WATCH TEST

In The Balance: Zenith Espada vs. Grand Seiko Hi-Beat 3600


Two automatic watches with high-frequency movements, the Seiko Grand Seiko Hi-Beat 36000 and Zenith Espada, square off in a battle of the fast-beat balances in this feature from the WatchTime archives.

A fast-beat movement offers an advantage over its lower-frequency rivals: more beats per hour means greater precision. The principle is simple: the accuracy with which time can be measured and displayed is inversely proportional to the size of the units into which it is divided. Fast-beat movements are also more shock-resistant than slower-beat ones, and this is an added boon to precision. Two companies make series-produced movements with frequencies of 36,000 vph. One is Zenith; the other is Seiko. We tested one watch from each brand to find out how they measure up against each other in terms of precision and a host of other criteria.

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To make the Espada movement, Zenith removed the chronograph mechanism from the El Primero.

The Zenith watch, called the Espada, is equipped with a modified version of the company’s celebrated El Primero movement. In its “natural” form, the El Primero is, of course, a chronograph movement. To make the Espada’s movement, a three-hand automatic caliber called the El Primero 4650B, Zenith removed the chronograph mechanism from the El Primero. The Seiko watch, called the Grand Seiko Hi-Beat 36000, contains the automatic Caliber 9S85, introduced in 2009. Both movements required much work to develop. Modifying the El Primero chronograph caliber to power a three-handed watch involved more than merely reducing the number of parts from 280 to 210. The stopwatch mechanism was removed, but it was partly reinstalled afterward. The bridges had to be redesigned and the continually running seconds hand relocated from an off-center subdial to the center of the dial. The resulting construction resembles the classic pattern of a basic caliber in which the central seconds hand is positioned directly within the flow of force rather than drawing its power from a rudiment left over from the chronograph mechanism.

The Grand Seiko’s elegant dial boasts neatly crafted indices and hands.
The Grand Seiko’s elegant dial boasts neatly crafted indices and hands.

Seiko faced its own challenges. It spent five years developing a special alloy, Spron 610, for its caliber’s hairspring (Seiko makes its own hairsprings and mainsprings). Spron 610 has greater resistance to shocks and magnetism than standard alloys. Because a high frequency puts additional stress on the movement, Seiko redesigned the lever, escape wheel and pallets to increase their longevity. It developed another alloy, Spron 530, for use in the caliber’s mainspring. Spron 530 enables the spring to withstand the stronger torque required by the high-frequency balance: the torque in five-hertz Caliber 9S85 is twice as high as in Seiko’s four-hertz calibers. The spring provides an impressive power reserve of 55 hours.

Seiko’s fast-beat 9S85, launched in 2009, incorporates several technical innovations.
Seiko’s fast-beat 9S85, launched in 2009, incorporates several technical innovations.

Zenith did not add a stop-seconds function when it modified the El Primero movement. You might ask what the point is of having an extremely precise movement in a plain automatic watch, with no chronograph, if you can’t set the watch with to-the-second accuracy. We tried using an old trick to stop the seconds hand: pulling the crown out to the hand-setting position and then gently turning it counterclockwise. It didn’t work. The seconds hand had so much play that it jumped backward a full five seconds. Seiko’s watch does have a stop-seconds function. El Primero 4650B’s amplitudes are quite low, something you’d be more likely to find in a movement that was carrying the extra burden of powering a chronograph mechanism. This initially led us to suspect that there’s merely a gear train connected to the central seconds hand (formerly the elapsed-seconds hand) from the former off-center seconds hand. But we found this is not the case, so the amplitudes must result from the overall configuration of the movement. However, they don’t hurt the movement’s rate. The amplitudes of Seiko’s Caliber 9S85, on the other hand, are in the usual and expected range.

The El Primero 4650B is a modified, three-hands version of the famous El Primero chronograph movement.
The El Primero 4650B is a modified, three-hands version of the famous El Primero chronograph movement.

