High-beat movements, or calibers that run at 36,000 beats-per-hour/10 beats-per-second, are relatively uncommon in the industry today. The prevailing standard for quite some time now has been 28,800 beats-per-hour, or 8 beats-per-second, and it?s for good reason. These movements strike an excellent compromise as far as overall performance is concerned, with 28,800bph calibers being capable of excellent timekeeping without undue wear and tear on components.

Grand Seiko Ref. SBGJ219, one of the brand’s “Hi-Beat” GMTs.

Nevertheless, high-beat movements are exceptionally cool and come with two notable advantages. The first is aesthetic ? higher-beat movements feature second hands with a smoother sweep. Advancing at 10 beats-per-second, a high-beat second hand glides elegantly across the dial, further masking the start-stop operation of the escapement which one can still make out in slower rate movements.
The second advantage is greater reliability. Ultimately, a balance operating at a faster beat rate will show greater resilience to external rotational forces, like sudden shocks, which in turn results in more reliable daily timekeeping.
But as I briefly mentioned into above, higher-beat movements are not without their downsides, chief among them a decreased power reserve and increased wear and tear on components. So when Grand Seiko approached their modern high-beat movements,, which they call “Hi-Beat,” these concerns were top of mind....