Watchmaking is a quiet and contemplative pursuit, requiring calm surroundings to carry out the intricate and complex work that goes into a fine timepiece. It’s no coincidence that most manufactures are tucked away in valleys in Switzerland or, in Grand Seiko’s case, nestled deep in the mountains of its native Japan. Its creations often draw from the natural beauty of the country, with its latest watch reflecting the calm waters of Lake Suwa that lies close to the Shinshu Watch Studio at which it is made.

Here the subtle ripples of the water’s surface are alluded to with the delicately patterned dial, with shallow waves that catch the light in new ways at every turn. The purity of the design is only punctuated with the angular hands and grooved indices, along with a discreet date at 3 o’clock, bringing a clean and contemporary feel.

The watch, limited to 2,021 pieces, marks the celebration of the Seiko’s 140th anniversary, which ever since it was founded by the entrepreneurial Kintaro Hattori in 1881 has been led by his ethos: ‘always one step ahead of the rest’. This innovative spirit has been applied to the movement, the new Grand Seiko Spring Drive 5 Days Calibre 9RA2.

Building on the reputation of precision and accuracy of its previous Spring Drives, this latest take is the slimmest of any in the collection. This is thanks to some clever reengineering, including a re-positioning of the Magic Lever (used to improve the efficiency of the winding mechanism), while the power reserve indicator has been moved to the back. Like the dial the movement is impeccably finished, and in Grand Seiko’s uniquely Japanese style, with its texture inspired by the frost that winter brings to the forests in Shinshu where all Spring Drive watches are made.

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