Jewellery & Watch News
Since their founding in 1881, Seiko have been born from a desire to build the world’s best watch. But what makes a watch the best? Is it its design, functionality, reliability or precision? Seiko believes that it is all these things, but in particular, the movement within must be perfected to ensure only the best in performance and accuracy. Because of this, Seiko are behind some of the industry’s greatest and most legendary quartz and mechanical movements, with the Seiko Hi Beat arguably coming in first place.
What is the Hi Beat Movement?
In order to understand the Hi Beat movement, we must first understand the importance of a watch’s frequency. The frequency is used to describe the speed at which a watch ticks and it is measured by the number of semi-oscillations the balance spring makes in the time period of one hour. This is why the frequency is often noted by vph or bph (vibrations or beats per hour). In most high-end luxury watches, a frequency of 28,800 vph is considered incredibly good with many COSC certified watches meeting this limit. Yet, somehow the Seiko Hi-Beat movement does even better.
A Seiko Hi-Beat calibre boasts a frequency of an extraordinary 36,000vph, something that only a handful of watch manufacturers can acclaim they have mastered. This higher frequency means that the watch will deliver a higher rate of accuracy, with Seiko Hi Beat watches promising an accuracy of +8 to -1 seconds per day. This rate of precision is even better than the standards laid out by COSC and so Seiko tend to forget the chronometer certification altogether and instead declare that Seiko Hi Beat watches are in a league of their own.
How does the Hi Beat Movement work?
So how has Seiko created a movement with such a high rate of frequency? The key component to their invention is what they call Micro Electro Mechanical Systems (MEMS) technology which is used in the manufacturing of its escapements. The escapement is a self-contained device that takes its power from the force of a mainspring, and its speed is regulated at the same pace the spring unwinds. The escapement comprises of a balance wheel, hairspring, escapement wheel and pallet fork which all work together to oscillate at the set frequency.
In order to ensure each component works perfectly together and to guarantee both a higher frequency and higher rate of accuracy, Seiko use Micro Electro Mechanical Systems technology. For example, the escape wheel is manufactured using MEMS technology to make it 5% lighter than others of its kind. This means that less power is needed to turn them, and the power reserve lasts much longer. It also ensures greater lubrication retention so that even at higher rotation speeds of a high-beat movement, the durability of the escapement is ensured.
Seiko Hi Beat Movement Watches
Now that you know how the Seiko Hi Beat movement works, we are sure you can understand why Seiko watches are so widely coveted. At C W Sellors, we are extremely proud to be official authorised stockists of all the Seiko brands including Seiko Prospex, Seiko Presage, Seiko Astron and Grand Seiko. You can find all these watches on our website including a huge range of Grand Seiko Hi Beat watches here.
