The critically-acclaimed "Sekki" collection expands with an icy new season

In 2019, Grand Seiko unveiled the Japan Sekki (or "Seasons") collection with four critically-acclaimed references originally exclusive to the USA, with each representing one of Japan’s twenty-four sekki, or seasonal phases. It would begin a semi-annual tradition of new references exhibiting Grand Seiko's dial mastery, combined with inspiration from the seasons at hand. 

New for 2022, Grand Seiko descends into the frost with a pair of US-exclusive "Sōkō" references whose delicately textured dials hearken the moment when the frost first blankets the visible landscape around Grand Seiko's Shinshu and Shizukuishi production studios. 

Like the two "late summer" season models that came before, the dial of SBGA471 is vertically textured, but instead of gray it is icy-blue, inspired by the frozen stalks of the bamboo trees that fill the Arashiyama forest. This beautiful dial is enclosed in the iconic 44GS case, whose design 55 years ago established the Grand Seiko Style. Rendered in stainless steel and measuring 40mm in diameter, the case features perfectly flat and mirror polished surfaces shaped by Grand Seiko’s acclaimed Zaratsu finishing technique. Today, the 44GS remains an iconic Grand Seiko design, and its modern interpretation is an important part of Grand Seiko’s contemporary catalog.