Grand Seiko Special watch 6156-8001 Hi-Beat Vintage 1972

The Grand Seiko line made its debut in 1960, and continued until the 1970s (the mechanical Grand Seiko was revived in 1998 and continues production to this day). The most iconic of all the Grand Seiko case designs began as the manual wind 44GS in 1966, and culminated in the automatic 61GS in 1968. The 61GS line was the result of refinements over the years including technology from the Astronomical Observatory Concours of the late 1960s.

The 1970 catalog introduced the "Arabesques" series, featuring faceted sapphire crystals and hardened steel cases. However, this series was short-lived, replaced soon after by the "Special" series. Debuting in Seiko's 1971 Number 1 catalog, the 61GS Specials included three distinct models: the 6155-8000 with a date display, the 6156-8000 with a day/date complication, and the luxurious 6156-8001, boasting both a day/date complication establishing itself as the most upscale option among the trio. All three models, utilizing the 615x calibers, adhered to the "Grand Seiko Special Standard," ensuring a daily accuracy of +/- 3 seconds, thus bridging the gap between regular Grand Seiko and VFA standards. Notably, the 6156 day-date caliber facilitated quick-setting for both the day and date, featuring a bilingual day wheel, a feature absent in the 6146 caliber. These Specials remained prominent in the Grand Seiko lineup throughout the vintage GS era, solidifying their historical significance in the brand's evolution.

The watch was designed by Taro Tanaka, the first graduate of a college design programme hired by Seiko. He wanted to design a watch that would “sparkle brilliantly” while on display, one that would compete with the Swiss watches of the time. He came up with a set of rules that would come to be known as the “Grammar of Design.” This meant perfectly flat surfaces and angles for cases, dials, hands and indices. All distortion would be eliminated and the case finish would have a mix of high polish and brushed surfaces, couples with razor-sharp edges. The 6156-8001 is a perfect example of this design philosophy. Brilliant flat surfaces of mirror finish, with sharp lines delineating the different planes.

THE WATCH

The dial is beautiful finished , and simple faceted steel baton markers. This one has a nice clean day/date window at 3 o’clock. The day/date is quickset via the “GS” signed crown. 

The movement is one of Seiko’s finest, a 25-jewel automatic hi-beat that operates at 36,000bph, made at their Suwa factory. It can also be wound manually, and has a hacking feature. It is finished to a high level. The 61GS movement achieved the Seiko internal GS standard approval, which was adjusted to be within -3/+6 seconds per day when it left the factory. It is based on the 61 SeikoMatic 5 movement, and was engineered with technology developed from data from the Astronomical Observatory Concours competitions that Seiko did extremely well in during the late 1960s. 

OUR THOUGHTS

The 61 series Grand Seiko is by far my favourite of the Vintage GS series, the GS special is just a little extra, with beautifully sculped cases, adhering strongly to Taro Tanaka's grammar of design, a beat of 36000 BPH giving a smooth sweep seconds, automatic, with a manual wind function, and fantastic accuracy its everything you could want or need in a vintage watch, Its also the reason they don't hang around for to long.