The Grand Seiko Spring Drive Movement: Hybrid Technology
The Grand Seiko Spring Drive movement is not something often seen in watchmaking. It takes a traditional mechanical movement and blends it with the best of quartz. The movement has an accuracy of +/- 15 seconds a month, or 1 second per day. COSC certified watches must meet the minimum of +6/-4 seconds per day and non-COSC certified watches typically fall around +/- 10 seconds per day. The Spring Drive movement can be found across different model families including the Elegance, Masterpiece, Sport, and Heritage collections.
A Brief History of the Development of the Spring Drive Movement
This groundbreaking movement is unique to Grand Seiko and family brands, Credor and Seiko.
The process started in 1977 when young watch engineer, Yoshikazu Akahane wanted to create an ‘everlasting watch’. The movement didn’t come about overnight, instead, it took 28 years and 600 prototypes to develop the precision in a mechanical watch.
In 1999, the Spring Drive was born, showcasing devotion and watchmaking mastery. The hands run smoothly like a quartz watch and are silent like a mechanical.
What is the Grand Seiko Spring Drive? A Focus on Accuracy
How does the Spring Drive work? What makes it different from a normal mechanical watch? To simplify the answer to the questions, the Spring Drive is an automatic movement but with the escapement replaced by a Tri-synchro regulator.
Three-hand versions of the Spring Drive consist of 200 parts, while the Spring Drive chronograph has over 300, all hand-assembled. The watchmakers also hand adjust the components to fall within one-hundredth of a millimeter deviation from design.
Just like in mechanical watches, the Spring Drive is powered by the mainspring. This is wound by turning the crown or by the rotation of the rotor. To control the speed at which the mainspring unwinds, Grand Seiko uses the Tri-synchro regulator.
The Tri-synchro Regulator
Acting as a control to manage the speed the mainspring unwinds, the Tri-synchro regulator is comprised of an Integrated Circuit (IC), electronic brake, and quartz crystal. It uses three types of energy to regulate speed:
- Mechanical power from the mainspring
- Electrical power from an IC/quartz oscillator
- Electromagnetic power to apply a brake through a rotor
The Tri-synchro regulator also allows for a longer-lasting power reserve of 72-hours, even if the chronograph is running. It works at the end of the gear train with a glide wheel and uses electromagnets to slow the energy without friction. In contrast, a normal escapement starts and stops. The integrated circuit has the ability to sense if the glide wheel is moving too fast and will slow it down as needed.
Reliability of the Grand Seiko Spring Drive
Thanks to the Tri-synchro regulator replacing the escapement and giving the movement a quartz aspect, the movement vibrates at a frequency of 32,786 Hz, giving the accuracy and sweeping seconds hand. Because the movement is accurate to +/- 1 second per day, it is more accurate and precise than the best Chronometers and COSC certified watches.
As with most watches, temperature and environment can affect the movement and Grand Seiko recommends service every 3-5 years to maintain proper lubrication. While The 1916 Company does not recommend it, there have been some owners who have not serviced their watches and still maintain the high accuracy rating.
Cost of a Grand Seiko Spring Drive
Grand Seiko is synonymous with exquisite dials, precise movements, finely polished cases and extraordinary hands. With the time, skill and technology that goes into creating the Spring Drive, it has a more affordable price point with retail averaging from $4,000-$6,000. The Spring Drive powers watches in the Sport and Heritage collection and the Caliber 9R has six current variations with different complications.
Heritage Spring Drive GMT Collection
There are a few options when it comes to the Heritage Spring Drive GMT and they are powered by the caliber 9R66. The model has a contrasting GMT hand in either blue or red depending on the dial color. The second timezone is read around the outer edge of the dial as a 24-hour scale. There is also a power reserve indicator to help keep an eye on the 72-hour reserve. On the pre-owned market, these 41mm Spring Drive watches are currently priced from $4,950-$6,950.Spring Drive Snowflake SBGA211
A fan-favorite model that is powered by the Spring Drive movement is the Grand Seiko Snowflake reference SBGA211. This titanium watch is 30% lighter than steel and has a contrasting blue steel sweeping seconds hand. This 41mm watch is powered by the 9R65 Spring Drive movement which features a power reserve indicator and date. The most unique part about this watch is the dial, which was designed to mimic the snow peaks outside the studio in Japan. The dial is also how it got it’s Snowflake nickname. The SBGA211 replaced the original SBGA011 in 2017, when Grand Seiko separated from Seiko. Both the original and current version are nearly identical outside of their dial branding. On the pre-owned market, these range from $5,500 – $6,500.
Spring Drive Titanium Diver SBGA031 & Steel SBGA229
Moving into the sporty realm of the Spring Drive movement, the caliber 9R65 also powers the titanium diver reference SBGA031 and the steel SGBA229. This lightweight dive watch is made of high-intensity titanium, which is scratch and corrosion-resistant. The model also features a water resistance of 200m and the hands and indices use LumiBrite for increased visibility. Grand Seiko gives this sporty model the same Zaratsu polishing seen on dressier pieces. The 44.2mm case has a large bezel designed for easy gripping. Watch our hands on review of this model. On the pre-owned market this model ranges from $5,500 – $6,500.
The Grand Seiko Spring Drive powers a wide range of watches across the different calibers. There is a version for every collector including a manual wind 8-day version, chronograph GMT, date. There are dress watches, every day watches and sports models. Ready to find your Spring Drive watch? Shop the collection of Grand Seiko Spring Drive models at The 1916 Company.