Watches And Wonders 2024: A Daylight Revival Of The Grand Seiko Kodo Constant-Force Tourbillon Shines Bright

In 2022, Grand Seiko introduced its groundbreaking Kodo Constant-force Tourbillon, marking the brand's first mechanical complication. This innovative watch combined a tourbillon with a constant-force mechanism on a single axis, a feat never before achieved in watchmaking history. This remarkable achievement was a significant milestone for Grand Seiko and was honored by the international watch community with the Chronometry Prize at the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève that year.
Continuing the Kodo story, Grand Seiko now unveils a limited-edition timepiece at the Watches and Wonders 2024 event inspired by daybreak.

Grand Seiko’s High Complication Piece Gets Brighter

The 2024 Grand Seiko Kodo Constant-force Tourbillon is an aesthetically reworked iteration of the original masterpiece. While the impressive mechanics featuring a constant-force tourbillon are retained, the overall timepiece feels brighter, thanks to a philosophical and physical portrayal of daybreak realized through an interplay of light and shadows. The silvery tone of the movement components together with the high-polished surfaces of the 950 platinum inner and hardened titanium outer cases make the watch shine bright.

Furthermore, the beautiful dawn accents are elevated with the choice of pale blue sapphires as movement jewels, a first in a Grand Seiko timepiece. The open-worked and skeletonized construction of the Grand Seiko manufactured Caliber 9ST1 not only reveals an upscaled realization of movement finishing techniques, but also adds to the lightness and openness of the design.

Caliber 9ST1: A High Horology Masterpiece

The watch is driven by the groundbreaking Caliber 9ST1, a marvel of high horology innovation that integrates a constant-force mechanism and a tourbillon on a single axis. Loss prevention of the torque transmitted from the constant-force mechanism to the balance wheel results in the mechanism to boast a constant-force duration of approximately 50 hours and a remarkably stable amplitude for the balance, contributing to the movement's exceptional accuracy. Each Caliber 9ST1 is subjected to a rigorous 48-hour testing over 34 days in six positions and at three temperatures.

The movement consists of approximately 340 components, of which more than 100 form the integrated constant-force carriage and the tourbillon carriage, a mechanical contraption occurring no more than 10 mm in diameter. A single red ruby is positioned on one of the arms of the constant-force carriage, serving as a visual indicator of the passing seconds.

A brighter Remake of Grand Seiko’s Ultimate Flex

While the 2022 release of the original Kodo Constant-force Tourbillon offered the debut remontoire mechanism for an enhanced timekeeping precision, the newly released timepiece presented at Watches and Wonders 2024 serves a choice of a better dazzling aesthetic. Paired with a white leather strap, this opus realized at Grand Seiko’s Atelier Ginza joins the Grand Seiko Masterpiece Collection as a limited edition of 20 pieces.