Grand Seiko, Vacheron Constantin and Ulysse Nardin go technical

Grand SeikoGrand Seiko’s new SBGZ011 “Hisen” is the newest reference in the brand’s Masterpiece Collection.Drawing inspiration from the Tateshina waterfall in Shinshu, where the craftsman of Grand Seiko’s Micro Artist Studio builds its finest Spring Drive watches, the watch features a hand-engraved dial with multi-directional lines that evoke spring water in motion. Its 14-karat white-gold hands and diamond-cut markers, carved lettering and gently curved hands give the watch both texture and clarity. The same flowing motif continues onto the Platinum 950 44GS case, which is also hand-engraved, then finished with Zaratsu polishing and brushing. What really makes the watch wearable is the slim case, which measures just 40 mm wide and 9.6 mm thick. Powering the watch is the manual-winding Spring Drive Caliber 9R02, Grand Seiko’s thinnest Spring Drive movement at 4 mm, offering an 84-hour power reserve via a dual-spring barrel and torque return system. The SBGZ011 Hisen is a limited edition of 50 and a boutique-exclusive that goes on sale from July 2026. It comes with both a black crocodile strap and a Kyoto leather strap, the latter combining kimono-rooted crafts such as Nishijin weaving and gold-leaf techniques with leatherwork from Himeji to create something distinctly Japanese. Vacheron ConstantinVacheron Constantin’s latest Overseas Self-Winding Ultra-Thin, at 7.35 mm thick, is the slimmest watch in the collection, thanks to the new Calibre 2550. The maison took seven years to develop it, and the movement is a mere 2.4 mm thin. Through a platinum micro-rotor, suspended double barrel and compact single-level gear train, it boasts 80 hours of power reserve. The new calibre made its debut at Watches and Wonders in the sporty Overseas Self-Winding Ultra-Thin, a 39.5-mm limited edition of 255 pieces in 950 platinum with a salmon lacquered dial. It also continues the maison’s tradition of developing slim movements that began in 1955 on the occasion of its bicentenary with the manual-winding Calibre 1003 (1.64 mm), and self-winding Calibre 1120 (2.45 mm) in 1968.Ulysse NardinThe new Ulysse Nardin (Super) Freak is the most complicated time-only watch the brand has ever made. It marks 25 years of the Freak and introduces a new in-house Caliber UN-252, developed over four years and comprising 511 components. The watch is the world’s first automatic double tourbillon that is also a carousel. It has two 10-degree inclined flying tourbillons, each rotating once every 60 seconds, while the flying carousel turns once per hour. It is also the first Freak to add a seconds display.The movement uses the world’s smallest vertical differential and a newly patented gimbal system to transmit energy to the seconds display. The differential measures 5 mm and the gimbal, 4.8 mm, both made to micron-level tolerances. Ulysse Nardin says its patented Grinder winding system is its most efficient automatic one, and helps the watch deliver a three-day power reserve despite the energy demands of two tourbillons. The watch also continues the Freak line’s use of advanced materials, with 10 silicon components, two Diamonsil escapements, and a transparent blue Nanosital hour disc, which exposes more of the mechanics underneath. The 44-mm white-gold case is paired with a grey rubber ballistic strap, while more than 70 per cent of the movement is hand-finished, with each watch assembled by a single Grandes Complications watchmaker.