Press Releases 2009

SEIKO Watch Corporation is proud to announce the launch, at Baselworld 2009, of a new Premium Collection, SEIKO Ananta.

SEIKO Ananta is an exclusive collection of luxury timepieces with Spring Drive and high-grade mechanical movements, targeted at those who truly understand and appreciate fine watchmaking. SEIKO Ananta is a watch designed to deliver a lifetime of delight and satisfaction, as it is supremely comfortable to wear, enjoyable to use and unrivaled in its quality of engineering. SEIKO Ananta is a watch for today and for all time.

The artistry of Katana

Katana is the ancient art of sword-making. First developed over 800 years ago, the Katana sword is a single sided, curved blade designed to be drawn from its scabbard and used in a single motion. Its legendary sharpness comes from a unique kind of steel and a particular forging process, developed over the centuries, which combines great handcraft skills with the highest technology. Today, Katana swords are still made and prized for their beauty and precision.

These themes of precision, artistry, parabolic curves and sharpness all find expression in the new Ananta collection. The side of the case has the distinctive Katana curve and a three-stage ‘blade’ polishing process gives the case its remarkable mirror finish, as smooth and flat as a Katana sword. The long, graceful curve of the case is made possible by a unique construction in which the case back and lugs are crafted from a single piece of steel.

Ananta. The search for the Infinite

 Ananta is a Sanskrit word that means ‘the infinite’. When the SEIKO product development team embarked on this project, they were given infinite scope to build a watch that embodied the SEIKO vision of “the most technologically advanced craftsmanship in the world”. They were allowed to use any movement, or build new ones. They had the freedom to explore any design direction and seek new inspiration wherever they chose. Ananta is the result. A collection that expresses SEIKO’s dedication to infinite perfection.

Mechanical watchmaking at its finest

Ever since the late 1960’s when SEIKO’s mechanical watchmaking skills were recognised with the highest ever scores at the Geneva and Neuchatel Observatory competitions, SEIKO has refined its luxury watchmaking skills and has created a steady stream of ever more advanced and perfect movements, including, in 1998, the celebrated 9S calibre used in the Grand Seiko series. Most of these movements were used, until today, in timepieces reserved exclusively for the Japanese market.

With Ananta, SEIKO’s high-grade mechanical watchmaking finally arrives on the global stage. The collection includes three mechanical calibres, two of which are new and all of which deliver superlative levels of precision, long term reliability and power reserve.

To see and feel each Ananta mechanical watch is to realise that it is an entirely authentic prestige watch in the mainstream of fine watchmaking. However, SEIKO’s approach to mechanical watchmaking is unique. Our movement designers have always sought to satisfy the customer who seeks a “watch for life”. Over-elaboration is eschewed in favour of a profound level of quality and engineering elegance which increases the precision, longevity and performance of the watch. Ananta also delivers functions that are easy to see and simple to use.

The 28,800 vph mechanical movements in Ananta embody this ‘watch for life’ concept.

The 8R28 Automatic Chronograph incorporates column wheel and vertical clutch system for ultimate timekeeping precision.

The 6R24 Double Retrograde calibre offers day and date retrograde dials in a new layout and, like its companion 6R21, has an extended power reserve of over 45 hours.

All three calibres use SEIKO’s unique SPRON 510 alloy for the mainsprings to deliver enhanced performance and all three use the Magic Lever system that SEIKO pioneered in 1959, which still leads the industry today. The Magic Lever dramatically increases the efficiency and speed of the winding of the mainspring.

SEIKO Spring Drive. The quiet revolution continues

With the inclusion of Spring Drive in the Ananta collection, SEIKO opens a new chapter in the story of this remarkable movement. With its unique glide motion and industry-leading accuracy of one second a day, Spring Drive continues to re-define luxury watchmaking. Leading the Ananta collection is the Spring Drive Chronograph, the only luxury chronograph to measure elapsed time precisely, and not to the nearest tick. Alongside the chronograph is a Spring Drive GMT in which the extended power reserve of 72 hours is expressed in a Katana-blade shaped sub-dial.

Ananta opens a new chapter in SEIKO’s history

SEIKO Ananta is a landmark collection whose arrival heralds an important new step forward for the whole SEIKO brand as the first luxury range in SEIKO’s Premium Collections.

It is the first Premium Collection designed for the luxury watch market.
It is the first Premium Collection to include Spring Drive,

With Ananta, SEIKO announces its long term aspiration to be a leading ‘manufacture’, and to offer the world ’s most advanced craftsmanship to those who truly appreciate fine watches.

New calibres

Calibre 6R21: Multi-hand Automatic

• Hour, minute and second hands
• Indicators for day and date
• Power reserve indicator
• Diametre: 27.4mm
• Depth: 6.0mm
• 29 jewels
• 28,800 vibrations per hour
• Power reserve of more than 45 hours

Calibre 6R24: Double Retrograde Automatic

• Hour, minute and second hands
• Retrograde indicators for day and date
• Power reserve indicator
• Diametre: 27.4mm
• Depth: 6.0mm
• 31 jewels
• 28,800 vibrations per hour
• Power reserve of more than 45 hours

Specifications:

Spring Drive Chronograph
Calibre 5R86
Case: Stainless steel with black hard coating
            See-through case back with sapphire crystal
Band: Stainless steel with three-fold clasp with push button release (SPS007J)
            Crocodile with stainless steel three-fold clasp with push button release (SPS009J)
Glass: Sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating
Water resistance: 10 bar
Recommended retail price in Australia is $10,000, and New Zealand $12,000 for both models.

Spring Drive GMT
Calibre 5R66
Case: Stainless steel with black hard coating
            See-through case back with sapphire crystal
Band: Stainless steel with three-fold clasp with push button release (SNR019J)
            Crocodile with stainless steel three-fold clasp with push button release (SNR021J)
Glass: Sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating
Water resistance: 10 bar
Recommended retail price in Australia is $7,000, and New Zealand $8,000 for both models.
 

Automatic Chronograph
Calibre 8R28
Case: Stainless steel with black hard coating
            See-through case back with sapphire crystal
Band: Stainless steel with three-fold clasp with push button release (SRQ003J)
            Crocodile with stainless steel three-fold clasp with push button release (SRQ005J)
Glass: Sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating
Water resistance: 10 bar
Recommended retail price in Australia is $5,000, and New Zealand $5,900 for both models.
 

Double Retrograde Automatic
Calibre 6R24
Case: Stainless steel
            See-through case back with sapphire crystal
Band: Stainless steel with three-fold clasp with push button release (SPB013J)
           Crocodile with stainless steel three-fold clasp with push button release (SPB015J)
Glass: Sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating
Water resistance: 10 bar
Recommended retail price in Australia is $3,700 and New Zealand $4,300.
 

Multi-hand Automatic
Calibre 6R21
Case: Stainless steel with black hard coating 
            See-through case back with sapphire crystal
Band: Stainless steel with three-fold clasp with push button release (SPB017J)
            Crocodile with stainless steel three-fold clasp with push button release (SPB019J)
Glass: Sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating
Water resistance: 10 bar
Recommended retail price in Australia is $3,400, and New Zealand $4,000 for both models.
 

Available after September 2009.