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There are manufacturers which are well-loved by collectors, journalists and other people typically captivated with shopping for watches. We are going to all have totally different opinions of what these manufacturers are, however maybe we will agree on one title: Grand Seiko. The Japanese imprint solely emerged as a fully-fledged model from the shadow of Seiko comparatively just lately, in 2017. Nevertheless, everybody had been conscious of Seiko’s intentions to spin-off Grand Seiko as its personal full model since an announcement at BaselWorld someday after the road grew to become obtainable internationally. Technically although, it helps to contemplate that Grand Seiko can be a deeply rooted a part of Seiko’s grand historical past, and it earned its proper to face by itself deserves. These deserves wanted to be well-established for Seiko to decide to an impartial future for it. One strategy to perceive all that is to go to Grand Seiko’s manufacturing services in Japan, which is clearly what we did.
Uniquely amongst our manufacture excursions on this Legacy annual, we’ve very just lately printed a narrative on Grand Seiko’s industrial and artisanal bases. Regardless of the superb story that WOW Thailand shared with us, we felt there was extra so as to add; the story within the Summer season subject this 12 months solely focusses on the brand new Grand Seiko Studio Shizukuishi (GSSS) whereas additionally establishing the Seiko connection through Seiko Home. That story will function the launchpad for this one, although you needn’t have learn it to take pleasure in this newest chapter. That is primarily as a result of, for this go to, we bought to see and expertise the Atelier Ginza in Seiko Home Ginza, the place the Kodo is put collectively, in addition to the operations in Nagano, at Seiko Epson. The truth is, we might have crafted this complete story on what the earlier story didn’t cowl, which means simply the brand new websites, however we’ve chosen to do issues a bit of in a different way.
Simply as a watch is greater than the sum of its elements, Grand Seiko is excess of simply an amalgamation of a number of manufacturing websites. To start with, it is very important think about that Grand Seiko watches are made completely in Japan and that the appreciable assets of Seiko must be considered. As matter of sensible info, it’s merely unimaginable to keep away from GSSS as a result of it’s the purpose this tour passed off in any respect. On the similar time, we all know that our readers and collectors on the whole are hungry for info about GSSS and we should oblige. Earlier than we transfer on although, we’ll reiterate that Grand Seiko, and Seiko for that matter, don’t simply have one or two and even three manufacturing websites. For instance, whereas we noticed motion meeting and casing up at GSSS, the parts manufacturing facility was in one other adjoining constructing.
Delectable Items
The truth is, the perfect place to find this truth is at Seiko Home Ginza, the place the Atelier Ginza opened simply final 12 months. A small workshop, there’s house for fewer than half a dozen watchmakers right here, and just one was current once we visited (Time + Tide experiences that there’s not less than one different watchmaker working right here). At current, we’re knowledgeable that the watchmakers right here solely work on the 9ST1 motion, which in fact belongs the magnificent Kodo SLGT003. The watchmaker we met was none apart from Takuma Kawauchiya himself, the person who developed the motion and who has gained over legions of watch lovers and journalists. He confirmed the prototype of the motion and defined that Atelier Ginza is the place Grand Seiko will work on mechanical watches of the very best order.
Its location, within the coronary heart of Ginza, isn’t any accident with Grand Seiko CEO Akio Naito (see our interview with him on this subject) confirming that Atelier Ginza is supposed to be a type of working showcase of the model’s capabilities. It’s a refined train in model communication, and permits collectors to simply see how one thing just like the Kodo will get lovingly assembled. Whereas the situation, on the seventh ground of the constructing, is simply accessible by appointment, it’s made for guests. Reinforcing this truth are the big see-through panels separating the lobby from the workspace. In a method, this mirrors the set-up at GSSS, and has just about the identical impact. Additionally deeply engaging right here is an outsized chocolate sculpture of the Kodo, which appears each bit as delectable because the watch; we marvel how usually Grand Seiko has to have it changed.
Again For Seconds
Provided that Grand Seiko has a variety of disparate places for its manufacturing actions, we’ll return to this topic in the direction of the tip. For now, we word for the file that we aren’t presenting info right here in chronological order. Since Atelier Ginza is spiritually linked with GSSS, we’ll transfer straight into that location now. Technically, the Seiko services in Morioka (the biggest metropolis in Iwate Prefecture, the place GSSS is situated) contains a variety of manufacturing websites, together with Morioka Seiko Devices Inc, alongside the close-to 2,000sqm Grand Seiko Studio Shizukuishi. There’s a lot to say concerning the GSSS, which was accomplished in 2020 simply in time for the sixtieth anniversary of Grand Seiko (the primary watch within the household of watches, which was then underneath Seiko).
