The first automatic 10‑Beat GS

A self-winding, Hi-Beat 36000

The 61GS, created by Suwa Seikosha in 1968, was Japan’s first watch with an automatic 10-beat movement, Caliber 6145. The 61GS was designed with a focus on everyday practicality. To improve the efficiency of the oscillating weight, Grand Seiko implemented a proprietary winding mechanism called the “Magic Lever,” which effectively wound the mainspring in both directions. This design of the “Magic Lever” pawl winding system was developed by Seiko originally in 1959. Other advancements were implemented as well to improve efficiency and stabilize performance. The 61GS became renowned as one of the finest watches produced by Grand Seiko. The 61GS was even chosen for inclusion in the Time Capsule Expo of 1970 held in Osaka, and it was buried at the site of the former Osaka Castle in 1971. It is due to be opened in the year 6970 at the Osaka Expo, exactly 5,000 years later.

In November 1969, Grand Seiko announced the 61GS V.F.A. Realized once again by Suwa, this important timepiece featured an automatic 10-beat movement with a groundbreaking accuracy standard. The first V.F.A. movements, the caliber 6185, were rated at an incredible ±1 minute a month. This new benchmark was named the “Grand Seiko V.F.A. Standard,” with the acronym standing for Very Fine Adjusted. This higher standard required more rigorous testing than that of the Grand Seiko Standard which was already exceeding Chronometer certification. Accuracy tests were conducted in 6 positions, not just 5, and they were conducted over a period of 15 days to meet the strict criteria of ± 2 seconds per day.

Three years later in 1972, Suwa took another step forward with a new variant of the 61GS V.F.A., this time updated with a day-date complication.  These models were some of the first to actually have V.F.A. on the dial.