Tap the image to enlarge
Grand Seiko Elegance Collection 38.5mm Stainless Steel
Ref. 04330001231
Sits in Grand Seiko’s upper tier here — more premium than three quarters of the Grand Seiko watches we list, which start at £3,150.
Price range £3,150 to £7,650 across 10 Grand Seiko watches in stock.The SBGY007 takes its dial from a specific winter event on Lake Suwa in Nagano prefecture, where the ice surface fractures and heaves into long ridges — a phenomenon the Japanese call Omiwatari, the God's Crossing. Grand Seiko's Shinshu Watch Studio sits in the same region, and the light blue textured dial is a direct rendering of that landscape rather than a general impression of ice or water. The symmetry of the dial is complete: no date, and the power reserve indicator placed on the movement bridge visible through the caseback rather than on the dial face, so nothing interrupts the surface. The 9R31 that drives it is a manual-winding Spring Drive, which means it draws its energy entirely from the mainspring yet regulates to quartz-level precision through a tri-synchro mechanism. At 10.2mm thick, the case sits closer to a conventional dress watch than to anything the water resistance figure might suggest, and at 38.5mm it proportions well against a tailored cuff. The crocodile strap with its dark blue stitching is chosen to accompany rather than compete with the dial — it is a considered pairing, not an afterthought.
- Reference
- 04330001231
- Brand
- Grand Seiko
- Collection
- Elegance CollectionCase Size: 38
- Case size
- 38.5mm
- Case thickness
- 10.2mm
- Lug width
- 19mm
- Case material
- Stainless steel
- Case shape
- Round
- Dial
- Blue
- Crystal
- Sapphire
- Movement
- Spring Drive
- Calibre
- 9R31
- Functions
- Date, Power reserve indicator
- Water resistance
- 30m
- Bracelet / strap
- Leather strap
- Strap colour
- Black
- Clasp
- Three-fold clasp
- Lume
- Luminous
- Condition
- Pre-owned
- Retailer
- Mappin & Webb
Additional specifications
- Lug-to-lug
- 43.7mm
- Power reserve
- 72 hours
Learn more about Grand Seiko
Grand Seiko began in 1960 as Seiko's attempt to build a watch to the highest standard in the world, judged against Swiss chronometer criteria rather than Japanese ones. The first model met the Bureaux Officiels standard, and the ambition was explicit: not a good Japanese watch, but a better watch than the Swiss were making.
The 1967 Grammar of Design, laid down by Taro Tanaka, still governs the aesthetic. Flat surfaces and sharp facets rather than curves; hands and markers cut to catch light in defined planes; every surface either mirror-polished or perfectly flat, with no in-between. The polishing is done by hand on tin plates — Zaratsu — which produces distortion-free reflections and cannot be replicated by machine.
The precision case was made at observatory trials in the 1960s, where Grand Seiko movements placed among the leaders in Geneva and Neuchâtel before the competitions ended.
The house's distinctive technology is Spring Drive, introduced in 1999 after nearly three decades of development. A conventional mainspring drives the watch, but the escapement is replaced by an electromagnetic brake regulated by a quartz oscillator: mechanical power, quartz accuracy, and a seconds hand that sweeps without ticking at all.
Grand Seiko was separated into a standalone brand internationally in 2017, with dials frequently drawn from Japanese landscape — the Snowflake among the best known.
- 1960
- The first Grand Seiko is built to Swiss chronometer standards.
- 1967
- Taro Tanaka codifies the Grammar of Design.
- 1968
- The 61GS Hi-Beat reaches 36,000 vibrations per hour.
- 1999
- Spring Drive combines mechanical power with quartz regulation.
- 2017
- Established as an independent brand worldwide.
Also in 5 collections
This watch appears in Stainless Steel Watches (2,846), Leather Strap Watches (938), Blue Dial Watches (776), Dress Watches (459) and Pre-Owned, Ex-Display & Vintage Watches (271).
What the specifications mean
A slim watch on leather, made for wearing with a shirt.
Strengths
- 38.5mm suits most wrists
- 43.7mm lug-to-lug keeps the 38.5mm case wearable
- Sapphire crystal, which resists scratching
- Luminous hands and markers for low light
- One of Grand Seiko's more premium watches
Worth knowing
- 30m means keeping it away from water
Your new watch
Frequently asked questions, and things you should know about this watch
Can I swim with it?
No. At 30m it will survive rain and handwashing, but not submersion of any kind.
Will the glass scratch?
Unlikely. Sapphire is second only to diamond in hardness and shrugs off everyday marking.
Does it need a battery?
No. Spring Drive is wound by the wrist and regulated electronically, with no battery.
How long does it run for when it's not worn?
About 72 hours fully wound — enough to sit off the wrist over a weekend and still be running.
What size strap does it take?
19mm. Any strap of that width will fit, and on most modern watches quick-release bars make the swap a two-minute job with no tools.
Will it fit my wrist?
Lug-to-lug is 43.7mm, which suits wrists from roughly 15cm (6 inches) upward.
Lug-to-lug decides fit more than case diameter does.
Is it a men's or women's watch?
Listed as men's, though at 38.5mm it sits in the range that suits anyone.
Cheapest place to buy
Mappin & Webb at £5,550, pre-owned. No UK retailer we track lists this reference new.
Is this available new?
Not from the UK retailers we track. This reference is listed as pre-owned only, at £5,550 from Mappin & Webb. A pre-owned watch has been worn, and is normally sold under the retailer’s own warranty rather than the manufacturer’s.
You may also like
In stock, and close on style and price
