# Grand Seiko SBGW325 "Arabic Blue" Ships This Month in a 600-Piece Edition

> A 37.3mm hand-wound Elegance model marks 25 years of the manual 9S caliber and brings back the Arabic numerals of the 2001 SBGW003.

URL: https://wristmetric.com/news/grand-seiko-sbgw325-arabic-blue
Section: News
Published: October 2, 2026
By: Wristmetric Staff
Brands: Grand Seiko

Grand [Seiko](https://wristmetric.com/brands/seiko)'s SBGW325, nicknamed "Arabic Blue," is due to ship this month. The Elegance Collection model was announced in mid-September and opened for pre-order, with production limited to 600 pieces at $5,800.

The watch is a tribute to the SBGW003 of 2001, the first [Grand Seiko](https://wristmetric.com/brands/grand-seiko) fitted with a hand-wound 9S movement. The new reference marks 25 years of that hand-wound line, and it borrows the older watch's most distinctive detail, a full set of Arabic numerals from 1 to 12. On the SBGW325 they are raised and silver, set against a matte indigo blue dial. There is no date window to interrupt the layout.

## Case and movement

The steel case measures 37.3mm across and 11.7mm thick, with a lug-to-lug length of 44.3mm and 19mm lugs. Its surfaces get Zaratsu polishing, the distortion-free mirror finish Grand Seiko is known for. A box-shaped sapphire crystal covers the dial, and a sapphire display back, marked with the edition number, shows the movement. Water resistance is 30m.

That movement is the caliber 9S64, hand-wound, with 24 jewels and a 72-hour power reserve. Grand Seiko rates it at +5/−3 seconds a day in static testing. Published sources disagree on the strap, so it is not listed here.

## What it adds up to

On paper, this is a classically sized [dress watch](https://wristmetric.com/dress-watches/). A 37.3mm case with a 44.3mm lug-to-lug span sits well inside the range most wrists can wear, and the 72-hour reserve means the watch can rest through a weekend and still be running on Monday. That matters more on a hand-wound piece than on an automatic, since there is no rotor to top it up. The 19mm lug width is the one practical snag, because aftermarket straps are easier to find in even sizes.

The price is the harder part. $5,800 buys a time-only steel watch with 30m of water resistance. What the money pays for is the finishing, the 9S64 and a dial layout Grand Seiko rarely uses. Anyone who already owns a hand-wound SBGW will recognize the formula. The argument for this one rests almost entirely on the dial.

## Key specifications

- Reference SBGW325, Elegance Collection, limited to 600 pieces
- 37.3mm by 11.7mm stainless steel case, 44.3mm lug-to-lug, 19mm lugs
- Zaratsu-polished surfaces
- Hand-wound caliber 9S64, 24 jewels, 72-hour power reserve
- Rated +5/−3 seconds a day (static)
- Matte indigo blue dial, raised silver Arabic numerals, no date
- Box-shaped sapphire crystal, sapphire display back with edition number
- 30m water resistance
- $5,800, shipping October 2026

Prices are US dollars as charged by the maker at publication. Verify specifications with the manufacturer before buying. Editorial policy: https://wristmetric.com/editorial-policy/