Grand Seiko Heritage Hi-Beat 45GS Limited Edition Watch, 38.8mm, Cream Dial, SLGW005

In 1968, a year after the 44GS, the watch whose design established the Grand Seiko Style, Grand Seiko introduced the 45GS. Though the two watches were virtually identical, the 45GS had one critically important enhancement under the dial in the form of a manually wound high-beat movement. The limited-edition SLGW005 Re-creation of the 45GS pays tribute to this watch in a most fitting way by drawing on the Caliber 9SA4, introduced at Watches & Wonders 2024 as the first 10-beat, manually wound movement from Grand Seiko in more than 50 years. Caliber 9SA4 has several of Grand Seiko’s latest mechanical watchmaking developments, including the company’s Free-sprung balance and Dual Impulse Escapement. In developing the movement, particular attention was paid to the sound and tactile sensation experienced during the hand-winding process. While the original 45GS featured a closed case back, the stainless steel case of SLGW005 features a see-through back. The case and dial have been carefully re-created to honor the watch of 1968, with flat, polished surfaces on the former and Seiko lettering to follow that of the original. The logo of the Daini Seikosha factory, the birthplace of the original 45GS, appears at the 6 o’clock position just as it did in 1968.