Both timepieces delivered good rate behavior. Zenith’s model always remained on the “gain” side of zero: it never lost time, and it exhibited this fine performance in all situations: fully wound, after running for 24 hours, and on the wrist. Seiko’s watch ran better, but it strayed into the “minus” column in several positions. It scored a perfect “zero” in the “average daily rate” category when we crunched the numbers, but it lost a bit of time after running for a day – a shortcoming that horological sticklers would find worthy of criticism. On the other hand, we were pleased to see that it ran well in the “plus” column on the wrist. Although the watches aren’t officially certified by COSC, both met not only COSC standards, but the slightly more stringent standards of Seiko’s own Grand Seiko Inspection Standard.

Seiko fans will recognize the trademark wavy embellishments on the bridges, cocks, and rotor of Caliber 9S85.

Five screws hold a window of sapphire in the back of the Espada, enabling us to see the new and compact bridge for the automatic-winding mechanism. The mechanism partially obstructed our view of the escapement and the polarizing train for the rotor, which winds the mainspring in both directions of rotation. Although our view was also blocked by the circularly grained bridge, there’s a large bridge beneath it: this construction comes from the former El Primero and covers the entire movement like a three-quarters plate. Stripping El Primero down to serve as a movement for a three-handed watch robs it of its chronograph architecture, but the movement still speaks Zenith’s language, thanks to the brand’s star-shaped logo cut in openwork into the rotor, the fine adjustment via an eccentric screw on an elongated regulator arm and, of course, the fast-paced balance. Seiko’s caliber 9S85 also makes a brand-specific statement behind a screwed-down window of sapphire in its caseback. Seiko fans will recognize the company’s trademark wavy embellishments, similar to Geneva waves, which decorate the bridges, the cocks and the slightly skeletonized rotor. Like the rotor on the Zenith movement, Seiko’s rotor winds the mainspring in both directions of rotation. Seiko uses its well-known Magic Lever pawl indexing system, which it introduced in 1959. The Magic Lever system increases the transfer of power to the mainspring and delivers faster winding speed by harnessing all the energy created by the rotor as it revolves in both directions.

We were disappointed to find that the Magic Lever is hidden from view by the bridge of the movement. Due to the caliber’s bridge construction, you can’t see much more of the 9S85 than you can of Zenith’s movement. Fine adjustment of the balance (which is also manufactured by Seiko) occurs via an eccentric screw (as it does in El Primero), but Seiko’s eccentric screw is paired with a much shorter regulator arm. The name “Grand Seiko” is engraved on the winding rotor in bold letters that are inlaid with gold. When you look at the Grand Seiko’s case, its elegance, functional details and high-quality craftsmanship can be seen from all angles, whether you gaze downward at the steeply sloped and polished bezel, look from the front at the stylized lugs or peer from the side at the arches of the case’s middle section. Like the movement, the case and bracelet are manufactured by Seiko. The processing lavished on the case is especially noteworthy: zaratsu, or “blade polishing,” is accomplished by holding the case against a rotating tin plate at a very precise angle. This creates a mirror finish on both sides of the case, as well as fine bevels on the lugs.

The Grand Seiko’s three-part stainless-steel bracelet is also partly polished and partly matte finished. It is solid but lightweight. It feels supple and harmonizes with the curved middle section of the case to wrap comfortably around its wearer’s wrist. The size differences in the links of the bracelet, which tapers slightly from the lugs to the clasp, add to the harmony. The single-folding clasp closes smoothly. It opens easily when its lateral buttons are pressed. Several links in the bracelet are screwed on either side of the clasp so the bracelet can be easily lengthened or shortened.

One flap pivots to open the Grand Seiko’s clasp; the Zenith watch has a double-folding clasp. Both clasps work smoothly and easily.
One flap pivots to open the Grand Seiko’s clasp; the Zenith watch has a double-folding clasp. Both clasps work smoothly and easily.

