Current times: natural watches

A watch is a jewel whose general structure must reflect the values ​​of its owners. Today, a number of houses sensitive to the environment and ecology offer pieces whose dials celebrate nature and its magic. This is particularly the case for the Grand Seiko and Rolex manufactures.

Grand Seiko 44GS: Winter poetry

Eager to capture the beauty of nature through the celebration of fine craftsmanship, the Japanese manufacturer Grand Seiko offers a brand new watch for the 55th anniversary of the 44GS line. This timepiece made of Ever-Brilliant Steel, a high-quality steel highly resistant to corrosion and abrasion – here polished using the so-called “Zaratsu” technique – is associated for the first time in the current collection with a bracelet made in the same metal. Balanced and almost discreet with its 40 mm diameter, this marvel of efficiency is water resistant to 100 meters to accompany its owner in all of life’s adventures.

Sober, it is adorned with a light blue dial whose texture has been created to evoke the snow that melts as spring approaches on Mount Iwate. As often with the creations of this House, the place that served as inspiration is not far from the workshops where the watchmakers work. In this case, the summit of this 2,038-meter mountain can be seen through the bay windows of the Shizukuishi studio, the workshop where all Grand Seiko mechanical models are born. This is where this watch powered by an automatic Hi-Beat caliber bearing the reference 9SA5 was made. Endowed with 80 hours of power reserve, it receives a regulating group vibrating at 36,000 vibrations per hour to be incredibly precise (-3 to +5 seconds per day). Emotional, it will undoubtedly bring to mind followers with a good Japanese culture, a Haiku of Kaga no Chiyo, the great Japanese poetess of the Edo period (1703-1775), known for having celebrated the beauty of nature through her short poems with inspiring verses.

Price: €9,300 https://www.grand-seiko.com/fr-fr

Rolex Oyster Perpetual Datejust 31 Rolesor gray: Springtime hours

This year, Rolex is presenting a new Oyster Perpetual Datejust 31. An archetype of the classic watch both in terms of its timeless aesthetics and its functionalities which revolutionized watchmaking in 1945, this version in Gray Rolesor (a combination of Oystersteel and white gold ) 31 mm in diameter takes the key to the fields by adorning itself with a blue Azzurro dial. Fresh and spring-like, this delicate disc features a pretty bouquet of 24 flowers which, produced in a sunburst, matte and grained finish, all have a diamond in the center of their corolla. To emphasize their presence, their lights are reinforced by the presence of the fluted bezel fashioned in white gold which we know today to be a signature element of the House at the crown. This delicately designed piece, a veritable distillation of springtime energy, is water-resistant to 100 meters in order to effectively protect the self-winding mechanical movement.

Referenced 2236, it has a 55-hour power reserve and is fitted with a Rolex-patented silicon Syloxi hairspring to guarantee chronometric performance well above the COSC: -2 to +2 seconds per day. At ease in any situation, the beauty, whose international guarantee is 5 years, is worn on an Oyster bracelet secured on the wrist by an Oysterclasp. And because every detail counts, this one is equipped with an Easylink comfort extension, in order to increase the length of the bracelet by approximately 5 mm and thus improve comfort when worn by its owner.

Price: €9,550, https://www.rolex.com/fr