The Grand Seiko Tokyo Lion Tentagraph Review

Honestly, I had no idea what to make of the Grand Seiko Tokyo Lion Tentagraph SLGC009 when I first saw images at its release during Watches & Wonders 2025. It was at our editorial meeting with GS, where I got to handle and wear it in person, that this legitimately quirky watch fully clicked in my mind. It’s the rare release that is not designed by a committee or to have maximum appeal to the broadest consumer group possible. It’s an unusual and fiercely independent chronograph that one would see coming out of the Neo-vintage era and not the SEO-optimized/market tested landscape we live in today. If you really think about it, how many chronographs are out there that don’t play it safe while leaning into such a bold design concept? Honestly, I can’t really think of one in recent memory. The Tokyo Lion is a geometric delight that should be loud and hefty but is actually a sleek and lightweight chronograph that, in many ways, embodies what Grand Seiko is all about.

There have been previous iterations of this Lion-themed chronograph dating back to 2019’s SBGC230 but it took the Tentagraph movement for it to really come into its own. Previously only outfitted with Spring Drive movements, the Tokyo Lion Tentagraph has reasserted itself as a cohesively designed watch that actually uses the big cat of its moniker as its singular focal design point.

It’s funny, I naturally assumed the case of this watch was done in steel, considering just how sleek and polished all the facets on the case were, but it’s actually all Brilliant Hard Titanium (the same material used on the Kodo). Obviously Grand Seiko is known for its Zaratsu polishing but there’s just no getting around the fact that you cannot achieve the same level of finish with titanium as with steel. This is the first time the brand’s proprietary Brilliant Hard Titanium has been used on a watch in its Sport collection and the result is inarguably impressive.

It took a few tries but I counted no less than 60 distinct faceted surfaces on the case alone here. And then there are the new chronograph pushers which are, thankfully, nice and flush with the case. They also seem to jut out significantly less than the crown which is always a welcome touch. Of course, these are not your typical pushers as they each have 14 diamond-polished facets (you can’t Zaratsu such a small surface) that both look great and make for a nice grip.

Of course, it wouldn’t be a Grand Seiko without a special textured dial, and this one is called “gold lion” as it meant to resemble a lion’s mane (naturally). It’s a warm dial that has brushing done in rows going in alternate directions. You can just picture the lion’s mane flowing in the wind, can’t you? Another really nice touch is that the subdials are concave, which adds a lot of depth to the dial. I don’t think it’s intentional here but they somewhat resemble a fresh paw print perfectly indented on a patch of earth. These concave subdials also have the practical benefit of enhancing legibility by reducing the distance of the hands and markings. The hour and minutes hands are meant to resemble claws and, along with the bigger hour indices, are diamond-polished and filled with plenty of lume.

Inside is the Tentagraph Caliber 9SC5 movement which, if you forgot, is Grand Seiko’s very first mechanical chronograph that was introduced in 2023. The name “Tentagraph” is a bit of a portmanteau derived from the terms "TEN beats per second” "Three days of power reserve,""Automatic," and “chronoGRAPH.” It’s a high-beat movement that operates at 5 Hz with a 72-hour power reserve. It’s a column-wheel chronograph with a vertical clutch as well as twin barrels and a dual-impulse escapement that helps with efficiency and accuracy.

Finally, we’ve got to talk about size and wearability. At 43mm wide and 15.6mm thick, this is not a compact or small timepiece. There are practical benefits to the heft, namely the 200 meters of water resistance, which is pretty impressive for a chronograph. In terms of wearability, the 50mm lug-to-lug measurement is actually pretty good for this case size. For comparison, the Tudor Pelagos FXD GMT is technically smaller at 42mm but has a 52mm lug-to-lug measurement while the smaller Black Bay GMT is 41mm with a 50mm lug-to-lug measurement that is about equal to that of the Tokyo Lion Tentagraph. For a chronograph comparison, the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Chronograph has a 41mm wide case but a 52mm lug-to-lug measurement, while the Tudor Black Bay Chrono is 41mm wide with a 50mm lug-to-lug. So, all things considered this Grand Seiko is really not too bad in that area.

In addition to the short lugs, wearability is also enhanced by the very thoughtfully curved case back of the SLGC009. This allows for the watch to sit snugly on the wrist, which both makes it feel more secure and reduces some of that visual heft of a 15.6mm case thickness. Finally, there is the brand new rubber strap that is 2.7x the strength of the brand's previous silicone straps. The strap is comfortable on the wrist as well as nice and soft to the touch. It also looks great in light brown and matches the watch perfectly. I love the lion’s-paw motif on the back of the strap and I have to give credit to Grand Seiko for the impressive level of finishing on the clasp.

Priced at $16,400, the Grand Seiko Tokyo Lion Tentagraph SLGC009 is an idiosyncratic watch that will appeal to a fairly sophisticated collector. This is not for someone looking at their first or second chronograph but for those seeking something unusual that is different by virtue of thoughtful unrestrained design and meticulously executed finishing.  You can learn more at grand-seiko.com