BY HARLAN CHAPMAN-GREEN
In late 2025, Grand Seiko released two new automatic GMT dress watches as part of its SBGM collection. Grand Seiko’s range of dressy watches is particularly varied; the brand is accustomed to using different case shapes and sizes, experimenting with materials and colour combinations, and complications too. They do this while keeping the spirit of Japanese craftsmanship alive by referencing things around them, most notably, the natural wilderness around their studios.
‘Snowdrop’ SBGM255
These two new watches, SBGM255 and SBGM257, have been given the nicknames ‘Snowdrop’ and ‘Moondrop’ respectively, thanks to their coloured dials. The ‘Snowdrop’ has a white dial with radiant crosshatched engraving emanating from the dial’s centre; the white colour is meant to represent melting snow. Meanwhile, the ‘Moondrop’ has the same pattern engraved on it with a dark blue colour representing dew reflecting the moonlight. Exactly how much you believe all that, I’ll leave up to you, but they do both look very classy. The GMT functions are well-integrated.
‘Moondrop’ SBGM257
Powering the new watches is the self-winding calibre 9S66, visible through the sapphire caseback. Based on the calibre 9S65, the 9S66 is a self-winding movement that beats at 4Hz and offers a 72-hour power reserve. The finishing is classy with wide waves covering both the rotor and the plates. Grand Seiko says the movement is rated to between -3 and +5 seconds per day. Interestingly, they say that in real-life use, it is accurate to between -1 and +10 seconds per day.
Encasing the movement on both watches is a stainless steel case measuring 39.5mm x 14.1mm with 30m of water resistance. They’re both presented on a crocodile leather strap, the ‘Snowdrop’ with a black strap and ‘Moondrop’ in dark blue. The price is €5,200/£4,550, and they’re both part of the permanent collection. They are set for release in December 2025.
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