The well-made, stainless-steel bracelet on Zenith’s Espada is just as lightweight, comfortable and convenient to wear as the Seiko bracelet. All of its links are screwed together so it, too, can be easily lengthened or shortened. The clasp is double folding. It is well balanced and opens via buttons on its sides. Zenith’s bracelet is integrated more fully into the case than Seiko’s, although the arching shape of the Zenith case’s middle piece seems a bit truncated. This detail, however, doesn’t detract from the bracelet’s comfort on the wrist. The difference in thickness between the two cases is only about 1.3 mm, but Zenith’s case seems significantly slimmer and larger because its dial is so large: 34 mm in diameter. Except for two matte sections on the lugs, Zenith’s case is brightly polished all over. Zenith’s case design is less stylized than Seiko’s. Each case has a threaded crown and is water resistant to 100 meters.

The dial on the Seiko watch is more understated than the Zenith dial, with narrow hour indices and an unobtrusively embellished sunburst pattern.

The Grand Seiko’s crown is integrated slightly into the side of its case. Fluting on the crown’s sides makes it easy to grasp. When the crown is pressed in, it can be turned to wind the mainspring; when pulled out to its first position, it quickly resets the date; and when pulled out to its second position it resets the hands. When the watch is running, the date display gradually advances to show the next day’s date: this change begins around 11 o’clock in the evening and ends when the date numeral jumps ahead at approximately 10 minutes past midnight. El Primero is more than 40 years old, but it has a modern and rapidly switching date display. On the watch we tested, the change from yesterday’s date to today’s took place about three minutes before midnight. In a departure from the norm, the rapid-reset mechanism for El Primero’s date is activated when the crown is pulled to its outermost position. Pressing the crown one notch farther inward – but not all the way in – lets you adjust the hands. The crown has slightly conical fluting and can be screwed shut easily.

Fine decorative patterns embellish the Espada’s dial; angular hands and indices add a modern look.
Fine decorative patterns embellish the Espada’s dial; angular hands and indices add a modern look.

The dials of the two watches are very different, not just in size – the Seiko dial is just 30 mm wide − but in style. Fluting between the hour indices is the most eye-catching detail on the Espada’s dial. This decorative wreath extends all the way out to the edge of the dial, where it meets the flange. As though they were preserving the memory of the El Primero’s erstwhile stopwatch function, a ring of narrow strokes mark fractions of seconds between adjacent hour indices. This scale consists of four shorter strokes between each adjacent pair of longer strokes so it correctly matches the five-hertz frequency of caliber 4650B. The 11 faceted and rhodium-plated hour indices are meticulously applied atop this same background. Each index’s outer end meets a minutes and seconds scale on the flange; its inner end bears a droplet of Super-LumiNova that glows bright green in the dark. The same green glow shines along the lengths of the hour hand and minutes hand. Legibility is very good in the dark and nearly perfect by day.

The Espada’s sleek hands have a sporty look. The minutes hand is exactly long enough to touch the corresponding scale on the flange; its tip bends downward to minimize potential errors due to parallax. The hour hand has no downward curve at its end and its tip remains close to the 11 appliqués. The narrow seconds hand of blued steel adds a colorful accent. Its shorter end bears Zenith’s star logo. The dial on the Seiko watch is more understated than the Zenith dial. Narrow hour indices rise above a background that’s unobtrusively embellished with a sunburst pattern. Each index slopes downward toward the center of the dial. Neither the indices nor the hands are luminous so the watch can’t be read in the dark. The dial does not provide as much contrast as the Zenith dial does, so it isn’t quite as easy to make out even in daylight. Many shiny surfaces on the applied indices, plus glossy facets along the edges of the hands, tend to reflect sunlight and cause unwanted glare. Like Zenith’s watch, the Grand Seiko has a colorful accent: its narrow blued seconds hand. The dauphine hour and minutes hands end at the inner tips of the indices and the minute strokes, respectively. The latter are neatly marked. All in all, this dial is handsome and consistent, just like the Zenith dial.

The Espada is inspired by models of the 1970s and pays homage to Zenith’s technical and cultural heritage.

