the piece is from 2022, it therefore benefits from the GRAND SEIKO Manufacture warranty until 2027. This SBGJ249 has been authenticated and controlled by our watchmakers and as such also benefits from the Lepage Vintage 1-year warranty.