In 2010, I joined Seiko Instruments Inc. from watchmaking school and was assigned to the R & D Center. I have developed elements of Caliber 9SA5 and some of the complex mechanisms within. Since 2018, I have been in the Watch Design Department, where I have worked on the detailed design of the 9SA5, the development and design of the concept movement T0, and the caliber 9ST1, Kodo. For Caliber 9ST1, I am also in charge of assembly.
Because the T0, equipped with a complex mechanism, was the first caliber I designed, I had to learn everything from 3D computer design to how to design a movement. Although it was a long journey to create caliber 9ST1, once I heard the market’s reaction after the press release of Kodo, I was really glad that I had been working so hard on it.
As expected, it is SLGT003, the Kodo Constant-Force Tourbillon. For ten years, I put everything I had into its development, and I feel as if it were my alter ego. Besides Kodo, I have been involved in the development of the caliber 95A5 since I joined the company, so I also have a deep affection for the model equipped with that movement. As a member of the design team, I am delighted that SLGH005, the White Birch Dial, has received such high praise.
That is, of course, SLGT003, the Kodo Constant Force Tourbillon. I can never buy it, though.
The sad thing about developing such a complex mechanism is that you develop it with a passion of “I wish I had a watch like this!” and end up with a product that you can never buy yourself. As a more realistic model, I want Grand Seiko equipped with 9SA5, in which I was involved in the design.
