Grand Seiko Evolution 9 "Genbi Valley" Hi-Beats automatic green dial steel bracelet 40 mm

The story

South of Iwate Prefecture, home to the Grand Seiko Studio Shizukuishi, flows the Iwai River at the bottom of the Genbi Gorge ("Genbikei" in Japanese). The stunning hues of its waters, rocks and vegetation inspired the manufacture's artisans for the dial of this timepiece presented in a limited edition of 1,000 pieces!

The first Ever-Brilliant Steel timepiece in the Evolution 9 collection

First introduced in 2020, the design codes known as Evolution 9 quickly gained popularity among Grand Seiko's creations, supported by timepieces such as the White Birch, Lake Suwa, Tentagraph or Ushio.

Unveiled at Watches & Wonders 2024, the SLGH021 is the first to be crafted from Grand Seiko's latest alloy, Ever-Brillant Steel. This alloy gives surfaces a brighter hue than ordinary stainless steel, while giving the timepiece greater resistance to corrosion. To ensure that the case and bracelet exactly match the Grand Seiko style aesthetic, Grand Seiko engineers have developed a new way of treating this steel so that, even on brushed surfaces, it takes on a brilliant white hue that enhances the beauty of the watch itself.

A dial inspired by the natural environment of its manufacture

This watch, like all Grand Seiko mécaniques 9S, is made by the craftsmen of the Grand Seiko Studio Shizukuishi, located in Iwate prefecture, northern Japan. To the south of this region flows the Iwai River, which rises on Mount Kurikoma and is a tributary of the Kitakami River that flows into the Pacific Ocean.

Along its course, the Iwai River skirts a two-kilometer-long gorge known as Genbi, or "Genbikei", where the combination of the wild valley with the limpid stream forms a mysterious landscape created by nature through time, adopting stunning shades of green and blue.

This landscape, recognized as a Natural Monument in Japan, inspired the dial craftsmen at Manufacture Japonaise, who gave this timepiece a unique textured dial in light green tones, expressing both the harmony of Genbikei's wilderness and the murmur of the Iwai River.

Symbolizing the limited edition of this timepiece, a golden GS logo completes the dial as well as the cap of the bracelet's folding clasp.

The latest generation of the 9S Hi-Beat caliber

This unique dial conceals Grand Seiko Studio Shizukuishi's second-generation high-frequency movement, the self-winding caliber 9SA5 Hi-Beat 36000 80 Hours. The timepiece thus benefits from an 80-hour power reserve, as well as the stable precision of its free-suspension balance vibrating at 10 beats per second.