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Grand Seiko’s Most Celebrated Dial Gets a Goldilocks-Sized Titanium Sibling

The blue-tinted Snowflake spinoff now comes in a more affordable quartz reference.

Silver metal wristwatch with a textured light blue dial and blue second hand on a matching blue textured background.Grand Seiko
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By Brad Lanphear

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Grand Seiko’s entire ethos can be summed up in one watch: the SBGA211 Snowflake.

Everything about it is impeccably refined, from the caliber 9R65 Spring Drive movement to the Zaratsu polishing, but it is the delicately beautiful dial that defines the watch.

Silver Grand Seiko wristwatch with textured light blue dial and date window on icy blue background.
The SBGX357 Skyflake is the newest spinoff of Grand Seiko’s legendary Snowflake dial.
Grand Seiko

The Snowflake debuted in Japan in 2005 and was released globally in 2010. Since then, Grand Seiko has traded on the dial’s success by placing it in more references and creating spinoffs.

One of the most eye-catching iterations is the blue-toned Skyflake, introduced in 2019 with the SBGA407 Spring Drive. It mirrors the Snowflake’s texture, bearing an uncanny resemblance to the icy surface of wind-swept snowpack, but viewed in the blue light of a clear, sunny sky.

Just as the Snowflake dial eventually made its way to Grand Seiko’s more affordable quartz line, with an SRP $2,800 less than the original Spring Drive version, the flashier Skyflake now has a relatively approachable price.

Grand Seiko wristwatch with light blue dial, silver markers, date window, and dark blue leather strap on a snowy surface.
The Skyflake dial debuted in 2019 with the SBGA407 Spring Drive.
Grand Seiko

The Grand Seiko SBGX357 features the Skyflake dial in a 37mm case crafted from proprietary High-Intensity Titanium, which is 30 percent lighter than stainless steel and offers higher resistance to corrosion and abrasion.

It comes on a matching High-Intensity Titanium bracelet in Grand Seiko’s standard three-link design with polished ends on the center links and a three-fold clasp.

Dashing through the snow

The trade-off for the more approachable price is that the SBGX357 runs on Grand Seiko’s Caliber 9F62 quartz movement. While it is objectively a downgrade from the Spring Drive, even the most ardent quartz haters should capitulate to the accuracy of this electric marvel.

Silver stainless steel Grand Seiko wristwatch with textured light blue dial and blue second hand.
The SBGX357 Skyflake’s case and bracelet are made from Grand Seiko’s proprietary High-Intensity Titanium.
Grand Seiko

The 9F62 has a stated accuracy of +/-10 seconds per year, and the date complication jumps instantly. Despite being 25 years old, it remains one of the top quartz movements available from the company that invented the technology back in 1969.

The only nitpick I can come up with — if you don’t mind the jumping seconds hand — is that, unlike comparable competition from Citizen’s The Citizen line, which uses solar-powered quartz, this Skyflake runs on a battery that needs to be replaced, ideally by Grand Seiko, every three years.

Turning blue

The texture of the original Snowflake dial, emulating the grooves etched into packed snow by strong mountain winds, is achieved by stamping a copper plate. The glimmering, icy-white color comes from silver plating applied to a translucent coating.

Silver stainless steel Grand Seiko wristwatch with textured light blue dial and date window at 3 o'clock.
The Skyflake has the same base texture as the Snowflake.
Grand Seiko

Grand Seiko is tight-lipped about the production methods for the Skyflake dial, but given the resemblance to its predecessor, it likely uses the same stamped base and silver plating with a hint of blue pigment.

The blue tone of the dial lightens the contrast with the tempered blue seconds hand, which is identical to every Snowflake reference. However, it creates a contrast with the white background of the date wheel, which blends into the original design.

Silver stainless steel Grand Seiko wristwatch with textured light blue dial and date display at 3 o'clock.
The SBGX357 Skyflake features a 37mm case that blends brushed and polished surfaces.
Grand Seiko

The SBGX357 Skyflake case is a scaled-down version of the 41mm High-Intensity Titanium case that houses the original Snowflake dial. It is 37mm wide and 10mm tall, and blends vertically brushed surfaces with a polished bezel and chamfered edges.

Grand Seiko proudly flaunts its decorated top-grade quartz movement with a sapphire crystal exhibition caseback, a rarity for battery-powered watches.

Availability and price

The Grand Seiko SBGX357 Skyflake will be available in December from Grand Seiko and authorized dealers for $4,100.

It is significantly more affordable than the $6,900 SBGA211 Snowflake and much more wearable, with a 4mm smaller case diameter. The new quartz-powered Skyflake is priced identically to its closest sibling, the SBGX355 “Quartz Snowflake,” which debuted just last year.

Silver stainless steel Grand Seiko wristwatch with textured light blue dial and date window at 3 o'clock.Grand Seiko

Grand Seiko SBGX357 ‘Skyflake’

Specs

Case Size 37mm
Movement Grand Seiko caliber 9F62 quartz
Water Resistance 100m
About the Author: Brad Lanphear is an associate editor at Gear Patrol covering watches and style. Before joining the publication, he previously wrote for Heddels and Men’s Health. Now, he’s on a never-ending quest to find the perfect pair of Japanese denim.

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