To the world of wristwatches, the age-old adage that you get what you pay for is particularly pertinent. Exceptional works of horological beauty with spectacular dials and advanced complications come with equally exceptional price tags, reserving them for the lucky few who can afford such masterpieces. For the most part, only a few more inexpensive timepieces are able to distinguish themselves—many pieces by Tudor, for example, or some of the entry-level Cartier tanks. 

The Grand Seiko SBGN027, in my opinion, is the latest addition to this latter group of remarkable and affordable timepieces. Though it bears a movement of the often-disdained quartz type, the watch is truly an exceptional work for a relatively affordable price. It is one of those watchmaking masterpieces which appear quiet and simple on the exterior and on the inside reveal themselves to be utterly spectacular, a point at which the GMT complication it bears can only hint. I firmly believe that this beautiful, technically advanced piece of craftsmanship deserves a place in every discerning collector’s box, and for those who seek one watch for every occasion, the SBGN027 is one of the finest that can be earned.

A Keystone of Quartz Watchmaking History

Released in November 2022, the SBGN027 is a relatively recent watch that continues the line of Caliber 9F watches introduced by Grand Seiko back in 1993. Since then, the caliber has continued to evolve and develop into the true powerhouse that it is today.

Frankly, the Caliber 9F is truly spectacular, as I’ll explore even more below. The SBGN027 joins a long heritage of wonderful quartz watches through this line, making it one of the heirs to a powerful legacy. It’s important to recall that Seiko were the very first to introduce quartz in watchmaking form through their Astron model and in many ways they have not ceased to push the boundaries of what’s possible. While I’ll save the technical exploration of the Caliber 9F’s merits for later on, the SBGN027 is joining a legacy that began with the very first Seiko quartz in the 1970s and since 1993 has been made into something wonderful.

In terms of structure and layout, the watch very clearly follows established Grand Seiko design language, positioning itself perfectly as an entry-level piece that screams the Japanese maison’s well-known elegance. It features spectacular polishing that makes it absolutely radiant with light and a similar case structure to many of their other pieces. In everything, the SBGN027 reveals itself as a keystone of entry-level Grand Seiko pieces that are truly integrated into the brand’s already-stunning offerings.

Case: Spectacular Polishing at an Affordable Price

Grand Seiko is world-renowned for spectacular cases and the SBGN027, despite its reduced price, is no exception to their high hand-finished standards. The stainless steel case features a relatively muted visual profile with less contrast compared to some of their other pieces for an overall more subdued appearance that still displays extreme craftsmanship. The flanks of the case feature GS’s signature Zaratsu finishing, which produces mirror-polished surfaces polished by hand that positively gleam with light. Each Zaratsu-finished face is designed to be as broad and flat as possible, which not only makes the polish more exceptional and radiant in capturing light but also makes the task of applying the finish far more difficult, as it must be evenly performed over a large surface. Zaratsu finishing is an extremely advanced technique that young GS watchmakers must spend quite some time mastering. The case is held to a rapidly spinning sandpaper disk to polish it, which is unlike the buffing wheels used by most other high-end watchmakers. The watchmaker cannot see the polish being applied and must rather feel through their fingertips when the piece is completed by the temperature of friction and the pressure they apply. In all, it’s a difficult process that produces a magnificent result. The tops of the watch’s lugs are hairline-finished, another signature Grand Seiko technique that means first applying a Zaratsu polish, then very gently brushing the area of the watch with lower-grit sandpaper to provide a gently brushed look. Again, this provides a hint of visual contrast between the soft hairline and the Zaratsu that is not too harsh or striking. Finally, the case is an average 39 mm in diameter by 12.3 mm thick, which provides a subdued and thin profile. The case’s shape itself is gentle and elegant, with strong broad lugs that flow into the roundness of the bezel and case ring. 

The bezel carries a typical GMT 24-hour scale, which when rotated actually enables the user to track a third time zone beyond simply the second one that the GMT hand bears. This is done by rotating the bezel so that the scale matches the offset from normal time. For example, for a time zone one hour ahead of the time indicated by the GMT hand, simply rotate the bezel so that the 24 is above 1:00. The bezel itself is mutedly finished with the same gentle satin hairline finishing that merges well into the polishing of the lugs.

Personally, I find the placement of the crown at 4:00 to be a somewhat disappointing move by Grand Seiko. The crown is semi-recessed and so is set practically up against one of the lugs, which limits its access and prevents an easy setting experience. That said, as a quartz watch the time won’t need to be set very often, and in those cases the crown will be pulled out to do so, which of course provides much more access. The crown also follows the placement of the date window (see more on that later) and, frankly, does allow for more of a sporty look by moving it to a lesser-used position. As such, while it is not directly to my tastes, it could certainly be seen well by many collectors as a contrarian and sporty choice.

