During Rikka, the sekki or seasonal phase marking the beginning of summer, the Oruri songbird migrates from Southeast Asia to the mountainous regions of Japan, such as the Iwate prefecture. Here, they spend their summer months to the delight of locals who can listen to the Blue-and-White Flycatcher’s enchanting twittering. With their beautiful blue feathers, these charming songbirds serve as the inspiration for a new U.S. special edition timepiece, the SBGW279.

The classic case design, influenced by the first Grand Seiko of 1960, offers a charming manual-wind dress watch with thoughtful proportions, an impressive movement, a simplistic dial with no date, and distortion-free finishing. Housed inside the comfortable-sized 37.3mm stainless steel case is the 9S64 mechanical manual-wind movement.

This expertly constructed and beautifully finished time-only movement can be appreciated via the watches’ exhibition caseback. With a power reserve of 72 hours and an accuracy of -3 to 5 seconds per day (static), the 9S64 showcases Grand Seiko’s expertise in creating highly efficient and accurate movements.