Discover the Grand Seiko White Birch SLGH005
- 4 Apr 2021
Grand Seiko has always had a fantastic reputation in the watch industry for a couple of reasons; one being the incredible movements, another being the elegant and sporty looks. However, the one overbearing factor that makes all Grand Seiko models so special, has to be the dials and today we are looking at a model that may take first place in the industry for the best dial ever made the all-new Grand Seiko SLGH005 White Birch.
Now, we are not going to lie right away this dial really frustrated us, and we will tell you why. There is so much more to Grand Seiko than a photograph. Every time you move or turn your wrist, the light on the dial changes. Almost like a chameleon changing colour, this white birch model explodes with colour and creativity with every small movement. Grand Seiko timepieces simply must be seen in person. Put it this way, if you wanted to see a piece of art, would you look at this on a screen or view it in person?
With this point in mind, this brings us nicely to the detail in the dial. As usual, Grand Seiko has been inspired by their home country and the dial of this timepiece represents the White Birch tree forests near the studio where all Grand Seiko are produced. Instantly, you can see the incredible depth on this dial as it seems to change in different lights.
We could write all day about this dial, but this really would not be fair, especially when there is so many details to mention on this model, so moving onto the specifications of this timepiece. The minute hand and seconds hands all scream classic Grand Seiko, with knife sharp edges on the minute hand and heat-blued steel for the seconds hand, which play wonderfully against the silver dial. Its case dimensions come in at 40mm in width, with a case thickness of 11.7mm“ this size is almost a hybrid of both sports and dress timepieces, and this sits wonderfully on the wrist.
The crown is signed with the iconic Grand Seiko logo, this is also present on the folding clasp of the bracelet which gives it that little bit more of a luxurious feel. On a side note, and as usual, this Grand Seiko features the famous zaratsu polishing that Grand Seiko fans across the globe have grown to love.
When we flip this watch round, we get to its other underlying beauty; beating at the heart of the White Birch is Grand Seiko's new generation of the Hi-Beat Calibre 9SA5. Introduced last year, during the brand's 60th anniversary, this movement was said to have taken a huge nine years to develop. These years of development has created an incredible movement; a high frequency calibre that beats at 36,000vph and is accurate to +5 to -3 seconds a day. This movement is cost certified of course, and the 9SA5 has a thumping 80-hour power reserve. Movements with comparable spec are few and far between in the industry and what is better than the specs is the actual look of it look it is simply stunning.
As a whole, this timepiece really pays tribute to the brands home country in Japan and shows its incredible beauty through the details by the very talented watchmakers at Grand Seiko's design studio.
If you admire this Grand Seiko model as much as we do, then please do take a closer look on our website. As an official stockist of Grand Seiko, here at Chisholm Hunter we are more than happy to assist should you have any questions about this specific model or any within our Grand Seiko ranges book an appointment with one of our dedicated experts.