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‘Lake Suwa Before Dawn’ is a 40mm automatic watch with stainless steel case and no power reserve indicator on the dial!

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Grand Seiko’s latest watch is inspired by Lake Suwa, close to the company’s design studio in Shinshu, Japan.

The most prominent feature of the timepiece is its dark blue dial, which has a wave-like pattern reminiscent of the lake just before sunrise, hence the name.

Made from stainless steel, the case houses a calibre 9RA2 Spring Drive automatic mechanical movement with a large 120 hours of power reserve – a stat noted by the ‘5 days’ inscription at the six o’clock position. The movement is visible through the curved sapphire crystal case back and features 38 jewels.

Grand Seiko says how the design represents the ‘Nature of Time’, which is described as “a uniquely Japanese spirituality where time is viewed as nature itself with each fleeting moment, minute and second a unique expression, unveiled through light and shadow…the dual pattern reflects the gentle ripples of the peaceful Suwa lake and this serenity belies its forward-looking accuracy inside,”

A fairly compact watch by modern standards, the Grand Seiko Spring Dawn has a case diameter of 40mm and a case thickness of 11.75mm. The stainless steel strap has a three-fold clasp with push-button release, and the front crystal is treated to an anti-reflective coating on its inner surface.

The dial features a date complication at the three o’clock position and a sweeping second hand. Grand Seiko says the watch’s accuracy is -10/+10 seconds per month, while water resistance is 10 bar (about 100 metres).

The Grand Seiko Spring Drive Lake Suwa Before Dawn is priced at £8,700 and will be available in February.

Alistair is a freelance automotive and technology journalist. He has bylines on esteemed sites such as the BBC, Forbes, TechRadar, and of best of all, T3, where he covers topics ranging from classic cars and men's lifestyle, to smart home technology, phones, electric cars, autonomy, Swiss watches, and much more besides. He is an experienced journalist, writing news, features, interviews and product reviews. If that didn't make him busy enough, he is also the co-host of the AutoChat podcast.

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