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.
The 9F62 has a stated accuracy of +/-10 seconds per year, and the date complication turns 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 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.