Ananta. The craftsmanship of Katana. The cutting edge of
SEIKO.
SEIKO Watch Corporation is proud to announce the launch, at
Baselworld 2009, of a new Premium Collection, SEIKO Ananta.
SEIKO Ananta is an exclusive collection of luxury timepieces
with Spring Drive and high-grade mechanical movements, targeted at
those who truly understand and appreciate fine watchmaking. SEIKO
Ananta is a watch designed to deliver a lifetime of delight and
satisfaction, as it is supremely comfortable to wear, enjoyable to
use and unrivaled in its quality of engineering. SEIKO Ananta is a
watch for today and for all time.
The Ananta Spring Drive Chronograph
The only luxury chronograph to measure
elapsed time in glide motion
The artistry of Katana
The curve of the Katana blade inspires the Ananta profile
Katana is the ancient art of sword-making. First developed over
800 years ago, the Katana sword is a single sided, curved blade
designed to be drawn from its scabbard and used in a single motion.
Its legendary sharpness comes from a unique kind of steel and a
particular forging process, developed over the centuries, which
combines great handcraft skills with the highest technology. Today,
Katana swords are still made and prized for their beauty and
precision.
The cut of the hands and hour markers is as sharp as a Katana
blade
These themes of precision, artistry, parabolic curves and
sharpness all find expression in the new Ananta collection. The
side of the case has the distinctive Katana curve and a three-stage
'blade' polishing process gives the case its remarkable mirror
finish, as smooth and flat as a Katana sword. The long, graceful
curve of the case is made possible by a unique construction in
which the case back and lugs are crafted from a single piece of
steel.
Ananta. The search for the Infinite
Ananta is a Sanskrit word that means 'the infinite'. When the
SEIKO product development team embarked on this project, they were
given infinite scope to build a watch that embodied the SEIKO
vision of "the most technologically advanced craftsmanship in the
world". They were allowed to use any movement, or build new ones.
They had the freedom to explore any design direction and seek new
inspiration wherever they chose. Ananta is the result. A collection
that expresses SEIKO's 'Dedication to Perfection'.
Ananta. Expressing
SEIKO's dedication to perfection
Mechanical watchmaking at its finest
8R28. The latest mechanical masterpiece from SEIKO, the pioneer of
automatic chronographs with vertical clutch & column wheel
systems.
Ever since the late 1960's when SEIKO's mechanical watchmaking
skills were recognised with the highest ever scores at the Geneva
and Neuchatel Observatory competitions, SEIKO has refined its
luxury watchmaking skills and has created a steady stream of ever
more advanced and perfect movements, including, in 1998, the
celebrated 9S calibre used in the Grand Seiko series. Most of these
movements were used, until today, in timepieces reserved
exclusively for the Japanese market.
With Ananta, SEIKO's high-grade mechanical watchmaking finally
arrives on the global stage. The collection includes three
mechanical calibres, two of which are new and all of which deliver
superlative levels of precision, long term reliability and power
reserve.
To see and feel each Ananta mechanical watch is to realize that
it is an entirely authentic prestige watch in the mainstream of
fine watchmaking. However, SEIKO's approach to mechanical
watchmaking is unique. Our movement designers have always sought to
satisfy the customer who seeks a "watch for life". Over-elaboration
is eschewed in favor of a profound level of quality and engineering
elegance which increases the precision, longevity and performance
of the watch. It also makes after-care easier and delivers
functions that are easy to see and simple to use.
To make a double retrograde without increasing the movement
diameter or overall size required the most advanced MEMS*
technology
With Ananta, SEIKO's high-grade mechanical watchmaking finally
arrives on the global stage. The collection includes three
mechanical calibres, two of which are new and all of which deliver
superlative levels of precision, long term reliability and power
reserve.
To see and feel each Ananta mechanical watch is to realize that
it is an entirely authentic prestige watch in the mainstream of
fine watchmaking. However, SEIKO's approach to mechanical
watchmaking is unique. Our movement designers have always sought to
satisfy the customer who seeks a "watch for life". Over-elaboration
is eschewed in favor of a profound level of quality and engineering
elegance which increases the precision, longevity and performance
of the watch. It also makes after-care easier and delivers
functions that are easy to see and simple to use.
The rotor pays homage to the hand-guard on the Katana sword
The 28800 vibration per hour mechanical movements in Ananta
embody this 'watch for life' concept.
