Grand Seiko has released a pair of red-dialed watches that pay yet another tribute to the natural beauty of Japan.
The company has a long tradition of taking inspiration from the rugged countryside around its factories.
The new watches look to the Hotaka mountain ranges in Japan’s central Shinshu region, where Spring Drive watches are made.
The ‘Morning Glow of Hotaka Peaks’ limited edition watches have dials that reflect the red light cast on the autumn leaves, Grand Seiko says.
The two new pieces are part of celebrations of the 20th anniversary of the launch of Grand Seiko’s first commercially available hybrid Spring Drive movement in 2004.
The first of the new watches, SBGY035, comes on a brown crocodile leather strap and has the manual-winding Caliber 9R31 version of the Spring Drive movement.
Manual-winding offers the now-standard 72-hour Spring Drive power reserve, while allowing for a slimmer watch – the 38.5 mm diameter steel case is just 10.2mm deep.
This slender watch is water-resistant to 30m and has a graded red dial that gets brighter towards the centre.
It is a limited edition of 700 watches and costs $8,500.
The second watch, SBGA499, has a slightly larger steel case, at 40.2mm diameter and 12.8mm depth.
It has a bright red dial on a steel bracelet and features the 9R65 movement – the same 72 hour power reserve, but the standard issue automatic winding Spring Drive movement.
The larger watch is water-resistant to a more substantial 100m.
It is a limited edition of 1,300 pieces worldwide and costs $5,800.