Grand Seiko Adds Another Must-Have Dial: Meet The Shirakaba

Grand Seiko’s latest hi-beat watch comes with a wilderness-inspired dial that will surely rank right up there with the ‘snowflake’ in terms of popularity among the brand’s loyal army of collectors.

The textured dial of the new Grand Seiko SLGH005 hi-beat is inspired by the Shirakaba, silver birch trees that grow in abundance in the Northern part of Japan, and especially near Grand Seiko’s Shizukuishi studio where the brand’s mechanical watches are made.

The stamped pattern is meant to reflect the tall slender trees growing side-by-side but could as easily be taken for snow drifts. Grand Seiko’s penchant for subtle-to-the-point-of-ethereal dial textures is beginning to pair up nicely with the brand’s strategy of reflecting elements of the Japanese landscape.

But there’s more to this model than a collectible dial, it houses Grand Seiko’s excellent new 9SA5 engine and also implements the brand’s new Series 9 Design codes, the most recent and contemporary revision of the original Grand Seiko design language first set down in the mid-1960s.

The 9SA5 uses a dual impulse escapement, free sprung balance and manages an 80-hour power reserve despite being slimmer than previous incarnations of Grand Seiko mechanicals while the Series 9 sees the use of ‘powerful’ hands and substantial grooved hour markers.

The Grand Seiko SLGH005 Shirakaba is available now priced $9,100, head over to Grand Seiko for more details.

In other watch news, take a look at our picks of the watches marking Chinese New Year and the Year of the Ox.