Quick Getaway

It’s hard to believe that Grand Seiko has been on the international market just 10 years, since it’s celebrating its 60th birthday. Its Elegance GMT has a modern time-zone function and a high-speed automatic caliber that’s absolutely up to date.

- Martina Richter

Nothing but the best is good enough for Grand Seiko. The watch manufacturer from the Far East made this a priority 60 years ago and, in order to win the Swiss chronometry competition, developed a high-speed caliber oscillating at a frequency of 36,000 vibrations per hour. Of course, even back then, people knew about the higher accuracy that went with higher frequency, but they were also well aware of the enormous technical challenges that must be mastered to achieve this noble goal.

The mainspring must do double duty: it has to deliver high torque to supply the balance with enough energy to support speedy back-and-forth oscillations while simultaneously storing enough energy to support an adequately long power reserve. Meanwhile, the gear train and escapement must be able to withstand the stronger forces acting on them. Then as now, Grand Seiko and Zenith are the only brands that have successfully tamed these forces in fast-oscillating, serially manufactured calibers.

Grand Seiko’s Caliber 61 passed the chronometer test administered at the Neuchâtel Observatory in 1969. At the same time, Grand Seiko was ready to launch its first quartz watch (the Astron) in keeping with the brand’s striving to build the world’s most accurate watches. It is therefore not surprising that this year’s Grand Seiko 60th anniversary collection includes both a quartz watch encasing newly developed Caliber GS 9F85 and a mechanical model with a speedily oscillating movement of the highest quality. The latter caliber ticks inside the Elegance GMT, our test watch.

A High-frequency Automatic Movement with a Modern Time-zone Display