A Week in Japan with Grand Seiko Reveals Secrets and techniques of the Model’s Distinctive Craftsmanship

Stating that Grand Seiko is Japanese is like saying that the Eiffel Tower belongs to Paris. It appears so apparent at first that you just may overlook that France’s most well-known monument wasn’t meant to turn into a everlasting fixture. With Grand Seiko, the Japaneseness of the model isn’t simply in regards to the location. It’s not about making watches in Japan; it’s about making watches the Japanese means, one thing the model calls Dou (道) or The Method. A few months in the past, I had the chance to spend per week in Japan and my aim was, in addition to visiting a number of key places for the model, to know what makes Grand Seiko distinctive. To find what makes it intrinsically, deeply, brilliantly Japanese. 

After I acquired an invite from Grand Seiko within the late summer time to lastly go to Japan and the model’s manufactures and different vital places (I say lastly as a result of this journey was initially deliberate for spring 2020…), I couldn’t cover a sure pleasure. I had lengthy needed to go to Japan, a rustic that felt distant to me, a rustic that I checked out with the eyes of a Westerner, stuffed with preconceptions. I are inclined to romanticise these items, an inclination that would simply result in disappointment. Actuality can strike onerous typically. On this case, it definitely did, however not in the way in which I anticipated. With the ability to journey to Japan has been, for a lot of causes, a novel expertise and may effectively be why Grand Seiko named this journey the “Grand Seiko Media Expertise”.

If I needed to summarize your entire week in a single phrase, it could be contrasts. You’ll be able to see contrasts in all areas of day by day life in Japan. The distinction between modernity – an omnipresent overdose of know-how – and but a deep respect for custom. The distinction between a powerful popular culture and underground scene and a profound appreciation for guidelines and order. This ambivalence is completely exemplified once you exit Meiji-jingū, one in every of Tokyo’s most well-known and conventional Shinto shrines, and instantly end up deep into Shibuya, one in every of Tokyo’s hottest nightlife areas.

These contrasts, this fixed ambivalence, that is what defines Japan. It has its personal tradition, its personal means of doing issues, its personal means of taking a look at each side of life. It is perhaps the lengthy isolation of the nation, however regardless of its have to open to the world, Japan stays a spot like no different. What stunned me, much more, is that Grand Seiko, in all areas of its watchmaking, from the preliminary enter behind the creation of a watch to the design course of and, lastly, the manufacturing capacities, can also be a world of distinctive and interesting contrasts.

From the “Home of Precision” to Grand Seiko

Our journey into the world of Grand Seiko begins in Ginza, Tokyo’s upscale purchasing space, but in addition the birthplace of Seiko, with a go to to the Seiko Museum. It’s a formidable place –  extremely recommendable – with a set of over 10,000 timing devices exhibiting the evolution of watchmaking in Japan and the beginning and progress of Seiko and Grand Seiko over time.

To know the beginning of Seiko, or ought to I say the Home of Precision that’s Seikosha – seikō (precision), sha (home) – you first must do not forget that, for hundreds of years, Japan didn’t use the identical timing system as Western nations. Counting on the lunar calendar, Japanese timekeeping was constructed round divisions between dawn and sundown – six divisions between dawn and sundown, six extra divisions between sundown and dawn – however with various seasons, these items had been of various lengths. Because of this, up till the Meiji Restoration, the nation relied on wadokei ((和時計), clocks measuring conventional Japanese time. With the restoration and the transfer to the photo voltaic calendar in 1873, the necessity for brand spanking new watchmaking experience grew.

Every part was about to vary with the arrival of Kintaro Hattori. Simply 21 years previous in 1881, Hattori opened his workshop within the district of Ginza, the place he offered and repaired clocks. Just a few years later, taking up a disused manufacturing facility in Tokyo, he constructed his personal watch manufacturing facility, which might be named Seikosha – later to turn into Seiko. In 1892, the primary watches had been produced, in 1913 the primary wristwatch of the model left the manufacturing facility and in 1924, the identify Seiko first appeared on a dial.

By 1895, simply three years after the muse of Seikosha, the corporate was exporting, and by 1911, Seikosha had cornered 60% of the home market. However issues weren’t as simple as they appeared. Although the nation was present process speedy progress and industrialization, Japan’s isolation was nonetheless robust. Equipment ultimately started to interchange manpower at Seikosha. Following visits to the West, Hattori returned with highly effective steam engines and state-of-the-art machine instruments. Experience and manufacturing capacities needed to be sourced from Europe and America. And that is one thing you’ll be able to respect by wanting on the early watches of the model. The distinction begins right here. A deep Japanese tradition, closely influenced by the West – the identical might be mentioned for Japan as an entire, which, at the moment, needed to face immense stress from Westerners in an effort to adapt to the remainder of the world. The Nice Earthquake of 1923 additionally had a big impact on Japan and destroyed Seiko’s firm constructing in Ginza. In true Japanese spirit, Hattori counted his losses and, in 4 days, began to rebuild the manufacture. By December 1924, Seikosha had been rebuilt. By 1932, the Clock Tower, which sits atop the Wako constructing and is the symbol of the district, was accomplished.

