In Godzilla, the classic 1954 Toho movie, the titular fire-breathing colossus famously rose from the depths of the ocean and demolished the famed Seiko clock tower in the Ginza district of Tokyo. Apparently, the company didn’t take it personally—in fact, it has taken the oddball Japanese icon as a point of whimsical inspiration and produced a special commemorative Godzilla 65th anniversary limited-edition watch.
Like its namesake, the new timepiece is big, at 44.5 mm, and bold: The brushed angular titanium case, the eye-catching sunburst red dial (inspired by the monster’s breath weapon) and special dyed black-and-red shark leather strap all contribute to making this watch a formidable beast in its own right. The see-through back depicts the iconic denizen attacking the clock tower integrated with Grand Seiko’s own lion logo and was designed by Shinji Higuchi, co-director of the 2016 Godzilla opus, Shin Godzilla.
“I wanted to create a completely new Godzilla and gave my best to design this in the image of what can be called ‘Grand Godzilla,” says the director.
Also on the dial is the ubiquitous retrograde power reserve indicator between 6 and 7 o’clock so associated with Grand Seiko Spring Drive models. By all standards a fully mechanical movement, the Spring Drive caliber 9R15 at the heart of this tribute timepiece delivers accuracy along the lines of a quartz movement (plus or minus half a second per day) by replacing a traditional balance wheel to brake the main spring with a “glide wheel,” which is controlled by electromagnetic energy, a quartz oscillator and an integrated circuit powered without a battery. A big idea, indeed. Limited to 650 editions, $12,500, Burdeen’s Jewelry, Swiss FineTiming and Sydel & Sydel; grand-seiko.com