Grand Seiko Evolution 9 Spring Drive Ushio Diver SLGA023 Watch

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200-meter water resistance, +/- 10-second monthly accuracy, five-day power reserve, ceramic bezel and a dial reminiscent of the dynamic undulations of ocean waves, all wrapped in “high-strength titanium”: Grand Seiko Evolution 9 Spring Drive Ushio Diver The SLGA023 watch really seems to have it all, and we checked it out for ourselves at Watches & Wonders 2023 to see how it fares in the metal.

In 2020, Grand Seiko launched the SLGH002, a limited-edition timepiece powered by the next-generation caliber 9SA5, and a new design language now called Evolution 9 Style. As Grand Seiko explains: “The goal of Evolution 9 is to take the best elements of Grand Seiko’s design and improve upon it in a way that respects the brand’s history and embraces the future.” Its designer, Kiyotaka Sakai, started working on it in 2017 Develop this new design code and turn the clock back to 1967, back to the original epic 44GS. Like last year, 2023 will also expand the collection with more sporty styles, Sakai added: “I see no reason why we can’t use the Evolution 9 Style approach, which is the pointer and pointer approach and the lower gravity in the center, in the The same is true in sports watches.

The 44GS from 1967 was a rather unremarkable watch – until you saw the shape. It’s as angular, cool, and distinctive as Darth Vader’s helmet, and frankly, many Grand Seiko watches from the past decade have shown a similar approach to case profile design, well before the Evolution 9 Appear. That said, the concept of the Evolution 9 is not just for a single mid-century reference, but also for more contemporary pieces (both formal and sporty). Nonetheless, Grand Seiko seems excited about the “Evo 9” case style, which features arched quarters, pronounced crown protection and faceted treatment with flat brushed upper elements and distortion-free mirrored lugs on the top and sides .

While Grand Seiko prices have been rising over the years—nearly doubling in some cases in the past five years—the quality and sophistication of the Grand Seiko Zaratsu case finishing can hardly match that of the competition, Even over the $10,000 mark. Oddly enough, the bracelet finish is not always the same, as the brand more frequently opts for full brushed bracelets without any polished links, not even the narrow links on either side of the center link. These may seem more technical and purposeful, but, when seen in metal, they rarely, if ever, match the sophistication of the watch heads, which feature smooth ceramic bezels, polished Bezel profile, crown and lug bevels. The SLGA023 is in this configuration, and we can’t help but think a little more bling on the bracelet would have been nice.

The dial of the Grand Seiko Evolution 9 Spring Drive Ushio Diver SLGA023 is as much a piece of jewelry as it is a functional part, like its case. Japan’s coastal waters are influenced by the Kuroshio Current, one of the world’s major ocean currents, and the nutrient-rich waters of the Oyashio form one of the most diverse marine areas in the world. It is the dynamic ebb and flow of these ocean currents that the Ushio dial pattern expresses – ushio means tide in Japanese (which is also a name). Grand Seiko has been mastering these crease dials for years – think fan favorites Birch and Snowflake, or the gorgeous Shosho – but with its softer, less processed and more natural patterns, this might just be the best yet one of.

The hands and hour markers of the SLGA023 are coated with LumiBrite, one of the brightest and therefore most interesting luminescent paints used on watches today. The hands are shaped differently, making them easier to distinguish and read, while the hour markers are applied and stand quite high from the plane of the dial, giving this dial its own high-end look. The high-strength titanium bezel is very wide, with blue ceramic inserts inside, and some pretty serious cutouts around its perimeter for a better grip. Only dots are illuminated on the bezel, the rest of the markings are white.

On the wrist, the SLGA023 is big — probably too big, unless you have really wide wrists. Measuring 43.8mm wide, 51.5mm lug-to-lug and 13.8mm thick, the Grand Seiko Evolution 9 Spring Drive Ushio Diver SLGA023 is a chunky dive replica best watches. A decade or more ago, few people would have rolled their eyes at hearing those measurements, but, with ushio taking the big watch trend, Grand Seiko may hope to start rolling out more compact dive watches soon.

