Sakura, spring and snow. Nature at its most inspirational.

The 1967 44GS was the watch that first embodied the design code known as the “Grand Seiko Style”, the set of nine principles which gave Grand Seiko its distinctive look and which still inspires every new creation. Now, 55 years on from its first appearance, the 44GS design is commemorated with a limited edition manual-winding watch whose slender case profile pays full respect to the “Grand Seiko Style” and whose dial is inspired by the beauty of spring in northern Japan, where all Grand Seiko mechanical watches are made.

Blessed with four distinctive seasons, Japan’s natural world offers a rich variety of sights that are both ephemeral and lastingly memorable. One such is Sakura-kakushi, the brief moment in spring when, in northern Japan, snow and cherry blossom co-exist. The dial of this new creation is a delicate pink with a slight silver hue that, together, perfectly capture the moment when the cherry blossom peeks through the snow as it shimmers and begins to melt in the spring sunshine.

The unique quality of this watch is that it combines a slim 36.5mm profile with all the characteristics that made the 44GS such a memorable and lasting design. To make this possible, every aspect of the watch’s construction was considered afresh. The case was designed to take full advantage of the slimness of Grand Seiko’s manual-winding Caliber 9S64, while retaining the flat surfaces and sharp angles of the original 44GS. The bezel, indexes and hands are slender to match the case design, creating a fresh yet classical Grand Seiko look.

The movement is assembled by hand by the craftsmen and women in the Grand Seiko Studio Shizukuishi, and the case is Zaratsu polished, also by hand, to give the distortion-free surfaces that have always been a defining characteristic of the “Grand Seiko Style.”

This new addition to the Heritage Collection will be available in June as a limited edition of 1,200 at the Grand Seiko Boutiques and selected retailers worldwide.