Grand Seiko Introduces the 60th Anniversary Hi-Beat SLGH003
Grand Seiko has progressively introduced a diverse line up of watches to mark its 60th anniversary, ranging from a remake of the vintage 3180 to the heavily jewelled 8 Days to the T0 Constant Force Tourbillon, while also opening the Grand Seiko Studio Shizukuishi production facility. Now the brand has finally reached the last of it anniversary watches with the Grand Seiko 60th Anniversary Caliber 9SA5 Hi-Beat 36000 80 Hours SLGH003. Although the 60th anniversary watches are numerous, the most significant was the Hi-Beat 80 Hours SLGH002, which was powered by the newly-developed 9SA5, the first of a new generation of movements that will underpin the Grand Seiko collection. The SLGH002 was available only in 18k yellow gold and correspondingly pricey, but now the movement is available in the all-steel SLGH003. Initial thoughts From the perspective of being a more affordable version of the yellow-gold SLGH002, the SLGH003 is appealing. It’s still an expensive watch – the retail price is US$9,700 – but a lot less than the US$43,000 of the gold model. But from the perspective of it being one of several anniversary editions, many of which share the same dial colour, it is less appealing. That is especially so given that the 9SA5 movement will inevitably be made available in regular-production models that will probably cost a bit less. So if the colour and design is a big draw, then the SLGH003 is a buy. If not, just wait for the next one. Anniversary livery The SLGH003 h...
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