In 2019, Grand Seiko unveiled the Japan Seasons collection. That initial launch featured four watches — SBGA413 (Shunbun), SBGH271 (Rikka), SBGH273 (Shubun) and SBGA415 (Taisetsu) — each of them representing one of Japan’s twenty-four sekki (micro-seasons) that mark the progression of the four seasons. In 2020, Grand Seiko expanded the collection with two special edition timepieces (SBGA427 and SBGA429) exclusive to the United States and named after one of the twenty-four sekki known in Japan as Sōkō.
For 2021, Grand Seiko presents four new timepieces continuing the brand’s exploration of the twenty-four sekki: SBGJ249 (Shōsho), SBGJ251 (Shunbun), SBGE269 (Tōji), and SBGE271 (Kanro).
In Kanro, autumn is at its height, and reference SBGE271 forecasts a cloudy, moonlight sky on its dial. For fans and owners of SBGA413 and SBGA415, the two original Spring Drive models from the Seasons Collection, the dial here should be greatly familiar, featuring a similar pattern rendered in black.
Caliber 9R66 is a Spring Drive GMT. Produced at the Shinshu Watch Studio in Nagano, Spring Drive is a proprietary movement that combines a mainspring with an electro-magnetic regulator that functions without an external power source. It delivers a precision of one second a day, offers 72 hours of power reserve and has a second hand that advances in a smooth, gliding motion, a feature unique to Spring Drive.
