It’s exceedingly rare for a genuinely new way of timekeeping to make it to the market. Over the last 100 years there’s been a handful of genuine innovations in the space. Along with quartz timekeeping and atomic clocks, Grand Seiko’s Spring Drive occupies the very elite club of horological innovation.

The Grand Seiko SBGA499 celebrates 20 years of the brand’s Caliber 9R Spring Drive, but the technology dates back even further. The story of Spring Drive began in the 1970s when Seiko engineer Yoshikazu Akahane proposed a timekeeper that would combine the accuracy of a quartz watch with the perpetual power source of an automatic calibre. A patent for the technology that would become Spring Drive was filed in 1978, but it took many years for Akehane’s concept to become a commercial reality. It took nearly 20 years for the technology to catch up with the theory and create a viable commercial Spring Drive. A trio of limited edition Spring Drives were released in 1999, but these early versions were manually wound. It wasn’t until the Caliber 9R Spring Drive was released in 2004 that the Spring Drive finally hit the mainstream, made famous by that impossibly smooth gliding seconds hand.

How Spring Drive Works

So, how does the 1970s idea of quartz-meets-automatic watchmaking actually work? Fundamentally, Spring Drive functions very much like a regular automatic watch. A rotor winds as you’d expect, storing kinetic energy in a mainspring, which is released along a gear train. Things start to get a little more interesting once we get to what — in a Swiss lever-equipped watch — would be the escapement. Rather than a system of pallets and springs, the Spring Drive uses a glide wheel as a regulator, which, thanks to some small electromagnets, regulates the mainspring and, at the same time, generates a small amount of electrical energy to power the integrated circuit (IC) and quartz oscillator, which vibrates at 32,768 Hz. The IC uses this reference frequency and changes it to a regular pulse of 8Hz and, through electromagnetic brakes, regulates the rate of the glide wheel. It’s an ingenious synergy that delivers on the dream of perpetual accuracy, offering quartz-like accuracy without the limitations of a battery. And that smooth seconds hand? Well, you can thank the glide wheel. Because it lacks the ‘tic-tock’ of a traditional regulator, this smoothly turning wheel translates to that trademark smooth sweep.

Spring Drive over the last 20 years

Since the debut of the first Spring Drive Calibre 9R65, Grand Seiko has continued to innovate with this singularly efficient technology. One example of the brand’s painstaking approach was reaching their goal of 72 hours of power reserve (an impressive feat at the time) by individually polishing the gear teeth, resulting in less friction and more effective power usage. In 2007, they debuted the 9R86, an automatic chronograph with GMT functionality, which is remarkable because the operation of the chronograph does not reduce the power reserve of the watch.

The next major evolution in Spring Drive came in 2016, when the brand debuted the 9R01, a manually wound spring drive boasting a triple-barrel-powered 8 day power reserve, with a single bridge and a functional architecture inspired by Mount Fuji and the lights of the Suwa region. It also marked the first time that the power reserve symbol, an important part of the Spring Drive design DNA, was moved to the back of the watch.

In 2019, to mark the 20th anniversary of the commercial release of Spring Drive, Grand Seiko unveiled the 9R15, a specially adjusted version of the 9R65, offering accuracy of around +/- 1 second per month, compared to a +/- of 10 seconds per month. This was followed up by a new generation of Spring Drive Calibers, launched in 2020 and 2021. The 9RA5 and 9RA2 moved the power reserve to the rear of the watch, offering a slimmer profile and improved power reserve of 5 days, demonstrating Grand Seiko’s commitment to the continued evolution of their proprietary technology.

The Grand Seiko SBGA499

This brings us to the Grand Seiko SBGA499. a limited edition of 1300 pieces made to honour the 2004 debut of the Caliber 9R series of movements. This 40.2mm steel-cased watch from the Elegance collection is powered — appropriately enough, by the 9R65 that started it all — and that calibre is instantly recognisable not just from the smooth seconds hand but also for the tell-tale power reserve gauge between seven and eight. Of course, before you get to the dial design, you’re likely to be entranced by the colour — a deep, rich red evoking the Hotaka mountain range in autumn, especially in the brilliant glow of the morning sun. This warm seasonal feel is enhanced by the rose gold ‘GS’ logo and the copper tone of the power reserve.

Spring Drive is an impressive technology, made even more remarkable by the long and winding road to its commercial release and success. As Grand Seiko’s star continues to rise it’s gratifying to see more and more people understand how special Spring Drive is. The Grand Seiko SBGA499 is a vivid and fitting tribute to one of the most significant calibers in contemporary watchmaking.

Tech Specs: Grand Seiko SBGA499

Movement: Caliber 9R65, Spring Drive, Automatic, 72 hours of power reserve
Functions: Hours, minutes, seconds, date, power reserve indicator
Case: Steel, 40.2 x 12.8mm
Dial: Red
Strap: Steel bracelet with three-fold clasp
Availability: Limited Edition of 1300 pieces