On the plus side, the SLGA023 uses all that real estate to pack some serious tech, and is actually some of the best in its class. The Grand Seiko Evolution 9 Spring Drive Ushio Diver SLGA023 is powered by a 9RA5 Spring Drive movement – to learn everything you need to know about Spring Drive’s incredible history and performance, read my post on the subject here authoritative article. The 9RA5 is the latest major development in this technology and the most powerful Spring Drive base movement to date. It is 0.8mm thinner than the 9R6 series (down from 4.2mm to just 3.4mm), but offers an extended 5-day power reserve and features an indicator at 9 o’clock on the dial. Grand Seiko claims that its one-piece center bridge gives it “significantly greater durability and higher transmission efficiency,” and that it still boasts an accuracy of +/-10 seconds per month (also known as the daily maximum tolerance +/-0.5 seconds) per day). Unfortunately, the SLGA023 comes with a solid bottom cover, so you can’t see the 9RA5 inside.

A stunning dial, a beautiful titanium case, and one of the most innovative and high-performance spring-driven movements is exactly what we’ve come to expect from a Grand Seiko. SLGA023 meets all these requirements, but still has some shortcomings. While the market for large dive cheap men watches is still huge, we’d like to see Grand Seiko shift its focus to more compact and therefore less bulky ways to enjoy all this unfiltered horological greatness.

Stories Beyond Earth – Jacob & Co. Astronomia Tourbillon Era

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For centuries, the tourbillon has been at the forefront of complex craftsmanship in watchmaking. Rotating on a plane, it attracts the attention of countless people, but the tourbillon has never broken through the limit of dimensions. However, the Astronomia celestial body series brought by Jacob & Co. has made a revolutionary breakthrough, making the plane tourbillon three-dimensional, allowing it to rotate and rotate in three directions. This multi-axis tourbillon undoubtedly makes the timepiece more accurate, and it is like a cosmic creature floating on the wrist, which brings infinite shock.

Origin, three-axis tourbillon
Jacob Alebo, founder of Jacob & Co., had no interest in following the example of tourbillons of other brands, so he chose the flying tourbillon as the initial creative starting point and revolutionized the tradition of the watchmaking industry. Launch of the Astronomia watch with an unprecedented gravitational three-axis tourbillon.

The Jacob & Co. Astronomia has four “satellite” arms that make one revolution around the dial every 10 minutes.

The first of the four arms is connected to the three-axis tourbillon, which rotates in 60 seconds on the first axis, two and a half minutes on the second axis, and circles the dial in 10 minutes on the third axis.

The second “satellite” is actually a 288-faceted Jack & Bowie exclusive cut diamond that rotates on its axis in 30 seconds and circles the dial in 10 minutes. The diamonds are cut and shaped by hand, and each diamond has 288 individual facets. The exclusive cut diamonds used in the Astronomia series watch need to guarantee their roundness and weight with the “satellites” attached to the other three arms (time display, three-axis tourbillon, magnesium globe) Keep the weight consistent, if there is any discrepancy, it will be declared scrapped. This exclusive Jack & Bao cut diamond takes two weeks of dedicated effort to create one, absolutely meticulous work.

The third “satellite”, directly opposite the tourbillon, is the time display, which circles the dial every 10 minutes. This was another challenge for the designers, engineers and watchmakers at Jacob & Co. to make the time display sub-dial rotate around the watch and rotate at the same time. If the 12/6 o’clock position is not correct, the It will greatly increase the difficulty of reading time for people. In order to solve this problem, Jake & Bao designed a unique patented differential transmission system to ensure that when the time display disk rotates around the dial, its 12/6 o’clock position is always facing the watch holder.

The fourth “satellite” is a miniature magnesia spray-painted earth, which rotates in 30 seconds and takes 10 minutes to circle the dial.

