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Grand Seiko Elegance Mechanical Seasons: Summer Hi-Beat 36000 GMT
Ref. 18400205
The SBGJ249 belongs to Grand Seiko's Seasons series, a collection in which each dial is a literal rendering of a Japanese landscape at a particular moment in the year. This one is Shōsho — the period in early summer when warm winds move across still lakes and leave the surface in slow, horizontal ripples. That pattern is pressed directly into the blue dial, and under shifting light it reads differently from every angle: flat and contemplative straight on, alive and textured when caught obliquely. The 9S86 inside is built at Shizukuishi, the studio Grand Seiko reserves for its best mechanical work. Running at 36,000 vibrations per hour, it sweeps more smoothly than any standard-beat movement and is regulated to within five seconds fast or three slow per day — tolerances that most Swiss manufacturers reserve for certified chronometers. Fifty-five hours of reserve means a watch set down on Friday evening is still running Monday morning. At 14.1mm, this is not a thin watch for its 39.5mm width, but the case is rounded at the flanks and the lugs curve down so that it settles against the wrist rather than standing away from it. The Zaratsu-finished hands carry no lume — the table elsewhere will note this — and in doing so they remain true to what the watch actually is: a dress GMT that looks like a painting of a Japanese lake, and keeps time like a precision instrument.
- Reference
- 18400205
- Brand
- Grand Seiko
- Collection
- Elegance Collection
- Case size
- 39.5mm
- Case thickness
- 14.1mm
- Case material
- Stainless steel
- Case shape
- Round
- Dial
- White
- Crystal
- Sapphire
- Movement
- Automatic
- Calibre
- 9S86
- Functions
- GMT, Date
- Water resistance
- 30m
- Bracelet / strap
- Stainless steel bracelet
- Strap colour
- Silver
- Clasp
- Three-fold clasp
- Lume
- Luminous
- Condition
- Ex-display
- Retailer
- Goldsmiths
Additional specifications
- Power reserve
- 55 hours
Learn more about Grand Seiko
Grand Seiko began in 1960 as Seiko's attempt to build a watch to the highest standard in the world, judged against Swiss chronometer criteria rather than Japanese ones. The first model met the Bureaux Officiels standard, and the ambition was explicit: not a good Japanese watch, but a better watch than the Swiss were making.
The 1967 Grammar of Design, laid down by Taro Tanaka, still governs the aesthetic. Flat surfaces and sharp facets rather than curves; hands and markers cut to catch light in defined planes; every surface either mirror-polished or perfectly flat, with no in-between. The polishing is done by hand on tin plates — Zaratsu — which produces distortion-free reflections and cannot be replicated by machine.
The precision case was made at observatory trials in the 1960s, where Grand Seiko movements placed among the leaders in Geneva and Neuchâtel before the competitions ended.
The house's distinctive technology is Spring Drive, introduced in 1999 after nearly three decades of development. A conventional mainspring drives the watch, but the escapement is replaced by an electromagnetic brake regulated by a quartz oscillator: mechanical power, quartz accuracy, and a seconds hand that sweeps without ticking at all.
Grand Seiko was separated into a standalone brand internationally in 2017, with dials frequently drawn from Japanese landscape — the Snowflake among the best known.
- 1960
- The first Grand Seiko is built to Swiss chronometer standards.
- 1967
- Taro Tanaka codifies the Grammar of Design.
- 1968
- The 61GS Hi-Beat reaches 36,000 vibrations per hour.
- 1999
- Spring Drive combines mechanical power with quartz regulation.
- 2017
- Established as an independent brand worldwide.
Also in 6 collections
This watch appears in the Grand Seiko Elegance Collection range (9), Back in Stock (4,847), Stainless Steel Watches (3,197), Automatic Watches (1,736), Pre-Owned, Ex-Display & Vintage Watches (344) and GMT Watches (238).
Manufacturer’s guarantee
Best of 2 retailers
What the specifications mean
A mechanical watch for everyday wear.
Strengths
- 39.5mm suits most wrists
- Sapphire crystal, which resists scratching
- Luminous hands and markers for low light
- Second time zone for travelling
Worth knowing
- 30m means keeping it away from water
- 14.1mm thick, so it will not disappear under a cuff
Grand Seiko Elegance Mechanical Seasons: Summer alternatives
Watches from other brands at a similar price, style and size, so you can see what else your budget can buy.
| Specification | 18400205 | Q4018420 | 03.3300.3604/21.C822 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | £6,960 | £6,150 | £6,250 |
| Case size | 39.5mm | 40mm | 39.5mm |
| Water resistance | 30m | 50m | 100m |
| Movement | Automatic | Automatic | Automatic |
| Strap | Stainless steel bracelet | Leather strap | Rubber strap |
| Power reserve | 55 hours | 70 hours | 60 hours |
| This watch |
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Your new watch
Frequently asked questions, and things you should know about this watch
Can I swim with it?
No. At 30m it will survive rain and handwashing, but not submersion of any kind.
Water resistance explainedWill the glass scratch?
Unlikely. Sapphire is second only to diamond in hardness and shrugs off everyday marking.
Sapphire, mineral and acrylic comparedDoes it need a battery?
No. It is automatic — the motion of your wrist winds it, and there is no cell to replace.
Quartz, automatic and solar comparedHow long does it run for when it's not worn?
About 55 hours fully wound — enough to survive a night off the wrist, but not a full weekend.
Is it a men's or women's watch?
Listed as men's, though at 39.5mm it sits in the range that suits anyone.
Cheapest place to buy
Both Goldsmiths and Mappin & Webb list it at £6,960, so choose on delivery and warranty rather than price.
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