# Need opinions! Old Dial or new dial? SBGX061 vs SBGX261



## JohnyKwst

I believe the only difference between these two models is the new dial lay out on the SBGX261. Which do you guys prefer, the old layout SBGX061 or the new layout SBBX261? 

Are there any other differences between the two models?


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## Alter Egon

Definitely the old dial, the new looks like there was something missing in the lower part. All new quartz GS look worse to me.


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## Foxman2k

Old dial


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## Prince Escalus

The new positioning for divers are good but the spring drives quartz autos and hibeats man.... absolutely terrible

The words Grand Seiko should be directly under 12

GS should be directly above 6

its just heaps more balanced.

Whoever signed off of the new placement in dress watches has been inhaling too many sake fumes.

Im so glad I got my GS before the change... I would be hard pressed to buy another now


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## ciphermonk

I had a choice between the old and new when going with my snowflake and opted for the new. It think it's just a matter of preference. Go with whichever suits *your *eye more.

You are the one that will be wearing it.


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## ten13th

ciphermonk said:


> You are the one that will be wearing it.


What he said.

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## jeffreyt

I like the old style with the big SEIKO at the top and therefore everyone should like the old style. It makes just a much better balanced dial face.

Jeff


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## T1meout

I maybe in the minority here, but I personally prefer the sterile look of the updated GS Quartz dials.


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## 3migo

I'm a big fan of the new dials. They seem so much cleaner.


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## srminimo

I prefer the new dial as well. I never understood the need for the Seiko.


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## CFK-OB

I much prefer the new dials. I find them a lot more balanced. So much so, that I just bought a new dial GS quartz for my father's 70th.


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## Laso1

I am a convert. I have come to like the new look. Years ago some of my friends and I were debating a large renovation of our local Interstate Exchange. A friend said in a year you won't even remember what it use to look like. He was right. I think this applies to most changes and will be the reality of the GS change. But as pointed out above it is your preference not ours. You need to be happy with your choice, and not worry about what we think.


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## bohammer71

jeffreyt said:


> I like the old style with the big SEIKO at the top and therefore everyone should like the old style. It makes just a much better balanced dial face.
> 
> Jeff


Ditto


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## JohnyKwst

Thanks for the replies! I think I am going to go with the new dial. I definitely feel the less writing on products the better.


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## closeset

old one + 1


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## bkdc

I prefer the new Grand Seiko dials in all the releases EXCEPT the quartz watches. There is an odd blank space in the bottom half of the quartz watch dial which feels unbalanced. For the quartz watches -- old dial.

The SGBX061 is my standard grab-and-go office dress watch, and the big SEIKO across the top helps me fly under the radar anyway.


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## hankaarons

Old dial - I have one.


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## jdmfetish

new over old 
but if you can not decide buy what cost less


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## anaplian

bkdc said:


> I prefer the new Grand Seiko dials in all the releases EXCEPT the quartz watches. There is an odd blank space in the bottom half of the quartz watch dial which feels unbalanced. For the quartz watches -- old dial.
> 
> The SGBX061 is my standard grab-and-go office dress watch, and the big SEIKO across the top helps me fly under the radar anyway.


Yep. I agree. I've find people staring at my SBGX059 in meetings. They seem transfixed by its shininess - they lean in slightly to see what it is and then immediately lose interest when they see the Seiko logo.


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## bkdc

anaplian said:


> Yep. I agree. I've find people staring at my SBGX059 in meetings. They seem transfixed by its shininess - they lean in slightly to see what it is and then immediately lose interest when they see the Seiko logo.


The white is an even better "under the radar" look. It doesn't have the hypnotic changing reflection of the silver dial which looks white-silver-champagne depending on the light. I think it's the ultimate quartz dress watch. And on the secondary market, it's available to purchase for possibly 40% of the cost of a Citizen Chronomaster. I'm so glad GS isn't more popular and I can continue to snap up preowned bargains.


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## Drogo

Definitely the old one


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## lp_hall

Should've added some pics man... I say go with the SBGX061. The "GS Grand Seiko" at the top of the SBGX261 just doesn't look right to me.


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## jason042779

Making a similar decision on a pre-owned SBGE005 vs. new SBGE205...


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## JohnyKwst

lp_hall said:


> Should've added some pics man... I say go with the SBGX061. The "GS Grand Seiko" at the top of the SBGX261 just doesn't look right to me.


I really should have posted pics but with Photo bucket no longer working I need to find a new image host.

By the way, I am still deliberating this, decision but I am now leaning towards the old style dial!


