Having first unveiled one set with diamonds and blue sapphires last year – that no doubt sold out briskly – Grand Seiko has just announced the Masterpiece Collection Spring Drive 8 Day Jewelry Watch 140th Anniversary (ref. SBGD207).

This is similar to last year’s model – a Grand Seiko Spring Drive 8 Day with the dial, flange, and crown set with diamonds and garnets – combining the refined, artisanal movement finishing of the Micro Artist Studio with lavish gem-setting.

Initial thoughts

Last year’s sapphire-set 8 Day watch was impressive and truly special, being the first highly-jewelled, mechanical men’s watch from Seiko (or Grand Seiko) in two or three decades. The new SBGD207 in green is equally impressive, though it does reduce the unique nature of the original.

Being a variant of the Spring Drive 8 Day, the SBGD207 will wear much like the standard model, which is extremely hefty and large for a Grand Seiko, and slightly top heavy on the wrist. The mass of the watch probably works better with the lavish gemstone setting, making the sparkle as over the top as the size. And because the SBGD207 has a green mother of pearl dial, it probably has more flash than last year’s model that had a grained, silvery dial finish.

And the movement will be equally refined, having all the hand-finished intricacy of the 9R01 in the standard model. Though finely decorated, the movement lacks visual detail, because almost all of it is hidden under a single, massive barrel bridge with an upper shape shaped like the outline of Mount Fuji.

The SBGD207 costs US$185,000, exactly the same as last year’s model. That’s about four times the standard version of the 8 Day, but the premium is similar to that for gem-set men’s watches from comparable brands.

Green with envy

Like much of Grand Seiko’s other offerings, the SBGD207 is inspired by the nature around the brand’s factories. Its green colours drawn on the landscape around Mishaka Pond, a small water body located in a natural park near Shiojiri, the town that’s home to the Micro Artist Studio.

The centre of the dial is green-lacquered mother of pearl that’s surrounded by white gold chapter ring set with tapered, baguette-cut diamonds with green garnets for the hour markers. The outer flange of the dial is similarly set with diamonds and green garnets, except brilliant cut. All the gemstones are set at the Shinshu Watch Studio, another workshop within the Shiojiri facility.

The case is platinum, and measures 43 mm by 13.5 mm, making it one of the biggest watches Grand Seiko makes, and surely the heaviest. It’s finished with a flat-polishing technique known as Zaratsu, and has a single, brilliant-cut diamond set into the crown.

Key facts

Grand Seiko Masterpiece Spring Drive 8 Day Jewelry Watch 140th Anniversary
Ref. SBGD207

Diameter: 43 mm
Height: 13.5 mm
Material: Platinum, set with 97 diamonds (2.23 carat) and 24 green garnets (0.63 carat)
Dial: Green mother of pearl
Crystal: Sapphire
Water resistance: 100 m

Movement: 9R01
Functions: Hours, minutes, seconds, power reserve indicator; and independently-adjustable hour hand
Winding: Hand-wound Spring Drive
Power reserve: 8 days (192 hours)

Strap: Crocodile with folding clasp

Limited edition: 15 pieces
Availability: From May 2021 at Grand Seiko boutiques
Price: US$185,000; or ¥20 million (prices exclude tax)

For more, visit Grand-seiko.com.