Grand Seiko Revives The 45GS Complete With Double-Signed Dial

As recently as just a decade ago, Grand Seiko was a true IYKYK watch in the collector community. They were hard to get (Grand Seiko didn’t start distributing outside Japan until 2010!) and even if you did procure one, the refrains of “you spent how much on a Seiko?” would become a familiar din. Of course this all changed in 2017 once Grand Seiko properly introduced itself in the states as an autonomous brand complete with an aggressive marketing and education campaign that cemented its position as the epitome of Japanese Cool in watchmaking. The “Snowflake” did a lot of heavy lifting around this time as well, being the brand’s first real breakout mainstream hit here in the states. Along with becoming an autonomous brand, Grand Seiko also changed their long-held practice of double-signed dials with the “Seiko” logo at 12 o’clock and “GS” at six o’clock with new every release these last seven years having only the Grand Seiko branding. I’d venture to say there are more than a few younger collectors out there who have quite possibly never even seen one of these old school Grand Seiko dials. Well, that just changed with their latest pair of releases.

Grand Seiko just dropped a re-creation of the legendary 45GS ref. 4520-8000 which debuted back in 1968 and is known for embodying Taro Tanaka’s design code while implementing their first manual wind Hi-Beat movement (achieving higher precision by operating at 36,000 vph compared to more typical movements that operated at 18,000, 21,600, or 28,800 vph). Available in steel (SLGW005) or yellow gold (SLGW004), these two are as faithful re-creations as I have seen since 2013’s 44GS limited edition collection of SBGW047, SBGW043, and SBGW044 watches.

Measuring 38.8mm wide and 10.4mm thick with a 43.7 lug-to-lug measurement (30 m water resistance) this pair has a slightly bigger wrist presence than the 36.5mm wide case of the 45GS due to the new 9SA4 movement being a little bit larger than the original Caliber 4520. Still, the proportions and design are nearly identical all the way down to those wide-set connected lugs. The hands, indices, dial text, and even the little logo at six o’clock that designates the Daini Seikosha factory where the original 45GS was made are also all nearly indistinguishable.

Ironically, this re-creation is made possible by the one aspect that is completely changed from the original. Rather than a solid case back, there is a glorious view of Grand Seiko’s first manual-wind Hi-Beat movement in half a century, the 9SA4 which debuted with the SLGW002/003 watches earlier at this year’s Watches & Wonders. A 40% redesign of the 9S movement base, the 9SA4 still boasts the 80 hour power reserve alongside contemporary developments like Dual Impulse Escapement, twin barrels, free-sprung balance, and overcoil hairspring. So while the case is a little bit bigger than the original, one look at the case back shows just how optimized the movement to case diameter ratio really is. Glancing at the case back will also give you a the opportunity to grab a loupe and take a look at the Wagtail bird-shaped “click” which is the part that holds the ratchet wheel and prevents the mainspring from unwinding. In typically delightful Grand Seiko fashion, the movement of the click evokes the pecking of the Wagtail bird.

Both watches come on a crocodile strap with matching gold or steel buckle done in a vintage Seiko motif. The yellow gold Grand Seiko SLGW004 has a light cream dial with matching gold accents and is limited to 200 pieces with a price of $30,000 while the stainless steel SLGW005 has an off-white dial with silver accents and is limited to 1,200 pieces with a price of $9,700.

Grand Seiko SLGW004, SLGW005

Case: 38.8mm Thickness: 10.4mm Lug-to-lug: 43.7mm Case material: Stainless steel, yellow gold Water resistance: 30m Movement: 9SA4 Movement type: Manual Hi-Beat  Power reserve: 80 Hours
Price: $9,700 for SLGW005; $30,000 for SLGW004