Iconic Japanese watchmaker Grand Seiko has in recent years been creating interest in the international horological scene; on October 18, 2023, the marque opened its first regional mono-brand boutique in Kuwait at The Avenues Mall. “Day & Night” magazine sat down with Hiromi Kanagawa – Director and Executive Vice President, Marketing Division II, Seiko Watch Corporation – to find out more about the brand and its ethos
Grand Seiko’s motto is ‘Watches inspired by nature’; can you elaborate?
It is common in Japanese culture to draw inspiration from nature and to reflect it in art, design, or products. The Japanese respect towards nature is at the centre of Grand Seiko watchmaking. The brand philosophy celebrates the Japanese spirituality of time that is deeply inspired by nature and brought to life by Takumi, or Japanese craftsmanship.
The brand since its inception in 1960 has been in the forefront in terms of movement advancement. How important is that for Grand Seiko?
The movement is the core part for watches and its development is very important for Grand Seiko. Grand Seiko has launched some new movements in the last three years with outstanding features. We have debuted the 9RA2, the Spring Drive 5 Days Power Reserve, and 9SA5 with a High-beat 80 hours power reserve in recent years. This year, we have launched the Tentagraph with a 9SC5 movement, which is a High-beat chronograph movement with a 3-day power reserve.
Ever since its inception, Grand Seiko has pursued creating the ultimate watch with its core values being accuracy, legibility, beauty, and ease of use.
Grand Seiko has won the prestigious award of Men’s Watch Prize in GPHG 2021. How important is the award?
It is truly an honour to receive such awards and to be recognised among the international watchmaking community. Winning awards in the watch industry’s highly recognised forums has increased brand recognition and awareness, worldwide. Also, thanks to the grass-roots movement from watch fans and watch media praising our creations, combined with efforts in our marketing and communication, the gradual recognition of Grand Seiko as a luxury watch brand has increased on a global scale.
Grand Seiko is famous for its quality and craftsmanship, especially on its dials; how important is the dial for Grand Seiko?
The dial is one of the elements that designates what we term as the Grand Seiko Style. Grand Seiko established its grammar of design, the Grand Seiko Style in 1967 with the 44GS. Since then, this design principle has guided the design of every Grand Seiko creation not only in terms of the case design but in design of the dial as well. Grand Seiko’s dials are designed in such a way that they capture even the slightest light from every angle to enhance legibility and create the sparkle of quality that Grand Seiko is renowned for.
In keeping with our tagline, ‘Watches inspired by nature’ and embodying the brand philosophy, ‘The Nature of Time’, the dial pattern and colouring is inspired by the rich natural environment surrounding the studios that the Grand Seiko is manufactured in.
Grand Seiko has always had a cult following in Japan, but in recent years, Grand Seiko has become popular with collectors worldwide; how does that feel?
After Grand Seiko became an independent brand in 2017, recognition as a luxury brand has increased. We are extremely delighted to have a good reputation with watch fans all over the world.
Grand Seiko has two manufactures in two different locations in Japan. Why?
We have two main studios for the production of Grand Seiko watches. Our Mechanical watches are produced at the Grand Seiko Studio Shizukuishi in Iwate prefecture, northern Japan; our Spring Drive and Quartz watches are produced at our Shinshu Watch Studio in Nagano prefecture, central Japan.
It was in 1937 that the second Daini Seikosha factory was constructed in Tokyo, with the aim of becoming the main Seiko watch factory. We again expanded in 1944 when the Daini Seikosha Suwa factory was built in Suwa City, in Shinshu of Nagano Prefecture. In 1959, the Daini Seikosha Suwa factory was merged with Daiwa Kogyo, an affiliated factory nearby, and Suwa Seikosha – today’s Seiko Epson Corporation – was born.
In 1970, Morioka Seiko Instruments Inc. was opened in Shizukuishi of Iwate prefecture as a major watch manufacturing base. The watch business of Seiko Instruments Inc. (the former Daini Seikosha) was transferred and integrated to become a subsidiary of Seiko Watch Corporation in 2020. In the same year, Grand Seiko Studio Shizukuishi was established to meet the needs of luxury mechanical watches.
Grand Seiko has just opened its first Grand Seiko mono-brand boutique in the Middle East, which is located in Kuwait. How important is that milestone for the brand?
Opening a mono-brand store is crucial to enhance the brand image and its awareness. In Kuwait, we have opened our first mono-brand boutique in collaboration with our retail partner Morad Yousuf Behbehani group and we realised that our Kuwaiti customers are very knowledgeable regarding luxury watches. We believe this first Grand Seiko mono-brand boutique will be a great step for Grand Seiko not only in Kuwait, but also the whole Middle East region. We also think it is important to have a good partnership with our retailers.
