Grand Seiko - TOKI: Watch Auction Hong Kong Friday, November 22, 2024 | Phillips
  • Manufacturer: Grand Seiko
    Year: Circa 1974
    Reference No: 6186-8000-G
    Case No: 420’235
    Model Name: 61GS VFA
    Material: Stainless steel
    Calibre: Automatic, cal. 6186B
    Bracelet/Strap: Leather
    Clasp/Buckle: Stainless steel pin buckle
    Dimensions: 37mm diameter
    Signed: Case, dial and movement signed
    Accessories: Accompanied with an autographed copy of “A Man and His Watch” by Matt Hranek.
    Literature: The present example is prominently illustrated in “A Man and His Watch” by Matt Hranek p.88.

  • Catalogue Essay


    "The VFA was a pinnacle in Grand Seiko's history in terms of timekeeping accuracy and also represented a bold era of design for the brand, especially in terms of case shapes. The slim hands and tall markers are also an unusual and charming detail. I wore this watch the first time I visited Grand Seiko's manufacture as well as many other meetings with the company. It opened many doors for me and eventually was even featured in Matt Hranek's book "A Man and His Watch".

With its unpolished stainless steel case, the silver sunburst dial of this present VFA has developed incredible charm. Aged with a tinted patina throughout, it has certainly become an extraordinary example." — Mark Cho


    The pinnacle of Japanese Chronometers began in 1960, a challenger to the Swiss standard defined by the Bureaux Officiels de Controle de la Marche des Montres, the Grand Seiko “First” powered by the calibre 3180 received an “excellent” rating with a chronometer standard of -3 and +12 seconds. With a restriction that only watches tested in Switzerland deserved to have “Chronometer” printed on the dial, the Japanese took the matter into their own hands.

Enters the “Grand Seiko Standard” in 1966, a new level of precision the Japanese took a step further with a daily rate of -3 and +5 seconds while the Swiss standard was still -1 and +10 seconds per day. And if that wasn’t enough, Japan took another leap to redefine the norm with the “Grand Seiko Very Fine Adjusted Standard (VFA)”. An impressive achievement of a daily rate of -2 and +2 seconds per day, the VFA certified watches were further guaranteed to be accurate to within one minute per month for two years of ownership. Two facilities were responsible for the VFA watches: Suwa Seikosha (Nagano) and Daini Seikosha (Tokyo) identifiable by the logo mark printed beneath VFA of the dial.

    Introduced as a day-date reference from the lineage, the present ref 6186-8000 was produced by Suwa Seikosha and was powered by the calibre 6186.

Property of the Mark Cho collection

41

Ref. 6186-8000-G
A technically impressive and very well-preserved stainless steel wristwatch with day and date

Circa 1974
37mm diameter
Case, dial and movement signed

Estimate
HK$65,000 - 130,000 
€7,500-15,000
$8,300-16,700

Sold for HK$228,600

Contact Specialist

Thomas Perazzi
Head of Watches, Asia
+852 2318 2030
WatchesHK@phillips.com

Gertrude Wong
Head of Sale, Hong Kong
+852 2318 2045
gertrudewong@phillips.com

TOKI: Watch Auction

Hong Kong Auction 22 November