Grand Seiko Spring Drive UFA SLGB006 in Gold: Dawn in the Snowy Forest
A perfect fusion of groundbreaking precision and luxurious gold.
Last year, Grand Seiko released “the world’s most accurate mainspring-driven movement,” a milestone in the brand’s history. This groundbreaking 9RB2 movement, meticulously crafted at the Shinshu watchmaking workshop, boasts an annual accuracy of only ±20 seconds and is featured for the first time in the Evolution 9 case. Embodying the Japanese reverence for nature and Grand Seiko’s exceptional craftsmanship in creating exceptional dials, the new Spring Drive UFA in gold features a “Dawn in the Snowy Forest” dial design, inspired by the snow-covered larch trees of the Kirimine Plateau, a region just a stone’s throw from the Shinshu watchmaking workshop.
The abbreviation for Grand Seiko carries significant information. For example, 44GS refers to the 1967 model, defining the brand’s pioneering “design grammar.” It is also the spiritual father of the Evolution 9 series, which follows nine design principles, including: a lower center of gravity for a more comfortable wearing experience and an ergonomic design; a classic multifaceted case with high-end Zaratsu polishing and brushing; a flat dial; diamond-cut hour markers; and—and this is an important “and”—the latest Grand Seiko movement.
This leads to the second key acronym that garnered much attention last year: UFA, for “Ultra Fine Accuracy,” referring to its new generation 9RB2 movement, which boasts an unprecedented accuracy of ±20 seconds per year (±3 seconds per month). This watch is the first in the Evolution 9 series to feature a 37mm case crafted from 18K gold and finished according to the series’ design philosophy. The case features a box-shaped sapphire crystal, a screw-down case back with a transparent sapphire crystal, and 100-meter water resistance, while remaining only 11.4mm thick, placing it in the dress watch category within the Grand Seiko brand.
The dial’s design recreates the shimmering frost on larch branches in the forests near the Frosty Peaks during the coldest days of the year. The deep black gradient dial evokes the morning scene, with intertwined branches subtly visible in the background, adorned with shimmering ice crystals.
In stark contrast, the deeply grooved, three-dimensional gold faceted hour markers are striking, ensuring excellent legibility. The robust gold faceted hour hands, with their blunt tips, echo the shape of the hour markers; while the slender, elongated faceted minute hands, with their curved tips echoing the seconds hand, point towards the outer edge of the dial. A gold-framed date window at 3 o’clock complements the black background of the dial, paired with clear white numerals. However, one point is worth noting: given the movement’s precision, wouldn’t it be more appropriate to feature a precise 60-second/minute scale on the dial?
Since 2004, all 9R Spring Drive movements have been meticulously crafted in a watchmaking workshop in Shinshu, Nagano Prefecture, combining mechanical mainsprings and quartz adjustment technology. The unprecedented precision of the 9RB2 movement is thanks to advancements in quartz oscillator technology and adjustment processes. Each in-house crystal undergoes a three-month aging process before being vacuum-sealed with a new low-power integrated circuit (IC). Because temperature compensation is crucial, the frequency of each crystal oscillator is measured at multiple temperatures before assembly. In addition to impeccable accuracy, the movement boasts a power reserve of up to 3 days.
This exquisite dress watch comes with a classic black alligator leather strap and a matching gold triple-folding clasp (with push-button release) (but without the Evolution 9 fine-tuning system).
Technical Specifications – GRAND SEIKO EVOLUTION 9 SPRING DRIVE UFA SLGB006
Case: 37 mm in diameter x 11.4 mm in thickness – 18K gold with a brushed finish and Zaratsu polishing accents – Box-shaped sapphire crystal with an anti-reflective coating on the inner surface – See-through screw-down case back – Water resistant to 100 meters
Dial: Gradient black dial decorated with a “snowy forest” pattern and shimmering particles – Gold applied multifaceted hour markers – Gold hands, with curved tips on the minute and central seconds hands – Gold-rimmed date window with white numerals on a black background
Movement: Calibre 9RB2 – New generation Spring Drive movement with UFA’s ultra-precision technology – Automatic winding, central rotor – Dimensions: 30 mm x 5.02 mm – 34 jewels – 72-hour power reserve – Annual accuracy ±20 seconds (monthly accuracy ±3 seconds) – Spring Drive movement features a new adjustment system for the first time – hour, minute, second, date, and power reserve information displayed on the case back.
Strap: Black alligator leather with an 18K yellow gold triple-folding clasp and push-button release.
Reference Number: SLGB006