Grand Seiko has just dropped two limited edition watches to celebrate their new Paris boutique, and the dials are incredible
James RobinsonGrand Seiko really knows how to say bonjour with style – not only is their new Paris boutique the largest of its kind in the world, it’s also easily their most palatial. Set amongst the cobblestones and opulent retailers that line the Place Vendôme, the new Grand Seiko flagship is rubbing shoulders with the likes of Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Van Cleef & Arpels and Piaget.
To celebrate their beautiful new European home, the Japanese watchmaker has decided to create two new limited edition iterations of its handsome SBGK dress watch – SBGK011 and SBGK013.
Hewn from either solid 950 platinum (SBGK011) or solid 18k rose gold (SBGK013), both these special timepieces have been adorned with a gorgeous dial that Grand Seiko has never created before. Styled to look like the cobblestone streets of the City of Lights, the watches feature a radially textured base with vertically brushed blocks that concentrically line the entire dial. Judging from the photos, this unique aesthetic may well prove to be among Grand Seiko’s most inimitable and good looking dial designs in recent memory.
The cobblestone pattern has been further complemented by Grand Seiko’s razor-sharp dauphine handset, which features both brushed and polished elements. A very pretty blue-green sub-seconds hand has also been affixed to the dial, which is meant to depict the oxidised metal of the Colonne Vendôme.
The platinum-cased SBGK011 will come equipped with a black crocodile leather strap, whereas the rose gold variant, SBGK013, will be fitted with a complementing chocolate brown croc strap. However, both watches will also come with an additional crocodile leather strap finished in the same blue-green seen on the small seconds hand, which is a nice touch.
Aside from these unique characteristics, the rest of the watch remains unchanged from the standard SBGK model, which is completely fine by us, because it’s one of Grand Seiko’s best timepieces currently available.
Just 10 examples of each of the Paris boutique specials will be created, with SBGK011 costing €38,000, and SBGK013 €28,000. The 20 lucky owners can rest easy, knowing that they’ve not only procured one of the rarest modern Grand Seikos ever created, but also one with plenty of rare idiosyncratic design nuances.
