beauty and the beat
If there’s anyone who boasts an intimate working knowledge of the Grand Seiko Hi-Beat 36000 – one of the brand’s most celebrated calibres – it is Satoshi Hiraga, who’s been piecing Seiko timepieces together since 1989. Praising the watch’s ability to maintain high accuracy during use, he also points to the reduction of instantaneous accuracy fluctuations and its resistance to abrasion.
“Oil retention has increased, so customers can use it in the same overhaul period as a Grand Seiko 8-beat model. Changing to a 10-beat without adjusting the balance means that the difference in vertical posture is reduced theoretically and practically. It’s now less susceptible to the influence of posture changes during wear,” he says, proudly eyeing the new Grand Seiko Hi-Beat 36000 GMT Limited Edition (RM29,150), of which there are only 500 units worldwide.
Hiraga – who was recognised as a Contemporary Master Craftsman by the Japanese government in 2015 – swung by Kuala Lumpur recently to deliver a demonstration of the watch’s impeccable movement assembly. As one of only two ‘Gold-Meister’ Watchmakers at the Shizuku-ishi Watch Studio, he displayed his elite skills by handling watch components as small as a grain of rice, including a slender hairspring. “I’m not a perfectionist, but I try my best every day so that I can assemble and adjust watches perfectly,” he smiled, echoing Grand Seiko’s commitment to durability, comfort, precision, and practicality.
