Hands-On With The Grand Seiko Sport Collection Godzilla 65th Anniversary Limited Edition

In celebration of the 65th anniversary of Japan’s most vicious export, Grand Seiko has released a timepiece that encapsulates everything great about the King of the Monsters. This is the Grand Seiko Sport Collection Godzilla 65th Anniversary Limited Edition.

Specs
Case Diameter: 44.5mm
Case Material: High Intensity Titanium
Crystal: Double Domed AR Coated Sapphire
Strap: Red and Black Shark
Water Resistance: 200 Meters
Movement: Spring Drive Caliber 9R15
Price: $12,500

The case of the Godzilla Limited Edition is crafted from high intensity titanium. Unlike the titanium featured on the Snowflake and other, dressier options, the Godzilla’s case remains matte and rugged, while also featuring just a touch of “Zaratsu” polishing on some of the flat, angular surfaces. To call it a cushion case wouldn’t be quite right, but it’s as close as existing, more common case shapes get to the highly angular, almost blocky shape of the 44.5mm case. Despite the size, it wears well, due in large part to the short lug-to-lug distance.

The dial of the watch is executed in a fascinating new treatment for the brand. The end goal was to craft a dial that paid tribute to Godzilla’s atomic breath, beams of molten energy that are often depicted more simply as flames. Here, we have a burgundy red with an etched sunray finish. From some angles, the dial is incredibly dark, and from others, it’s as vibrant as they come.

Unlike the dial, which features no direct Godzilla branding, the caseback features a black metalized illustration of the King of the Monsters crushing the Wako building, one of Seiko’s landmark retailers in Tokyo. Drawn by Japanese artist Shinju Higuchi, the design of Godzilla here is meant to riff on the classic Seiko lion, and the effect is something else, truly.

And what’s under that caseback? The now classic Spring Drive Caliber 9R15, a modern marvel of horology and one of the purest examples of Grand Seiko’s stellar engineering abilities. We have a pretty basic set of functions (hours, minutes, seconds, a date, and a power reserve indicator), but its construction and specs trump all of that. With a power reserve of 72 hours, and an accuracy of +/- 10 seconds per month, it’s difficult to beat.

Now let’s talk about that strap. Genuine sharkskin in construction, it was chosen to mimic Godzilla’s scaly exterior and do so far better than you might expect. It’s been dyed red with some black portions to offer not only texture, but a further sense of heat.

So what about that value prop then? Well, at $12,500 USD, it’s not entry level for the brand. However, what you get for your money is downright impressive (as is, admittedly, often the case with Grand Seiko). High intensity titanium case with Zaratsu polishing, housing a Spring Drive caliber, with a superb dial and fascinating strap choice…for a few thousand less than the new Pepsi GMT can be had at. Of course, there’s the issue of the Gozilla’s limited availability. At just 650 pieces, all individually numbered, it might be hard to find one, but totally worth it if you can.