My journey toward appreciating Seiko began with my first trip to Japan in 2008 while researching the chapter on Kenji Shiohara for my book 12 Faces of Time. It was there that I learned that Seiko was producing ultra-luxurious, very finely finished timepieces. This took place where Shiohara worked in the Micro Artist department, which produced incredibly intricately finished pieces of high horology.
Seiko's story is much more complicated than most people might think. This is a manufacturer that doesn't follow trends, but has created a few of its own, capitalizing on various types of expertise and knowledge that were the mother of necessity for a manufacturer located so far away from the established centers of watchmaking in Europe.
The Seiko boutique in Tokyo
The site of the original 1881 Seiko boutique at Tokyo's Ginza is still owned by Seiko, but is a department store that also includes fine cheap rolex replica watches (both buildings, and have a look at the top of the building on the left)
Contrary to popular belief, Seiko's history did not begin with the quartz watch in the 1970s, nor has it ended there. This Far Eastern giant has banked on innovation for more than 120 years (beginning with the Hattori family founding its own factory for pocket watches in 1892 after Kintaro Hattori opened his boutique on Tokyo's famed Ginza in 1881) and now masters more types of watchmaking (mechanical quartz, solar, and Spring Drive) than any other company making timepieces.
However, the Grand Seiko is the most appealing line to connoisseurs of fine watchmaking.
In 2010, as I was sitting in the annual press conference that Seiko holds at Baselworld, my ears perked up when I heard the Japanese brand's representative announce that it would finally begin distributing Grand Seiko in other parts of the world. Up to that point, it had been a sort of insider timepiece that was only for sale within Asia, where it enjoyed an excellent reputation.
Quill & Pad co-founder Ian Skellern summed up a general feel of this perception very well when he recently said to me, "I rate the quality and fine finishing of the Grand Seiko as world-class and on par with fine Swiss watchmaking, but feel that it is unfortunately held back by the name 'Seiko,' which is strongly associated with mass-market best cheap rolex replica watches."
And that is the crux of the perception that westerners have regarding Seiko. Because this manufacture is capable of producing every part of a wristwatch – including every single movement component (even LIGA parts, which Seiko calls Mems, and springs) and uniquely even cases, crystals, and other habillage – it produces timepieces in every price class, even quartz- and solar-powered watches. Which means the consumer can buy a Seiko for a very reasonable couple hundred dollars.
Also because Grand Seiko and the unique Micro Artist products like the Credor Eichi are not available in the West (well, the Grand Seiko is now), it is the very reasonably priced, yet less "special" side of the brand that has stuck with most consumers in terms of image.
"Seiko is considered the main brand in contributing to almost crashing the Swiss watch industry in the 1980s because of its affordable quartz watches," says Louis Nardin, editor-in-chief of the Swiss video channel The Watches TV. "Seiko had developed quartz calibers as well as the industrial capability to produce them in quantity and for a lower price in the 1970s. Of course, Seiko was not the only reason for the decline of Swiss watchmaking at that time, but the Japanese brand has occupied a 'special' place in Swiss people's minds ever since."
The Grand Seiko line has been in existence for more than 50 years now, and it represents what the company calls "the very best of Seiko." The collection was conceived to feature the very best in aesthetics, durability, legibility, and horological excellence.
In Quill & Pad's Petite Aiguille round table on the preselected watches of the 2014 edition of the Grand Prix d'Horlogerie de Genève, published before the event took place, aBlogtoWatch contributor James Stacey had this to say, "While I don't think the Grand Seiko Hi-Beat 36,000 GMT will win, this is definitely my favorite for the category. I think it's an excellent example of what Grand Seiko does best: functional complications, excellent movements, and exemplary finishing.
"Seiko's combined its 5Hz high-beat movement with the GMT functionality of the SBGM line to make for a very appealing and practical watch. Consider the functionality alongside Grand Seiko's legendary case and dial finishing and you've got a rolex daytona replica watch that is highly competitive within this category and punches well above its weight class in the open market.
