Grand Seiko opens its first boutique in Singapore, in glitzy Marina Bay Sands

In order to explain the global success of Grand Seiko, we have to expound on Seiko’s many technical developments. Among these, we would be remiss not to elaborate on the Spring Drive.

Spring Drive is powered by a mainspring, like all mechanical watches. Still, it combines the high torque from the mainspring with electronic watchmaking technology that utilizes a speed-controlling mechanism incorporating an IC and a quartz oscillator. This was arguably the most important innovation in quartz technology since 1969, which was when Seiko became the first brand to manufacture quartz watches.

As you might be aware, a quartz oscillator vibrates very precisely at a frequency of 32,768 times per second. A quartz watch’s circuit counts the vibrations and generates one electric pulse every second, resulting in the ‘jumping’ action of the seconds hand. The game-changing Spring Drive, however, enables the seconds hand of a Grand Seiko Spring Drive watch to ‘sweep’ just like that of a traditional mechanical watch, instead of jump, thanks to an electromagnetic brake that regulates the speed of a glide wheel connected to the end of the gear train.

Boasting one-second-a-day accuracy, it is durable, fast-winding, packs a long power reserve, and is the only watch movement in the world that is powered by a mainspring and has a regulator without an escapement. Seiko also develops its own customized semiconductors in-house, as the brand’s quartz watches require specialized semiconductors.

Other highlights of Seiko Watch Corporation’s technical innovations include the Spring Drive Chronograph, which features a vertical clutch that prevents the chronograph seconds hand from jumping when it starts, and an eight-pillar column wheel that ensures stability and precision.