The evolutions of Grand Seiko in the last 60 years

Originally posted on March 2020

Grand Seiko has been gaining in popularity among watch enthusiasts for some years now, and the name is no longer a secret to many. With this growing popularity, the brand's history is also beginning to be told here and there, by both the brand and its enthusiasts.

Lately, Grand Seiko has announced a number of new products that have surprised many, for better or worse. To better understand these major changes, let's take a step back in time to see how the brand has evolved over the course of its history, and how the brand has to reinvented itself over the years.

December 18, 1960 - December 24, 1969: The birth of Japanese watchmaking excellence

The idea of Grand Seiko was born at the end of the 50s, when Seiko had established itself on the Japanese market and in Japanese chronometry competitions.

Originally, it was just a watch, but not just any watch: the Grand Seiko was to be the best watch possible, the one that would enable the Japanese to beat the Swiss. The teams who worked on this watch put all their know-how, all their skills and all they had in it, without worrying about the final price of the watch. They simply had to make the best watch they could, regardless of cost.

The result was a gold-plated watch (Gold Fill to be exact) at ¥25,000, more expensive than the most expensive Seiko 18-carat gold watches available at the time. Not to mention the platinum version, priced at ¥140,000. To put these figures into perspective, the average first salary for a university graduate in Japan was around ¥10,800 in 1960.

What began as a single model - the “First”, then the 57GS etc. - gradually evolved into a line comprising several models. This line of models was built around strong values: precision, legibility, reliability, durability, practicality, beauty... But precision has always been Grand Seiko's core value.

It was with this guiding principle that the line evolved over the 60s, innovating with their first automatic movement in the 62GS in 1967, and their first Hi-Beat movement in 1968 in the 45GS (manual), 61GS (automatic) and 19GS (ladies').

1969 : a pivotal year

Then, in 1969, Grand Seiko released its first VFA or Very Fine Adjusted, a watch rated at +/- 1 minute per month, or 2 seconds per day. This was a remarkable feat, only matched a few years ago by Rolex.

The VFA marked Seiko's success in manufacturing the most precise mechanical watches of their time, the culmination of hard work, the pinnacle of what a mechanical watch could offer in terms of chronometry, and the very embodiment of Grand Seiko's most important value: precision.

But in 1969, the VFA was overshadowed by another watch: the Seiko Astron 35SQ. This was, of course, the world's first quartz watch, released on December 24, 1969. It is said to have a precision of +/- 5 seconds per month, i.e. 30x better than a VFA.

These two remarkable watches, the VFA and the Astron, were to play a crucial role in the evolution of Grand Seiko. What was to become of the brand that embodied the quest for chronometric perfection in mechanical watches, when this had been achieved with the VFA and pulverized with the arrival of quartz?

From 1970 onwards, the brand took a real turning point.

1970 - 1975 : the necessary evolution

The 70's were a real turning point in the recent history of our societies, a profound shake-up at all levels and in all parts of the world.

On a much more modest scale, watchmaking also underwent major changes, with Seiko introducing the first quartz watches to the market.

It was in this particular context that Grand Seiko had to reinvent itself in order to continue to exist. Where the line-up had consisted of a few relatively understated models, representing the flagship of Japanese watchmaking, the 1970s saw major changes for Grand Seiko.

To start with, Seiko releases its caliber 56 in the GS line, obviously with chronometric adjustments to match the brand's philosophy. The caliber 56 is the first movement with automated manufacturing, which greatly reduces production costs. It is also a movement that returns to a lower frequency of 28,800 vibrations per hour, considered at the time to be more durable (less friction, etc.). But above all, it's a much slimmer automatic movement than those designed up to this date. This will be the last new movement for GS, which will henceforth concentrate more on exterior design than on watchmaking technology.

From a design point of view, Grand Seiko starts offering an array of variations, colors, dials and textured cases. The Grammar of Design is evolving and being applied to more modern, more original, funkier designs.

I wouldn't go so far as to call this a democratization of Grand Seiko, but it's clear that a new dynamic is being established for GS, and prices are clearly being revised downwards.

Quartz became the new flagship of Japanese watchmaking, and mechanical watches took a back seat. So much so that in 1975, the Grand Seiko range was simply discontinued in favor of quartz, the new top-of-the-range model. It was the end of an era, the end of Grand Seiko's mechanical excellence.

1988 : an unexpected comeback

After 13 years of dormancy, Grand Seiko is resurrected in the most unexpected way possible: with quartz!

The same technology that caused Grand Seiko's demise in the mid-1970s led to the revival of the range in the late 1980s, first with calibers 8N, 95 and then the famous 9F.

For the next 10 years, Grand Seiko produced a few models in steel and gold, but kept to the sober, classic designs inspired by the range's heyday. It was a difficult period for Seiko, as the company expanded enormously in the entry-level segment, but struggled to recapture the success of the 60s and 70s.

It would be another 10 years before we finally saw a mechanical movement again in a Grand Seiko.

1998 - 2017 : the beginning of a new era

With the release of the calibre 9S in 1998, Grand Seiko took on a fresh lease of life. At a time when mechanical watches were making a comeback on the watchmaking scene, it was under the direction of Akira Ohira that GS rediscovered its letters of nobility with the creation of an exceptional new caliber, inspired by the best Seiko movements of the 70s, and more specifically the caliber 52.

After a timid start at the end of the 80s, GS gradually restored its reputation and regained some of its former glory.

