Grand Seiko introduced the SBGW325 in 2026 as a limited-edition tribute to the SBGW003, the first manual-winding 9S model from 2001. The sbgw325 goes on sale through Grand Seiko Boutiques from October 2026, giving Collectors and Grand Seiko buyers a fixed window and a fixed allocation: 600 pieces.
That run is paired with a price of EUR 5,700, or USD 5,800. The watch keeps the manual-winding line in the same family as the calibre 9S64, the direct descendant of the calibre 9S54 that powered the SBGW003, and that lineage is the point of the release.
Frank and the SBGW231
Frank, founder of Monochrome Watches, once called the Hand-Wound SBGW231 “the Japanese Calatrava”. That comparison matters here because Grand Seiko is again leaning on a restrained, dress-watch format rather than a larger sports model, even as the SBGW325 moves the idea forward with a deep navy dial inspired by Japan’s traditional indigo-dyeing.
The SBGW325 measures 37.3mm across, 11.7mm thick and 44.3 mm from lug to lug. It uses a box-shaped sapphire crystal, is splash-resistant, and brings back boldly raised hour markers from the SBGW003. The Arabic numerals are silver-toned, the watch is fitted with Dauphine hands, and the seconds hand and applied GS logo carry a touch of gold.
SBGW003 and Grand Seiko
The tribute line is simple, but the history is not. Grand Seiko presents the SBGW325 as a nod to the SBGW003, yet the SBGW003 was not the first Grand Seiko watch to shape this design lineage in the way many readers might assume. The watch sits inside a broader evolution of the brand’s manual-winding pieces, where the SBGW003 became the reference point that the SBGW325 now revisits.
Each SBGW325 comes with two leather straps, one hand-dyed blue crocodile strap and one light grey cow leather strap, both using quick-release spring bars. For buyers, that means the watch is not tied to a single look at purchase, and the boutique-only release leaves the practical decision narrow: secure one of the 600 pieces when availability opens in October 2026, or miss this version entirely.
The unanswered part is why Grand Seiko chose 600 pieces. The company has set the supply, the date and the price; it has not explained the number.
