As expected, the watch is much more of a stunning experience in person than in GS photos. In dark light, the dial is deep, matte, navy blue, and opens up its sapphire blues and Mt. Iwate texture with exposure to light. Many new tricks and Easter eggs with this watch and likely other Evo 9 watches. The indices and furniture are stunning and polished geometry with micro-jimping to capture light effects--and diamond-like as the watch moves with the light, revealing a dynamic green, red, and pink light traveling across the indices. I've never personally seen that on other watches. Totally cool effect.
Immediately can tell where GS is going with its Evo 9 sports watches. And this is a serious entry in being a true mechanical sports watch meant for wearing everyday, not one that needs to be babied in fear of scratches. I dig the 15.3mm thick, angular chunk of titanium and wrist presence, though very comfortable as promised. The case has far fewer zaratsu surfaces (cost reduction, service cost avoidance, AND durability?) than GS's traditional Chrono watches. In fact, there is only one thin, horizontal "strip" of polished surface on the east and west sides of the case, and one narrow but brilliant strip (another easter egg) underneath the nicely polished, 3-surface beveled, ceramic Tachymeter bezel on the north and south sides of the case. Unexpected and cool detail. In comparison to my SBGC205 chrono that has both wide sides of the case and the full bezel zaratsu polished, as well as on the bracelet center links. The pusher surfaces on this Tentagraph are also zaratsu polished, as are the smaller lug faces. The crown, in another kaizen, has fewer machined ridges compared to the traditional 9S and 9R references, though still nicely signed with its iconic GS script. Overall, not much to scratch up and send back for refinishing service to the rural Japan factory with its limited number of skilled and ageing zaratsu talent that should instead be working on revenue-generating, new watches.
Some new tricks. One of the other easter eggs is that the circumference of the recessed subdials has polished inserts that literally sparkle and travel as you move your wrist in the light. Very cool touch. The zaratsu-polished caps of the subdial hands have this sparkle feature as well. Who knew?
The hi-beat chrono has that awesome beat to it, with no jump or lag in the chrono hand upon activation or stopping. The pushers feel nice and tight, with a crisp break to start, stop, and reset the chrono hands. Very precise with a well-designed tactile and visual "ready stage" for activation of the pushers. Two sensory experiences GS brought to the table with the 9R86 watches was the pushers that stimulate both the sense of touch and the sense of sound, in addition to the visual sensory experience with the play of light its watches are known for. The pushers on the Tentagraph are
not quite the aural and tactile brilliance of the Seiko Olympic-inspired stop watch pushers on my SBGC205, but the newly designed, polished, mushroom geometry of these Tentagraph pushers is visually classy, modern, and highly functional--and obviously not polarizing with customers like the original Spring Drive 9R86 chrono pushers are.
Notice the date font in the well-finished and framed date window. It's small, first-off, so us younger fellas may have to look a bit closer than on classic GS watches. đź‘€ Though the watch is a Shizukuishi-made watch, does the font seem similar to that awesome, single digit, elongated font of the Shinshu SD watches? I don't see the glossy, date-window substrate detail typical of classic hi-beat watches, but thankfully its color-matched to the dial.
