We previously wrote about Seiko's innovative Spring Drive watches, and I'm personally a big fan of their Marinemaster Spring Drive diver. At the annual Baselworld conference, Seiko announced the long-awaited Spring Drive chronograph. Unfortunately, it's a 300-piece limited edition, with an exclusive price of €5,500 (about $7,500).
There's a lot to like about the Seiko Spring Drive Chronograph and its design, including:
- Glide motion movement, meaning all hands move completely smoothly, not in "ticks".
- Titanium case and bracelet.
- GMT (24-hour) hand.
- 12-hour chronograph (the only glide motion chronograph in the world).
- 72-hour power reserve indicator.
- Date.
- See-through sapphire caseback.
- Deployment clasp with push-button release.
- Water-resistant to 10 meters, or about 30 feet.
I've always liked the idea of the Spring Drive movement -- primarily for its superior accuracy, and its completely smooth motion -- and now that it has been enhanced with a glide-motion chronograph, I'm extremely intrigued. Hopefully, this technology will move out of the realm of the limited edition and into the mainstream very soon.
By Paul Hubbard
