This is a travelogue produced by my friend and fellow watch fan, Joshua Wisch, about his visit to the Grand Seiko Studio in Shizukuishi. He was kind enough to write about his experience and shoot some great photos for us so please check it out.
Earlier this year my wife and I decided to finally visit Japan. I knew I wanted to make a visit to Grand Seiko Studio Shizukuishi part of the trip. I’ve been an admirer of Grand Seiko for many years and ever since they constructed the new studio in Shizukuishi I’ve read everything I could about it and it’s always been on my bucket list of watch destinations.
It’s not a particularly easy place to reach. Located about 350 miles north of Tokyo (think roughly the distance from Pittsburgh to New York City) it takes over two hours on the Shinkansen (bullet train) to reach. You can take the train to either Morioka Station or Shizukuishi Station, both of which are in the Iwate Prefecture. There are more trains going to the larger Morioka Station (Morioka is the capital of Iwate Prefecture), so we chose to do that. Once you arrive at Morioka Station, it’s a 20-minute taxi ride to the Grand Seiko Studio.
Grand Seiko and Nature
If you’re familiar with Grand Seiko, then you probably know how much of their brand ethos is focused on incorporating nature into everything they do. They’re most known for doing this with respect to the design of their dials. You’ll hear Grand Seiko explain how one watch face is designed to evoke the waters of Lake Suwa (SLGA 007), another is meant to be a representation of the ridgelines of Mount Iwate (SBGJ 235), or how their Shizukuishi Limited Edition (which can only be purchased in-person at the studio as part of the tour) has a dial design of deep green with subtle vertical ridging, representing the forested areas around the studio in Shizukuishi (SBGH 283). Grand Seiko has taken some ribbing from watch enthusiasts on overdoing this, but my impression upon spending time with them is that their commitment to this approach is genuine.
We were fortunate to have our studio tour scheduled on a clear, beautiful day in Shizukuishi. This meant we were able to truly take in how the building–designed by Kengo Kuma–seamlessly blends into the surrounding area. There is an expansive lawn running along the side of the main building, and the rear of the building abuts the forest. In between is a pond, also designed specifically for the site, which uses recycled water so that the beauty it affords is sustainable. There are also insect houses on the property into which leaves and branches are fed when they fall off the nearby trees. This provides food for the insects inside and creates an onsite and natural way of disposing of the organic detritus.
I found that simply being on the grounds filled me with a sense of tranquility.
The studio tour: greeting and watching the watchmakers
Upon arrival we were greeted by Wataru Inoue, a member of Grand Seiko’s PR department and our tour guide. He was welcoming, gracious, and immediately offered to take a photo of my wife and me and next to the “Grand Seiko Studio Shizukuishi” sign, with the studio behind us. After the obligatory photo ops, it was into the studio we went.
A quick aside: if you want to visit the studio (and you’re not a member of the press), you must make a reservation well ahead of time. While we were waiting for our tour to begin another couple drove up unannounced and they were turned away.
Our tour was broken up into two groups: there were six people there for a Japanese language tour and they had their own guide. My wife and I were the only people on the English language tour that afternoon, so we had the special treat of receiving an individualized tour.
After some initial instructions, including guidance on where we were and were not allowed to take photographs, Wataru began our tour with the part I most anticipated: the chance to see the Grand Seiko artisans at work. There is a long hallway along the side of the studio. On one side of the hallway is a series of picture windows that provide a serene view of the lawn, the trees that frame it, and Mt. Iwate in the background. On the other side of the hallway is the studio where all Grand Seiko mechanical watches are assembled. GS’s quartz and spring drive movements are assembled in a different facility in another part of the country.
Wataru gave us a step-by-step tour of each part of the process that takes place in the studio, and we had the thrill of getting to watch each step happen as he was describing it. There were approximately ten long tables in the studio, with about four to five watchmakers seated at each table. It was a fascinating mix of the modern and the traditional as high-tech digital microscopes sat on the tables, and each watchmaker had their own hand-crafted traditional looking cabinet next to them (used for their tools and papers).