The 8R28 Automatic Chronograph incorporates column wheel and
vertical clutch systems for ultimate timekeeping precision.
The 6R24 Double Retrograde calibre offers day and date
retrograde dials in a new layout and, like its companion 6R21, has
an extended power reserve of over 45 hours.
All three calibres use SEIKO's unique SPRON 510 alloy for the
mainsprings to deliver enhanced performance and all three use the
Magic Lever system that SEIKO pioneered in 1959 and which still
leads the industry today. The Magic Lever dramatically increases
the efficiency and speed of the winding of the mainspring.
The Spring Drive Chronograph:
416 components and 50 jewels
SEIKO Spring Drive. The quiet revolution continues
With the inclusion of Spring Drive in the Ananta collection,
SEIKO opens a new chapter in the story of this remarkable movement.
With its unique glide motion and industry-leading accuracy of one
second a day, Spring Drive continues to re-define luxury
watchmaking. Leading the Ananta collection is the Spring Drive
Chronograph, the only luxury chronograph to measure elapsed time
precisely, and not to the nearest tick. Alongside the chronograph
is a Spring Drive GMT in which the extended power reserve of 72
hours is expressed in a Katana-blade shaped sub-dial.
Ananta opens a new chapter in SEIKO's history
SEIKO Ananta is a landmark collection whose arrival heralds an
important new step forward for the whole SEIKO brand.
It is the first Premium Collection designed for the luxury watch
market.
It is the first Premium Collection to be marketed both
internationally and in Japan.
It includes 2 new calibres.
It is the first Premium Collection to include Spring Drive,and,
most importantly,
It is the first SEIKO collection to showcase SEIKO's high-grade
mechanical watchmaking artistry.
With Ananta, SEIKO announces its long term aspiration to be a
leading 'manufacture', and to offer the world's most advanced
craftsmanship to those who truly appreciate fine watches.
* MEMS: Micro Electro Mechanical System
New calibres:
Calibre 6R21: Multi-hand Automatic
Hour, minute and second hands
Retrograde indicators for day and date
Power reserve indicator
Diameter: 27.4mm
Depth: 6.0mm
29 jewels
28,800 vibrations per hour
Power reserve of more than 45 hours
Calibre 6R24: Double Retrograde Automatic
Hour, minute and second hands
Retrograde indicators for day and date
Power reserve indicator
Diameter: 27.4mm
Depth: 6.0mm
31 jewels
28,800 vibrations per hour
Power reserve of more than 45 hours
Specifications:
Spring Drive Chronograph
Calibre 5R86
Case: Stainless steel with black hard coating
See-through case back with sapphire crystal
Band: Stainless steel with three-fold clasp with push button
release (SPS007)
Crocodile with stainless steel three-fold clasp with push button
release (SPS009)
Glass: Sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating
Water resistance: 10 bar
Recommended retail price $10,000
Spring Drive GMT
Calibre 5R66
Case: Stainless steel with black hard coating
See-through case back with sapphire crystal
Band: Stainless steel with three-fold clasp with push button
release (SNR019)
Crocodile with stainless steel three-fold clasp with push button
release (SNR021)
Glass: Sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating
Water resistance: 10 bar
Recommended retail price $7,000
Automatic Chronograph
Calibre 8R28
Case: Stainless steel with black hard coating
See-through case back with sapphire crystal
Band: Stainless steel with three-fold clasp with push button
release (SRQ003)
Crocodile with stainless steel three-fold clasp with push button
release (SRQ005)
Glass: Sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating
Water resistance: 10 bar
Recommended retail price $5,000
Double Retrograde Automatic
Calibre 6R24
Case: Stainless steel
See-through case back with sapphire crystal
Band: Stainless steel with three-fold clasp with push button
release (SPB013)
Crocodile with stainless steel three-fold clasp with push button
release (SPB015)
Glass: Sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating
Water resistance: 10 bar
Recommended retail price $3,700
Multi-hand Automatic
Calibre 6R21
Case: Stainless steel with black hard coating
See-through case back with sapphire crystal
Band: Stainless steel with three-fold clasp with push button
release (SPB017)
Crocodile with stainless steel three-fold clasp with push button
release (SPB019)
Glass: Sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating
Water resistance: 10 bar
Recommended retail price $3,400