How to choose between these two, neck-and-neck watches? Factors to consider start with the price. Even with Seiko’s lofty standards in mind, should a watch lover pay $1,100 more for a high-quality Japanese watch than for an equally fine Swiss timepiece? And if so, what will he get for his money? First, he’ll get a technically modern movement, the latest materials, excellent craftsmanship and, last but not least, the fascination of owning a Grand Seiko. There’s no doubt that an El Primero movement is also a fascinating horological entity, even though the chronograph mechanism has been removed. Perhaps that’s reason enough for a collector to acquire an Espada, which is inspired by the models of the 1970s and pays homage to Zenith’s technical and cultural heritage. From a strictly objective viewpoint, however, we must note that the El Primero 4650B does not reach the high level of Seiko’s caliber 9S85. With the removal of the chronograph mechanism, and without a stop-seconds function, the movement loses the benefits which the chronograph version gained from its fast-paced oscillator.

SPECS:
GRAND SEIKO HI-BEAT 36000
Manufacturer: Morioka Seiko Instruments Inc. 61-1, Itabashi, Shizukuishi-cho, Iwate-gun, Iwate 020-0596, Japan
Reference number: SBGH001
Functions: Hours, minutes, seconds; date; stop-seconds function
Movement: In-house Caliber 9S85, automatic; 36,000 vph, 37 jewels, fine   adjustment via index with eccentric screw, Diashock shock absorption, Spron 610 hairspring, bidirectional pawl winding, 55-hour power reserve; diameter = 28.4 mm, height = 5.9 mm
Case: Stainless steel, domed sapphire crystal is nonreflective on its underside, screwed-down window of sapphire in caseback; water resistant to 100 meters
Bracelet and clasp: Stainless-steel bracelet with single-folding clasp
Rate results (Deviation in seconds per 24 hours,when fully wound/after 24 hours):
Dial up                        -1.3 / -2.1
Dial down                   +1.5 / -0.4
Crown up                    -1.0 / -3.5
Crown down               +1.0 / 0.0
Crown left                   -0.3 / -2.7
Greatest deviation of rate       2.8 / 3.5
Average deviation       0.0 / -1.7
Average amplitude:
Flat positions               318° / 288°
Hanging positions        284° / 267°
Dimensions: Diameter = 40.65 mm, height = 13.28 mm, weight = 151 g
Variations: With black dial; special editions in yellow gold, rose gold or white gold ($27,000*)
Price: $7,800*

SPECS:
ZENITH EL PRIMERO ESPADA 36,000 VPH
Manufacturer: Zenith International SA, Rue de Billodes 34-36, CH-2400 Le Locle, Switzerland
Reference number: 03.2170.4650/01.M2170
Functions: Hours, minutes, center-mounted seconds hand; date
Movement: In-house El Primero 4650B, automatic; 36,000 vph, 22 jewels, fine   adjustment via eccentric screws, Kif shock absorption, bidirectional winding, Nivarox hairspring, Glucydur balance, 50-hour power reserve; diameter = 30.0 mm, height = 5.58 mm
Case: Stainless steel, domed sapphire crystal with nonreflective coating, caseback with screwed-down sapphire window; water resistant to 100 meters
Bracelet and clasp: Stainless-steel bracelet with double-folding clasp
Rate results (Deviation in seconds per 24 hours, when fully wound/after 24 hours):
Dial up                        +5.0 / +4.8
Dial down                   +2.8 / +2.4
Crown up                    +3.0 / +0.5
Crown down               +6.0 / +7.2
Crown left                   +3.9 / +1.7
Greatest deviation of rate       3.2 / 6.7
Average deviation       +4.1 / +3.3
Average amplitude:
Flat positions               282° / 257°
Hanging positions        250° / 229°
Dimensions: Diameter = 40.37 mm, height = 11.96 mm, weight = 141 g
Variations: With black, white or brown sunray or mother-of-pearl dial, rose-gold case on strap, steel and gold case and bracelet, rose-gold case and bracelet, set with diamonds ($6,700 – $29,100*)
Price: $6,700*

SEIKO:
Pros
+ Modern manufacture caliber
+ Good rates
+ High-quality craftsmanship
Cons
– Poor nighttime legibility
– Comparatively high price

ZENITH:
Pros
+ Manufacture caliber
+ Good rates
+ Very good legibility day and night
+ High-quality craftsmanship
Cons
– No stop-seconds function
– Low amplitudes
– Too much play in the hands

This article first appeared in the June 2013 issue of WatchTime Magazine and has since been updated with new information.
*Prices are subject to change.