The three-axis tourbillon rotates non-stop around the dial, so watchmakers need to keep the weight of each tourbillon accurate, otherwise it will affect several other arms of the Astronomia. Although the three-axis tourbillon of the Astronomia series is very complicated to manufacture, it is definitely a visual feast, and it is also one of the many reasons why the Jacob & Co. Jackpot watch is unique in the world of watches.

See-through, unique “transparent” case
The eye-catching rare metal and artificial sapphire crystal case shows everything incisively and vividly, and the crystal case of each replica watch Review is handcrafted. Usually flat man-made sapphire crystals are simple to process and can be manufactured in batches by machines that cannot handle the curved domed sapphire crystals of the Astronomia series. The sapphire crystal cases used by Jacob & Co. typically take several weeks to manufacture, using special equipment and tools to complete.

At the same time, the team of designers and engineers at Jacob & Co. Jake Bao felt that the traditional crown would not match the clean and clear lines of such a transparent case, and that the crown tucked into the movement would prevent the watch from connecting the four ” satellite” arm. Therefore, the crown for time adjustment and winding has been moved to the back of the case, and the watch has two semi-circular crowns that can be lifted, making the winding and time adjustment of the Astronomia Tourbillon watch clear and simple.

The unpretentious custom-made art watch
The basic Astronomia watch is equipped with a bottom dial made of aventurine stone, with four “satellites” rotating above it. Looking like a night sky full of stars, this texture is definitely the best complement to your “solar system on your wrist”. The customizability of the bottom dial has spawned many artistic styles and top luxury playful works for this series.

ASTRONOMIA ART TIGER
Celestial Series Tourbillon Art Watch – Tiger

In the 18K gold and sapphire crystal case of the Celestial Tourbillon, a 3D hand-embossed tiger in white gold comes to life. Hand engraving on 18K gold is a great challenge, but Jacob & Co.’s master carver is beyond imagination. A tiger pattern usually takes months to craft, and even the smallest mistakes can lead to failure. A master artist’s work requires constant concentration to complete.

ASTRONOMIA FLAWLESS DROGAN
Celestial Series Tourbillon Art Watch – Xianglong

The dragon engraved in 18K rose gold embodies the ultimate details, which requires three months of dedication and hard work by the engraver to present such an auspicious dragon in 18K gold, and then requires exquisite polishing and polishing. Painters complete all the details on the scales: the teeth, the tongue and, of course, the finishing touches.

ASTRONOMIA THREE MONKEYS
Celestial Series Tourbillon Art Watch – Three No Apes

The three apes are hand-carved in 18K rose gold, and they cover their eyes, ears and mouth with their hands, representing not seeing, not listening, and not speaking. Inspired by a common Japanese philosophy of life, it reminds people to stay away from right and wrong. Masters of art dedicated to haute complication watchmaking have reproduced these ape statues, handcrafted from 18K rose gold, each with a different look. Despite the intricate and time-consuming carving process, the final product is lifelike and highly symbolic. Lifelike and vivid.

ASTRONOMIA SIPDER
Celestial Series Tourbillon Art Watch – Spider

A great success for the realistic sculpture – the spider’s body rests on four satellites, which needs to be light enough not to interfere with the movement of the movement. The skeleton it carries is made of titanium alloy and platinum wire, while the spider itself is made of duck feathers. The realism presented by this surreal sculpture is enough to make your heart beat.

The ultimate luxury jewelry watch
Jacob & Co. Jack & Bao founder, Mr. Jacob Alebo, has an extraordinary understanding of luxury. In 2001, Jacob & Co. Jack Bao began to transform and create watches, but at the same time, he continued to be active in the field of high jewelry. Precious gems and ingenious inlay art make the brand outstanding in the customization service of gemstone watches, which is also the field that Jake & Bao is good at. All gemstones are carefully selected in terms of quality, volume, color, brightness, etc. Only those gemstones that meet the brand’s strict selection standards and quality control will be used for manual setting.

