The white textured dial of this timepiece is inspired by a mysterious natural midwinter phenomenon called ‘Omiwatari’ occurring on the frozen surface of Japan’s Lake Suwa near Shiojiri, birthplace of Grand Seiko’s Spring Drive movement. ‘Omiwatari’ are ice ridges created when the temperature changes cause the frozen lake to stretch and contract. Considered to be ‘God’s Footsteps,’ religious ceremonies are held to predict the forthcoming year’s harvests and good fortune by looking at the direction and height of the ridges.

‘The Nature of Time’ theme features prominently in Grand Seiko watch designs – the watchmakers’ pride in their surroundings is represented from engineering watch movements which emulate the smooth motion of time passing, to creating dials reflecting the beauty of Japanese nature.

The SBGY013 is powered by a manual-winding Spring Drive Calibre 9R31 with an accuracy rate of ±15 seconds per month, or ±1 second per day. The movement uses two mainsprings set in parallel within a single barrel to deliver a power reserve of 72 hours. Spring Drive was uniquely pioneered by Seiko Watch Corporation’s watchmakers – it generates energy like a traditional mechanical watch but combines this with an electronic regulator to deliver a superior level of precision. The signature of Spring Drive is the smooth motion of its second hand which moves in a silent and beautiful glide motion. Spring Drive is one of the most significant developments in recent watchmaking which took 28 years to develop and is only available in Seiko Watch Corporation timepieces.

Every Grand Seiko features signature high standards of precision, durability and legibility, handcrafted in Japan by Takumi artisans. Grand Seiko: beautifully, precise Japanese watchmaking, from the pinnacle of Seiko Watch Corporation’s in-house ‘manufacture.’