Innovation will be the order of the day with numerous new movements, including an automatic movement with 3-day power reserve, a manual version, a GMT version, a brand-new Hi Beat and Hi Beat GMT movement, the famous Spring Drive and its GMT and/or chronograph versions, and more.

Design is also on the agenda, with modernized versions of the Grammar of Design, designs drawn from the brand's rich history, fabulous textured dials and exceptional finishes. Gradually, the well-kept secret of GS excellence spread beyond Japan and Asia, with the opening of the world's first Seiko boutique in Paris.

In 2014, Grand Seiko won the Prix de la Petite Aiguille at the Grand Prix d'Horlogerie de Genève, a milestone in the international popularization of the brand.After the golden age of GS in the 1960s, we can finally witness the new golden age of GS in the modern era.

2017 - 2020 : a new turn for Grand Seiko

In 2017, Grand Seiko took a significant step forward when the brand decided to officially open up to the globalmarket and become independent of Seiko, although still attached to the eponymous group. Initially, this meant the removal of the SEIKO logo from the dials, in favor of the GS logo at 12 o'clock. What initially appeared to be a simple marketing move would have clear consequences in the months and years that followed, and I don't think we've seen everything yet. Grand Seiko is progressively structuring itself, opening boutiques in its own name in all parts of the world, opening independent branches with new teams in charge of the brand.

The products also reflect a desire to open up and adapt to the tastes of Western customers. Little by little, we can feel that Grand Seiko is listening to what customers want, with watches that are better adapted to the demand, with generous diameters, more pronounced colors, more visible textures, highlighting Japanese know-how, all in response to those who found Grand Seiko watches too cold or “surgical”. But there are also thinner watches, new movements and a wide variety of other novelties...

This is also combined with a very clear new policy: to position Grand Seiko in a higher segment, globally around €10,000 and higher.

And I think 2020 will undoubtedly be the year that most clearly reflects this new strategy, on the eve of the brand's 60th anniversary.

Grand Seiko has already announced a few novelties, and not the least: two new movements entirely redesigned from almost from scratch, new pieces from the Micro Artist Studio that are shattering the price ceilings of Grand Seiko (including a mechanical watch, a first for MAS) and a brand-new assembly workshop for mechanical Grand Seiko in Shizukuishi. And something tells me there's more to come...

2020 also marks the launch of Grand Seiko Europe, an independent branch that will oversee all things Grand Seiko in continental Europe. The GS Europe team, headed by Frédéric Bondoux under the guidance of Akio Naito, will also be in charge of the new boutique on Place Vendôme.

Where is GS going now?

Le nouveau Grand Seiko Studio de Shizukuishi - Credit Image: Fratello Watches — The new Grand Seiko Studio Shizukuishi - Credit Image: Fratello Watches

It's still early to draw conclusions on all this, but I think it's important to remember that Grand Seiko has known different eras in its history, and that the values cherished by this brand have been applied in different ways while retaining a certain fidelity to the original spirit. And I think it's essential for a brand to be able to evolve and adapt to changes in the market, society, practices and so on.

I'm one of those who knew Grand Seiko in its heyday in the early 2010s, with the birth of the modern 44GS, the difficult popularization of the Spring Drive, the 2014 GPHG and so on. And it's clear that those days are over. As I've said elsewhere, it's a bit like seeing your favorite indie rock band go from small, intimate venues to the biggest festivals, selling out stadiums, going gold and “mainstream”. And there are many who don't approve of this new policy, whether among early fans or more recent converts.

Flashier designs and highly ornamented watches are not my cup of tea, or at least do not fit in with my image of Grand Seiko. I have the impression that the brand is striving to appeal to the big buyers in the Middle East and China, while somewhat losing the Japanese sobriety that was so dear to me. It's a perfectly logical political choice, and the direction the brand is taking is clear: sell fewer pieces, but at a higher price. And this is perhaps what bothers me most.

Where the 1960 Grand Seiko First was expensive because it represented the excellence of the brand's know-how, I have the impression that some of the new models introduced are expensive for purely political reasons. And after all, you can't blame them for that: the Seiko Group is there to generate profits first and foremost. But there's a big difference between making an expensive watch because it's excellent, and designing a watch to be expensive.

But despite all these criticisms, there's a silver lining: Grand Seiko continues to innovate with its two new movements, the 9SA5 and 9RA5, each of which brings its share of innovations and improvements. They are also slimmer movements, which is excellent news. We can also see that Grand Seiko is adapting its infrastructure to meet growing demand, and this is perhaps the best news for GS in 2020. This is a criticism that has often been made since the brand opened up to the international market. Given the brand's quasi-artisanal production, it seemed difficult to maintain quality while increasing output without having to push out the walls. It is to be hoped that the training of tomorrow's GS watchmakers and after-sales service centers will follow the same dynamic.

It also remains to be seen how watches equipped with the 9SA5 and 9RA5 will be priced in the coming years. I think that for the time being, GS will keep the current movements in the price ranges we know, and the new movements in watches around €10,000. Then, little by little, the old movements will be replaced by new ones to refocus the brand on what it had announced, while keeping more affordable models around the 3000/7000€ mark, as is currently the case.

Conclusion

So, over the last 60 years, Grand Seiko has been able to evolve, adapt and transform itself, while remaining true to its original values. I remain convinced that, despite the gradual transformations of recent years, Grand Seiko will continue to offer fabulous watches on more reasonable budgets, and I’m excited to see where this new dynamic will take us, and what this new era has in store for GS. Because despite everything, Grand Seiko will always remain a brand very dear to my heart!