Another blue dial today and yes yet again, those of us sweltering through the increasingly hot Australian summer have our thoughts turned to cooler weather by Grand Seiko, with the release of their new Hi-Beat 36000 “Icefall”, a new addition to their Heritage collection.

This “Icefall” pale blue patterned dial is inspired by the frozen waterfalls of Iwate Prefecture and is meant to mimic the ice formations when water freezes mid flow, hence the name, of the Nanataki waterfall near Mt. Iwate. The SBGH349, a high-beat mechanical watch inspired by the beauty of an icefall. This type of dial first appeared in the SBGH347, which is in a 37mm ‘Ever-Brilliant Steel’ case.

The Hi-Beat 36000 “Icefall” comes in a case (and bracelet) made from Grand Seiko’s proprietary ‘high-intensity’ titanium which is not just about being lightweight, but also about what the brand calls ‘bright’ titanium i.e. a ‘whiter’ sharper glow. The case is 13mm thick and has a water resistance of 100m. The hands are polished steel.

Just as a point of comparison, this titanium watch weighs 104g, whereas the smaller SBGH347 mentioned above, weighs 142g (the steel model has an Australian RRP of $10,300).

Powering it is the automatic Grand Seiko in-house 9S85 which, as the model’s name tells you, beats at 36,000 VPH and has a power reserve of 55 hours.

The Ref. SBGH349 Grand Seiko Hi-Beat 36000 “Icefall” will be available at Grand Seiko boutiques from January 2025 and has an Australian RRP of $11,000.

[Photo credit: Grand Seiko]

Categories: Japanese watches, Seiko, Watch Profile, watches