Grand Seiko 56GS 5645-7011
Discreet power
The 7011 has a remarkable ability to catch my eye from across a room. Its bright white dial has a sunburst finish, giving the long black accents a particularly clear ground. The composition is familiar, but its sharpness loses nothing through familiarity.
There are small qualifications to that apparent simplicity: polished sides on the hour hand, brushed surfaces alongside the polished case. They give the watch depth without interrupting its first, lucid impression.
The watch
| Reference | 5645-7011 |
|---|---|
| My example | September 1973 |
| Family | Grand Seiko · 56GS |
| Manufacture | Suwa Seikosha |
| Movement | 5645 · automatic, date |
| Beat rate | 28,800 vibrations/hour · 4 Hz |
| Case | Stainless steel |
| Case width, without crown | 36.0 mm |
| Thickness, including crystal | 10.5 mm |
Dimensions measured on this example.
Beside the 61GS
Put my September 1973 example beside the early 6145-8000 and the difference extends well beyond appearance. The 61 feels substantial, including in the action of winding it. The 56 feels light by comparison.
The earlier watch wears its Seiko Style geometry emphatically. Next to the slender 7011, that once uncompromising shape can suddenly seem almost classical. The later watch carries the same design language with a more relaxed ease.
