Grand Seiko 61GS 6146-8010
Precision, ornamented
The Arabesque took a while to win me over. The printed flourish around the raised GS emblem initially felt at odds with the almost ornament-free designs I loved. Handling the watch made that first judgement harder to sustain. The decoration sits within an exceptionally controlled arrangement of case, crystal and dial.
There is an unusual flat band running along the centre fold of the case. Above it, the crystal adds another set of planes to catch the light. Those elements give the familiar Seiko Style outline a more elaborate, but still very deliberate, character.
A tabletop of light
My February 1970 example has the tabletop crystal. Its broad central plane and cut edges keep the dial clear while introducing a separate rhythm of reflections around it. The watch can look composed from one angle and suddenly much more animated with the smallest movement of the wrist.
The watch
| Reference | 6146-8010 |
|---|---|
| My example | February 1970 |
| Manufacture | Suwa Seikosha |
| Movement | 6146A · automatic |
| Beat rate | 36,000 vibrations/hour · 5 Hz |
| Functions | Hours, minutes, central seconds, day and date |
| Case | Stainless steel |
| Dial | Light dial · Arabesque GS emblem |
| Crystal | Tabletop cut |
| Case width, without crown | 36.9 mm |
| Thickness, including crystal | 12.8 mm |
Dimensions measured on this example.
Pyramid crystal · champagne dial
The September 1969 pyramid example corrected another of my preconceptions. In photographs its pointed geometry had seemed rather arbitrary, perhaps even awkward to wear. In the hand the rise is slight, while its symmetrical facets reinforce the reflections from the angular case.
The ridges form a kind of ghost crosshair rotated through 45 degrees. They divide the spaces between groups of markers and establish a remarkably strong bond with the dial below. Add the radiant champagne sunburst and the result is much more coherent, and much harder to put down, than I had imagined.
| Reference | 6146-8010 |
|---|---|
| My example | September 1969 |
| Movement | 6146A · automatic, day and date |
| Beat rate | 36,000 vibrations/hour · 5 Hz |
| Case | Stainless steel |
| Dial | Champagne sunburst · Arabesque GS emblem |
| Crystal | Pyramid cut |
| Case width, without crown | 36.8 mm |
| Thickness, including crystal | 13.0 mm |
Dimensions measured on this example.
Two crystals, one reference
The pyramid is far subtler in profile than its name suggests. Its real effect lies in the crossed ridges and the way they break up reflected light. Beside the tabletop version, it shows how changing just the crystal can reorganise the visual centre of a watch while leaving its family resemblance entirely intact.