I felt privileged being able to watch some of Grand Seiko’s Gold Meister artisans up close and personal. I’m sure it was by design that some of their top watchmakers had their stations first next to the windows so we could see them closely. There that day were Itou Tsutomu who has been working for Grand Seiko for over thirty years and Ken Matsuo, a younger gold meister, but one with such a high level of skill that he once folded an origami crane smaller than the size of a watch dial (the crane is there for you to see, right in front of his station). I was curious if the watchmakers could see us just as easily as we could see them, and as I asked this, Itou Tsutomu looked up to us and bowed.
After spending almost 30 minutes observing these masters at work, we were taken up to a mid-level area where we were able to look over the entire studio. It is a clean room, with vents along the walls to continuously filter the air, each watchmaker dressed in the same type of outerwear clothing you’d see scientists wearing as they build semiconductors. Another fascinating part of the architecture that Wataru noted for us is the vaulted ceiling, designed so that there are no horizontal beams where dust could collect.
The studio tour: a tour of Grand Seiko’s history and technology
The next stop on the tour was a walkthrough of a series of museum-style cases in the main entrance area. These cases included a variety of historic Seiko watches (including the Laurel, Japan’s first wristwatch, made in 1913), the 1956 Marvel and the 1959 Crown (each exemplars of the mid-century aesthetic), and the very first Grand Seiko watch, made in 1960.
Another case was a smorgasbord of the mechanical watch movements themselves. This included five different calibers from the 9S6 series, two calibers from the 9S8 series (the mechanical Hi-Beat movement), the 9SC movement (which powers the Tentagraph), and the two 9SA movements. These last two were clearly points of pride for the Grand Seiko team, billed as the best mechanical movement ever from Grand Seiko. Thinner and with a higher power reserve than the 9S8 series (80 hours as opposed to 55), these power the popular White Birch and Night Birch offerings. Getting to see them all up close was mesmerizing.
As is the case with others studio tours (and often use when maisons hold special nights at their boutiques for enthusiasts), multiple cases also provided a full breakdown of each individual part that goes into their watches. While we all know how difficult it is to create these portable, precise pieces of art, it’s still stunning to see each individual part laid out on a tray. And the way Grand Seiko displays it is a piece of artistry itself. I think I spent five minutes alone just wrapping my head around the display of the 273 individual pieces that comprise the 9SA5 movement.
The “boutique”
Of course, a tour of Grand Seiko Studio Shizukuishi would not be complete without a chance to visit their own, intimate, on-site “boutique.” Wataru brought us up to the second floor and seated us in a comfortable room where we were told we’d have ten minutes to take a break and then try on some of the watches in the metal.
A typical part of the boutique experience: being given a comfortable place to sit with attentive staff while water is provided. An atypical part of the boutique experience: a dead-on view of Mount Iwate through the expansive picture windows. That view provided a grounding that we were in the house where these watches were assembled and surrounded by the natural environment that inspired them.
Among others, I was given the opportunity to try on the White Birch (both the manual winding and the automatic movement) and they are exquisite pieces. The manual winding version particularly captured my attention. Especially considering its exhibition caseback, it is remarkably thin. And I believe that the lack of a date is the best treatment for the White Birch dial. At over 1.4 Million Yen, however, it is a bit rich for my blood. (Also, they don’t sell it at Shizukuishi–you just have the opportunity to try it on).
On offer at the studio are four watches, each of which has a special signature on the rotor, indicating that it was purchased at Studio Shizukuishi. Three of the watches, however, can be purchased at any Grand Seiko boutique (they just won’t have the Shizukuishi-signed rotor). One of the watches, though, can only be purchased at Studio Shizukuishi. It is the Shizukuishi Limited Edition, SBGH 283.
