Introducing The New Grand Seiko SBGW297 And SBGW299 Kamisen
Last month we saw the arrival of the Grand Seiko 44GS SBGW303 in a limited edition for Europe with a beautiful green-grey textured dial, the brand is now releasing two new variants that will become part of the regular collections, the new SBGW297 and the SBGGW299 Kamisen.
The two new watches, which once again have their main display on their dial, are inspired by the Kamisen the Japanese folding fans made of paper, with the SBGW297 displaying a white dial and the SBGW299 a dark blue one.
The textured dials with a sunburst finish, come with applied silver plated hour markers and the “GS” brand’s logo at noon and faceted Dauphine hands. The white version also displays a black minute track that matches the brand’s lettering at 12 o’clock, while on the blue version, these details are painted in white. Completing the dial, the centre seconds hand on the SBGW297 is painted in blue while on the SBGW299 it follows the same silver-plated formula as the other hands.
The inspired 44GS stainless steel round case needs no introduction, featuring the characteristic mostly brushed satin finish with polished bevels, with 36.50mm in diameter, 11.60mm in thickness and 42.70mm lug-to-lug distance, which makes it wearable for almost all people, sapphire glass front and screwed solid case-back, fluted crown embossed with brand’s logo, and 100m water resistance.
At its heart, the manual movement Caliber 9S64, which operates at 28,800 Vph, offers an accuracy of +5/-3 seconds per day and up to 72 hours of power reserve.
The watches come attached to the traditional five-link steel bracelet, which, like the case, features a mainly brushed finish counterbalanced with a polished finish on the two interconnecting links and their bevels.
The watches arrive in November at the brand’s official boutiques and authorized retailers for a price of €5,700.
Our Opinion
Just last week we had the opportunity to see these two new models live in Lisbon as well as the limited edition SBGW303 exclusive to Europe that we mentioned above and what we can say is that any of them are beautiful.
The simplicity of these watches combined with their elegance is music to our ears and a feast for our eyes. We also praise the 36mm case size that we so much talk about here and the manual movement to the detriment of the automatic which we also really like it.
Read more here.
General Specifications:
Brand: Grand Seiko
Model: Heritage Collection 44GS Kamisen-inspired Models
Reference: SBGW297, SBGW299
Dial: White (SBGW297), dark blue (SBGW299)
Case Material: Stainless Steel
Case Dimensions: 36.50 mm Diameter, 11.60 mm thickness, 42.70 mm lug-to-lug
Crystal: Sapphire glass
Case Back: Stainless Steel
Water Resistance: 100 Meters
Strap: Stainless steel bracelet with a folding clasp
Calibre: 9S64
Functions: Hours, minutes, seconds
Winding: Manual
Frequency: 28,800 Vph
Jewels: 24
Power Reserve: 72 hours
Price: € 5,700
Availability: November 2023
Limited Edition: No
