Introducing: Grand Seiko's New Spring Drive Chronograph GMT SBGC275 Has A Dial That Changes Colors With The Light (Live Pics)

April 09, 2024

For the 20th Anniversary of the first Grand Seiko Spring Drive 9R movement, the brand is celebrating with a new Spring Drive Chronograph GMT, cased in titanium, with a dial inspired by the summer Shinshu sunrise reflecting off the Hotaka landscape in Japan. And just like the view over the landscape, the dial of the SBGC275 shifts with the light thanks to a new dial processing. The new Optical Multilayer Coating uses physical vapor deposition processes to create several layers of nanoscale film, which gives the dial a different hue depending on the angle that you view it. The live pictures shared here should give you a sense of all the different ways the dial can look in the light, shifting from warm orange colors to dark red and even flashes of magenta at very oblique angles. That's all accented by the gold GS logo and white lume on the applied silver-hued hands and hour markers. The dial also features a "lion's mane" pattern that is only used on this case shape of watch. The thick 44.5mm by 16.8mm high-intensity titanium case is paired with a bracelet in the same material, with the case done in a mix of brushed and Zaratsu-polished finishing. The case is water-resistant to 200m while still having a display caseback through which you can see the 9R96 automatic Spring Drive movement. The accuracy is still an astounding 0.5 seconds per day and the movement gets 72 hours of power reserve even while the chronograph (with 30-minute and 12-hour totalizers) are still running.? With a cool dial like this, it's no surprise the SBGC275 is a limited edition, with only 700 pieces available. The retail price in the United States is $13,400 and should be available now. What We Think I don't think I've taken this many photos of a dial in a hands-on, or at least not purposefully. Sometimes, when a watch is pretty straightforward, I'll come home and find that I've taken about 30 of the same images and I'll kick myself because I'm lacking variety. In this case, I probably took just as many images of the dial from slightly different angles and in slightly different light, then spent time color-correcting against the relatively color-stable case just to illustrate how wildly the "lion's mane" dial shifts in the light. You probably won't be shocked that the dial seemed like the main selling point in this release. The case size of these Spring Drive Chronograph GMTs are frankly just too massive and bulky for my taste and while the titanium case and bracelet balance out that size by not leaving it too heavy on the wrist, the bracelet (and especially the extender) feels a bit flimsy and not up to what I expect from Grand Seiko. I don't think this comes to a surprise to many folks at the brand and I'm sure they're tracking the feedback for bracelet design and taper, so I'm sure it won't be an issue forever. But for right now if we're going to focus on the positives, the outstanding 9R96 caliber and the super engaging color-shifting dial will certainly be enough to entice buyers to give the SBGC275 a closer look. The Basics Brand: Grand SeikoModel: SBGC275Diameter: 44.5mmThickness: 16.8mmCase Material: High-intensity titaniumDial Color: Optical Multilayer Coating lion's mane pattern in color-shifting redIndexes: Applied hours, printed minutes, GMT bezelLume: Lumibrite on hour and minute hands, hour indices, and 24-hour bezelWater Resistance: 200MStrap/Bracelet: High-intensity titanium The Movement Caliber: 9R96 Functions: Hours, minutes, seconds, local jumping hour (flyer) GMT, column-wheel chronograph with 30-minute and 12-hour totalizers, running secondsPower Reserve: 72 hours (maintained while the chronograph is running)Winding: AutomaticJewels: 50Chronometer Certified: 0.5 seconds per day Pricing & Availability Price: $13,400Availability: NowLimited Edition: Yes, limited to 700 piecesFor more, click here. Shop this story For more information visit Grand Seiko. The Hodinkee Shop is an authorized retailer of Grand Seiko watches, explore the collection here.