Photos by Zuckerfabrik Fotodesign.Merken

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No Responses to “In The Balance: Zenith Espada vs. Grand Seiko Hi-Beat 3600”

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  1. Flotsam

    The Magic Lever isn’t hidden – it isn’t used in the 9S85 movement, which utilised a Swiss-style reverser wheel system.

    Reply
  2. proudAmerican702

    In this day and age, I think it’s absolutely appropriate to demand a “stop-seconds” function on a $500 mechanical watch, so the fact it’s missing on this $7,000 watch is just criminal.

    Reply
  3. You couldn’t see the Magic Lever mechanism because the 9S movement does not utilise the Magic Lever winding system… Rather is uses a bi-directional system similar to many Swiss automatics. The only GS movements still utilising the Magic Lever are the 9R Spring Drive mechanisms.

    Reply
  4. Carolina Vintage

    always good to review past commentary but in this case it should have been updated to acknowledged that Breguet has for some time been making a 10hz movement with a very interesting magnetic suspension system for the balance. Breguet’s technical achievement blows right by the 5hz efforts of Seiko and Zenith, both of which are fine watches in their own right but not in the same league with the Breguet milestone.

    Reply
    • And how much does the Breguet cost? Probably 10 times the Seiko or the Zenith… like comparing an F1 car to a new Corvette.

      Reply
        • Ok – the double-speed Breguet is actually just slightly more than double the price… and not really a comparable watch to these two IMO.

          Reply
  5. Roland Feldhaus

    It is a nicely written article even though the author seems to favorize the Zenith Espada. In my opinion, both watches are worth buying them, but my favorite is the GS. For me, it would be the perfect daily watch if dial and hands were equipped with luminous material to provide a better nighttime legibility. I know that my following thesis is discussible, but for me a sportive watch without proper nighttime legibility is like a chronograph without push buttons to operate its stopwatch functions.

    Reply
  6. anonymous reader WIS

    This entire review so biased in many subtle ways. The words chosen are neutral at best for seiko and praised for Zenith.

    Zenith: “However, they don’t hurt the movement’s rate.”
    -This downplays the poor amplitude. Possible problems include poor isochronism or lubrication

    Seiko: “The amplitudes of Seiko’s Caliber 9S85, on the other hand, are in the usual and expected range.”
    ->Great job on Seiko’s part but it was given a normal and ordinary statement.

    Zenith: “Zenith’s model always remained on the “gain” side of zero: it never lost time, and it exhibited this fine performance in all situations: fully wound,”
    ->did not use the word ‘but’, instead choosing to use the semicolon for a less negative vibe.
    On the other hand, the next statement for Seiko had two ‘but’.
    Promptly makes readers forget about the positives and realize/focus on the negatives.

    “We were disappointed to find that the Magic Lever is hidden from view by the bridge of the movement. Due to the caliber’s bridge construction, you can’t see much more of the 9S85 than you can of Zenith’s movement.”
    ->The last part asserts that we can see almost equal parts of both watches but the writer chose to only be disappointed by Seiko’s movement. Clever.

    “The dials of the two watches are very different, not just in size – the Seiko dial is just 30 mm wide − but in style.”
    “All in all, this dial is handsome and consistent, just like the Zenith dial.”
    ->Contrasting statements: different style but both handsome and consistent? i don’t think so.

    I understand the writer took a lot of time and effort to review both watches at length, but I cannot express how much annoyance it gives to readers that the poor punctuation, sentence structure and writing style totally diminishes the rich content. Basic writing should have been polished at primary/elementary school.

    Reply
    • Irfan Mohd Nor

      I really appreciate your keen eye on every word the author used. Its really surprising that the reviewer has unfair bias towards one side of the item on review. Very unprofessional.

      Reply
  7. Bert Kanne

    This is the first in depth detailed review of fine watches that I have read. It is somewhat surprising the flaws these very experienced and capable watch companies have managed to incorporate into these timepieces. Most of these issues could have been avoided by having prototypes evaluated by knowledgeable outside people before the final product goes on the market. Perfection can be achieved!