Jacob & Co. Jackpot Astronomia Tourbillon High Jewelry Watch

So we can see that the advanced watchmaking technology of the Astronomia celestial body series is naturally matched with the gorgeous and eye-catching high-end jewelry craftsmanship.

Jackpot cut diamonds are striking enough on their own. The raw material must be at least 2 carats, and the excess part of the rough stone is removed with a superb cutting process to form a perfectly symmetrical diamond with 288 facets. This is definitely an excellent demonstration of the rich experience and unparalleled professionalism of gem-working technicians.

The gem-set craftsmanship watch of Jacob & Co. Jake Bao celestial body series high jewelry watch shows Jake Bao’s extraordinary craftsmanship, many inspirations and design elements, showing the charming style in each gem, and the charming machine. The core collocation sets off the charm and complements each other.

Richard Mille RM 67-01, the flattest Richard Mille to date

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Richard Mille’s main trade inventory has never been ultra-thin watches – if anything, his timepieces over the years have been more striking in terms of depth, some downright gigantic. He can certainly make the watch thinner when he wants to, though, and it often works well. Both the rectangular RM 16 and the more recent RM 33-01 deviate from his usual habit, this year at SIHH he presents his latest RM 67-01, his flattest watch to date and the first he has made An extra-flat watch with a tonneau-shaped case, which has been the basis of his designs since the company launched its first watch in 2001.

Richard Mille’s trading stock has never been an ultra-thin watch – if anything, his timepieces have been more notable over the years for their depth play, and some are downright huge . He can certainly make the watch thinner when he wants to, though, and it often works well. Both the rectangular RM 16 and the more recent RM 33-01 deviate from his usual habit, this year at SIHH he presents his latest RM 67-01, his flattest watch to date and the first he has made An extra-flat watch with a tonneau-shaped case, which has been the basis of his designs since the company launched its first watch in 2001.

Richard Mille’s design work is hard to fault. Assuming you totally like this approach to watch design, there’s basically Richard Mille and those who try (often unsuccessfully) to imitate him. (Designing watches after Richard Mille is a bit like a painter after Jackson Pollock, or a writer after James Joyce; trying to replicate their success by replicating their language or visual vocabulary is both tempting and a bad idea idea.) The RM 67-01 is a great looking watch. The titanium version shown here does an excellent job of overall fit and finish; obviously each surface has been carefully considered in relation to the dial, gear train and other elements of the case, as we looked at Apple As the Watch said, attention to detail is true luxury.

Granted, Richard Mille has its own unique design language, but this celebration of the aesthetics of industrial materials is also a classic modernist design strategy, with a few other notable exceptions (such as the Royal Oak, which does have an important role in stainless steel in watches). , as Mies van der Rohe did in architecture) not many watch designers can do it like Richard Mille.

One of the interesting things about his approach is that, at least broadly speaking, it’s actually pretty conservative, which I think is a big part of Mille’s success. He’s very smart about challenging expectations, but offering the challenge in a reassuring framework so the whole thing doesn’t get too alienating.

Much of the appeal of his work lies in traditional watchmaking, both in finish and mechanics. boasting that you have a fast-spinning mainspring barrel and optimized gear tooth profiles, almost like a baseball, although Richard Mille’s watch has modern industrial materials and finishing methods, overall his aesthetic remains Relying on alternating, matt and brushed surfaces of polish, it has been the mainstay of Geneva watchmaking for hundreds of years.

Where I really struggle with Richard Mille copy is the pricing. Almost everyone you talk to these days will agree that things are getting out of hand, not just potential customers for the watch; quite a few CEOs or near CEO level have commented to us that they really want to know (I care about paraphrasing) this Has the industry not yet cornered itself. Where exactly does the disconnect between offered value and actual price start to become unacceptable? Of course, this depends on a lot of variables. Often, when we write about very expensive watches, we end up shrugging and saying “I believe that for its target customers, price doesn’t matter” or something like that. It’s also very easy to start thinking of price as an abstraction unrelated to watch design criticism. However, I think these two are really starting to feel like abdication of the responsibility to discuss important things. After all, sky-high prices in the art world are fair game to discuss how art is viewed; why not in watchmaking?

