Grand Seiko SBGH376 “Sakura Wakaba”

Zach Blass

Did you catch the Grand Seiko SBGH376 “Sakura Wakaba” when it came out? At Watches and Wonders 2026, much of the focus was on the Grand Seiko Ushio Diver – and understandably so. But this precious SBGH376 was another more under-the-radar Grand Seiko launch that was not one to miss. The diver is a daily, but for many, this SBGH376 could be a grail.

The case

The Grand Seiko SBGH376 “Sakura Wakaba” comes in what may be my personal favourite Grand Seiko case geometry: the 62GS. The 62GS shape stands out with its highly faceted design, somehow both sharp and rounded at the same time. In my opinion, it is one of the best geometries in the brand’s arsenal to show off its renowned, top-notch Zaratsu finishing. And in 18k yellow gold, the Zaratsu finishing looks even more potent.

Studio Shizukuishi, the home of Grand Seiko’s fully mechanical watchmaking, and Studio Shinshu, the brand’s home for its quartz and Spring Drive creations, often have subtle deviations in finishing style for the various case geometries. In the case of the 62GS, pun not intended, Studio Shizukuishi renders the 62GS steel case with a full distortion-free mirror polish on the front of the case and the upper half of the case sides. But were you to look at Grand Seiko’s titanium SBGA413 ‘Shunbun’, a fan-favourite creation out of Studio Shinshu, the front of the lugs would be hairline brushed.

For white metal cases in steel or titanium, I personally prefer the brushed-leading Shinshu way. But in the case of 18k yellow gold, ok that time pun intended, I think the design benefits from leading with distortion-free mirror finishing. It results in the case going dark when viewed head-on under light, letting the vibrant dial be the focal point as you’re trying to read the time. But, of course, you still have some rich hairline brushing on the case sides – and the lines that are much richer in the yellow gold hue.

In terms of fit, the SBGH376 is in Grand Seiko’s 38mm 62GS case, which also measures 12.9mm thick and a nice compact 44.7mm lug-to-lug to better suit a more dress-watch-oriented scale. But, to be clear, this watch is 100 metres water-resistant with a screw-down crown – so it’s not the case in this instance that would give you pause for taking it for a swim.

The dial

If the 18k yellow gold case wasn’t already eye-catching enough, the co-star in the SBGH376 equation is its Sakura Wakaba dial that captures the moment when white cherry blossoms and fresh green leaves appear together – the transition from sakura blossoms to budding leaves in Japan’s springtime. In plainer terms, the dial is a light green dial with a foliage-inspired texture created through a sort of crosshatched texture pressed into the dial with a handcrafted mould. The razor-sharp hands, faceted hour indices, date window frame, and GS logo are executed in a case-matching tone – but they are not solid gold, as there is no special star signature on the dial, which Grand Seiko utilises to denote when precious metal is used for dial components.

Nonetheless, the finishing of these components is superb, and I always love Grand Seiko’s razor-sharp dauphine-style handset when they are mirror-polished on their top side. You can watch the gold-toned central seconds hand pass over the hands and see the distortion-free reflection that reveals just how well these hands are finished.

The strap

Now, the strap is where you cannot really take full advantage of the 100-metre depth rating. The SBGH376 is handsomely outfitted on a brown crocodile leather strap with an 18k yellow gold folding clasp to secure it to your wrist. It is a perfect pairing as a leather option in my eyes; however, I still want to see Grand Seiko invest in rubber strap making – rubber straps that sit flush to the respective case geometry they are made for as a means to offer a more casual aesthetic that can better cater to the daily-driver specs watches like this have while still being able to be dressed up.

The movement

Inside and exhibited is Grand Seiko’s in-house high-beat automatic 9S85 movement with 55 hours of power reserve. It’s a great tried-and-true calibre for the brand, regulated to be accurate to +5/-3 seconds per day when static. That said, I’d like to see Grand Seiko start using next-gen calibres like the 9SA5, or an equivalent, in watches like this to make the offer feel even more premium than it already is.

The verdict

At US$32,800 or A$46,600, this is a very aspirational Grand Seiko watch for buyers around the world. Fortunately, it is not a limited edition, so you have time to save up if you don’t have the purse right now. In terms of its aesthetic and dimensions, there is nothing I would really pick apart or change. It’s very well executed and yet another very attractive Grand Seiko design.

My two points of feedback as a Grand Seiko fanboy are the calibre being the more entry-level high-beat 9S85 instead of the more advanced 9SA5, which, in fairness, has yet to be in a case smaller than 40mm. But its hand-wound sibling, the 9SA4, has been used in 38mm cases, so having a dual impulse escapement movement from Grand Seiko in a watch this size is not beyond the realm of possibility. The second is the strap. Again, the brown crocodile is classic and suits the watch well, but I do think the right rubber strap with a textile-like upper on a watch like this could work really well and open this reference up to an even broader demographic.