SBGX067, QUARTZ, WHITE TEXTURED DIAL

A ref. SBGX067, the Grand Seiko quartz in titanium. The white dial is finely textured, so it reads as white from a distance and shimmers under a loupe, with faceted indices and sharp hands that catch every bit of light. The case is a compact 37mm, polished with Grand Seiko's Zaratsu technique and remarkably light on the wrist thanks to its titanium construction. Inside is the calibre 9F62, rated to plus or minus ten seconds a year. The seconds hand lands exactly on each marker, every time. This one wears on its bracelet, a perfect match for the lightness of the case.

Grand Seiko introduced the 9F quartz family in 1993 with an unusual ambition: to make the finest quartz movement in the world. The 9F is assembled by hand and packed with details no ordinary quartz watch bothers with, from a twin pulse motor that drives the heavy hands to a mechanism that changes the date instantly at midnight. Each crystal is aged before use, so its frequency is stable before it is ever fitted. The SBGX067 arrived in 2011, pairing the 9F62 with a titanium case and a textured white dial. It became a favourite among those who wanted Grand Seiko quality in an everyday watch.

We sourced it because the 9F is quartz in name only. Watch the seconds hand: it hits every marker dead centre, with none of the drift you see on lesser quartz watches. Wait for midnight and the date jumps in an instant. And look at the dial, a fine texture that only reveals itself under the light, and the polishing on the case, which is as good as anything Grand Seiko does on its mechanical watches. In titanium it is barely there on the wrist, a watch you forget you are wearing until you check the time and it is exactly right. That is the whole point. Curated with intent.