56GS was the last generation of vintage Grand Seiko. Right after Seiko issued the 61GS, there was a need to build the ultimate daily watch that could be used for decades, so there were some majors changes. In order to improve robustness and stability, the frequency of the movement was adjusted to 28800bph from 61GS's 36000bph. The movement was also redesigned to be thin and compact, making 56GS the slimmest automatic Grand Seiko at that time. It also has a cap gold case, which was marketed by Seiko as a premium option and was thus priced a bit higher than the usual stainless steel version.
The 56GS series of vintage Grand Seiko is second only to the 61GS with regards to the diversity of the watches produced. Whilst utilising only three different movements (there are no “special” or “VFA” examples in this series), there are 35 different models in the series.
With production at Suwa Seikosha starting in 1970 and running through until 1974, the 56GS series marks the end of the line for the vintage Grand Seikos.The three movements that were used in this series were the 5641A (no-date), 5645A (date) and 5646A (day-date), making this the only series with all three complication versions. For the first time, an element of automation was introduced into the production line, and the beat of the movement set at 28,800bph to increase reliability.Whilst there is a large variety of case designs utilised in this range, unlike with the 61GS series, there is consistency in the design and associated numbering of the cases as used across the different movements.
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