Grand Seiko SBGY007: The God’s Crossing Timepiece

Cy Sinderson

Nagano in Japan is truly a wondrous place – especially in winter when the Kiso Mountains are covered in snow. In amongst these picturesque mountains is the famous Lake Suwa which completely freezes over, making it ideal for ice skating. But keep your eyes open whilst skating as you don’t want to trip over the long ridge that forms in the ice and runs from one side of the lake to the other. Locally they call this magical phenomenon the ‘Omiwatari’ or the God’s Crossing, where the guardian of Suwa is said to walk out over the ice to meet with his goddess wife on the other side.

Inspired by this legend, the craftspeople at the nearby Shinshu Watch Studio have created this hand-winding 30 jewels Spring Drive timepiece, the Grand Seiko SBGY007, with the colour, feel, and texture of the snow-covered ice you’ll find on Lake Suwa in wintertime. Under the dual-curved sapphire crystal, there’s an anti-reflective coating on the inner surface to cut out the whiteout glare of winter and, should you wish to sail across the famous lake in summer, your watch is also splash resistant and equipped with magnetic resistance. Inside the 38.5mm stainless steel case the movement is a Spring Drive Calibre 9R31 featuring a Dual Spring Barrel that delivers a power reserve of 72 hours when fully wound and is accurate to ±1 second per day.

Flip it over and you’ll be able to view the crafts people’s exquisite work plus the power reserve indicator through the exhibition screw case back. This timepiece fits nicely on your wrist thanks to a crocodile leather band complete with three-fold clasp with push button release. You don’t have to be a god to wear this truly wondrous timepiece, but it certainly might make you feel like one!

https://www.partridgejewellers.com/grand-seiko-collection

The Grand Seiko SBGY007 is available at Grand Seiko Boutiques and select Grand Seiko Retailers.

Experience the Grand Seiko for yourself today at Partridge Jewellers in Newmarket or Wellington.