As a final note, the watch bears a double-domed crystal, which adds some extra thickness but can also serve to visually reduce the profile of the watch itself by adding a visual line that gently curves up from the flanks of the watch to a rounded top. As such, the watch is made more visually elegant at the cost of some extra thickness, which is not a concern given the 12.3mm thickness of the watch body and the sporty nature of the piece itself.

Dial: Distilled Grand Seiko Elegance

Grand Seiko is a watchmaker known for their magnificent dials, and the SBGN027 is no different. Like the rest of the watch, it is subdued but perfectly executed, and no corners were cut in its production compared to any of their other watches.

In most lights, the dial is a very rich and deep black, but under brighter lighting it reveals itself to have a faint sunburst pattern applied that makes it gleam with a lighter gray and even slightly brownish tone in those areas where it radially captures the light. The black dial contributes to the monochromatic palette of the rest of the watch and also gives it more of a formal appearance, making it a true go-anywhere watch that serves a sporty purpose but can also be paired with more dressy attire.

Both the hands and the applied indices are brushed on the top and bear high-polished Zaratsu finishing on their flanks, which I find creates a beautiful visual continuity between the rest of the watch—recalling the hairline finish on the tops of the lugs and the Zaratsu polish on the flanks of the case. This subtle feature truly melds the dial into the rest of the watch. It’s an extremely elegant touch that I’m very fond of by Grand Seiko.

The dial also features Seiko’s proprietary LumiBrite paint instead of standard Swiss Super-LumiNova. It’s applied in limited amounts, only at 3, 6, 9, and 12, and on the hands. According to Seiko, LumiBrite is improved in nearly every way over standard lume—it absorbs more light energy, charges more quickly (full charge in just 10 minutes of exposure to sunlight!), glows more intensely, and lasts for longer. It’s another sporty and functional touch that I find quite compelling.

The GMT hand contrasts highly from the others in finishing and structure. It’s longer and thinner, of course, but also visually appears lighter in color and has a less-exaggerated polish than the other hands. It also carries LumiBrite paint at the tip of the arrow, and matches well with the dial signature of the logo in its tone and brightness as well as with the 24-hour GMT scale on the rehaut.

Finally, I also find the placement of the date window at 4:00 a very interesting and somewhat disappointing touch. If anything could work well with the 4:00 crown, it would be the date window—it does help the crown feel more integrated into the design of the watch as both match. However, I would frankly prefer to find each one at 3:00. That said, it’s clear that Grand Seiko didn’t want to shorten the beautifully-polished 3:00 marker by placing the date window there, so the 4:00 placement does make sense in this context. Overall, it’s an ambiguous choice—some will love it, and some will hate it. Beauty is, after all, in the eye of the beholder!

Movement: A Quartz Wonder

With a normal quartz watch, the movement description would be short and mostly negative. After all, mechanical movements are always preferred to quartz ones, right? In this case, I strongly disagree. The Caliber 9F86 is the equal in almost every regard of the craftsmanship that goes into a mechanical movement, and it simply must not be seen as lacking in any way in the comparison to a mechanical movement.

The Caliber 9F86 is truly revolutionary in terms of quartz technology. It features a list of features too long to fully exposit here: an instant date change at midnight carefully set by GS craftsmen; a built-in temperature compensation system that measures its own internal temperature and adjusts it; a sealed body so that dust and oil don’t enter the movement during a battery replacement; a special quartz regulatory system; and two more rather key details explored below.

First, the movement has much higher torque than other quartz movements, which normally require thin and light hands. I’ve found that this can cause most quartz watches to look very alike and greatly limits design choices across different watches as only a smaller variety of lighter hand styles and designs can be used. Through the use of a Twin Pulse Control Motor which allows their quartz watches to bear the exact same style of hands as all their mechanical watches, Grand Seiko was able to avoid this dangerous design pitfall. The Twin Pulse Control Motor delivers two impulses, not one, every time the second hand ticks, but these happen so quickly that it appears like just one to the naked eye. This greatly increases output torque by the rotor and allows the battery to maintain, even with relatively large and heavy hands, its astounding 3-year power reserve.

