In the last several years, Grand Seiko’s Evolution 9 Collection has served as both a flagship and a locus of innovations in the brand’s 9S mechanical and 9R Spring Drive watchmaking. At its core, the Evolution 9 Collection, which accounts for some of Grand Seiko’s most popular models, emphasizes a rigorous attention to legibility, aesthetics, and wearing comfort, and has notably advanced the brand’s performance in these three key areas. Building on the fundamentals that underlie the Grand Seiko Style as established in 1967 with the 44GS, the E9 Style enhances and evolves Grand Seiko design for the years to come.

Today, Grand Seiko announces a thorough renewal of this flagship collection while maintaining many of the core aesthetic attributes that made it popular to begin with. As such, several of the new models will be familiar to Grand Seiko fans, with the key enhancements dwelling in the details.  The announcement includes some new dial designs, enhanced materials, and the more widespread adoption of the Spring Drive U.F.A. movement and three-step micro-adjustment clasp first glimpsed last year. Read on to learn more about the next chapter in Grand Seiko’s never-ending pursuit of the ideal wristwatch!

Modern movements

Of the nine new references, five are Spring Drive models featuring the U.F.A. Caliber 9RB2 introduced in 2025. With a maximum annual deviation of ±20 seconds, Caliber 9RB2 is the most accurate mainspring-powered wristwatch movement on the market, according to Grand Seiko’s research.

Four mechanical models are also announced, each powered by the self-winding mechanical Caliber 9SA5. Notable for its highly efficient Dual-Impulse Escapement and twin-barrel design, Caliber 9SA5 maintains a highly stable 36,000 vibrations per hour while delivering 80 hours of power reserve.

Advanced materials

All but two of the new references rely on Grand Seiko’s highly anti-corrosive Ever-Brilliant Steel, which boasts a PREN (Pitting Resistance Equivalent Number) value over 40. This applies not only to the cases and bracelets, but also to micro-adjustment clasps. With its bright appearance and remarkable resilience, Ever Brilliant Steel stands at the cutting edge of modern high-end watchmaking, with anticorrosive characteristics surpassing those seen in many of the most exclusive stainless steel watches on the market. The two new models that are not made of Ever-Brilliant Steel instead use High-Intensity Titanium, which, in addition to its light weight – it is approximately 30 percent lighter than steel – is also highly resistant to scratches.

Eight of the new references adopt the 40mm case size that has been the hallmark of many self-winding E9 models to date, both Spring Drive and mechanical. These models use an updated bracelet with an enhanced taper that provides a rich and sophisticated design.

9R Spring Drive

The five new Spring Drive models represent a renewal of core designs that have endowed the Evolution 9 Collection with its distinctive character. Three of these find inspiration in the gently lapping waters of Lake Suwa. To the southeast of the Shinshu Watch Studio, which is located in a Seiko Epson facility in the city of Shiojiri, this tranquil lake is a fixture of the local geography that many Grand Seiko craftsmen and women encounter in their daily lives.

In two new blue models, the lake’s shimmering surface recalls morning sunlight reflected on the lake’s surface, thanks to the application of a lighter tone. A third model is introduced in black, a first for a Lake Suwa dial. The dial of this model also features a shimmering surface, but rather than morning light, it channels moonlight on the lake’s surface at midnight.

Both of the blue models are made of Ever-Brilliant Steel, with one in a standard 40mm size (SLGB013) and the other in a more compact 37mm size (SLGB015). The black-dialed Lake Suwa model (SLGB007) comes with its case, bracelet, and micro-adjustment clasp in High-Intensity Titanium.

A short distance from the Shinshu Studio, a forest of birch trees inspires the dial of a Spring Drive model that has enjoyed widespread popularity. This watch is being renewed under the reference SLGB009, with a case, tapered bracelet, and micro-adjustment clasp benefiting from the resilience and long-lasting beauty of Ever-Brilliant Steel.

And finally for Spring Drive, the Atera Valley, a renowned scenic destination in Nagano Prefecture, inspires the new SLGB011. One of the more memorable dials in the Grand Seiko catalog, it is characterized by its blue-green color and an elegant gradation that evokes the beauty of the valley and the pellucid river running through it.

9S mechanical

Thanks in part to the prominence that came from a victory in the Men’s Watch category of the GPHG, a mechanical model inspired by a birch forest near the Grand Seiko Studio Shizukuishi has become one of Grand Seiko’s best-known models. The watch’s vivid, metallic dial evokes this forest of the sun-loving tree species as it reaches toward the sky. The reference SLGH031 takes up the mantle of the mechanical “White Birch” with a case, bracelet, and clasp now made of Ever-Brilliant Steel.

Two additional birch-inspired models are also being renewed. The SLGH033 uses the same dial pattern but with a green color that transports the wearer to the forest in summer through its vividly verdant hue. Its case, bracelet, and clasp are also in Ever-Brilliant Steel. A black-dialed variation of the same pattern (SLGH029) finds inspiration in the forest at night, but with the case, bracelet, and micro-adjustment clasp all crafted in High-Intensity Titanium. This model offers a unique wearing experience thanks to an unexpected lightness on the wrist.

Rounding out the mechanical models, the SLGH035 channels the cool, clear springs of the Genbi Valley, which stretches over two kilometers along the Iwai River in Iwate Prefecture, not far from the Grand Seiko Studio Shizukuishi.  The valley’s natural beauty and clear spring waters come to life on the light-blue dial, which is textured to recall the rugged rock formations through which the Iwai River flows.

The renewed core models of the Evolution 9 Collection will be available at Grand Seiko boutiques and select retail partners worldwide, beginning with the 9R Spring Drive models in September and followed by the 9S mechanical creations in October.