Rather than ticking or beating time typical of a quartz or mechanical watch, Grand Seiko models boast a second hand that silently sweeps around the dial -- the flowing motion made possible by the Spring Drive movement.
The Japanese technology has been imagined as an art installation, which will be on display at The Flow Of Time exhibition at Central Embassy's Level G, from this coming Monday until Sunday. The immersive installation premiered at Milan Design Week 2018 in April last year, and was also presented at Designart Tokyo and Design Miami before being showcased in Bangkok.
The Seiko Watch Corp commissioned Takt Project studio, led by Satoshi Yoshiizumi, to create the installation, titled Approach To Time, which comprises acrylic objects in different shapes containing Spring Drive parts, as well as one object with the completed movement sealed inside.
The twinkling light in these transparent objects evokes electricity generated by the watch parts. This represents how the ingenious movement is developed by combining the high precision integrated circuit control system of an electronic watch with the high torque of a mechanical watch.
Grand Seiko is one of the very few manufacturers with expertise in both electronic and mechanical watchmaking, and therefore capable of making such a hybrid movement.
However, the Japanese brand wanted to convey the emotion of the technology through this installation, which is complemented by a large visual screen showing moving imagery depicting the beauty of nature as well as the flow and transience of time, composed by computer graphic designer Shingo Abe.
His visual work, Kizamu/Nagareru also intends to portray the contrast between the "ticking" and the "flowing" of time. Multiple exposure method enabled filming of many moments whereas long exposures captured the flow of time in the engaging images.
Over 200 parts make up the Spring Drive movement. A Grand Seiko craftsman will be demonstrating the meticulous assembly process as another highlight of the upcoming exhibition.
