Grand Seiko SBGX355 Review: Beauty and Serenity in Snowflake White

With many people looking for a dash of bold contrast in a luxury watch, the all-white dial of the SBGX355 from Grand Seiko offers something more uniform. At first glance, the dial seems like the brightest tone of white you’ve ever seen, accompanied by classic titanium surroundings.

I find this watch to be a great style choice on a sunny or cold winter day. Its overall neutral colorways make it an excellent everyday choice, regardless of the outfit. However, it can’t be denied that the winter white dial is pretty vibrant, which may be off-putting for some watch enthusiasts.

As with any timepiece, personal preference is a part of the equation, but there are many reasons you should give the SBGX355 a second look. Let this review guide your decision-making by highlighting the watch’s best qualities and why it might be a perfect choice for you.

The Origins of the SBGX355

Acting as a more compact and refined version of the SBGA211, this watch is a callback to many aspects with the same design. Of course, this includes some modern choices in engineering. The SBGX355 can be found in Grand Seiko’s Heritage Collection, which speaks for itself if you know anything about the brand. 

Regardless of personal style preferences, the SBGX355 is seen as a new classic for GS, one that would be a lifelong addition to anyone’s wrist. Although the watch itself doesn’t have an extensive history on the market, it looks like it does due to the similarities between its predecessor.

On another note, the SBGX355 was released earlier this year alongside the STGF385. This is a women’s model that not only embodies the GS snowflake tradition but takes it one step further with unique styling additions.

Nevertheless, the announcement of the SBGX355 is a sweet spot for many people. Those who feel like the SBGA211 is too large are more than happy with the smaller size of the SBGX355. It seems like GS decided to address many of the concerns with the SBGA211. Going for a smaller size without compromising on the popularity of the original design was a great move, in my opinion. 

They didn’t need to reinvent the wheel for the SBGA211; they just needed to make it a little more accessible. One important distinction between the two comes down to the size, movement, and cost. In short, the SBGX355 is smaller, comes with a quartz movement, and is substantially more affordable than the SBGA211.

A Case That Boasts Class and Tradition

Built with the reliability of high-intensity titanium, the case is just as sturdy as it’s effortlessly beautiful and light. Durability is an important aspect to me, which can be very misleading with some high-end timepieces. With the Grand Seiko SBGX355, you can feel that quality resting on your wrist without it feeling overbearing. 

Although you’re looking past it most of the time, you shouldn’t ignore the quality of the sapphire crystal. It’s double-curved to be form-fitting and is highly scratch-resistant. For the crown, you get the standard push-pull style Grand Seiko stamp, and the case promises 100m of water resistance.

Regarding its size, the case sits at a 37mm diameter, 4mm less compared to its inspiration, the SBGA211. I’m going to nitpick a little here and mention that the case measures more accurately to 36.9mm. 

This might not be important if you’re a newcomer, but the fine print always matters when it comes to luxury watchmaking. You’ll find a brush finish on top of the lugs, and the bezel features a contrasting Zaratsu finish to help it stand out. 

I’m a huge fan of the bezel’s blended design here. It does a great job of blending in with the rest of the case and the band. For me personally, bezels that are too “loud” tend to take away from the interest in the watch’s dial.

The screw back design of the case gives it a uniform look while featuring the Grand Seiko lion logo. You’ll find the lug-to-lug distance at 44.6mm, and the quartz movement allows the case to land on the slimmer side at 10.6mm. For most people, these dimensions are selling points on their own. It’s small details like this that made me wake up to what the snowflake look has to offer. 

With the SBGA211, I never really gave it a second look because I felt it was too bulky. Thanks to the SBGX355, you can’t really dish out the same size complaints. From my point of view, the only way sizing could be a solid argument with the SBGX355 is due to the bright dial. 

In some cases, a very bright-colored dial can make a watch case seem bigger than it actually is. Aside from this small nuance, the SBGX355 case size looks fantastic on my relatively thinner wrist. While the case and dial are commonly appreciated together, it’s important to grasp they come with their own purpose and characteristics.

