A Guide to Grand Seiko Dial Textures

The Grand Seiko brand first made waves for their precision in the 1960s, outdoing countless storied Swiss watchmakers at timekeeping competitions. But it remained a domestic Japanese brand for decades, and Grand Seiko didn’t wholeheartedly enter the international market until 2010. Collectors quickly took notice, and Grand Seiko dials became well-known for looking virtually perfect even when magnified under a loupe. Watches with interesting dials, like the Snowflake, became particularly popular. Consumers seemed to want more textured dials, and Grand Seiko has really leaned into that in recent years. Even for seasoned watch nerds it can be difficult to keep them all straight, so we made a handy chart of Grand Seiko dial textures.

Grand Seiko Dial Texture Chart

Texture Name	Example Reference	Description
Atera Valley	SLGA025	A pleasant texture resembling a painting of doghair.
Birch	SLGH005 (White Birch) SLGH017 (Night Birch)	Textured pattern resembling birch tree bark. The texture is stamped seven times to achieve the desired effect.
Birch Bark	SLGW002	A different textured pattern also resembling birch tree bark. You can think of it as a more “zoomed in” tree bark look compared to the regular Birch.
Black Wood/Cedar/Tree Rings	SLGH007 SLGA008	An exotic and “distinct wood-grain texture that is not press patterned in the way that many Grand Seiko dials are.” This meticulously engraved pattern debuted in 2021 on the platinum SLGH007 model.
Boshū/Byōka/Sakura-Kakushi	SBGW285 (Byōka) SBGW287 (Boshū) SBGW289 (Sakura-Kakushi)	Gentle grainy texture. Note that GS has also used the term “Sakura-Kakushi” to describe another unrelated textured dial.
Celestial	SLGA013	This is just a stamped version of the Black Wood/Cedar/Tree Rings texture, rotated 45 degrees.
Diamond	SBGX269	A repeating outlined-diamond pattern.
Fir Tree/Onbashira	SBGA005	An interlocking fir tree pattern.
Genbi Valley	SLGH021	Light green molded pattern resembling a sheet of cracking ice.
Ginza	SBGH317	A “diagonal tile kitchen backsplash” vibe supposedly inspired by the streets of Ginza.
GS9F Pattern	SBGN007	A repeating motif of Seiko’s original quartz symbol.
Honeycomb	SBGE009	I don’t know if there’s an official name for this texture, but it reminds me of a Rolex honeycomb dial. Or a golf ball.
Jōdogahama Beach/Miyako Bay/Mosaic	SBGH337	A “concentric fishnet” pattern only available on three models which are exclusive to the UK retailer Watches of Switzerland.
Kamisen/Sunbeam/Sunburst	SBGY009	“Kamisen” is the word for a folding Japanese paper fan, an appropriate name for these dials. These would be called sunbeam dials in the Rolex world. Others prefer the term sunburst.
Kirazuri	SBGA465	Kind of a mix between a Snowflake dial and a linen dial. Kirazuri is a Japanese woodblock printmaking technique that uses mica powder to create a sparkling effect. The term translates to “sparkling painting.”
Lake Suwa/Omiwatari	SLGA007 (Lake Suwa) SBGH267 (Omiwatari)	Rippled texture mimicking the surface of Lake Suwa. “Omiwatari” is the winter version of the same texture, made in a snow-like light blue color.
Linen	STGK007	Intricate textured pattern inspired by the subtle beauty of…cloth.
Lion’s Mane/Shunbun/Hotaka	SBGA481 (Lion’s Mane) SBGA413 (Shunbun) SBGE295 (Hotaka)	A swirly, bristly pattern. Lion’s mane is the perfect way to describe it. The pink version used on the Shunbun (SBGA413) is often called a “cherry blossom” dial.
Majestic Birch	SBGZ009	A masterfully hand-engraved version of the Birch texture.
Mt. Iwate	SBGK005	Textured pattern that appears to be “exploding” from the center. Striking in bright light and subtle in low light, this texture has been made in many colors across various models.
Nanbu Tekki	SBGK017	Named for a traditional Japanese metalworking technique, this texture looks like rings of roof shingles emanating from the center of the dial.
Peacock	SBGJ227 (Original Peacock) SBGJ261 (Blue Peacock)	Impressive concentric texture that does, in fact, evoke a peacock.
Rikka	SBGH271	Subtle irregular cross-hatched texture.
Ryūsendō	SBGK015	A Spirograph-like radial pattern similar to the Whirlpool a.k.a. Grand Seiko Swirl dial that it replaced.
Sakura-Wakaba/Sakura-Kakushi/Sekkei	SBGH341 (Sakura-Kakushi) SBGH343 (Sakura-Wakaba) SBGJ277 (Sekkei)	Similar to Lion’s Mane, except with more of a “bacteria under a microscope” vibe. Note that GS has also used the term “Sakura-Kakushi” to describe a different textured dial.
Sea of Clouds	SBGJ275	“Sea of Clouds” pretty much sums it up.
Shizukuishi Hand-Engraved	SBGW263	A lovely brushed dial with intricate hour and minute markers carved by master engraver Kiyoshi Terui.
Shizukuishi Silver Birch	SBGW264	A quilt-like “radial checkerboard” pattern. Note that Studio Shizukuishi is where Grand Seiko manufactures their mechanical watches, so they invoke the town of Shizukuishi often and in inconsistent ways.
Shōsho/Wave	SBGJ249	They say this is “inspired by waves” or whatever but it’s literally just the Birch texture rotated 90 degrees.
Snowflake	SBGA211 (Classic Snowflake) SBGA407 (“Skyflake”) SBGA497 (Pink Snowflake) SBGE285 (Light Grey)	This is the snow-like texture that Grand Seiko is arguably best known for. The white version is the classic, but now there are other light colors, too.
Sokō/Brushed	SBGA427 (Light) SBGA429 (Shadow)	Just a nice, classy vertical brushed pattern.
Tapisserie	SBGJ233	A classic “grid” dial pattern used on some high-end Swiss watches like the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore.
Tapestry	SBGH261	Vertical “corrugated metal roof” pattern, similar to a Rolex tapestry dial.
Tatami	SBGA111	A tessellated pattern of “+” symbols, which represents the number 10 in kanji, commemorating the 10th anniversary of the Spring Drive 9R movement. “Tatami” is traditional Japanese straw flooring.
Triforce/Legend of Zelda	SBGX036	Interlocking triangles resembling the Triforce symbol from Legend of Zelda.
Urban Bamboo/Yuka Momiji	SBGJ259 (Urban Bamboo) SBGJ273 (Yuka Momiji)	Wide vertical striations with some rich-looking variations in hue.
Ushio/Kuroshio Current	SLGA023 (Ushio) SLGA015 (Kuroshio Current)	Mimics the surface of a turbulent sea. Like the Lake Suwa texture but with more ripples. More “veiny” than the Grand Seiko Shōsho dial.
Whirlpool/GS Swirl	SBGH267	Swirling, Spirograph-like pattern with GS logos interspersed. Replaced by the Ryūsendō design.

