Grand Seiko has created a limited-edition timepiece in partnership with Ben Bridge Jewelers. The watch is designed to bridge the gap between the southern Japanese coast and the shores of the Hawaiian Island of Oahu, divided by the Pacific Ocean.<\/p>\n
The Grand Seiko Heritage Collection Limited Edition watch (Reference: SBGA527) is specifically inspired by Japan’s Wakayama Prefecture, where the Kii Peninsula meets the open Pacific Ocean. The same ocean appears at the shores of the famed beach of Waikiki.<\/p>\n
Shirarahama has long been regarded as the finest beach in Japan’s Kansai region. Its brilliant sands and clear bay draw more than 600,000 visitors each summer and year-round visitors to its famous hot springs. On July 20, 2000, a ceremony in Honolulu formally established a Goodwill Beach City Relationship between Shirarahama and Waikiki, recognizing a kinship that the ocean itself had long suggested.<\/p>\n
“This Pacific relationship, a quiet but enduring bond between Japan’s white-sand shores and Hawaii’s iconic coastline, inspires the new limited-edition timepiece,” Grand Seiko said in a statement.<\/p>\n
The deep blue dial reflects the clarity of the waters that wash against Shirarahama’s sand. Hand-applied, diamond-cut markers and faceted hands capture and reflect light as the dial turns. Grand Seiko says it signifies the play of sunlight across the surface of shallow coastal waters. The Spring Drive seconds hand glides without interruption across the dial, quiet and uninterrupted. Grand Seiko compares this to the tide drawing across the bay.<\/p>\n
The 40mm case is designed after the 62GS, Grand Seiko’s first automatic timepiece from 1967. The case and bracelet are crafted from Grand Seiko’s “high-intensity titanium,” a proprietary metal that is 30% lighter than standard stainless steel with enhanced scratch and corrosion resistance compared to pure, untreated titanium. It allows Grand Seiko to apply its signature distortion-free Zaratsu polishing to a lightweight, hypoallergenic metal. Zaratsu polishing is an artisan technique that creates Grand Seiko’s signature distortion-free mirror surfaces. This mirrored surface is contrasted with brushed planes that enhance that the company says complements the shifting light and shadows.<\/p>\n
A box-shaped sapphire crystal frames the dial, while a sapphire crystal caseback reveals the automatic Spring Drive Caliber 9R65, which combines the energy of a mainspring with the precision of an integrated circuit and a crystal oscillator. Its signature gliding seconds hand, unique to Grand Seiko, moves continuously. The movement has a 72-hour power reserve and an average accuracy of \u00b115 seconds per month (\u00b11 second per day). In addition to the hours, minutes and seconds, the movement drives the a date window located at 3 o’clock on the blue dial and a power reserve indicator at 8 o’clock.<\/p>\n
The timepiece is now available at the two Ben Bridge operated Grand Seiko boutiques in Honolulu. It will be sold in a limited edition of 50 pieces and retail for $7,600.<\/p>\n
The retail partnership between Grand Seiko and Ben Bridge is still quite new. The two businesses opened their first boutique in November 2024 at 2300 Kalakaua Ave., in the Waikiki neighborhood. It was the first Grand Seiko boutique in Hawaii.<\/p>\n
Less than a year later, the two companies opened a second boutique on the second floor of the Ala Moana shopping mall.<\/p>\n
While Grand Seiko is relatively new to Hawaii, Ben Bridge has been operating there for approximately 37 years, where it has five watch stores.<\/p>\n