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Grand Seiko Heritage Quartz Blue
Ref. SBGX265
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Stepping up in the same dial colour
The 9F62 is made entirely by hand within Seiko's Shinshu studio, and the discipline that goes into it shows in the result: accuracy held to within ±10 seconds across a full year, and a date that snaps to the new position at exactly midnight rather than crawling across the boundary. For a quartz movement, both of those are genuinely unusual. The SBGX265 is a current expression of a 37mm format Grand Seiko has returned to repeatedly — the SBGX065 being an earlier iteration — updated here to carry only the applied GS logo on the dial, letting the blue sunray pattern read without interruption. At 37mm the case sits well inside the cuff it was measured to clear, and at 10mm thick it does so without lifting the sleeve. The 44.6mm lug-to-lug figure is honest, though the male end links push out slightly from the case, so the fit reads a touch longer in practice. The Zaratsu polishing on the case flanks is the kind of finishing that only becomes clear at an angle — sharp, distortion-free transitions between the polished and brushed surfaces that most watches at this scale do not attempt. The indices and hands carry no lume, which is consistent with a dial this precise in its graphic intention; this is not a watch for darkness. Fitting the bracelet is a patient exercise: half-links within a screw-and-pin construction rather than a flip-clasp adjuster, so sizing is done once, carefully. The three-fold deployant with dual push-button release is solid once set, and the bracelet's three-row layout suits the case scale well enough that the whole thing wears lighter than its 134g on the scale.
- Reference
- SBGX265
- Brand
- Grand Seiko
- Collection
- Heritage CollectionCase Size: 37
- Case size
- 37mm
- Case thickness
- 10mm
- Lug width
- 19mm
- Case material
- Stainless steel
- Case shape
- Tonneau
- Dial
- Blue
- Crystal
- Sapphire
- Movement
- Quartz
- Calibre
- 9F62
- Functions
- Date
- Water resistance
- 100m
- Bracelet / strap
- Stainless steel bracelet
- Strap colour
- Silver
- Clasp
- Three-fold clasp
- Lume
- Luminous
- Retailer
- Mappin & Webb
Additional specifications
- Lug-to-lug
- 44.6mm
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 2 collections
This watch appears in Stainless Steel Watches (2,846) and Blue Dial Watches (776).
What the specifications mean
Strengths
- 100m water resistance covers swimming and watersports
- 37mm suits most wrists
- Sapphire crystal, which resists scratching
- Luminous hands and markers for low light
- Sits in the lower half of Grand Seiko's range as we list it
Compare alternatives
Watches from other brands at a similar price, style and size, so you can see what else your budget can buy.
| Specification | SBGX265 | L55125757 | R30233942 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | £2,300 | £2,100 | £2,250 |
| Case size | 37mm | 37mm | 35mm |
| Water resistance | 100m | 30m | 50m |
| Movement | Quartz | Quartz | Quartz |
| Strap | Stainless steel bracelet | Stainless steel bracelet | Stainless steel bracelet |
| This watch |
|
|
Your new watch
Frequently asked questions, and things you should know about this watch
Can I swim with it?
Yes. At 100m it is rated for swimming and snorkelling, though not for diving.
Will the glass scratch?
Unlikely. Sapphire is second only to diamond in hardness and shrugs off everyday marking.
Does it need a battery?
Yes. It is quartz, so expect a battery change every two to three years at a jeweller.
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 44.6mm, which suits wrists from roughly 16cm (6¼ 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 37mm it sits in the range that suits anyone.
Cheapest place to buy
Mappin & Webb is the only UK retailer we track stocking this reference new, at £2,300. There is nothing to compare it against today.
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