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## GeneralSkinny

lp_hall said:


> Should've added some pics man... I say go with the SBGX061.* The "GS Grand Seiko" at the top of the SBGX261 just doesn't look right to me.*


I agree that it looks a little off for some reason. Not sure if it's the positioning, or what. That said, I'd still take the 261 over the 061. Having Seiko, Grand Seiko, AND the Grand Seiko logo on the dial is just too much for me.


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## Foxman2k

Old style all the way on the Quartz models


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## riposte

I believe both version is beautiful
I'm prefer with Seiko logo on the top. 2 shiny logos is better, more attractive. But I can't ignoring without Seiko logo version, it has cleaner looking and I'm okay with empty dial.
picture from rakuten jp


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## JohnyKwst

Old Dial SBGX061








New Dial SBGX261


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## carlhaluss

Wow! Now that I have seen some real life photos of the new quartz model dials, I would go with the old dial for sure. The new dial looks totally stark and unbalanced. Couldn't they at least have put the "GS" on top and "Grand Seiko" on the bottom to balance it out? It looks hideous IMO


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## tacotom

I I like both but I give the slight nod to the old dial. 


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## Tseg

In general, over the last few months, while several people have been boasting their 'new' Grands Seikos it is interesting that the number with the 'new' dial seem to be less than a handful. Of course there could be a number of different reasons for this.


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## ahonobaka

^They've only been out a few months and not everyone is in a rush to spend ~$4000+ in my opinion...That said, I see the new dials on Instagram all the time! How many people even own GS over all? Give it a few years I say


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## bkdc

The new dial draws longer stares. Because the stare lasts as long as the brand name is recognized. And the new GS logo with smaller Grand Seiko print under it is less legible than "SEIKO". Pros and cons depending on your view. There were many brand-conscious folk who claimed they would consider Grand Seiko if it broke off into its own brand. I seriously doubt they will buy if they are looking for a status symbol rather than an impeccably crafted watch. Brand conscious people don't change their way of thought overnight.


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## OkGoodThen

Thank you Johnykwst for posting the pics! :-! I personally prefer the old dial with the Seiko at the top, because like others said, the Seiko on the dial is like a cloaking device for the watch. IMO, it also adds to balance of the dial.


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## Homo Sapien X

IMHO 
The new dial is cleaner.
For collection, the old dial GS would be well sort after later, it’s like limited edition pieces. It makes more sense to buy old dials now when the price is more sensible. 
GS old dial were made only for Japanese market until Y2010. They are collectible. 

Like King Seiko, the prices keep escalating ....


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## georgepar

I get the whole "most people lose interest once they see 'SEIKO' at the top". That has been my experience with my Ananta chrono (no GS just yet, but working on it) - once people see the prominent SEIKO on the face, interest wanes and it might as well be a Citizen from the local department store. I personally don't care, but I appreciate that some people do. There is certainly a branding/marketing issue that Seiko is trying to address.

I also feel that having both "Seiko" and "Grand Seiko" on the face is a bit redundant, but I also get the balance issue, and the feeling that there should be "something" in that empty space. So I generally prefer the new face, except I am not a fan of the offset "Grand Seiko" that can be found on models like SBGC203G - gives the impression that the movement was not specifically designed for the watch. I also doubt the "SEIKO" versions will appreciate because of the change - I suspect the reverse to occur instead, where they are seen as a "value" purchase on the pre-owned side of things instead of buying one with the updated face.


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## natrmrz

I use to be in the camp of liking the "more balanced" old dial but have since warmed up to if not now prefer the "clean" new dial

Compared to rolex and omega top logo and text combo it now fits right in line with that same aesthetic with the GS logo. Considering the idea of how they added bottom text with their other offerings by labeling it with the "Driving System" as they would say i.e. Spring Drive, Automatic, etc. I can understand they were caught in a rock and a hard place with putting or omitting "Quartz" in the bottom for these 9562 models

personally I wish they would just own it and slap "Quartz" on these bad boys but a "clean" dial works for me too


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## Araziza

I prefer the older dial. 


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## coastiesquid

I used to prefer the older version but the new one has really grown on me.


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## Homo Sapien X

Grand Seiko will not produce any double brand names, the old style will be the one for me. Now that the older style watches are still kind of affordable, go for it before GS establishes their position strongly in the market. 


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## Pete26

I like the new dials









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## obomomomo

It's the new one for me.

Firstly it is a much cleaner dial without the ugly mix of different typefaces for which they did receive some heavy criticism in these forums in the past. The new logo is now one of the most elegant in the business IMO with the big font GS applied logo and small font Grand Seiko print.

Secondly call me a snob but it does help differentiate GS from 'ordinary' Seikos.

I'd probably buy my GS with the old logo but the new logo is the sweetener for me.


