Grand Seiko is as discreet as it is effective: without the Swiss watchmaking industry really seeing it coming, the Japanese brand has become the fourth most valuable in the world, behind Rolex, Omega and Breitling (according to estimates), in the $5,000 to $10,000 segment. A remarkable breakthrough that will continue in 2021, in support of the new products it has just announced.
By Olivier Müller
Grand Seiko has a string of successes and anniversaries. Shinji Hattori, CEO of Seiko and Grand Seiko, reminded us at the beginning of his presentations this week: “In 2020, we celebrated 160 years since the birth of my great-grandfather Kintaro Hattori. This year, in 2021, we will celebrate 140 years since the founding of our brand, Seiko.” Yet, as usual, the man takes no glory from this: “no nostalgia, but lessons that still help us today in our daily lives.”
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A very pragmatic, customer-oriented approach, with restraint and fairness, which capitalizes on a strong creative fiber based on Japanese nature: its forests, its peaks, its waterways, but also its crafts, all combined with a strong capacity for innovation (invention of the Spring Drive). Thanks to this highly effective cocktail, Grand Seiko has become a premium brand separate from Seiko, and now has 10 of its own boutiques around the world (excluding Japan), the flagship of which is none other than the one on Place Vendôme in Paris.
Today, Grand Seiko announces a new design, the Series 9, inspired by the 1967 44GS model. It’s a new case, new indexes, and a new type of Zaratsu finish that alternates between polished and satin-finished – where Zaratsu has always been celebrated for its primarily polished finishes. A first 40mm piece, the SLGH005 (9,500 euros), available immediately, whose dial reproduces the birch tree of Japanese forests in winter, uses this new design. The brand also emphasizes that it will gradually extend to other Grand Seiko collections.
Grand Seiko is also unveiling four pieces that represent the four seasons – a simplified presentation for collectors around the world because, in reality, the Japanese are used to recognizing 24 full seasons, each with its own characteristics! Today, these four pieces represent spring, summer, fall, and winter. The first two are equipped with the high-frequency caliber 9S86 (SBGJ251 and SBGJ249, 7,600 euros, May 2021), while the last two are equipped with the Spring Drive caliber 9R86 with GMT (SBGE271 and SBGE269, 6,800 euros, September 2021).
Finally, a last limited edition is unveiled (SLGH007) whose dial reproduces the annual growth rings of the cedars near the new creative space of the house, the “Grand Seiko Studio Shizukuishi”. More than a hundred micro lines run across a black dial, a rarity at Grand Seiko – a rarity enhanced by the choice of platinum as the base material for this 40mm case, which is also a Series 9 design. For those who like symbols, the star on the dial at 6 o’clock indicates that the indexes, the buckle and the date window are made of gold. A rarity for collectors: 60 000 euros, 140 copies.
