50
Grand Seiko
Ref. J14070
Grand Seiko "The First"
An early, fine and important gold-plated wristwatch with center seconds and "carved" dial; the first Grand Seiko model ever released
Estimate
CHF7,000–14,000
€7,700–15,400
$8,900–17,800
Live 9 May, 2 PM Switzerland Time
Manufacturer
Grand Seiko
Year
Circa 1960
Reference No
J14070
Movement No
604'249
Case No
0614605
Model Name
Grand Seiko "The First"
Material
Gold Filled
Calibre
Manual, cal. 3180, 25 jewels
Bracelet/Strap
Leather
Dimensions
35mm diameter
Signed
Case, dial and movement signed
Full-Cataloguing
Good To Know:
- The present model was the first Grand Seiko was launched to the public on Sunday December 18th 1960
- Displays the rare and rarely-found "carved" dial
- Preserved in overall extremely well-preserved condition
The present timepiece is the archetypal representative of what is today considered one of the greatest mechanical line of watches - and arguably the greatest non-Swiss mechanical line of timepieces - to ever grace the face of the earth: the first Grand Seiko model ever produced.
The model was developed with a single goal in mind. To use Seiko’s own words, “the idea was to build a watch that would be as precise, durable, easy to wear and beautiful as humanly possible”. Developing of the watch started of course years earlier, in the 1950s, and the results of their efforts - cal. 3180 - was a technological achievement, sporting an accuracy of +12/-3 seconds per day and a power reserve of 45 hours. It was the first Japanese calibre to meet the extremely strict “Standard of Excellence” of the Bureaux Officiels de Contrôle de la Marche des Montres - the Swiss authority on watches. Such is the iconic stature of this first Grand Seiko, in the modern era there have been more than a dozen references that are referred to as “reissues”, closely adhering to the original design - although none feature the “Chronometer” text under the logo.
No wonder then, that an original example of the vintage reference - in production for just three years from 1960-1963 - is regarded as an essential foundational piece in any vintage Grand Seiko collection.
There are three main dial variants to the present model – printed, carved, and raised. The present watch is a superlative example of the "carved logo" variant where the "Grand Seiko" text below the 12 o'clock index were manually hand carved by craftsmen from the Suwa factory. Due to its laborious production process the Suwa factory abandoned this practice and switched to the raised logo from around the second half of 1961, making examples like the present piece extremely rare. The code identifying the dial is present underneath the bezel at 6 o'clock, below the "Japan" designation. It reads "GSJ14H156", as expected from this model.
- The present model was the first Grand Seiko was launched to the public on Sunday December 18th 1960
- Displays the rare and rarely-found "carved" dial
- Preserved in overall extremely well-preserved condition
The present timepiece is the archetypal representative of what is today considered one of the greatest mechanical line of watches - and arguably the greatest non-Swiss mechanical line of timepieces - to ever grace the face of the earth: the first Grand Seiko model ever produced.
The model was developed with a single goal in mind. To use Seiko’s own words, “the idea was to build a watch that would be as precise, durable, easy to wear and beautiful as humanly possible”. Developing of the watch started of course years earlier, in the 1950s, and the results of their efforts - cal. 3180 - was a technological achievement, sporting an accuracy of +12/-3 seconds per day and a power reserve of 45 hours. It was the first Japanese calibre to meet the extremely strict “Standard of Excellence” of the Bureaux Officiels de Contrôle de la Marche des Montres - the Swiss authority on watches. Such is the iconic stature of this first Grand Seiko, in the modern era there have been more than a dozen references that are referred to as “reissues”, closely adhering to the original design - although none feature the “Chronometer” text under the logo.
No wonder then, that an original example of the vintage reference - in production for just three years from 1960-1963 - is regarded as an essential foundational piece in any vintage Grand Seiko collection.
There are three main dial variants to the present model – printed, carved, and raised. The present watch is a superlative example of the "carved logo" variant where the "Grand Seiko" text below the 12 o'clock index were manually hand carved by craftsmen from the Suwa factory. Due to its laborious production process the Suwa factory abandoned this practice and switched to the raised logo from around the second half of 1961, making examples like the present piece extremely rare. The code identifying the dial is present underneath the bezel at 6 o'clock, below the "Japan" designation. It reads "GSJ14H156", as expected from this model.