Following in the footsteps of @Johan Bertilsson I'm wearing the Alpinist just because I can.

Today is a special day. Two years ago today, I bought my grail of grails. Luckily, my daughter needs a homecoming dress, so we’re at the same mall. That’s an excuse to go say hello to my boys at Watches of Switzerland! Even though my first salesman Micah has moved on, I was able to introduce my watch obsessed friend from church to the management staff when they were hiring. A little over a year later, my boy Keegan is going strong as one of their top salesmen in the store!

Who wants one??? https://youtu.be/yUylDA2lbMM?is=TVPkRT_nwhYVBLhA

Grand Seiko is one of those brands that I think is just plain fun to spend time with. They have a way of taking something that initially looks fairly simple and then filling it with little details that keep revealing themselves the longer you wear it. And naturally, with this one, the dial is the first thing that gets me. The deep green is inspired by British Racing Green, while the texture comes from Grand Seiko’s famous Mount Iwate pattern. The name Tōgè means “mountain pass,” tying the design back to the landscape around Grand Seiko’s Shizukuishi manufacture in northern Japan. What I really enjoy is how much the dial changes. In softer light it can look dark, subdued and almost black. Then the light catches it and suddenly all that texture appears. Add the gold GMT hand and there’s just enough contrast to keep things interesting without making the watch feel busy. That’s probably what I like most about Grand Seiko in general. They tend to reward looking a little closer. The polishing, the hands, the indices, the dial work — there are all sorts of small things going on that you might completely miss at first glance. And while watches like this certainly sit in the luxury end of the hobby, I try not to lose sight of what the whole thing is supposed to be about: enjoying the watch that happens to be on your wrist today. Today, this one made me smile. That’s good enough for me. 😎

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DcOwHQnpY8G/?igsi=YW5teXJ4OW54OWJv