If you’ve been following any watch blog for some time, you’ve noticed that the beat rate of a movement will be referenced as part of the article. Or, if a specific rate isn’t mentioned, you might have the phrase “high beat” or “slow beat” as a point of reference. Have you ever wondered why we watch writers seem to obsess over watches that contain high-beat movements? The answer is quite simple – the faster the movement beats, the higher accuracy. Of course, as a side note, you do have that lovely sound to contend with as well.
And that sound is what the focus of todays article is. While it might be easy for someone with a larger collection to compare and contrast how different movements (running at different rates), for many of us, that’s simply not the case. Or, even if you do have multiple movements to compare, you might not know the rates they’re running at off-hand. If that’s you, then the video I came across is one you’ll definitely want to check out.
In short, it takes a variety of Seiko models, and shows you what they sound like – going all the way up an insance 360,000 bph. To my ears, that one sounds like a pair of clippers running; the 72,000 bph sounds an awful lot like a dirt bike to me. Give the video a watch, and let us know in the comments what you think of the various sounds we have, and whether or not a high-beat movement is something you have in your collection (or hope to add one day).
Description from the video
A high beat caliber is more resistant to shock and therefore can maintain high accuracy. This theory is easy to understand but difficult to materialize. For sufficient power reserve, the caliber requires strong torque and a very durable structure to sustain it. The materials, design and processes involved in each component.