Gallery

Naming Conventions of Grand Seiko Dial Textures

I’ll admit I can get a bit cynical about the seemingly unending stream of Grand Seiko releases attached to flowery prose about seasonal Japanese landscapes. But, looking past the marketing, Grand Seiko textured dials really are awesome. The quality of the product is what matters, and my burgundy Mt. Iwate GMT (ref. SBGJ021) is one of my favorite watches.

I just wish Grand Seiko would use terms more consistently. On their website, a “sunray dial” is basically a normal shiny dial, while a “sun ray pattern” (with a space) refers to the Kamisen dial. They claim that the pink grainy dial texture of ref. SBGW289 invokes “Sakura-Kakushi,” referring to the annual “hiding of the cherry blossoms.” And apparently ref. SBGH341, with the “Sekkei” texture of the SBGJ277, does too. So there are two entirely different dial textures both being called “Sakura-Kakushi” by Grand Seiko just because they’re both light pink. And they throw the word “Shizukuishi” around a lot. They actually coherently named the “Mt. Iwate” texture, though–they consistently use the term “Mt. Iwate” for that particular texture regardless of the color. Maybe they could try doing that with all their textures?

In any case, hopefully this guide is helpful for keeping this all straight. You might know of some textured Grand Seiko dials with names that I didn’t include, and many are likely just different colors of the textures above. The Hanami dial of ref. SBGW313 is just a pink version of the Mt. Iwate texture, the Dusk Ginza dial of ref. SBGA 447 is just a dark blue Kamisen dial, Sōkō Frost is just a light blue Kirazuri dial, etc. But if we missed some textures, let us know in the comments!

More on Grand Seiko:
Grand Seiko Releases a New Case Size and a New Dial Texture for 2024
Opinion: Grand Seiko Makes Good Bracelets
Why Grand Seiko’s Marketing Department Needs to Get it Together