Seiko

In the mid 1980’s, the time was right for a new generation of Grand Seiko mechanical watches. The technology of the company’s watch making had advanced; tastes had changed. At first, it was thought that improvements to the existing mechanical movements would be sufficient, but the goal of the ‘ideal’ watch drove the Grand Seiko team further. Movement designers scrapped the original plan in favor of an entirely new design which posed new challenges in every area of the art of traditional watchmaking.

In 1990, Grand Seiko submitted its movements to the accuracy tests conducted by the Contrôle Officiel Suisse des Chronomètres (COSC), the official chronometer testing institute of Switzerland. Three of the first four prototypes passed and, soon after, 50 production movements were submitted to COSC and all of them met the institute's standards. It was a success, but not by the standards that the Grand Seiko team set for themselves. They decided to create its own, new, GS Standard at a level higher than any public standard of the day. To meet this requires more testing, in more positions for a longer period and at more temperatures. It is a level that every Grand Seiko mechanical watch must pass.

Precision is only aspect of the ‘ideal’ watch. An ideal mechanical watch must have a power reserve that is as long as possible. When most watches delivered 40-42 hours, Grand Seiko set its standard at 50 hours. To achieve higher precision and a longer power reserve required innovations in materials, design, manufacturing and assembly. New alloys were created, semi-conductor manufacturing techniques were adapted to watchmaking, and new facilities were built. By 1996, the 9S movement was being tested. The 9S remains one of the very finest mechanical calibers in the world. Caliber 9S51 and Caliber 9S55 were created in 1998. Caliber 9S67 with a 72-hour power reserve was created in 2006.