Grand Seiko Watches

The Grand Beginning

Kintaro Hattori started as a trader of Swiss Watches in Tokyo. He gradually began manufacturing wall clocks under the company name Seikosha Co. It wasn’t until 1924 that the company started using the name Seiko in their wristwatches. The company DainiSeikosha Co. was established in 1937, and Seiko officially became its first brand.

However, the company wanted to specialize in luxury watches, which is why Grand Seiko was established in 1960. The collection of Grand Seiko watches includes historical pieces like Hi-Beat Chronometer and Spring Drive. This brand was born out of a dream to produce high-end watches that didn’t exist at that time. At a time when Swiss and German watches were considered luxurious and precise, Japan’s Seiko broke all barriers and penetrated a rather dominant market with its beautiful, strong and creative designs.

The emphasis lay on delivering practical watch designs that lay the foundation for what the brand strives to achieve- accuracy. Be it the Grand Seiko Diver model or the Spring Drive model, they all attempted to surpass the existing levels of accuracy achieved by the brand.

In 1967, the company released the high-accuracy manually-wound 5-beat watch. There was no stopping them after that. In a few years, they went on to become one of the most precision-driven companies, and every element of their watch surpasses the expectations and standards set by the federations even today.

The 44GS is another model that stands out for its complex design. The Japanese watch-makers were particular about the proportions as well as the finish, which is visible in 44GS.

The Growth of Grand Seiko

With every new watch, the company managed to achieve their precision goals and clearly defined new standards. The collection grew, and so did their brand name and customer base. At a time when Grand Seiko was rejoicing in the success of their first-ever manual watch 44GS, the company decided to launch their automatic range. In the same year, they also launched the automatic 62GS. Within a year, they launched an upgraded version 10 beat 61GS along with 10 beat 45GS manual watch.

What drove their growth and intuitive creations? The makers understood the demands of their consumers and their need for more accurate and functional watches. This led to their grand success.

Awards & Accomplishments

Grand Seiko is one of the most celebrated brands in Japan and overseas. Every chronometer produced by the company has won an award in Japan. Their rankings constantly improved at the Geneva and Neuchatel Concours.

In 1968, the brand won the award for producing the best mechanical watch in Geneva’s Observatory Competition.

The brand’s constant effort to improve their watchmaking abilities and invent new alloys and elements won them these laurels. With every new watch, they raised the bars for watchmaking and dial movements. They were known for their unique spron alloys and torque that they used in their watches. With every watch, they improved the balance wheel oscillation rate, which led to better accuracy.

In fact, over time, their ultra high precision watches received the name “Grand Seiko Very Fine Adjusted” watches.

The New Collection of Grand Seiko

In 1988, the company brought out the Quartz watch collection, and the 95GS Grand Seiko watches came into existence. With this watch, they started producing all the elements and parts required for making these watches in-house. In this particular piece, they used Quart crystals that were made in-house, which led to the superior performance of the watches as well as increased resistance to temperature and humidity.

The company set the bars even higher and decided to come out with the ideal Quartz watch, in the year 1993, when they released the Caliber 9F83. They came up with four innovative versions - the auto-adjust mechanism, the twin pulse control system, the instant date change, and protective shield.

Grand Seiko's Exclusive Collections

Grand Seiko GMT

The 2002 9S56 GMT series featured the fourth hand in a watch dial for the first-ever time, which showed GMT. It was an invention that furthered the brand’s name in the luxury market. Strong design, beautiful dial and automatic movements made this watch stand out easily. Eventually, they created the 9S85 Grand Seiko GMT watch, which allowed users to adjust the hour hand without touching the second hand. They not only mastered the art of precision required for the time but also extended it to GMT. The 9S65 attained a new level of mechanical excellence by owning the 8 beat movement and incorporating the MEMS technology needed to deliver highly precise and functional watches.

Grand Seiko Quartz

The 9F Quartz movement watch was a hand-assembled edition. As mentioned earlier, it included innovations that were new in those times, and made Grand Seiko a sought after company for wristwatches. The date display could be changed in 1/2000th of a second in this watch.

Grand Seiko Spring Drive

The first-ever Grand Seiko Spring model was created in the year 2004. Calibre 9R65 combined the traditional spring mechanism with an electronic regulator, which not only increased the accuracy levels but also improved the overall watch design and power reserve. Owing to the brilliant design, the watches were more durable and productive as compared to the others in the collection.

The Limited Edition Grand Seiko Sport Collection

The new sports edition of the Grand Seiko watches has redefined movement and resistance. The new watch collection not only offers a 20 bar water resistance but also comes with enhanced shock resistance. The watch is perfect for the deep seas where everything from the temperature to the conditions is unpredictable.

Be on Time with a Grand Seiko Watch

If you have always desired high-precision and elegant watches, you should add Grand Seiko to your collection. With their sturdy designs and innovative movements, Grand Seiko has surpassed the benchmark of excellence. These watches exude brilliance and beauty wherever you go. Though the Grand Seiko prices its timepieces at par with the luxury market, each model is absolutely worth it.