This is a titanium case chronograph watch with a date knob. Undoubtedly, high prices are part of the appeal to many Richard Mille clients – and it’s part of the reason his watches are such effective symbols of exclusivity, and if they weren’t so recognizable, they wouldn’t play that role well ( Also, it doesn’t hurt that they are often very attractive as design objects). I think it’s pretty clear that having a lot of talk about high cost and exclusivity about his watches is a deliberate strategy.

Regarding the RM 67-01, it’s obviously very expensive, but then again, watches from the likes of Kari Voutilainen and Roger Smith are similarly priced but offer very different The value proposition, perhaps the real disconnect for mechanical timepieces, at least at the high end, is not between value and price, but function and price. At this level, it is almost accidental that the object in question is a watch.

Update 2/11: Richard Mille clarified to us that the movement is designed in-house and manufactured externally; the company noted that it has always been transparent about its suppliers and will only refer to its movements as ” Made in-house”. An earlier version of this story failed to notice that the watch shown was a white gold model, not titanium. The story has been updated; we regret any confusion.

Richard Mille RM 67-01 Automatic Extra Flat; as shown, white gold case, 38.70mm x 47.52mm x 7.75mm. Hours, minutes, date; function indicator showing crown position. Movement, CRMA6 movement, 3.6 mm thick, designed by Richard Mille; platinum oscillating weight, 50-hour power reserve, 25 jewels at 28,800 vph. Water resistance, 50 m. The movement was designed by Richard Mille and manufactured externally.

Porsche Design Chronograph 911 Targa 4S Heritage Design Edition

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Porsche Design fake has created a matching timepiece for owners of the new 911 Targa 4S Heritage Design Edition: the 911 Targa 4S Heritage Design Edition chronograph. Both cars and timepieces show attention to detail, some of which may be trivial to some people, but are actually very important to 911 connoisseurs.

car
The new Porsche 911 Targa 4S Heritage Design Edition is the starting point for a series of exclusive Porsche Heritage models designed to bring the spirit of the times of the 50s, 60s, 70s and 80s back to life. The 450 HP of the 992 series combines the most advanced technology with a retro feel.

Highlights include the golden model name, the Porsche Crest of 1963, and a modern interpretation of classic Porsche rims. Buyers can also choose a personal starting number, which is printed on the door in black.

watch
The Targa 4S traditional design version of the 911 is based on the formative collection of 1919, but is inspired by the design of the traditional 4S Targa design version. The watch uses a 42 mm titanium case with sapphire crystal glass on the front and back. The numbers and hands are coated with a luminous coating to make it easy to read the watch at night.

The dial is reminiscent of the green ring and numbers of a vehicle tachometer. In addition, the model name “Porsche 911 Targa 4S” is decorated at 9 o’clock on the left. The gold lettering is located on the second dial, which mechanically indicates that the watch is running (this model does not have a second hand). The 30-minute counter at 12 o’clock and the 12-hour counter at 6 o’clock together with the central chronograph second hand form a stopwatch function. In addition, there is a date window at 4 o’clock.

On the back of the 911 Targa 4S Heritage Design Edition chronograph, the wearer can clearly see the homemade WERK 01.100 movement. The rotor of the automatic movement is based on the legendary Fuchsfelge, with the Porsche logo in the center. In addition to a 48-hour power reserve, it also has a frequency of 4 Hz and has passed COSC certification. The limited edition number is engraved on the back.

The traditional design version of the Targa 4S of the 911 is waterproof to 10 meters. The replica watches is paired with a bracelet made of Porsche car leather. There are two choices of Bordeaux red and black.