Second, the caliber 9F86 features a specially developed Backlash Auto-Adjust Mechanism. In most quartz watches, the seconds hand suffers from high degree of backlash—there’s a large amount of shudder and inaccuracy in its ticking, which can end up not quite centered on the marker on the minutes track or can be left to take an extra bit of time to stop shuddering and center itself on the marker. To Grand Seiko, this was utterly unacceptable and had to be corrected to meet their high standards. They introduced the Backlash Auto-Adjust Mechanism to correct this. By introducing a small hairspring—the same sort of spring used in normal mechanical balance wheels—they managed to find a solution where the seconds hand springs forward and elegantly lands precisely on the right spot with no shudder or shake. To my eyes, this is an extremely beautiful feature that makes the single ticking of a quartz-powered seconds hand even rival that of the sweep of a mechanical watch. The simple ticking that lands precisely on the right spot, seeming to fly forward and stop on a dime, is incredibly elegant and on a philosophical level can even be said to recall the concept of time marching firmly by.

Each Grand Seiko quartz movement is assembled by hand by just two craftsmen, one of whom builds the date complication and the other the rest of the movement. Even the quartz crystals are produced in-house: they’re grown and then aged for 3 months before they can be used in a watch. The caliber 9F86 also bears a magnetic-resistant plate as well as a double-thick mainplate which not only provides durability but also a little bit of extra heft, which is often a delightful quality in high-end watches that many collectors enjoy.

In my opinion, the caliber 9F86 is utterly spectacular. Sure, it’s quartz—but it has every bit all the craftsmanship and class that goes into a mechanical movement with an accuracy that outperforms any mechanical movement on the market today.

Straps

The SBGN027 comes with a three-link Oyster-like bracelet that’s elegant but also very understated. In my opinion, it’s slightly disappointing compared to some of Grand Seiko’s other bracelets, but this is also to be expected considering the price point which is greatly reduced. In fact, in this light, it’s remarkably far beyond what could be expected from its competitors. The bracelet has a simple but clean push-button clasp and the majority of the surfaces bear a subtle satin hairline finish, just like the rest of the watch. Again, the design continuity is carried forward by Zaratsu-polishing the flanks of the bracelet and having the tops hairline-finished, just like with the indices and case. I find this continuity gorgeous, but I would prefer just a touch more visual contrast on the surface of the bracelet, with perhaps a differently-polished inner link.

The watch would also be well paired with a black leather strap to provide a dressier look and greatly boost the elegance of the watch by emphasizing the refined and formal black dial. At an even 20mm between the lugs, it will be a simple matter to find a suitable strap.

The bracelet, important to note, is sized with screws, has half-links, and four micro-adjust holes. As such, it will be easy to find a perfect fit, and the bracelet’s fit will be exceptionally comfortable.

On-Wrist Experience

The SBGN027, as I’ve discussed earlier in the article, has a comfortable and subdued wrist presence thanks to the combination of a multitude of factors. The double-thick mainplate of the quartz movement provides added heft that I personally find quite appealing as a reminder of the watch’s presence—often, quartz watches are too light for my tastes, and I can go a whole day while scarcely remembering that I’m wearing a watch. The bracelet can be easily adjusted to a very snug and comfortable fit as best suits the wearer. The polishing of the case is not too harsh or flashy to draw attention and the watch can easily go relatively unnoticed by others.

The 39 mm diameter of the case means that the watch can be easily worn by a wide range of wrists, especially those with wrists between 6.25-8 inches in circumference. The thinness provided by the quartz movement means the watch can be easily slipped under a dress cuff despite its double-domed dial, and with that classy black dial, this is a situation that won’t be too uncommon. 

The watch has frankly very little competition when it comes to elegant travel pieces. Whether voyaging across time zones for business meetings, weddings, or simply vacation, the GMT function paired with the subdued and classy presence of the watch means that the SBGN027 will be a faithful companion wherever life takes you.

Price & Availability

The SBGN027 is not a limited edition, as one might expect from its affordable position in Grand Seiko’s offerings. As such, it’s likely that it’ll remain open to collectors for a long time to come, continuing to provide an entry-level access point to the very finest of Japanese watchmaking. If it is ever retired, it’s likely it will only be done to introduce a new model in its place.

At a retail price of $3,400 available from Grand Seiko boutiques or from Exquisite Timepieces, this is a watch that positions itself at a perfect level of accessibility to almost all dedicated collectors as well as being open to those who are looking for a watch to accompany them everywhere in life. I find that for its value and what is included in this spectacular piece, the price is shockingly low.

Conclusion

In all, the SBGN027 is a truly spectacular new release from Grand Seiko for its price range. While it leaves a few elements ever so slightly lacking, such as the bracelet finishing and the odd crown placement (both of which, to be fair, may be benefits in some eyes!), the SBGN027 checks an exceptional number of watchmaking boxes for its price range. From the spectacular quartz movement that bears craftsmanship far beyond that of many mechanical watches to the clever design continuity of its finishing, this is a watch that deserves a place in the collection of everyone who can appreciate fine craftsmanship, elegance, and quality.