An anecdote from the Museum, which led to a protracted dialog with one of many curators… I found a small wristwatch from the late Nineteen Thirties, with a case resembling that of a Calatrava and a sector dial that might have been excellent with the identify Longines or Patek printed as an alternative of Seikosha Precision (I need to additionally admit I pushed the thought of a re-edition to the Seiko staff). What I need to spotlight right here is the distinction between what has all the time felt like a deeply Japanese model and a manufacturing that was nonetheless closely influenced by exterior components.

It wasn’t till after WWII that one can respect the change in design and spirit. Watches such because the Marvel, the King Seiko, the Cronos or the Gyro-Marvel paved the way in which for the creation of Grand Seiko in 1960. The primary watch to bear this identify was nonetheless comparatively standard design-wise. Every part modified in 1967 with the celebrated 44GS and the creation of the Grand Seiko Type, a.okay.a Grammar of Design. From there, Grand Seiko began to infuse its watches with pure Japaneseness, one thing that coated each side of the watch, from its design, precision and legibility to its distinctive means of taking part in with the sunshine.

From there, Dou (道) or The Method turned an obsession that may be felt throughout the board, from the manufacturing to the ultimate product on the wrist. However issues weren’t initially simple for Grand Seiko. Up till 2010, Grand Seiko was (nearly) uniquely out there in its home market. In 2010, Shinji Hattori, a great-grandson of Seiko founder Kintaro Hattori, determined to open Grand Seiko to the remainder of the world. Conscious of the necessity for Grand Seiko to face other than its extra accessible and practical brother Seiko, in 2017, Grand Seiko turned a stand-alone model and, since then, has gained spectacular visibility and recognition. To not point out that, in a extremely managed means, Grand Seiko watches have by no means felt as distinctive, as completely different, as Japanese as they’ve ever been earlier than.

However how are these watches made? The primary expertise with the manufacturing of a Grand Seiko watch was clearly not what I anticipated; as I discussed, I started my journey with many preconceptions. Contained in the Wako constructing is the Atelier Ginza… Not a spot the place you’d count on to see watchmakers at work. Nonetheless, there you’ll discover a small room, one in every of two places for ultra-high-end watchmaking. This place was created particularly for the ultimate meeting and ending of the Grand Seiko Kodo Tourbillon, below the lead of a Swiss-trained rock-star watchmaker named Takuma Kawauchiya (a musician turned watchmaker, obsessive about the beating sound of a motion). And this place couldn’t be extra completely different from the remainder of the expertise. That is the crown’s jewel, which mixes conventional Japanese watchmaking and methods with postures and processes from the West. Nonetheless, my subsequent encounter drastically modified this preliminary notion.

First Cease, Seiko Epson Shiojiri, the temple of quartz and spring drive

Heading west within the mountains subsequent to Nagano is an important place for Seiko and Grand Seiko, the Seiko Epson Shiojiri Plant. Residence to about 600 staff, the preliminary view is that of an industrial plant, a big white constructing that would have simply been producing pharmaceutical merchandise or chemical compounds. And, to a sure extent, this isn’t solely fallacious… In comparison with the Atelier Ginza, the distinction was putting.

And but, the extra you dive into this constructing, the extra you are feeling these contrasts. As I mentioned, an amazing sensation of ambivalence… This place is the place all quartz and Spring Drive actions (9F and 9R, respectively) are produced. However not solely. It’s also the place the watches round these actions are nearly solely produced, and it’s house to the Shinshu Watch Studio, solely devoted to Grand Seiko watches, and eventually to the Micro-Artist Studio.

This place, as soon as once more, oozes contrasts. It’s on the intersection of conventional craftsmanship and pioneering know-how. One aspect of the Shiojiri plant is, as you’d count on, devoted to the manufacturing of components – all types of components, from motion blanks to uncooked circumstances and digital elements. Extremely industrialized places weren’t a part of the go to. Nonetheless, after I mentioned that there was a reference to chemical compounds, it wasn’t so far-fetched and might be seen once you maintain a MASSIVE quartz crystal grown in-house by Seiko. This, amongst many different points of this manufacture, exhibits the dedication of the group to be as impartial as attainable. Or is it the results of the lengthy isolation that compelled Seiko to behave this fashion? The President of Seiko Watch Company, Akio Naito, informed me that the absence of exterior suppliers resulted on this technique of vertical integration.

