Introducing: The Grand Seiko SBGA507 And SBGA509—A Pair Of USA-Exclusive Spring Drive Models

Grand Seiko is the unofficial master of finding inspiration in natural phenomena. Many of the brand’s dials are crafted to resemble skies, waters, and landscapes found all over Japan—these two new USA-exclusive limited editions are no exception. The Grand Seiko SBGA507’s blue dial is inspired by the sky over Lake Suwa at dusk. In turn, the SBGA509’s red dial imitates that same sky at dawn.

If you read that subtitle and thought you experienced a déjà vu, you’re not far off. It’s not the first time Grand Seiko‘s designers have used Lake Suwa as a source of inspiration. Last year, the brand introduced both the titanium SLGA019 and stainless steel SLGA021, which had dials inspired by the lake’s waters stirred by an early morning and late evening breeze. Those dials indeed had a beautiful ripple effect, whereas this year’s dials look more like they’re made of linen. Let’s take a closer look at these two new Spring Drive models in the iconic 44GS case.

The Grand Seiko SBGA507 and SBGA509

To celebrate the inauguration of the Grand Seiko Corporation of America in 2018, the brand introduced three limited edition models inspired by the Kira-zuri method. This technique is used in Japanese woodblock printing. One of the most famous prints is Hokusai’s “The Great Wave Of Kanagawa.” The addition of finely ground mica powder created its distinctive sparkling shimmer. This provides the secondary source of inspiration for the dials on these two new USA limited editions.

The texture on the dial looks a bit like there are small horizontal and vertical linen threads woven into it. The result is a texture that plays very nicely with the light, it’s highly dynamic and not one you’ll likely get tired of looking at. The Grand Seiko SBGA507 has a light blue color resembling the evening sky over Lake Suwa. The SBGA509 has a color that’s somewhere in between salmon and red. The dial layout is straightforward: elongated and uniform applied indexes, a well-framed date window at three o’clock, and a power reserve indicator at 7:30.

The indexes mirror the hands with their faceted construction. They’re brushed, polished, and very sharp. This is all part of Grand Seiko’s signature way of finishing its watches. On the SBGA507, the seconds hand is also blued—on the SBGA509, it matches the silver tone of the others. However, both versions come with a gold-colored and applied GS logo located at twelve o’clock.

The iconic 44GS case

Even though their dials look like small, intricate pieces of art, my favorite part of these watches is their case. They share the same iconic 44GS shape used in the aforementioned US limited editions from 2018. In true Grand Seiko fashion, almost the entire case features a Zarartsu polished finish. A thin brushed line on the inside of the lugs is the one exception. This means the brushed and polished bracelet matches the case quite well. However, I find that its rounded links could have been better adapted to the more angular-shaped case.

The stainless steel case measures 40mm in diameter, is 12.5mm thick, and spans 46.2mm from lug to lug. This means these watches will suit a wide variety of wrists. They’ll probably wear a bit smaller than their actual size, as the dial is quite a bit smaller than the case. The crown at three o’clock sits slightly recessed into the case, which protects it from the occasional bump. With it, you operate Grand Seiko’s widely used and highly accurate 9R65 Spring Drive movement. The year 2024 marks 20 years since its first use inside a Grand Seiko watch.

Spring Drive 9R65

Through the sapphire case back window, you can take a look at the 9R65’s mechanical rotor, which winds the mainspring. The Tri-Synchro Regulator uses the mainsprings motion to generate a tiny electrical pulse, which is then converted into the power needed to activate a crystal oscillator and an electronic brake. A precise reference signal applies an electromagnetic brake to maintain the revolution speed at exactly eight revolutions a second. All of this results in an advertised average accuracy of ±1 second per day.

The movement features 30 jewels, offers a power reserve of 72 hours, and is resistant to magnetic fields. The watches both have the same water resistance rating of 100 meters.

Final thoughts

I’d love to get a good look at these watches. I’m sure those dials look even better in person than they already do in the press pictures. Unfortunately, I think it’ll almost be impossible to catch one of these in the wild as these are exclusively available only in the USA. Both colors work great with the subtle linen texture on the dials, especially on the salmon/red version. The finishing on the hands, indexes, and case looks as sharp as always on Grand Seiko watches.

So, I’m sure you’ll get a lot of enjoyment out of your $5,600, which is what both of these limited editions cost. Grand Seiko will only produce 300 pieces of each color, and, as previously mentioned, they’re only available in the USA. For more information, check out the official Grand Seiko website.

What do you think of the new Grand Seiko SBGA507 and SBGA509? Let me know in the comments below.