On that word, there’s an attention-grabbing show of historical past right here, which is rather more area of interest than the museum at Seiko Home Ginza. Not solely is the primary Grand Seiko piece from 1960 included, so is the primary Seiko watch, all the way in which again from 1913. This was the Laurel, which was additionally Japan’s first wristwatch; it’s accompanied in a bit of show by the Marvel (1956) and the Crown (1959). This unassuming showcase illustrates that Grand Seiko’s legacy itself is much longer than its 60 years implies. Whereas this word does take up a little bit of house in our already constrained pages, a difficulty known as Legacy can’t ignore one thing like this.
Maybe the obvious factor to notice about GSSS is just not an important although, and that’s its comparatively compact dimension and standing as a Kengo Kuma-design. In the event you go to, and the GSSS does settle for guests, the constructing itself will imprint itself onto your creativeness and you’ll not quickly neglect it. As we’ve written within the aforementioned story in subject #69, every little thing within the GSSS is organized on two ranges, of which the bottom stage (seen right here, reverse) is most outstanding as a result of that is the place watchmaking work occurs. Once more, keep in mind that top problems such because the Kodo aren’t assembled right here; however, the Tentagraph SLGC001 motion was assembled and completed right here, as was the 9AS5 high-beat calibre. Casing up and testing additionally occurs proper right here.
Springing Ahead
Regardless of having rather more to say about this, we should transfer on to our ultimate cease earlier than we run out of house and have to finish abruptly. This final cease, on the Nagano services that produce the Spring Drive watches, seems to be essentially the most difficult. To start with, the Seiko Epson manufacturing facility is just not a part of the Seiko Group or the Seiko Watch Company. Because the title states, that is successfully a three way partnership between Seiko and Epson. For collectors and fanatics, the important thing factor to bear in mind right here is that Seiko Epson is all about Spring Drive, and quartz too. That implies that it is usually about one other Seiko imprint, Credor, as properly a model that has nothing to do with Seiko, and every little thing to do with Epson: Orient.
Now, having mentioned that, work on Grand Seiko watches occurs in devoted areas that aren’t used for something apart from Grand Seiko. Helpfully, for an article like this one, there’s a single title for this space: the Shinshu Watch Studio. With Credor and Grand Seiko, there are overlaps simply as one would possibly discover at Ulysse Nardin and Girard- Perregaux (see elsewhere on this part). That is most evident within the Micro-Artist Studio, the place particular dials (the Credor Eichi II) and issues such because the Credor chiming mannequin come to life.
The Shinshu Watch Studio is essentially the most manufacture- like set-up that we’ve seen on this go to, with ending and meeting occurring in separate areas. Additionally it is the type of house that showcases the commercial method to creating and ending elements. Manufacturing of arms and indices are an incredible instance right here, with metal arms getting that signature blue color via warmth therapies which are standardized (an open oven, successfully, that enables many units of arms to be blued on the similar time). The sprucing of indices is a revelation, for anybody who has ever ogled the little appliques on the dial and questioned if these are all individually polished. Properly, they’re and they aren’t; a batch of those, that are all equal in any case, are loaded into a bit of housing implement that enables a machine to shine all of the related surfaces. Which means that batches should be tracked and subjected to a number of rounds of sprucing, considered one of which you’ll be able to see right here (reverse web page, backside).
The above description has taken little bit of house, and the explanation for that’s that it may be utilized to nearly every little thing that occurs at Seiko Epson for Grand Seiko. This contains every little thing from motion meeting and ending (reverse web page, high), to the making of instances and dials (together with the Snowflake and naturally Lake Suwa), and particular touches resembling Zaratsu sprucing (creating the famed distortion-free reflection on the case surfaces, seen under). It’s all conventional, however all finished with the rigour and precision of latest machining methods and expertise. Actions made right here embrace calibres 9F and 9RA5, and we predict it solely becoming that Spring Drive actions are nonetheless made within the facility (again when it was known as Suwa Seikosha) that developed it greater than 20 years in the past.
If nothing else, the ultimate part of this story concurrently reveals how difficult Grand Seiko’s manufacturing regime is. Then again, that is a part of a sample, with the Kodo calibre not produced in Shizukuishi however Ginza; this has resulted in unlucky however comprehensible publication errors (the place photos of SLGT003 have been used for instance tales on GSSS). Certainly, we’re extra cautious of unforced errors on this story than anyplace else, however we’re sure the extra educated amongst you’ll not hesitate to level these out! Because the closing story on this part on manufacturing websites, the narrative right here should have satisfied you that no manufacture is absolutely the identical as one other as a result of there are sometimes sturdy variances even inside the similar model. If you’re not satisfied but, properly come again subsequent 12 months and we’ll strive once more…
This text first appeared on WOW’s Legacy 2024 subject
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