n 2017 Europa Star spoke with Shuji Takahashi, who was President and COO of Seiko Watch Corporation. Mr Takahashi explained why Grand Seiko, previously a high-level collection within Seiko, had been made a brand in its own right, yet still kept the Seiko name.

“Had it been a new brand, we would have called it something else,” he admitted. “Grand Seiko had been Seiko’s line for Japanese collectors only until 2010, when we launched it internationally. Even though Grand Seiko is now entirely independent, neither its identity nor its nature have changed, hence there is no reason why we would change its name. We are proud of its history and indebted to its heritage.” To prove his point, he teased that, were we to launch our magazine today, we wouldn’t call it Europa Star, which “doesn’t im-mediately bring watches to mind, but you have a heritage that goes back more than 90 years.” He concluded with these words of wisdom: “Don’t lose your identity. It’s your most valuable asset.”

The first Grand Seiko, 1960

We asked Shuji Takahashi what exactly “heritage” meant, both in the context of Seiko, and as part of the international expansion. “Grand Seiko’s entire philosophy is built on exceptional readability, elegant design and accuracy. They form Grand Seiko’s identity and are the basis on which we are growing the brand internationally.” And, we might add, proudly drawing on Japanese culture.

The epitome of excellence

The first Grand Seiko was released in 1960 and was intended to incorporate the full extent of the company’s expertise in movement technology, design and manufacturing capacity. Its movement, the 3180 calibre, was an advanced version of the 560, at that time the most accurate Japanese-made movement. It met official international chronometer standards and benefited from the latest technologies, including the Diashock shock absorption system, hacking seconds and a fine-adjustment regulator.

The design featured broad, elegant hands and indices that were clearly visible against a pristine white dial, and a case in gold (or platinum) framed by a narrow bezel.

The price was JPY 25,000, twice the monthly starting salary of a company employee with a university degree.

The recently launched Grand Seiko Evolution 9 Collection SLGW003

This was more than a watch: it was a statement. Available only in Japan, Grand Seiko was targeted first and foremost at well-off collectors. It was a standard-bearer for Japanese prestige watchmaking and a reflection of the country’s aesthetic in its pure lines, meticulous craftsmanship and visual clarity.

The standard of quality and precision that underpinned the Grand Seiko line spurred Seiko to aim ever higher, whether in research, development, manufacturing processes or materials. Grand Seiko was also intent on demonstrating the quality and precision of its movements beyond its home market, by successfully taking part in a number of international timing competitions (see box on the next page).

This impressive progress led Grand Seiko to establish its own GS Standard whose rigorous requirements included the longest possible power reserve: a minimum of 50 hours. New alloys were designed, techniques from semiconductor manufacturing were adapted to watchmaking, and new facilities were built. In 1998, two new movements, the 9S51 and 9S55, were released, followed in 2006 by the 9S67 with a 72-hour power reserve. Since then, Grand Seiko has continued to develop its family of 9S movements, a symbol of excellence.

Manual-winding Mechanical Hi-Beat 36000 80 Hours, calibre 9SA4

This year, for the first time in more than 50 years, Grand Seiko is introducing a completely new manual-winding high-beat movement (36,000 vibrations/hour) with 80 hours of power reserve. The 9SA4 calibre joins a series of new 9S mechanical movements, alongside the automatic 9SA5 calibre, released in 2020, and the Tentagraph 9SC5 chronograph movement that came out in 2023.

Japanese culture: the heart of Evolution 9

In 2022 Grand Seiko introduced Evolution 9. This new design philosophy formalised and further refined the fundamentals of the Grand Seiko style first seen in 1967 on the 44GS watch. In the words of the brand, Evolution 9 “sets new standards of legibility, ease of use and beauty for a new generation,” facilitated by the innovative technologies and materials developed by the firm. The core principles of the Evolution 9 Style are an evolution in legibility, an evolution in wearing comfort and an evolution in aesthetics whose purpose is to “further bring out the Japanese sense of beauty and nature that lies at the heart of the Grand Seiko Style.”

Junichi Kamata, Grand Seiko Design Director, whom we met at this year’s Watches and Wonders fair, told us more about these principles: “The interplay of light and shadow is central to Japanese cultural and aesthetic sensibility. Light and shade are considered not as contrasting elements but as elements whose coexistence creates beauty. This beauty is directly related to the natural environment and can be seen in the traditional Japanese home, where sliding paper screens create multiple subtle shifts of light and darkness that change with the seasons, and do away with distinctions of indoor and outdoor space. Nature and architecture coexist in harmony.”

Subtle interplays of light and shade, with Zaratsu polishing and brushed surfaces, and the textured ivory-white “lion’s mane” dial pattern distinguish this Grand Seiko SBGE307, which is part of the Tokyo Lion sports watch collection. It is equipped with a Spring Drive GMT movement. A lion embossed on the back of the first Grand Seiko, in 1960, symbolised the ambition to make “the king of watches”.

“As a general rule we find it hard to really feel at home with things that shine and glitter. (...) We do not dislike everything that shines, but we do prefer a pensive lustre to a shallow brilliance,” writes Junichiro Tanizaki in his 1933 essay In Praise of Shadows, published in English in 1977.

Mitate is another key principle of Evolution 9 Style, as Junichi Kamata explained: “Mitate is a form of metaphor, often encountered in Japanese gardens. For example, rocks surrounded by gravel can become islands in the midst of an ocean. Mitate guides us as we design our dials, which can suggest a flurry of snow, cherry blossoms, ripples on the surface of a pond or tree bark. These are all elements from nature, which is a constant inspiration.”