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## Watch19

Years of looking at watches has conditioned my brain to expect some labelling below 12 and above 6, even though saying "Seiko" twice isn't ideal. It will take some time to acclimate to the seeing the empty field presented by the new design GS quartz dials. For now, the impression is that something's missing. 
Some may say it looks "clean" but to my eyes this looks even more wrong:


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## KILOFINAL7

I like the new "Grand Seiko" only face. IMO, I wouldn't want Lexus to slap on an additional badge that says Toyota on their cars.


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## obomomomo

Watch19 said:


> Years of looking at watches has conditioned my brain to expect some labelling below 12 and above 6, even though saying "Seiko" twice isn't ideal. It will take some time to acclimate to the seeing the empty field presented by the new design GS quartz dials. For now, the impression is that something's missing.
> Some may say it looks "clean" but to my eyes this looks even more wrong:
> 
> View attachment 13783093


I agree years of conditioning makes a blank space above 6 feel like something is missing. I think they should add something like 'High Accuracy Quartz' or 'Thermo Compensated', or other special feature about the movement. Manufacturers in general seem keen to say 'Automatic' on d dial but less keen when a quartz movement is involved. A shame I think.


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## Mr.Jones82

As much as I prefer an open dial without any clutter, I have to admit it is a bit jarring when you first see it without any print down below because you are so accustomed to seeing text of some sort, but you learn how to appreciate it.


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## zuckermania

On the quartz models I prefer the old dial.


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## JohnyKwst

I ended up going with the old dial. The old dial is more balanced but the new dial is more clean. I also agree that the two different typefaces and repeating of the word Seiko on the old dial is not ideal. It was a really close decision but in the end, for me the balanced look won out.


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## Homo Sapien X

JohnyKwst said:


> I ended up going with the old dial. The old dial is more balanced but the new dial is more clean. I also agree that the two different typefaces and repeating of the word Seiko on the old dial is not ideal. It was a really close decision but in the end, for me the balanced look won out.


The old dial would be a classic and collectible. GS has now increased their production and engaged more than 200 craftsmen to make GS watches. Previously they have only 25 of master craft men for the job and quality control was extremely tight, so seiko managed only to produce limited pieces of GS watches per year pre 2010.

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## BrianBinFL

KILOFINAL7 said:


> I like the new "Grand Seiko" only face. IMO, I wouldn't want Lexus to slap on an additional badge that says Toyota on their cars.


I'm with you on this one. Though it is perhaps a shame, I think that in order for Grand Seiko to achieve the level of respect it deserves, it needs to be set apart from "regular Seiko" as much as possible. Grand Seiko still has Seiko in the name so having both on the dial seems redundant.

Not only does it dilute the luxury brand (like putting a TOYOTA badge on a Lexus would), it's even worse because it would be like putting this on the rear of the vehicle:



Code:


TOYOTA                                  GT
                                   GRAND TOYOTA

I greatly prefer the new dial layout. So much so that when perusing used watches I immediately rule out the pre-2017 watches. This is a shame because there are a ton of gorgeous GS's with the old dial layout. Here's a side-by-side I put together of old vs. new in a GS spring drive:









For the spring drive models I think the old layout actually looked a little cluttered. The name badges are not the pièce de résistance - the hands, indices, and dial are, so those should be distracted from minimally in my opinion. With the power reserve indicator and the words "SPRING DRIVE" at the bottom, I think that is sufficient to keep the bottom from being "too blank". Also, somehow the 2017 dial just looks more luxurious to my eye.

Now I will concede that the new layout on the quartz models results in the bottom looking a bit too vacant. They would definitely benefit from having "Grand Seiko" at the top and "GS" below. Even though I know the 9F is not your garden variety quartz, my quartz aversion still keeps me from considering one, so this isn't likely to be an issue for me anytime soon.

As with all things, but especially fashion, to each their own. There are plenty of pre-2017 watches out there to satisfy those who prefer the old dial layout and Seiko is turning out new models like crazy for those of us who prefer the new.


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## PANICiii

For me, this model looks better with the original dial. Looks like the OP made his decision (Old dial). 
Enjoy!


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## obomomomo

JohnyKwst said:


> I ended up going with the old dial. The old dial is more balanced but the new dial is more clean. I also agree that the two different typefaces and repeating of the word Seiko on the old dial is not ideal. It was a really close decision but in the end, for me the balanced look won out.


Hearty congrats on your choice OP.
Either is a winner regardless old or new dial markings


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## DrGoode

Tough call. There's something to be said about GS new design/branding to separate itself from Seiko. On some models I like the new logo, on others the old. I think it's just a matter of preferance, not a hard and fast rule.


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## HaiovR

I would go with the old dial


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## richnyc

I have the old one, SBGX061, and don't mind the two brand names... It feels balanced... Seiko just could have slapped "Chronometer" in the bottom half to balance it out, like Citizen:










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