Grand Seiko Hi-Beat 36000 V.F.A. SBGH265
Besides the year of the brand’s founding, perhaps the second most important date in Grand Seiko’s history is 1998, when the Japanese manufacture first introduced the Calibre 9S movement. Even in 2018, when Grand Seiko is celebrating the 20th anniversary of the Calibre 9S, this movement is still revered for its utmost precision when it comes to timekeeping. To achieve this, the craftsmen that assemble this movement have honed their skill to a point where they are able to adjust parts like the balance wheel by hand to tolerances of one hundredth of a millimeter and even skillfully polish the grooves between the gear teeth one at a time.
Limited to only 20 pieces worldwide, the 9S85 movement within the watch bears the V.F.A. insignia of Grand Seiko meaning ‘Very Fine Adjusted’. This means that the movement was skillfully modified by the watchmakers of Grand Seiko so it has a precision of +3 to -1 seconds per day. Just to give you a comparison, the Swiss Chronometer certification by COSC only requires a tolerance of +6 to -4 seconds daily. The case is made with 950 platinum and was designed by Nobuhiro Kosugi, who also designed the first 9S watch back in 1998. On the dial, the Daini Seikosha insignia alternates with the GS mark to form a visually interesting mosiac pattern.
