Hi Beat v Spring Drive 

What is the cost and timetable for spring drive service?

@@Momo_8k between 7 and 10 years if needed, and it is charged 650€ here in France for a complete service (no polishing)

@@panydavid that’s reasonable. Thank you!

Whats your favorite top 3 watches?

At its heart though, its just a quartz movement. Yes a quartz movement that's been meticulously re-worked to be as mechanical as possible and its more complex than most mechanical movements, but having that quartz regulator driving the oscillating wheel removes the "magic" and wonder of a mechanical movement. The beauty of a mechanical movement is that something as archaic as a collection of gears, springs and other assorted bits of metal and stones can come together to tell the time. To me, that's the "soul" of a mechanical watch that makes it appealing despite the technical redundancy compared to quartz. If you add a motor and quartz regulator, the archaic "magic" is replaced by modern science.

=))))

But you know what time it is 🤔!.

Not correct, as no movement can eliminate the pulsation of kinetic energy entirely. The fact you cannot discern this effect visually doesn't mean it's not happening.

​@@PETERJOHN101I'm not sure what you mean, in the Spring Drive, there is no pulsating. There is only regulated rotation.

Yes, since it does not oscillate,there is no ticking noise as well.

nah. spring drive still uses a quartz crystal to regulate the sweeping of the hand. 32768 Hz. i dont know how many beats per second that is, but find a fast enough camera and you can capture the pulsation.

@@c2pascual sounds like you don't understand the mechanism. The frequency of the crystal is used to measure the speed of the glide wheel, which is rotating. The glide wheel is constantly regulated by a magnetic field. So the frequency of the crystal is only used as a reference to adjust the strength of the magnetic field, it does not directly move or stop the seconds hand. In conclusion, if you would look at the watch with a high speed camera, there would be no micro-ticking. It's actually gliding.

If you have OCD which makes you anal about accuracy, there's really only one answer when it comes to mechanical watches without having to lift the wool over your eyes and realize quartz and smartwatches exist. To quote our man, TGV: All roads lead to Grand Seiko.

I like that

@@StrikeWarlock It's not just about being "anal" - if you're absent-minded as I am and don't have a very accurate watch, you can forget about setting the watch until it's drifted away from the correct time by an amount which makes you liable to miss buses etc. My daily watch is a Timex Indiglo quartz. A lot of people are sniffy about Timex, but it's great for me because it's accurate to within 5 seconds a month (although I accept I was lucky, not all Timexes are that accurate).

Wow! What about the hi-beat?

This is why JCB had been arguing that spring drive watches are essentially quartz watches, not the mechanical watch in the traditional sense. HiBeat would be a true comparison.

Very nice, which Hi-Beat are you going for?

Lovely story.

it's not even slight, one moves in steps and the other doesn't! So tempted by a spring drive model, but sadly so far I like some of the hi beat designs more

@@drewsleyy3836The high beats are lovely for sure. Though I have my eye on the Heritage Shunbun Spring Drive model. It has a off pink hue that looks stunning!

Absolutely not true. Just google reviews for the 9SA5. I am owing a SLGH013 and the accuracy is really bad, around 10 sec+. And that´s not an exception...sadly

Me too, but only for financial reasons. I would want the springdrive most due to its awesomeness as a movement and being the trademark of GS, but I cannot justify the money unless I was rich or living by myself.

@@werner134897 I'll go for the Sping movement myself. Can buy an aluminum frame quartz watch from 5euros realistically. No way am I spending 5600,-EUR for this movement, if I can get a spring movement for 10.000,-EUR. For me, the GS Spring movement servicing place is 500kms away, making it my instant pick bang/buck.

I think you made the right choice. I also like mechanical movements but quartz is king.

@@kresimirpleic >6k is a price for a watch that moves without battery, despite the worse accuracy. I have a 0,3k Skagen(Fossil) aluminum Quartz watch and thats perfectly fine while looking as decent.

I bought a 1976 Seiko Marvel which has high beat for around 300 dollars and still runs great!!

Same goes for my Citizen eco-drive. Still wish I had the cash for a GS though.

