Grand Seiko Elegance Collection Spring Drive “Hana-ikada.”

After the spring equinox comes the true spring season, when warm winds flutter Japan’s cherry trees, setting the blossoms loose from their branches. The breeze carries the pale pink petals through the air until some, inevitably, land on streams, lakes, rivers, and ponds. This blanketing of tranquil water with sakura petals, known as hana ikada, inspires the latest manual-wind Spring Drive creation from the Shinshu Watch Studio in Shiojiri, Japan, where Grand Seiko Spring Drive watches are made.

While the 38.5 x 10.2mm rose gold case lends the SBGY026 an undeniably luxurious and dressy quality, one’s eye cannot help but be drawn to the beautiful pink dial. It shares its pattern, color, and texture with another Spring Drive dial, that of the beloved SBGA413 “Shunbun,” which won favor for its melding of subtlety with the vibrancy of the color pink. Paired with rose gold, here the dial takes on a new and different dimension from that of the original “Shunbun.”