Rolex Datejust 41 VS Grand Seiko White Birch — Rolex vs Grand Seiko: The King and The Contender

Contact Team Mosso for pricing and availability. Email: tmosso@the1916company.com Grand Seiko vs Rolex may not sound as natural a rivalry as Rolex vs Omega. But since distancing itself from parent company Seiko in 2017, Grand Seiko has declared its ambitions boldly; all Swiss luxury watch brands are fair targets. For 2021, Grand Seiko launched one of its most impressive watches to date: the White Birch SLGH005. Unlike many luxury watches, the Grand Seiko Hi-Beat "white birch" was nicknamed as such by the Grand Seiko designers who created it. Inspired by the Shirakaba birch forests that grow outside of the Shizukuishi Grand Seiko factory in Iwate prefecture, the SLGH005 employs a fearsomely complex 20-step process to recreate white birch bark on a hand-crafted watch dial. The 40mm stainless steel case reflects its Grand Seiko 9S heritage while also reflecting recent innovations in the Grand Seiko Evolution 9 series of which the Hi-Beat SLGH005 is a founding member. Since 1945, the Rolex Datejust has been the world’s most recognizable watch. Introduced to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Rolex brand, this celebratory watch has endured, becoming a cornerstone of the brand’s catalogue. In fact, three out of every four models in the Rolex lineup are a variant of the Rolex Datejust. The original Rolex Datejust ref. 4467 introduced several features that would become inextricably linked with Rolex ever since. This including the Jubilee bracelet, and the now ubiquitous windo