“Another comparison would be the art of the haiku,” Mr Kamata continues. “Its concision, precision and simplicity; its elegant minimalism and observance of nature and the seasons. Yet beneath this apparent simplicity, there are rules. A haiku is composed of three lines. The first has five syllables, the second seven syllables and the third again has five syllables. Seventeen syllables in all. Perhaps the most famous example is this haiku by Matsuo Basho:

The old pond,
A frog jumps in,
the sound of water.”

The dial of the latest watch in the Evolution 9 Collection, the SLGH021, draws inspiration from the landscapes of the Genbi Valley in the centre of the Iwai River, in Iwate Prefecture, near the Grand Seiko Studio Shizukuishi. 100-piece limited edition. Automatic movement, 36,000 vph. Ever-Brilliant steel case and bracelet.

Apparent simplicity (the dial) hides the precise rules which govern the whole (the movement). Could it be that Junichi Kamata had another comparison in mind: that of the watch as poetry? Whatever the answer, for Mr Kamata, these rules and stylistic inspirations form what he calls a dō – the Japanese word for a path or a way, understood as the path towards always greater accomplishment. It is the dō of kendo, the way of the sword, of bushido, the way of the warrior, of judo, the gentle way, but also of shodo, the way of writing, and kado, the way of flowers (also known as ikebana). For these reasons, he suggests that the principles codified in Evolution 9 Style could be called “Grand Seiko dō” – the path to “perfection” that Grand Seiko follows.

Grand ambitions

As already mentioned, until 2010 Grand Seiko watches could only be purchased in Japan, where they were symbols of prestige. The brand expanded internationally in stages. It wasn’t until 2017 that it became a full-fledged brand, distinct from Seiko, and the Seiko name disappeared from dials where it had previously cohabited with the Grand Seiko name.

The following year, 2018, the Grand Seiko Corporation was established to distribute Grand Seiko watches in the United States. Another subsidiary, Grand Seiko Europe, was formed in 2020, followed in 2022 by Grand Seiko Asia-Pacific.

Consequently, all Seiko and Grand Seiko operations are entirely separate, from the exclusivity of the movements to the design, manufacture and marketing of the watches.

This limited edition marks the 20th anniversary of Grand Seiko’s Spring Drive movement, the 9R, introduced in 2004. It also features the famous Snowflake dial, first seen in 2005. The pink gradient echoes the glow of the sun’s first rays over the snowy peaks of the Hotaka mountains, visible from Shinshu Watch Studio, where all Grand Seiko Spring Drive watches are made.

There are currently around a dozen Grand Seiko Boutiques worldwide. The most recent, after Place Vendôme in Paris, is the Grand Seiko flagship that opened in February 2024 on New York’s Madison Avenue. The brand insists its strategy isn’t to open as many stores as it can, but to focus on prime locations that reflect its desired image as a premium brand. Grand Seiko has high ambitions, backed by a broad and clearly structured portfolio of mechanical movements: 9S calibres and complications, Spring Drive, new-generation 9R and 9RA calibres (its strongest international segment), plus a minority of quartz watches – the 9F, accurate to +/- 10 seconds a year, hand-assembled and finished to a high standard.

Some observers at Watches and Wonders 2024 were dismayed by the substantial increase in Grand Seiko’s average price – but are they not merely following in the footsteps of a good many Swiss brands at a comparable level of quality and reputation? This price increase is also symptomatic of a general trend to draw a clear distinction between high-end and more standard ranges. In a global marketplace, where it competes directly with the big-name Swiss brands, Grand Seiko plays its hand coherently, consistently and precisely. To perfection.

In 2022 Grand Seiko presented its first mechanical complication, the Kodo Constant-force Tourbillon. This revolutionary watch combined a tourbillon and a constant-force mechanism in one unit on a single axis for the first time in horological history. As such, it represented a major milestone in the history of Grand Seiko and was recognised by the international watch community when it was awarded the Chronometry Prize at that year’s Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève. Today, the Kodo story unfolds with the introduction of a limited-edition timepiece inspired by daybreak; its design perfectly complements that of the first.

One last word: there is another, less well-known brand in the Seiko family that makes complication (striking, minute repeaters) and métiers d’art watches that are even more sophisticated than Grand Seiko. That brand is Credor.

A few years ago, Europa Star asked Shinji Hattori if there were any plans to develop Credor outside Japan. He answered that he “fully intended to promote Credor internationally, but only when the time is right. A full-scale international launch requires an enormous effort and this is what we are doing with

Grand Seiko. Everything in its own time.”

IN PURSUIT OF PRECISION, AS TOLD BY GRAND SEIKO

“The Grand Seiko collection grew and new calibres were continually introduced. In 1967 Grand Seiko unveiled the 62GS, the first automatic Grand Seiko, followed in 1968 by the automatic 10 beat 61GS and the manual 10 beat 45GS. Having won every chronometer competition in Japan, Grand Seiko’s team looked overseas for new challenges, and the Swiss observatory chronometry trials graciously admitted its entries in 1964. In the years that followed, the rankings steadily improved, at both the Neuchâtel and Geneva contests. In 1968 the company’s movements were awarded the overall prize as the best mechanical watches in the Geneva observatory competition.

These results were no accident. Thanks to its unique Spron alloys, the torque and durability of its mainsprings were enhanced, which made it possible to increase the balance wheel oscillation rate to 10 beats per second, significantly increasing the accuracy of its watches. The challenge to create a viable hi-beat watch had been overcome. A series of specially adjusted watches further raised the bar and set new standards of precision over time by being less susceptible to changes in position and other external influences. The level of accuracy was astonishing, with a variation of less than ±2 seconds per day or ±1 minute per month. Having pursued the goal of accuracy to the very limit of what was possible at the time, the Grand Seiko team gave its ultra-high-precision models the ‘Grand Seiko Very Fine Adjusted’ label. The 61GS VFA. and the 45GS VFA became legends.”