A Watch That Dials In the Eyes

The snow-white dial does a great job of speaking for itself, but it’s much more than just a plain white slate. It includes a textured pattern that offers a nice contrast of white hues when light hits it at the right angle. The history of his “snowflake” is inspired by the surrounding natural environment near Grand Seiko’s Shinshu Watch Studio. 

Although the dial carries the term “snowflake,” its textured pattern more so resembles choppy snow sitting below overlapping winds. I’m not going to lie; I’ve never been a huge fan of an all-white look, but the fact it isn’t a flat white makes it so much better. You might find disgruntled opinions about the ticking movement of the dial’s seconds hand, but this is part of what makes it so affordable. 

To segue a bit here, the seconds hand is the only true contrast inside the dial as it tracks time in a gorgeous blue finish. The minute track and indices are bold but don’t conflict with the beauty of the dial. If anything, it enhances its presence with a polished look, which is a great match to the surrounding design of the case and strap.

There’s also an apparent simplicity with the dial, as the indices aren’t numbered, the hands are thin to a point, and the text is minimal overall. You will find a seamless date window at 3 o’clock, but this design doesn’t come with a power reserve indicator. 

For many people, this can be seen to be rather dull, but it acts as a selling point for me, as minimalism is my style. I like watches I can wear on a consistent basis, which means flashy isn’t really my go-to. 

The dial of the SBGX355 is undoubtedly beautiful and bright, but contrasting color tones in the material make the white a bit more balanced. It would be wise not to be distracted by the dial’s color, as the movement plays a part in this, too. Many people stray from quartz movements due to their ticking nature, but others would argue this is something that can be easily overlooked.

The Movement Putting the SBGX355 in Action

Before I get too deep into this section, let me start by saying you shouldn’t judge this watch by its movement. Sure, a stern click might be a bit jarring from a low-quality quartz movement, but that’s not what you’re getting with Grand Seiko. I would go as far as to say that the interval tick of this movement isn’t all that noticeable.

This is primarily due to the precision and ingenuity behind Grand Seiko’s engineering. More specifically, the movement in the SBGX355 is a 9F62 quartz. From the auto-adjust mechanism to mechanical-like torque, a quartz movement from GS offers surprising quality.

You’ll never spend a day worrying about the accuracy of this watch as it boasts a modest ±10 seconds per year. Even if you notice a substantial variance in the speed of movement, this can be adjusted through the regulation switch built into it. I won’t argue that there’s something to be said about the smooth nature of Spring Drive movements, but that isn’t enough to break my interest here.

With enough silence, hearing the slow, muffled tick of the SBGX355 is actually pretty satisfying. Grand Seiko doesn’t cut corners when it comes to the individual components of their watches. The quartz movement in this watch is made in-house, which means it features the same hand-made quality as the rest of the timepiece.

Although the look of the quartz movement doesn’t play much into the external look of the watch, it looks gorgeous nonetheless. If you’ve never seen one, a Grand Seiko quartz movement comes in a beautiful brass color with several jewels for accented color. Grand Seiko builds four different quartz movements in-house, and the 9F62 is a slim caliber with a date display included. 

When digging through other opinions online, you always tend to find those who say the quartz movement is what keeps them from investing in a timepiece. I’d say with confidence that this sentiment isn’t warranted here. The quality of the 9F62 movement is enough to make you overlook any kind of ticking motion.

A Strap That Likes to Impress

Featuring a five-link design, the SBGX355 dons a primarily matte finish on the larger links. For the smaller links, you get a little contrast of Zaratsu polish that gives it a bit of shine. A small downside, from my point of view, is that this watch doesn’t offer micro adjustments for the clasp. I know you don’t find this in every GS watch, but I sure was hoping I would find it in this one. On the flip side, the half-links do allow for some adjustment for a better overall fit. 