    Reply
  8. With regard to the date change: it is the Grand Seiko that features the instant date change.
    Regarding legibility in the dark: while Grand Seikos are less bright their luminosity last much, much longer.
    A very disengaged article
    The price of the Grand Seiko is a steal but will increase when the brand gathers recognition.
    Comparing a Zenith with a Grand Seiko…..Never. Sorry, but it is true.

    Reply
  9. daPhantom1

    Re. the Zenith dial. Although I do have non Chrono 3 hand watches with micro seconds on the dial , I am not really a fan of overly “busy dials”and would probably prefer to just the Second indices. As it is becoming quite common today to own more than one and often several watches, if micro seconds are required for some unlikely purpose, a Chronograph would be more useful for the day.
    … And, preferably not one where the split seconds need to be read on the main dial – most times it is near impossible to read them to the exact 1/5 of a second – but one that has a split seconds dial/counter such as the Seiko caliber 7T92/4, 1/20 seconds.

    Perhaps

    Reply
  10. daPhantom1

    Hacking feature or not, unless one already owns a n El Primero, the only choice may to buy them both. However, either one could grace my present collection with pride.

    Reply
  11. MrTissot

    I wonder if I’m alone in the idea that the wording ‘El Primero’ should NOT have been used at all by Zenith on the dial as this is not a chronograph regardless of the fact that it is derived from a stripped down El Primero movement. The wording ‘El Primero’ is synonymous with Zenith’s own chronograph movement and I think Zenith have made a mistake here. Not being a chronograph also begs the question as to why did Zenith bother to show micro-seconds on the chapter ring? Having no stop seconds is also another failure here imho. Otherwise a very nice watch for those who are not bothered by inaccuracies and intentional oversights !

    Reply
    • Desotti

      That’s true, but it’s also true that the “El Primero” wording became a synonym for the 36000 bhp feature and the 4650B movement is an modified El Primero 400 chronograph movement, so IMHO the name El Primero was correctly mantained in the Espada Dial.

      Reply
  12. hard to tell
    I had had a Seiko for 17 years running without any problems. Since Seiko has a little vip seat in my heart. i am convinced that it has in this case the higher grades in almost everything. The single reason I would buy the Espada is because I don’t have a Zenith after all. We’ll see!

    Reply
  13. Emmanuel

    Total fail by Zenith. I love the brand but how can you fail to incorporate a hacking feature in a watch of this caliber???

    Reply
    • MrTissot

      I agree with you wholeheartedly here and that is why I did not buy the Zenith Espada.

      Reply
    • Desotti

      El Primero movements are “classic” because the allure of being among the first automatic chronographs in production (debatable) and the non-hacking characteristic is there since day 1 and is appreciated by purists. Since the 4650B movement is still an El Primero maybe Zenith decided that adding a hacking feature was going to dissatisfy some enthusiasts, who knows. But as an El Primero owner the abscence of a hacking feature was not a deal breaker for me, the Espada is a great and beautiful watch.

      Reply
      • To be fair though, non-hacking is less of an issue for a chronograph (the function of which is of course dependent on being able to stop and reset the chronograph function). But for a super accurate 3-hander I would think it is certainly preferable, if not required.

        The haute horology pieces from VC, Patek, AP notwithstanding because those watches are firmly on the “art” end of the watch spectrum so hacking seconds is not a major priority for the owners of these watches.

        Reply
  14. Martin Foster

    ” . . the accuracy with which time can be measured and displayed is inversely proportional to the size of the units into which it is divided . . . ”

    I haven’t heard that before and wonder what technical explanation there is of this proposition?

    Reply
    • Steven Mandell

      There are many fine watches out there without this feature (hacking or stopping movement).
      I own a Zenith Chronomaster (cal. 410) which also is deprived of
      A hacking feature. Come to think of it, my Blancspain,Patek Phillipe,
      Vacheron & Constantin and IWC are in the same boat. Yes, I would
      prefere a hacking function but I don’t fault them for lacking this
      feature. When I feel this urge to have this feature, I wear my
      Rolex. I truly am blessed with a modest collection of watches
      I really love. A must for me.

      Reply
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