Grand Seiko SLGH005 White Birch

There are certain watches that have the ability to capture the hearts of enthusiasts, but for a watch to catch the attention of people who couldn’t care about watches is a sign of a watch that has the potential to be iconic. Some watches are considered to be icons such as the Rolex Submariner, the Omega Speedmaster Professional, the Patek Philipe Nautilus, the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak, among many other watches that have reached iconic status.

Recently it seems that Grand Seiko has got my bank account in a chokehold and just wont let go, and thanks to friends who are enablers, which I love. I’ve gotten my hands on something special with a dial that looks too good to be real. The Grand Seiko SLGH005 also know as the White Birch and the Shirakaba, and my dear god it’s a piece of art.

Part of the Evolution 9 line which was first introduced in 2020. The case has this complex faceted case, with Zuratsu finishing on the side of case and the bezel. It’s the Evolution 9 case with a 40mm the same case size as my SBGA387, with an open case back too.

Unlike the Kira Zuri, the movement you can see from the open case back isn’t a Spring Drive movement, but it’s the Grand Seiko Hi-Beat 36000 automatic movement, the 9SA5. The movement is beautifully decorated and pays a homage to Grand Seiko’s root. The movement’s bridge is made to resemble Mount Iwate with a bend that resembles the bend of the Shizukuishi River outside the Grand Seiko Studio! The movement comes with a very good power reserve of approximately 80 hours, which makes it a perfect weekend watch, with an acurancy of +8/-1 seconds accuracy.

Grand Seiko doesn’t really do normal dials, the SLGH005 is no exception. The dial is made to resemble the bark of the White Birch tree, hence its name’s sake. With a silver white color, the engraving of the dial with vertical lines differing in thickness, length and depth, making it look like its torn off the tree dolled up and put into the watch. The color changes depending on the how the light hits it, either this Steel White, or in direct light this beautiful white. Atop this beautiful dial are applied indices that are finished in Zuratsu finishing, making it shine regardless of how low the light is. The minute and hour hands have the same Zuratsu polishing as the indices. With the hands they may look similar to the SBGA387 that I own, but when you look closely the hour hand is different. The hand itself looks like a dagger that has had its tip chipped in combat. With a line running down the middle of the hand made by using different polishing methods giving it that dagger look. The blue seconds hand contrasts the dial perfectly and watching it move smoothly is hypnotizing.

The bracelet is beautiful, but it has a little problem I’m facing with Grand Seiko, and that there is no micro adjustments in the clasp, which at times is annoying but not something that’s a deal breaker. The White Birch has a 22m lug width, but the bracelet itself doesn’t taper down, which for many is not something the appreciate, but again it’s not a deal breaker for me. It’s down to the person getting the watch at the end of the day.

Now to why I said in the beginning that this watch could reach iconic status. Safe to say that among my friends and people who are close to me, the majority of them are not watch enthusiasts like me. Oddly enough each one of them has looked the watch and asked me to take it off my wrist just so they can admire the beauty of the watch itself. Asking me about the watch, the price, the availability and just wanting to know more about. I even had one of them ask me to stop at the Grand Seiko Boutique at the Avenues Mall in Kuwait just so he could see the watch again and look at the other models that the boutique had available.

I love and I mean love this watch and that scares me because it feels now that I’ve become a Grand Seiko groupie. I’ve purchased FOUR Grand Seikos in a matter of one year, and that scares me because I am now looking at other brands and thinking to myself, yeah will I can get this Grand Seiko instead. To be blunt I was considering get a Panerai instead of this watch but when the opportunity came up, and the recent infatuation I have for the brand has just made me lose my mind and just want to start a Grand Seiko collection. I guess I might just let that chokehold they have on me and learn to breath another way.