Then again, you do get a bold GS logo on the clasp itself, and the band width offers a dense 19mm width. However, as it gets closer to the clasp, the width starts to lean more toward 18mm. I say dense as I feel the watch carries a bold look, but I’d like to highlight that it doesn’t look too large or feel too heavy. 

The strap is the perfect size for the way the case is structured. I know it might seem like a small detail, but Grand Seiko straps never pinch my arm hair, which is annoying enough to make me stop wearing a watch entirely.

Another angle I wanted to cover is the material of the strap, as there seems to be some confusion with some people online. The SBGX355 promises a high-intensity titanium strap, not a stainless steel one. 

For those who prefer a look different from the stock option, keep in mind that the 19mm lug width might make your search a bit difficult. It won’t be impossible to find a different strap, but the sizing limits your options to some degree.

The titanium bracelet offers a blend of lightweight durability, not to mention exquisite style. There’s a general appreciation for durability here, but no one wants to feel like there’s a weight hanging off their wrist. Grand Seiko does an excellent job promising high-end quality while thinking of your comfort in everyday scenarios. 

For me, this watch is a great alternating piece between more of the darker or subdued tones in my personal collection. Breaking down the mechanical details of the watch is merely one perspective. You also need to gain an understanding of what it’s like as a day-to-day wear.

The On-Wrist Lifestyle of the Grand Seiko SBGX355

Alongside the many opinions you can easily find online, rest assured that mine come from nearly a decade of ongoing experience. 

While my approach with my own collection is modest, my viewpoint comes from many angles regarding the SBGX355. It’s true that the look of this watch isn’t my usual go-to, but I can say it’s the only white dial in years that has caught my attention.

The looks of the SBGX355 say a lot, but how it feels is something that begs many more questions. From a distance, the watch does seem like it would feel bulky, but it’s surprisingly lightweight once you close the clasp.

Once again, I’ve leaned into this already, but the tick of the quartz movement is nothing to stress over. If you happen to zero in on the audible tick, it delivers a somewhat deep, buttery-smooth sound that’s satisfying to me.

As with many watches from Grand Seiko, the on-wrist experience exudes functionality with lightweight beauty. In my opinion, this makes the SBGX355 a great daily wear for anyone who likes a bright timepiece. 

It’s okay to admit it; this isn’t a watch you’ll be able to conceal very well, and that’s part of the point. There’s no question that the engineering and physical details matter, but at the end of it all, cost is the deciding factor for many people.

What’s the Cost and Where to Get One?

You can find the Grand Seiko SBGX355 retailing at $3,800, making it a highly affordable entry-level GS watch for interested buyers. This is exciting, to say the very least, as the larger SBGA211 costs almost twice as much at retail.

Whether you’re looking for your first Grand Seiko or simply don’t want to break the bank, the SBGX355 is a great way to go. The watch sizing makes it perfect for wrists at 6 to 7 inches. Its small possible adjustments make it viable for 5-inch wrists or even larger wrists if you’re okay with a tighter fit.

Considering the SBGX355 design is somewhat new, pre-owned pricing won’t look too different, depending on the quality. For the most part, a pre-owned SBGX355 will still run somewhere between $2,000 to $3,000. It’s already quite affordable, but if you want to save even more money, a quality pre-owned one likely won’t look or feel much different. 

On the other end of this spectrum, where you buy your Grand Seiko from matters just as much. For a no-frills approach that comes with years of hands-on industry education, consider taking your attention to Exquisite Timepieces. Aside from the extensive collection, you get the same trusted quality you expect in the luxury watch you’re searching for.

Final Thoughts

Grand Seiko comes with a long line of watches to choose from, both traditional and brand-new. However, if you were to ask me what my favorite would be regarding vibrancy, the SBGX355 would take the cake.

Between the somewhat layered ridges of the white dial and the solid feel of the entire watch, I keep finding things to love about its design. Consider the SBGX355 not only due to its bright visual beauty but also the Grand Seiko engineering, on top of a price that’s hard to beat.