Grand Seiko Marks 55 Years of 44GS With Cherry Blossom Pink Limited Edition
Inspired by the Japanese springtime moment when snow and cherry blossom co-exist.
The Japanese obsession with cherry blossom may have just inspired one of the most memorable pink dials ever made.
This year Grand Seiko is celebrating 55 years since the release of the watch that cemented its house style, the 44GS, which is recreated here as a limited edition manual wind watch with a delicately textured silvery pink dial, inspired by Sakura-kakushi, the brief springtime window in Northern Japan when both cherry blossom and snow are present. The pale pink tone is amplified by the extra light allowed in through a glassbox sapphire crystal.
Basing the watch around Grand Seiko’s slim, manual-wind Calibre 9S64 allows for a 36.5mm stainless steel case – a reworking of the 44GS – just 11.6mm thick, with suitably slender bezel, hands and hour markers to match.
Hand polished, using Grand Seiko’s Zaratsu polishing technique, the Heritage Collection 44GS 55th Anniversary SBGW289 will drop in June via Grand Seiko, limited to 1,200 pieces worldwide and priced $5,400 USD.
In other watch news, HYPEBEAST asks the experts their opinion on Rolex’s new left-handed GMT-Master II.
