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Grand Seiko Heritage Collection Rikka 40mm Hi-Beat Mens Watch Green
Ref. SBGH351
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Stepping up in Grand Seiko's range
Rikka is the seventh of Japan's twenty-four micro-seasons, the point in the calendar when early summer announces itself through deepening greens and a warm, unhurried wind. Grand Seiko has tied this dial to that moment: the textured green shifts as light moves across it, reading differently at noon and under artificial light in a way a flat colour never could. The SBGH351 succeeds the SBGH271 with a brighter, more saturated tone, and where its predecessor used gilt hands, this one runs silver indices against the green — a cleaner pairing that lets the dial do the work. The gold appears only on the GS logo and the seconds hand, just enough to acknowledge the predecessor without repeating it. The case is a present-day reading of the 1967 62GS, and the lineage is legible: those sharp, Zaratsu-polished planes and the bezel-free construction that widens the dial opening without adding bulk are both carried forward intact. Ever-Brilliant Steel polishes brighter than conventional stainless and resists corrosion more stubbornly, which matters on a bracelet that will be worn daily. The 9S85 inside beats at 36,000 vibrations per hour and is hand-assembled at Grand Seiko's Studio Shizukuishi in Iwate Prefecture — the studio Grand Seiko reserves for its mechanical movements — giving it a 55-hour reserve and a rate tolerance that mechanical watchmaking rarely reaches.
- Reference
- SBGH351
- Brand
- Grand Seiko
- Collection
- Heritage CollectionCase Size: 40
- Case size
- 40mm
- Case thickness
- 12.9mm
- Lug width
- 21mm
- Case material
- Stainless steel
- Case shape
- Round
- Dial
- Green
- Crystal
- Sapphire
- Movement
- Automatic
- Calibre
- 9S85
- Functions
- Date
- Water resistance
- 100m
- Bracelet / strap
- Stainless steel bracelet
- Strap colour
- Silver
- Clasp
- Three-fold clasp
- Lume
- Luminous
- Retailer
- Mappin & Webb
Additional specifications
- Lug-to-lug
- 47mm
- 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 3 collections
This watch appears in Stainless Steel Watches (2,846), Automatic Watches (1,468) and Green Dial Watches (380).
What the specifications mean
A mechanical watch for everyday wear.
Strengths
- 100m water resistance covers swimming and watersports
- 40mm suits most wrists
- 47mm lug-to-lug keeps the 40mm case wearable
- Sapphire crystal, which resists scratching
- Luminous hands and markers for low light
Compare alternatives
Watches from other brands at a similar price, style and size, so you can see what else your budget can buy.
| Specification | SBGH351 | 85358TT09.BTT82 | L37214536 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | £5,320 | £4,500 | £4,550 |
| Case size | 40mm | 40mm | 39.5mm |
| Water resistance | 100m | 100m | 100m |
| Movement | Automatic | Automatic | Automatic |
| Strap | Stainless steel bracelet | Fabric strap | Stainless steel bracelet |
| Power reserve | 55 hours | 38 hours | 68 hours |
| This watch |
|
|
Your new watch
Frequently asked questions, and things you should know about this watch
Can I swim with it?
Yes. At 100m it is rated for swimming and snorkelling, though not for diving.
Will the glass scratch?
Unlikely. Sapphire is second only to diamond in hardness and shrugs off everyday marking.
Does it need a battery?
No. It is automatic — the motion of your wrist winds it, and there is no cell to replace.
How 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.
What size strap does it take?
21mm. Any strap of that width will fit, and on most modern watches quick-release bars make the swap a two-minute job with no tools.
Will it fit my wrist?
Lug-to-lug is 47mm, which suits wrists from roughly 16cm (6¼ inches) upward.
Lug-to-lug decides fit more than case diameter does.
Is it a men's or women's watch?
Listed as men's, though at 40mm it sits in the range that suits anyone.
Cheapest place to buy
Mappin & Webb is the only UK retailer we track stocking this reference new, at £5,320. There is nothing to compare it against today.
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