I don't think that's the right comparison to make here since Eco-Drive still essentially runs on a battery while the Spring Drive can operate with just a mainspring. If we're talking Citizen, the main comparison to Seiko's Spring Drive is the Caliber 0200. Seiko themselves also have their own Solar watches that also run on Quartz.

What ref. Is your spring drive

@@Zoot_Troop not sure, it the snowflake

@@Zoot_Troop just checked and it’s close to 2 seconds fast now since march (bst)

I love my rolexes and their movements but the spring drive in my cherry blossom is just unmatched. It's by far my favorite even over my panda simply because of the movement.

@@hewster1 agreed. I have a white birch that I recently got, it beats all of my other watches, just because of the movement and finishing. I have a JLC, Glashutte, Vacheron, and a vintage Breguet, and this rivals the JLC and Glashutte and almost the VC

​@@pincer2885 didn't know an unevolved pincher could be this rich. u lucky mf. I wanted to order the white birch spring movement but forgot I just invested 20k in bonds 🥲Got swindled in investing money but forgot to enjoy life. Don't make my mistake bro. Watch onnn! 😭

Fair Enough!

Grand Seiko ‘Snowscape’ HI-BEAT 44GS and the Grand Seiko Evolution 9 Lake Suwa Before Dawn SPRING DRIVE 40MM SLGA021

I agree, but I think this is only a problem for the caliber with the 5 day power reserve. I think you can see more of the wheels in the other calibers. But in terms of looks, the high beat caliber is the clear winner.

@@derkatzenfuerst6077 Yes, it's only the _new_ spring drive caliber that looks awful. The older ones are fine.

That's awesome

I agree that spring drive is a "hybrid" argument, and would prefer HiBeat except hibeat service costs about 2x of the spring drive.

Service interval on my GS quartz is 50yrs.....

​@@Alfa_Holicthe battery will need replacing every 5-6 years, so that's your service intervals.

There is something much more satisfying about not having a battery, and having a watch charge by your movement...

but anyone can pick up an aluminum frame quartz watch (

Damn you got a deal!

@Unlucky1776 Yes, I did! In (non-Japan) Asia, they do not covet GS. I went to one of the many duty-free shops in DT Seoul. I did not think it was allowed to discount luxury watches. However, the Sky Flake was on for 40% off ... and no tax b/c it was duty-free. So, when traveling out of Europe or N.America, ask if the shops have a discount for GS at duty-free. I will go to Tokyo this Fall and will see if I can get inexpensive GS watch bands to swap out.

@@good2goskee bro whatttt it's different here in the Philippines lol. Even Seiko 5s are seen as expensive. I'd love to visit Seoul when I have money to shop for watches now lol

@@good2goskee bro whatttt it's different here in the Philippines lol. Even Seiko 5s are seen as expensive. I'd love to visit Seoul when I have money to shop for watches now lol

bro whatttt it's different here in the Philippines lol. Even Seiko 5s are seen as expensive. I'd love to visit Seoul when I have money to shop for watches now lol​@@good2goskee

Wise idea!

Most people wouldn't even be impressed unless it's a Rolex or omega. And it's kinda sad

Is it just me, but does the Hibeat also have a noticeable rhythm to it? The sweep doesn't seem smooth to me, but a very little bit jumpy? I thought I was seeing things at the dealer, but I seem to notice it on some of the videos now too

@@jmosch of couse! hibeat is just beating faster than typical mechanical watches.. 5hz vs 3 to 4hz (times per second).

For sure, I just meant it seems to be unevenly jumpy, like not a steady beat. I have some watches that beat at 21k and 25k that feel smoother to me? @@willh.2155

not meant to be a dress watch. the hi beat falls under the Heritage collection which is like a classic every day piece that is versatile. The spring drive on is evolution 9, a further refining of heritage in a way.

I can't see that happening. That'll cheapen every GS and damage the luxury reputation they're aiming for.

@@googleuser7632 There is already a Seiko with spring drive.

Yes, it’s a quartz movement which does not require battery and perfect sweep. Tell me which other watch can do that.

The purists preference.