To buy or not to buy?
I knew this watch would be available for sale at the studio, and (having seen photos in other reviews) I knew I’d be tempted. But I did not know if I would pull the trigger. As any enthusiast knows, there is a difference between seeing a photograph of a watch and experiencing it in the metal. I’ve had countless occasions where I watched videos regarding a new release from one of my favorite brands and salivated at the thought of trying it on, only to be left cold once I had it on wrist. I’ve also had the opposite experience!
So, I didn’t know what version of that experience I’d have here. The SBGH 283 is in Grand Seiko’s classic 44GS case design, and I’ve tried on 44GS models that I have and have not liked.
When I put this one on my wrist, though, I couldn’t help but smile. In low lighting the dial looks almost black, and you can barely see the vertical dial pattern. As you angle it into the light the lustrous dark green of the dial becomes apparent, as does the dimensionality created by the vertical grooves. The ever-sharp GS handset is hyper-legible against the dial, and the brass-toned seconds hand perfectly matches the color of the Grand Seiko insignia at the top of the dial.
This was probably the fastest decision I’ve ever made to purchase a watch of this quality and price. Which was lucky, because–one of the few downsides of the tour–we were only given about ten minutes total to try on watches in the final part of the tour. This may have been because I took “too” long on the first leg of the tour, but it was still disappointing to suddenly feel rushed right at the end.
But I loved the watch immediately and confirmed I would buy it (again, I have been reading about it for some time). That slowed things down and two glasses of barley tea were brought out as the process of watch sizing began. All-in-all it took about 30-45 minutes to go through the sizing, do a careful observation of the watch through a loop that they gave to me as part of the purchase, and walk out of the boutique, bag in hand. They also gifted me a handsome hardcover book on Grand Seiko, which I’m looking forward to perusing at my leisure over the course of my remaining days in Japan.
Before we left, we took a final photo with some of the Grand Seiko professionals who assisted us during our visit, in front of the Grand Seiko logo.
Final verdict
Pros:
- Shizukuishi is a nice break from the hustle and bustle of urban Japan. Especially in the autumn, the landscape was beautiful.
- It’s not too often that you get to see master watchmakers at work in the same facility where they build–and you can buy–the watch.
- The building itself is a piece of art.
Cons:
- Shizukuishi is way off-the-beaten-path: if you don’t have a reason to go here, you may be disappointed.
- The tour length is limited: you don’t get to spend as much time as you may want.
- While much of Japan has tax free options, for some reason that I did not really understand, this option was not made available for purchasing in the studio.
Last thoughts
When people asked us where we were going to visit in Japan, everyone nodded at Kyoto and Tokyo, but their faces turned perplexed when we mentioned Shizukuishi. It is not your typical Western tourist destination. It’s not close to any major metropolitan areas. Not much English is spoken here. Most of the taxi apps don’t work here and many places only accept cash.
So, if you’re a casual Grand Seiko admirer, going to the studio may not be worth the trip. Stick with the boutique in Ginza. If you’re not fascinated by mechanical watches, it’s probably not worth the trip. But if you are a lover of the brand–or if you’d just like the rare opportunity to observe master watchmakers at work–then Grand Seiko Studio Shizukuishi is worth the time (and slight hassle) to visit.
And if you’re on the fence but thinking about picking up the limited edition while you’re here, I do recommend it (if you have the interest and available funds). As enthusiasts we often make an emotional connection to the time and place that we pick up a timepiece. For example, my Submariner was a hand-me-down from my father and it will always be the piece that means the most to me. And while not as emotionally resonant, I’m still transported back to a fabulous Swiss vacation with my wife when I look at my CK2998 and remember picking it up at the Bahnhofstrasse at the Omega Boutique in Zurich.
Likewise, having now spent time in the countryside that inspired the SBGH 283 and buying it in the very building where it was assembled, I know it’s going to stick with me for a long time to come.