For more rolex replica watches details please visit https://www.biao.is/rolex.html
Seiko's story is much more complicated than most people might think. This is a manufacturer that doesn't follow trends, but has created a few of its own, capitalizing on various types of expertise and knowledge that were the mother of necessity for a manufacturer located so far away from the established centers of watchmaking in Europe.
The Seiko boutique in Tokyo
The site of the original 1881 Seiko boutique at Tokyo's Ginza is still owned by Seiko, but is a department store that also includes fine cheap rolex replica watches (both buildings, and have a look at the top of the building on the left)
Contrary to popular belief, Seiko's history did not begin with the quartz watch in the 1970s, nor has it ended there. This Far Eastern giant has banked on innovation for more than 120 years (beginning with the Hattori family founding its own factory for pocket watches in 1892 after Kintaro Hattori opened his boutique on Tokyo's famed Ginza in 1881) and now masters more types of watchmaking (mechanical quartz, solar, and Spring Drive) than any other company making timepieces.
However, the Grand Seiko is the most appealing line to connoisseurs of fine watchmaking.
In 2010, as I was sitting in the annual press conference that Seiko holds at Baselworld, my ears perked up when I heard the Japanese brand's representative announce that it would finally begin distributing Grand Seiko in other parts of the world. Up to that point, it had been a sort of insider timepiece that was only for sale within Asia, where it enjoyed an excellent reputation.
Quill & Pad co-founder Ian Skellern summed up a general feel of this perception very well when he recently said to me, "I rate the quality and fine finishing of the Grand Seiko as world-class and on par with fine Swiss watchmaking, but feel that it is unfortunately held back by the name 'Seiko,' which is strongly associated with mass-market best cheap rolex replica watches."
And that is the crux of the perception that westerners have regarding Seiko. Because this manufacture is capable of producing every part of a wristwatch – including every single movement component (even LIGA parts, which Seiko calls Mems, and springs) and uniquely even cases, crystals, and other habillage – it produces timepieces in every price class, even quartz- and solar-powered watches. Which means the consumer can buy a Seiko for a very reasonable couple hundred dollars.
Also because Grand Seiko and the unique Micro Artist products like the Credor Eichi are not available in the West (well, the Grand Seiko is now), it is the very reasonably priced, yet less "special" side of the brand that has stuck with most consumers in terms of image.
"Seiko is considered the main brand in contributing to almost crashing the Swiss watch industry in the 1980s because of its affordable quartz watches," says Louis Nardin, editor-in-chief of the Swiss video channel The Watches TV. "Seiko had developed quartz calibers as well as the industrial capability to produce them in quantity and for a lower price in the 1970s. Of course, Seiko was not the only reason for the decline of Swiss watchmaking at that time, but the Japanese brand has occupied a 'special' place in Swiss people's minds ever since."
The Grand Seiko line has been in existence for more than 50 years now, and it represents what the company calls "the very best of Seiko." The collection was conceived to feature the very best in aesthetics, durability, legibility, and horological excellence.
In Quill & Pad's Petite Aiguille round table on the preselected watches of the 2014 edition of the Grand Prix d'Horlogerie de Genève, published before the event took place, aBlogtoWatch contributor James Stacey had this to say, "While I don't think the Grand Seiko Hi-Beat 36,000 GMT will win, this is definitely my favorite for the category. I think it's an excellent example of what Grand Seiko does best: functional complications, excellent movements, and exemplary finishing.
"Seiko's combined its 5Hz high-beat movement with the GMT functionality of the SBGM line to make for a very appealing and practical watch. Consider the functionality alongside Grand Seiko's legendary case and dial finishing and you've got a rolex daytona replica watch that is highly competitive within this category and punches well above its weight class in the open market.
For more rolex replica watches details please visit https://www.biao.is/rolex.html
