Grand Seiko
Grand Seiko Elegance 39 mm Slate Sapphire
Photography on request
Front view
Dial, hands and bezel as delivered.
Case-back view
Case-back engraving and, where fitted, the sapphire display.
Movement
Calibre with its finishing and decoration.
On the wrist
Worn shot for proportion and strap drape.
Grand Seiko · Elegance
Grand Seiko Elegance 39 mm Slate Sapphire
Reference 49596OR.99
Reference at a glance
- Brand
- Grand Seiko
- Collection
- Elegance
- Model
- Grand Seiko Elegance 39 mm Slate Sapphire
- Reference number
- 49596OR.99
- Year / era
- 1963 · 1960s — pre-quartz mechanical era
- Complication
- Time only
- Movement
- Spring Drive
- Case material
- Sapphire crystal case
- Dial type
- Slate grey
- Strap / bracelet
- White rubber velcro strap
- Water resistance
- 150 m
- Limited-edition status
- Regular production, not a limited edition
Case, dial & bracelet
- Case dimensions
- 39 mm
- Case thickness
- 11.3 mm
- Case material
- Sapphire crystal case
- Bezel
- Baguette diamond rainbow
- Crystal
- Anti-reflective sapphire, double-domed
- Dial
- Slate grey
- Hands
- Blued steel Breguet-style hands
- Indexes
- Applied Arabic numerals with luminous coating
- Bracelet / strap
- White rubber velcro strap
- Clasp / buckle
- Pin buckle in matching case metal
- Water resistance
- 150 m
Movement
- Movement / calibre
- Calibre 83C — Spring Drive
- Movement type
- Automatic, self-winding
- Frequency
- 36,000 vph (5 Hz)
- Power reserve
- 10 days
- Number of jewels
- 45 jewels
- Complications
- Time only
- Functions
- Hours, minutes, seconds, date
- Watchmaker
- The calibre is built in-house and adjusted in five positions before delivery.
Production & market
- Production period
- 1963 – 1966
- Limited-edition quantity
- Not applicable
- Current market information
- Thin secondary-market supply — pricing is set piece by piece at auction.
Designer
Jörg Hysek
Jörg Hysek left Rolex and Seiko's European studios to build a design practice in Geneva, giving houses such as Vacheron Constantin, Breguet, Seiko and TAG Heuer their sculptural, architecture-led cases before founding his own brand, HD3.
Historical significance
Grand Seiko Elegance 39 mm Slate Sapphire sits within Grand Seiko's Elegance line, introduced in 1963. It carries the house codes established since 1960 — sapphire crystal case case, slate grey dial and spring drive — and is one of the references collectors use to date the evolution of the collection.
Interesting facts
- The movement's bridges are decorated even where they will never be seen once the watch is cased.
- Early production dials show a slightly different minute track, and collectors pay a premium for them.
- The bracelet tapers across its length, which is why the profile looks thinner on the wrist than the specification suggests.
The House
Grand Seiko
Brand facts
- Founding year
- 1960
- Founder
- Seiko / Daini & Suwa Seikosha
- Headquarters
- Japan
- Tier
- Premium
- Major collections
- Heritage, Evolution 9, Elegance, Sport, Masterpiece, Spring Drive
- Signature technologies
- Proprietary case-hardening and polishing · Certified chronometer regulation
- Famous movements
- High-beat automatic · Spring Drive · Automatic, Swiss lever escapement · Automatic chronograph
- Notable watches
- Grand Seiko Heritage 37 mm Ice Platinum (1960) · Grand Seiko Heritage 42 mm Black Stainless (1963) · Grand Seiko Heritage 37 mm Slate Ceramic (1969) · Grand Seiko Heritage 44 mm Skeletonised Ceramic (1975)
Brand history
Grand Seiko has spent more than 66 years refining a single idea: a watch should outlive its owner. From the earliest workshop pieces to today's Heritage, the house has balanced technical ambition with a recognisable design language, and its collections remain among the most closely followed by collectors worldwide.
Seiko / Daini & Suwa Seikosha established Grand Seiko in 1960, working from Japan at a time when precision was measured by hand. The founder's obsession with finishing and accuracy still defines every Grand Seiko calibre produced today.
Historical milestones
1960
Seiko / Daini & Suwa Seikosha founds Grand Seiko in Japan.
1969
The quartz era forces Grand Seiko to redefine mechanical watchmaking.
1990
Grand Seiko enters the modern collector market with its signature lines.
2024
Grand Seiko continues to produce Heritage, Evolution 9, Elegance and other icons in limited numbers.