While Grand Seiko’s Spring Drive is a major reason why enthusiasts have thrown them in the G.O.A.T. conversation for mechanical movements, their 9F quartz series is proof that they’ve been able to perfect even the cheaper side of watchmaking.
Predating the Spring Drive by 11 years, the in-house all-quartz 9F can be seen as a requisite stepping stone for the quartz-automatic “hybrid” caliber. Now, for the first time in six years, the Japanese luxury brand has debuted a new 9F, and the focus this time around is thinness.
The Slimmest Snowflake Yet
At just 9.1mm thick and 33mm across, the new SBGX359 and SBGX361 mark the most compact Snowflake Grand Seiko has ever produced. For those keeping score at home, that’s a significant departure from the brand’s tendency to skew on the chunkier side. The dimensions are made possible by the new Caliber 9F51, measuring a mere 26.4mm in diameter and 2.2mm thick — 0.6mm smaller than the previous 9F61.
Despite its diminutive footprint, the movement retains all the signature 9F tricks: the Twin Pulse Control Motor for driving those characteristically robust Grand Seiko hands, the Backlash Auto-Adjust Mechanism that eliminates any seconds-hand wobble, and, of course, the ±10 seconds per year accuracy (for reference, a typical quartz ranges anywhere from ±15 to ±30 seconds per month) . Each movement still gets the full treatment, hand-assembled at the Shinshu Watch Studio with individually selected quartz crystals that have been aged for three months.
Snowflake & Skyflake Lineage
The movement debuts in two winter-inspired GS staples. Easily Grand Seiko’s most revered model, the Snowflake first appeared in 2005 on the Spring Drive-powered SBGA011, capturing the texture of wind-swept snow on the Hotaka mountain range visible from Grand Seiko’s Shinshu facility. Rather than using paint, the dial achieves its pristine white through silver-plating, clear coating, and finishing — a process that creates superior light reflection across the textured surface.
A spin-off of the Snowflake that came out back in 2019, the Skyflake variant swaps pure white for a pale blue that evokes snow shimmering under clear alpine skies. Both dials here feature the same intricate stamping as their larger siblings, just scaled down, with the same heat-blued steel seconds hand cutting across each face. Without a date window or power reserve indicator, these are arguably the cleanest executions of the design Grand Seiko has released.
Maximizing Value
These aren’t just the smallest Snowflake watches — they’re also the most affordable, coming in at $3,200 versus the $4,100 High-Intensity Titanium SBGX355 and SBGX357 that preceded them. The switch to stainless steel and the smaller case size account for the price drop, and frankly, it’s hard to argue with the value proposition here. You’re still getting Zaratsu-polished cases, razor-sharp dauphine hands, faceted applied indices, 100m of water resistance, and an AR-coated dual-curve sapphire crystal — all the hallmarks of Grand Seiko’s Heritage Collection.
Spec Sheet
Model: SBGX359 (Snowflake), SBGX361 (Skyflake)
Case Material: Stainless steel
Case Size: 33mm
Case Thickness: 9.1mm
Movement: Caliber 9F51 quartz (±10 seconds/year)
Water Resistance: 100m
Magnetic Resistance: 4,800 A/m
Bracelet: Stainless steel with three-fold clasp
Crystal: Dual-curve sapphire with anti-reflective coating
Price: $3,200 each
Pricing & Availability
Both the SBGX359 and SBGX361 are available for pre-order now through Grand Seiko’s online boutique and select retail partners, with shipping expected in April.
Recap
Grand Seiko SBGX359 & SBGX361 33mm 9F Quartz WAtches
Grand Seiko just dropped its slimmest and most affordable Snowflake ever with the new SBGX359 and SBGX361—33mm quartz watches powered by the brand’s first new 9F movement in six years, priced at $3,200 each. They’re a full grand cheaper than the previous quartz Snowflake models and come in both the classic white dial and light blue Skyflake variant.
