Grand Seiko
Grand Seiko Masterpiece 36 mm Slate Platinum
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 · Masterpiece
Grand Seiko Masterpiece 36 mm Slate Platinum
Reference 33755OR.99
Reference at a glance
- Brand
- Grand Seiko
- Collection
- Masterpiece
- Model
- Grand Seiko Masterpiece 36 mm Slate Platinum
- Reference number
- 33755OR.99
- Year / era
- 1960 · 1960s — pre-quartz mechanical era
- Complication
- Flyback chronograph
- Movement
- High-beat automatic
- Case material
- Platinum 950
- Dial type
- Slate grey
- Strap / bracelet
- Alligator leather with folding clasp
- Water resistance
- 50 m
- Limited-edition status
- Limited edition of 88 pieces
Case, dial & bracelet
- Case dimensions
- 36 mm
- Case thickness
- 8.8 mm
- Case material
- Platinum 950
- Bezel
- Octagonal with 8 hexagonal screws
- Crystal
- Anti-reflective sapphire, double-domed
- Dial
- Slate grey
- Hands
- Faceted dauphine hands, polished by hand
- Indexes
- Applied faceted white-gold indexes
- Bracelet / strap
- Alligator leather with folding clasp
- Clasp / buckle
- Titanium deployant clasp
- Water resistance
- 50 m
Movement
- Movement / calibre
- Calibre 15C — High-beat automatic
- Movement type
- Manual-winding
- Frequency
- 21,600 vph (3 Hz)
- Power reserve
- 5 days
- Number of jewels
- 21 jewels
- Complications
- Flyback chronograph
- Functions
- GMT second time zone, date
- Watchmaker
- Assembled and regulated by a single watchmaker, who signs off the piece before casing.
Production & market
- Production period
- 1960 – 1973
- Limited-edition quantity
- 88 pieces
- Current market information
- Trades close to retail on the secondary market, with steady demand for full-set examples.
Designer
Emmanuel Gueit
Emmanuel Gueit came from a family of Geneva jewellers and was barely into his twenties when he drew the oversized Royal Oak Offshore in 1993 — a watch the house's traditionalists resisted and collectors turned into an icon.
Historical significance
Grand Seiko Masterpiece 36 mm Slate Platinum sits within Grand Seiko's Masterpiece line, introduced in 1960. It carries the house codes established since 1960 — platinum 950 case, slate grey dial and high-beat automatic — and is one of the references collectors use to date the evolution of the collection.
Interesting facts
- The case is finished by hand, alternating polished and satin-brushed surfaces in a single pass so the edges stay razor sharp.
- 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 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.