Hands-On: Grand Seiko Has Mastered Form and Function with the Spring Drive “Snowflake”

There are watch dials that impress you and then there are ones you can’t ever forget. Perhaps the most revered name in the latter category, Grand Seiko has proven itself transcendent of what it means to merely design a watch and instead manages to do something special with whatever happens to inspire the Japanese brand.

Founded in 1960 after its original parent company Seiko desired to craft a timepiece that could go toe-to-toe with the finest in Swiss watchmaking, Grand Seiko has since become independently operated, arguably churning out the most awe-inspiring array of watches around, with superb in-house movement engineering and dials that take after everything from its nation’s cultural history, to the seasons, to the milieu of its two main studios. Our favorite here at HICONSUMPTION has always been the “Snowflake” dial, which we’ve been fortunate enough to get hands-on with in the form of the Spring Drive SBGA211.

If you think of Grand Seiko as just a dial designer, you’d be ignoring their biggest contributions to the watch world. Not only a paragon of beauty but of mechanical brilliance, the company made what might have been the most significant horological creation of the 21st century thus far. After over two decades of R&D, the Spring Drive was born in 2004. It was a unique movement, combining the sophistication of an automatic caliber with an electro-magnetic speed regulating unit that uses a quartz oscillator to determine the precision rate without the need of a battery (instead of a traditional balance spring) to manage the mainspring’s unwinding — the best of both worlds!

For this SBGA211 “Snowflake,” the Caliber 9R65 Spring Drive is used, boasting an accuracy of ±1 second-per-day, or ±15 seconds-per-month and an incredibly high beat rate of 32,768Hz. If you want to check out the still-revolutionary movement, it’s visible through the sapphire caseback window. It also has an impressive 72-hour power reserve that’s tracked on a dial indicator, the 9R65 creates a smooth-gliding blue second hand that’s just amazing to watch first-hand.

Underneath that gliding second hand is the aforementioned “Snowflake” dial. With a history that dates back to 2005 in Japan (globally in 2010), it’s designed to “evoke the look of freshly fallen, lightly windswept snow,” but there’s so much more to it than that. Nailing the texture of the titular ice blanket, the dial is the result of over 80 separate steps, beginning with pressing a brass plate with a textured pattern, after which a special brushing technique is applied. The dial is then silver plated, coated, and given the finishing touches. In person, the “Snowflake” is breathtaking under the dual-curve sapphire crystal, combining the purity and randomness of fresh powder on the ground. The silver-tone indices and sword-shaped hands still manage to stand out on the dial without detracting from the dial’s beauty.

On the wrist, the SBGA211 is incredibly comfortable thanks to its dimensions and construction. It’s housed in a 41mm Zaratsu-polished case made of High-Intensity titanium that’s 30% lighter than its stainless steel counterparts and also more scratch- and corrosion-resistant (it can also be repolished). However, Grand Seiko has noted that it wears much similarly to steel for those who desire that specific heft.

The diameter is large enough to establish presence on the wrist — that is, if the dial weren’t doing most of the work in that regard anyway — but the 12.5mm thickness and 49mm lug-to-lug come together for a moderately-proportioned timepiece that wears incredibly well. Supplementing the titanium build, the curved lugs hugged our wrists as if it were custom-designed for us. Likewise, the matching titanium bracelet was almost non-existent throughout the day, and comes off with no-issue thanks to the three-fold clasp.

Every watch brand has its lodestone model, and for Grand Seiko, that flagship is the “Snowflake.” We enjoyed every second with the SBGA211 Spring Drive, noting how incredibly comfortable it was on the wrist and how stunning it was to the eye. While this might seem like it would fall into the dress watch category, it was designed to be an everyday watch that strikes a balance between dressy and sporty. We personally found it transitioned well across different outfits and scenarios, especially considering its surprising 100m of water resistance — although we’d still be tempted to save it for special occasions.

At $6,600, this will be an investment for some but if you’re in the market for a luxury mechanical watch with arguably the best movement in the game, this price tag is actually quite favorable.

Recap

Grand Seiko SBGA211 Spring Drive “Snowflake”

Not only does Grand Seiko’s SBGA211 have one of the most breathtaking dials in the industry with this winter-inspired blanket of snow but it’s also powered by the famed Spring Drive movement, blending the best of both mechanical and quartz calibers for incredible accuracy.

Learn More: Grand Seiko