Godzilla probably isn’t an obvious choice to inspire the typically elegant watches of Grand Seiko. The world-famous movie monster might seem more at home in the rough-wearing Prospex line along with other Japanese pop culture tribute watches like the Mobile Suit Gundam series. As to be expected from the prestigious Japanese brand, however, Grand Seiko has managed to incorporate Godizilla references into a new Sport-series SBGA405 timepiece that is more refined than monstrous.
It’s been 20 years since Seiko introduced its innovative Spring Drive technology and 65 years since the black-and-white 1954 Godzilla, angered by the sound of its bells, destroyed the Seiko clock tower of the Ginza Wako department store. So, along with other special edition Spring Drive watches this year, Grand Seiko celebrates both anniversaries together in the new Godzilla watch. The famous Wako store is a symbol of the high-end Ginza district of Tokyo, and is founded and owned by Seiko. A motif of both clock tower and monster on the case back are the most overt references to the film.
With a red dial that references the “heat ray beam” the monster shoots from its mouth, the Godzilla SBGA405 watch has the same feature set as other recent watches in the Grand Seiko Sport Spring Drive collection — a sporty rotating bezel, 200m of water resistance, and a dramatically angular case of “high-intensity titanium” measuring 44.5mm wide and 14.3mm thick. The new Grand Seiko Sport Spring Drive Godzilla SBGA405 is limited to 650 pieces with a price of $12,500 and will be available from November 2019.
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