New Quartz Grand Seikos With Blue And White Dials

October 11, 2021

Grand Seiko is one of the few high-end watchmakers producing high-quality quartz watches in 2021. It's part of a legacy that we can trace back to Grand Seiko's founding as part of Seiko, a company that produced the world's very first quartz watch, in 1969. To this day, having a variety of movement types is a calling card of Grand Seiko. Alongside mechanical movements running at two different frequencies, GS has innovated with the wholly unique Spring Drive movement and continues to make high-end quartz movements for watches of pretty much all sizes and types. This is contrasted with the majority of high-end Swiss firms (with the notable exception of Longines) that reserve quartz mainly for diminutive jewelry watches. Today, we've got two new Grand Seiko quartz models that come in at 34mm in diameter. The SBGX347 and SBGX349 are on the smaller side for sure, but it's in a sweet spot that small- to medium-wristed folks can pull off. And besides, I think the size is actually quite nice for very dressy watches like these, which come with either a blue or white dial matched with a blue or black crocodile leather strap. Aesthetically, this feels like a distillation of the Grand Seiko Elegance Collection, right down to the size. What We Think When Grand Seiko makes a quartz watch, it's in the name of accuracy and precision. There's a non-patronizing earnestness about it. In the case of the decorated and jeweled 9F movement we see here, there's accuracy to +/-10 seconds per year. Grand Seiko, it goes without saying, works outside of the Swiss watch industry, in a context that is very much its own. Quartz is well worth doing at Grand Seiko, and doing well. While quartz is almost reflexively seen as a negative in the Swiss context, with terms like the Quartz Crisis, the Seiko Astron of 1969 was a major achievement for Japanese watchmaking. It was released in gold and cost more than a Honda automobile. It's in this context that I tend to view Grand Seiko's high-end quartz creations. You're paying for a part of history, in a way. While these two 34mm caliber 9F-powered watches, launched last month, may have flown under the radar, anytime is a good time for GS, so here they are. The Grand Seiko looks are obviously there, from textured dials to diamond-polished hands and indexes and the beveled cases. The Basics Brand: Grand SeikoModels: SBGX347 and SBGX349Diameter: 34mmThickness: 10.7mmCase Material: Stainless steelDial Color: Blue or whiteIndexes: Applied, diamond-polishedLume: NoWater Resistance: 30 metersStrap/Bracelet: Crocodile leather strap The Movement Caliber: 9F61Functions: Hours, minutes, secondsJewels: 9Power Reserve: 3 year battery Pricing & Availability Price: $3,300Available: October 2021 Shop this story The HODINKEE Shop is an authorized retailer of Grand Seiko. To view our selection of Grand Seiko watches, visit the Shop.