Shifting additional into the Seiko Epson Shiojiri Plant, you find yourself within the Shinshu Watch Studio. There, issues change drastically from what the outside of the constructing insinuates. That is the place the excellence between Seiko and Grand Seiko actually crystalizes. Right here, circumstances are completed by hand utilizing the Zaratsu and hairline ending methods that I’ve not seen wherever in Switzerland (and I’ve seen extra producers than I care to confess!). Hand craftsmanship is all over the place, with a tangible dedication from the ladies and men engaged on these watches. It’s nonetheless a moderately oil-filled place, however you’ll be able to see the eye to element. Staff entrusted with this job can use solely their eyes and the sensation of their fingertips to sense the precise angle and stress required. Then, and solely then, will the well-known distortion-free mirror-polished surfaces seem.

Grand Seiko is rightfully pleased with its dials, and these are additionally crafted on this studio (at the very least, these used on 9R and 9F watches), utilizing textures that replicate the “Nature of Time” philosophy of the model. The Japanese consideration to element turns into clear once you see how the markers of those watches are accomplished. As soon as once more, a method that I’ve by no means seen earlier than. There aren’t any CNC machines or computer-controlled diamond-cutting instruments right here; as an alternative, the markers are minimize and polished by hand utilizing a rotating drum – I’m nonetheless questioning precisely the way it works, however I’ll depart this as a part of the thriller.

Meeting, adjusting and management happen in a sequence of ateliers which might be surprisingly completely different from Swiss or German manufactures. Before everything, the posture. Japanese watchmakers work utilizing a microscope, not a loupe. It’s a element, however one which has its significance within the total philosophy of Grand Seiko. It displays a distinct mind-set.

The Shinshu Watch Studio can also be house to the Micro Artist Studio, the second jewel of the model, the place high-end Grand Seiko and Credor watches are constructed. The distinction with the remainder of the plant is as soon as once more putting. There, time beats in a different way, slowly, peacefully. There, Philippe Dufour has a caring eye on issues. There, watches are greater than timekeepers. They’re objects of true Japanese artwork, mastered by extremely expert watchmakers who’ve been skilled internally on the Takumi Studio. Certainly, in Japan, you’re not a grasp watchmaker; you’re turning into a Takumi (匠), one thing that has lengthy been acknowledged by the federal government and that’s cherished by Grand Seiko.

There, you might be chosen by the Japanese authorities as a Modern Grasp Craftsman and awarded the Yellow Ribbon Medal given to people who’ve turn into public position fashions by their dedication to their work. This, when in comparison with the know-how deployed in a Spring Drive motion, is what greatest represents to me the idea of Japaneseness, the conflict of cultures that ends in an object the place perfection is continually sought.

Cease two, Mechanical at Grand Seiko Studio Shizukuishi

The second half of this expertise leads us to the north of Honshu, Japan’s predominant island, in a quiet forest in Iwate Prefecture close to Mt. Iwate, one of many nation’s most well-known but shy mountains. We’re removed from Tokyo and its shiny lights. The primary constructing that composes the Grand Seiko Studio Shizukuishi is one more shock, strongly contrasting with what was behind us, the Shinshu Watch Studio.

Right here, mechanical watches are manufactured. And never solely actions. Whole watches. Subsequent to this immaculate, serene picket constructing are but extra industrial crops the place uncooked components are produced. Certainly, as stunning as it could sound, circumstances, dials and different exterior elements of mechanical watches are produced right here, too. Manufacturing capacities are doubled at Studio Shizukuishi. This explains why, for example, small variations might be seen between the Spring Drive watches and the mechanical watches that kind the Grand Seiko 4 Seasons Assortment.

There’s a tangible serenity on this place, a reference to nature that was key in its conception and that has been round since its opening in 2020. Nature surrounds the place, nearly invading it. In a means, this distinction between what stays an industrial exercise and this place exudes the identical emotions because the notion most of us have of mechanical versus Spring Drive or Quartz watches. Regardless of a lot of them having a hi-beat motion, mechanical watches run at a a lot slower beat than quartz-controlled watches. In a means, it’s historic, conventional watchmaking versus innovation and technological mastery. Like the remainder of Japan, contrasts are all over the place.

As soon as once more, time flies in a different way on this place. It’s a contemporary manufacture, designed to be an instance of what the nation is able to. And but, it stays deeply imbued with traditions rooted in its location and its environment. However it’s additionally a spot the place individuals have conceived extremely superior actions, such because the Calibre 9SA5 and its Twin Impulse Escapement. The push to all the time do higher is inevitable; the thought to always enhance is inherent to Grand Seiko, and but, time appears to have stopped close to Morioka.

The second arrives once you strap a watch round your wrist, the Grand Seiko Studio Shizukuishi behind you, maple bushes which have turned purple with the Autumn in your proper, a small backyard designed based on Japanese traditions in your left and Mt. Iwate taking a look at you within the far aspect. Then, you perceive what Japaneseness at Grand Seiko means.

For extra particulars… I might usually invite you to examine www.grand-seiko.com, however this time, even to the most effective of my talents, I gained’t be capable to transcribe all the pieces that I’ve seen and felt throughout this expertise. So, as an alternative of clicking on a hyperlink, I encourage you to fly to Japan.