Grand Seiko Heritage Hi-Beat 36000 "Icefall" (SBGH349)

The Icefall dial remembers the frozen Nanataki waterfall near Mount Iwate, visible from the Grand Seiko Studio Shizukuishi where the brand makes its mechanical watches, in an irregular vertical pattern and an ice-blue colour. It first returned in 2024 on the 37 mm steel SBGH347, a faithful copy of the 1998 watch that launched the 9S calibre, and the SBGH349 of January 2025 is its larger, lighter sibling in high-intensity titanium, 40 mm across, 13 mm thick and 46.6 mm lug to lug. The applied markers and hands are polished and bevelled, and the date sits in a frame. Inside is the 9S85 automatic at 36,000 vibrations an hour, with 55 hours of reserve and a rating of plus 5 to minus 3 seconds a day, shown through the sapphire back. It comes on a three-link titanium bracelet with a push-button folding clasp, without micro-adjustment.

Written 28 September 2026 from Grand Seiko and Monochrome.