Eternal values and a uniquely Japanese sense of beauty
The Grand Seiko Style is a design language centered on the idea of the “sparkle with quality.” It reflects exactly the essential characteristics of Grand Seiko: precision, beauty, legibility and ease of use. It represents form and function in perfect harmony. The Grand Seiko Style was developed seven years after the creation of the first Grand Seiko. In the earliest days, the focus had been primarily on the precision of the movements and the company had not established any real identity for its watches in terms of exterior design. A chief designer spent long hours at the Wako store in Ginza, Tokyo’s most exclusive shopping district, watching how people reacted to watches from all around the world. He realized that, in order to stand out and to attract the eye, Grand Seiko needed to have more brilliance. He saw that the way forward was to design watches with sharper angles and distortion-free surfaces so that they would “sparkle with quality.”
For the Japanese, black and white are seldom expressed in their extremes; there are always numerous gradations between light and shadow to be discovered. Shadow is appreciated as much as light and the harmony between the two is highly valued. On a perfectly polished surface, the play of light and shadow creates beautiful harmony. This interaction can be seen in traditional Japanese folding screens and Shoji sliding doors. Even though these screens and doors are constructed with simple straight lines and flat surfaces of paper and wood, the ever-changing interplay of light and shadow creates endless expressions of character. The Grand Seiko designer saw this clearly and decided that his designs would pay constant attention to the beauty of these infinite gradations. He therefore created the Grand Seiko Style to convey this truly Japanese sense of beauty. It focuses on straight lines and flat surfaces that together achieve a structural design with endless expressions of light and shadow.
There are three design principles that are fundamental to the Grand Seiko Style. The first one is: “The design is made of flat surfaces and two-dimensional curves, with focus placed firmly on the flat surfaces. As a general rule, no three-dimensional curves should be utilized.” Instead of using curving three-dimensional surfaces, the Grand Seiko Style is composed of extremely sharp and flat surfaces formed from sections of conical ones. The rich “sparkle of quality” comes from the contrasts between light and shadow that these strong surfaces create. The second principle is: “Everything on the case, dial and hands should have as many flat surface areas as possible.” In order to heighten the contrast between the elements and to increase the watch’s legibility, as many surface areas as possible are made flat and the lines on the case, dial and hands are multi-faceted. The third principle is: “All surfaces, as a general rule, should be mirror-polished and be as distortion-free as possible.” This mirror finish further increases the contrast between light and shadow, creating a brilliantly sparkling watch. The mirror finish is achieved by the Zaratsu polishing technique, in which the surfaces are polished until they are distortion-free and by making the edges where the flat surfaces meet the slanted planes stand out distinctively to create a sharp impression. Then, with an inward-slanted case side and bezel wall, beautiful shadows are cast to not only produce expressive sparkles, but also to make the watch look thinner on the wrist. The crown is half recessed into the case to give its side a less obtrusive look and to achieve a comfortable fit for all wrist sizes.
The design should have flat surfaces and two-dimensional curves. Three-dimensional curves are generally not utilized.
The flat surfaces of the case, dial and hands should be as wide as possible.
Every surface should be distortion-free and have a mirror surface.
Guided by these three principles, the Grand Seiko Style has nine distinct elements that give each Grand Seiko watch its uniquely Japanese appeal. These nine elements guide the creation of every detail of the watch, from the angle of the case, to the shape of the 12 o’clock index and the flatness of the dial. Thanks to this designer’s careful study and meticulous work six decades ago, each and every Grand Seiko has the special “sparkle of quality” on which its creators have always insisted. Every facet of the case, hands and the indexes is designed to reflect even the smallest ray of light, creating a crisp, clear, unique aesthetic that says “This is Grand Seiko, the ultimate practical watch.” This core aesthetic was established in 1967 and still guides Grand Seiko today. It has been passed on faithfully from generation to generation while being adapted subtly to the changing times. In this way the Grand Seiko Style is both enhanced and preserved.
Light, shadow and strong lines. These three elements formed the cornerstone of Grand Seiko Style but, before it could be realized, a new level of precision in manufacturing was required and it came about through a change in the way that measurements were made. Seiko had been using a special unit called “ligne,” which was the mainstream standard in the watchmaking industry but, in 1961, Seiko began to use the millimeter as the base for all measurements. This resulted in a change in the minimum unit from 1/4 ligne (approx. 0.56mm) to 0.1mm, allowing a more precise design of the watch case and exterior components. This change in the dimensional unit standard was particularly helpful in realizing the Grand Seiko Style in which flat surfaces and straight lines are juxtaposed and pinpoint accuracy in manufacturing was needed to achieve it. This change also demanded new levels of skill from the craftsmen and women of Grand Seiko as it was exceptionally challenging to materialize a design with case sides shaped in an elegant arc, as well as indexes and hands with a multi-faceted carved finish. In particular, the Zaratsu polishing technique required high fingertip sensitivity to adjust to the heat, vibrations and reduction in the polishing material while, at the same time, visualizing the final result. It was said at the time that it required at least 10 years to master this technique completely and its use represented a major investment in the skills and number of craftspeople.
With a 60+ year history of quality in technology, design and finishings that are superior for the value, Grand Seiko watches are an investment in to accuracy and craftsmanship. The idea behind Grand Seiko was to create a watch that would be as precise, durable, easy to wear and beautiful as humanly possible. This was achieved with the production of the first model in 1960. Thanks to ever improving watchmaking skills, the invention of new alloys and components coupled with a passion to create the ‘ideal’ watch, the Grand Seiko team made a definitive and lasting contribution to the raising of global standards of mechanical watchmaking. Today, men's Grand Seiko watches are more previse and more powerful than ever before with the introduction of a Spring Drive caliber and a high beat movement. Shop Grand Seiko watches for men and for women at Lee Michaels Fine Jewelry stores.
Stay tuned as we complete our installation of Grand Seiko at our location in the North Star Mall in San Antonio, Texas. Recognition from watch connoisseurs has grown in recent years, and Lee Michaels is proud to be an authorized retailer, offering a selection of Grand Seiko watches for men and Ladies Grand Seiko watches online as well as at our location in San Antonio, Texas at the North Star Mall.
