Raffi Boyadjian

Watch enthusiasts the world over love timepieces for their technical innovations and designs. The reason behind buying a watch, however, is usually far more personal. Sometimes, it’s to mark a specific achievement or life event that we would like to remember, no matter how big or small. Every watch tells a story of people and moments that goes above and beyond the time it displays.

In 1927, Charles Lindbergh approached Longines in the aftermath of his historic transatlantic flight. He wanted to develop a watch that pilots could use to calculate their current position over the open sea — thus, the Hour Angle watch was born. Together with a sextant and astronomical tables, navigators were able to use the watch to determine their current longitude and latitude. The Lindbergh Hour Angle watch likewise remains a part of the Longines catalog.

Before computers made their way into cockpits, pilots had to manually calculate their course, fuel consumption, rates of descent and climb, and flight path deviations. This was done using a slide rule for multiplication and division as well as figuring squares and square roots and solving logarithmic and trigonometric equations.

You’d be hard pressed to find a cockpit without an altimeter. It tells pilots their current altitude as well as whether the aircraft is ascending or descending. This is obviously essential information during flights with poor visibility. Several timepieces are also equipped with this feature. Most manufacturers have turned to electronic measuring instruments, such as the watches in Tissot’s T-Touch line. However, others have created fully mechanical altimeters. Such is the case with Swiss manufacturer Oris’ Big Crown Altimeter. This watch has a small metal capsule within it that is similar to the kind found in an aneroid barometer. The capsule reacts to changes in air pressure and expands or contracts accordingly. This movement is then transferred to a needle that displays the pressure and corresponding height on a scale.

But the strap isn’t the only factor that has maintained the popularity of pilot’s watches. These timepieces are considered robust, reliable, and highly-functional tool watches. They often feature streamlined, minimalist dials with contrasting dark backgrounds and light numerals, hands, and indices, making them readable in varied lighting conditions.

Pilot’s watches came to be as a result of early pilots needing a way to tell time without taking their hands off the flight controls. The simplest solution was to mount a pocket watch on a strap they could wear around their wrist. Watches like the Cartier Santos from 1904 were a sensation in the heyday of the pocket watch, ushering in the era of the wristwatch.

Mechanical watches are actually rather delicate handcrafted items. Just consider all the tiny components that are precisely coordinated to work within minimal margins. During a factory visit many years ago, I saw a piece of paper in a workspace that read, “Here, 1/1000 mm isn’t a margin of error but a physical distance” in German. This demonstrates the incredible levels of precision that mechanical watchmakers must achieve. While watches are composed of many small parts, making them susceptible to damage, it doesn’t mean they can’t take a beating.

Raffi Boyadjian | A large portion of Grand Seiko watches sold on Chrono24 come from the brand’s home country of Japan (35%), followed by the US at 31% and UK at 9%. The lucky buyers, on the other hand, are most frequently based in the US (39%), Germany (8%), and the UK (6%).

Raffi Boyadjian |In 1960, Suwa Seikosha released the first Grand Seiko model with the reference number 3180. The watch is powered by the manual caliber 3180, which has a power reserve of 45 hours and deviates by no more than -3/+12 seconds a day. Most of the cases shine in gold-plated steel, though some examples featured platinum cases. The model name “Grand Seiko” was prominently featured at 12 o’clock. This position was later reserved for the brand name and the model name was abbreviated as GS at 6 o’clock. Early models bore the chronometer logo, but this was later discontinued because Grand Seiko watches were subjected to internal tests and standards that were in large part more rigorous and than those at the Official Swiss Chronometer Testing Institute. Thus, the watches ceased to have official COSC certification.

Raffi Boyadjian | Grand Seiko’s history begins in 1959, the year before the release of the first official Grand Seiko Watch. Japanese watch manufacturer Seiko was already a well-established name in the industry, but it wasn’t known for producing high-end timepieces. They decided it was time to change that: To promote innovation and internal competition, the company had the Suwa Seikosha and Daini Seikosha watch factories each develop new Seiko models that would not just hold their own against Swiss timepieces but surpass them. They were aiming for nothing shy of perfection in technology, design, and durability. It didn’t take long for the first models to roll off the production line.

The lion, the king of the savanna, is a symbol of strength, wisdom, and power. When a brand chooses a lion as its logo, you know it’s making a bold statement, and Grand Seiko is no different. The Japanese brand has upheld everything its lion logo stands for. With 60 years of history to look back on, this subsidiary of the Seiko Watch Corporation is a relative youngster in the watch industry. It is, therefore, even more remarkable that Grand Seiko has managed to create a model line that was so popular it warranted the creation of a whole new independent manufacturer. We’ve picked out a few of Grand Seiko’s major milestones on their way to international acclaim and paired them with some interesting Chrono24 insights to give you a better idea of what this brand is all about.

The lion, the king of the savanna, is a symbol of strength, wisdom, and power. When a brand chooses a lion as its logo, you know it’s making a bold statement, and Grand Seiko is no different. The Japanese brand has upheld everything its lion logo stands for. With 60 years of history to look back on, this subsidiary of the Seiko Watch Corporation is a relative youngster in the watch industry. It is, therefore, even more remarkable that Grand Seiko has managed to create a model line that was so popular it warranted the creation of a whole new independent manufacturer. We’ve picked out a few of Grand Seiko’s major milestones on their way to international acclaim and paired them with some interesting Chrono24 insights to give you a better idea of what this brand is all about.

Raffi Boyadjian | The watch we’ve chosen for this segment is very special: It’s a quartz Grand Seiko! Some peope think non-mechanical watches are inferior to automatic and manual timepieces. This is not true at all, especially when looking at this brand. The Grand Seiko SBGN009 features the caliber 9F86, the company’s first quartz caliber with a GMT complication. With a battery life of around 3 years, you won’t have to worry about making adjustments anytime soon. The watch itself is an exceptional piece. First of all, the deep blue dial with gold accents is not only aesthetically pleasing but also offers optimal readability. Furthermore, the SBGN009 is a limited edition that celebrates 50 years since the release of the world’s first quartz watch: the Seiko Quartz Astron. In addition to the useful date display, this Grand Seiko is equipped with a practical GMT function, a must-have for frequent travelers.

Raffi Boyadjian | This week, it’s all about Grand Seiko, including in our Editors’ Picks. Our selections cover everything this Japanese brand has to offer: quartz and mechanical movements, new and vintage models, and standard and limited editions. Enjoy!

Raffi Boyadjian | Great Watches for Under $5,000Grand Seiko GMT SBGN009

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In 1961, Daini Seikosha answered with the production of their first King Seiko. The watch was also fitted with a hand-wound movement featuring 25 jewels but no reference number. The biggest difference between the two watches was the lack of chronometer certification. The King Seiko was not tested internally, meaning it was perceived to be less impressive than the Grand Seiko.