Seiko's Latest Release Knows That, Yes, Of Course Men Can Wear Pink Watches
In menswear, there's no shortage of pink. Gone are the old gendered connotations of boys' colours and girls' colours. The year is not 1991, and John Major is not Prime Minister. But in fine watchmaking (or haute horlogerie, if you want to sound really important), pink options, for men at least, are few and far between. That's not to say the industry is hankering for simpler, crueller times. It's just that watch trends are more rigid. When navy and green and white dials sell so well for so many years, then that's what is to be made. You don't fix what's not broken.
Grand Seiko's latest release may be changing that. As the blue chip offshoot of the marque of the same name, the manufacturer has released one of its banner 44GS models with a light pink dial. Or cherry blossom, to be specific. To mark 55 years of the 44GS, Grand Seiko's latest release pays tribute to Shakura-kakushi, the brief period in which Northern Japan sees cherry blossom and snowfall all at once. It's also very nice to look at.
Rather than go for big showy arm cannon, light frosted pink is a sound companion to a stainless steel bracelet, and the dial itself is given two boosts. First: extra light is allowed through a glassbox sapphire crystal. Second: Grand Seiko has used its signature Zaratsu polishing technique, in which the case is exposed to a metal plate with grit sandpaper, to give it a textured finish.
Inside, the watch is just as impressive. Grand Seiko has powered its latest release with an in-house Calibre 9S64 (small note: you know a manufacturer is especially good when it makes its own engines, as opposed to outsourcing them). This slimline movement allows for a lean watch that clocks in at just 11.6mm thick. Impressive, and also nice to look at.
Labelling a piece as one of the best watches of 2022 is a subjective endeavour. But if the Heritage Collection 44GS 55th Anniversary SBGW289 pulls the trigger on pink dials for men, then it's very much a contender.
From: Esquire UK
