Encased in platinum with wide bevelled lugs, the Grand Seiko reference SBGD201 is certainly a highly coveted and regarded timepiece amongst Grand Seiko collectors. Now detached from the Seiko umbrella, since 2016, Grand Seiko has proven time and time again its state-of-the-art horological craftsmanship and its aspiration to challenge traditional manufacturers at the very top of the luxury watch industry.

Developed and manufactured in its own micro artist studio in Shiojiri, every element of the present reference SBGD201 is executed with excellence and to perfection. Crisp, sharp and extremely elegant, the textured dial is eye-catching and has been nicknamed by the collecting community “diamond dust”.

Inside, the timepiece is made alive thanks to the manual caliber 9R01-A. Equipped with an 8-day power reserve, its beating heart is a mechanical hybrid with a standard gear train. This horological design uses a “regulator”, instead of an escapement and a balance wheel, which contains a strong magnet that rotates between two electromagnets, generating current to power a quartz timing package which, in turn, uses the same electromagnets to control how fast the regulator turns. Beautifully finished, the main plate is fashioned to resemble the outline of Mount Fuji with rubies and blue screws to evoke the flickering lights of Suwa, a town near the Grand Seiko Watch Japan Micro Artist Studio, where the watch was conceived.

In excellent overall condition and complete of its full set of accessories, the present platinum Grand Seiko reference SBGD201 is truly stunning and eye-catching, revealing the mechanical prowess and potential of the understated Japanese manufacturer.