BASELWORLD 2017:

Grand Seiko’s Next Big Step: The Premium Brand Gets More Independent


More big news from this year’s Baselworld: Seiko has just announced its decision to treat its flagship luxury brand, Grand Seiko, as an independent entity, seven years after its global launch. This move will have a huge impact on how the collection will be developed, advertised, and distributed going forward. From an end-consumer’s perspective, this also means that the current display of two logos on the dial (the Grand Seiko logo in the lower half, the Seiko on top) just became a thing of the past: henceforth, only the Grand Seiko logo can be found at 12 o’clock, as seen below:

Grand Seiko Logo

In addition, Grand Seiko is now offering a 3-year global warranty (starting March 24) and has come up with a new packaging design that will better reflect the collection’s positioning as a premium brand.

Most importantly, of course, Grand Seiko is also introducing several new watches to accompany the announcement, all of which should become available in March/April of this year:

Grand Seiko

These include three limited editions based on the design of Grand Seiko’s first hand-wound model from 1960, powered by the 9S64 caliber; above, from left to right: 136 pieces in platinum (35,000 euros), 353 pieces in 18k gold (19,700 euros) and 1,960 pieces in stainless steel (6,500 euros) with the brand’s traditional gold medallion on the back.

Grand Seiko

Grand Seiko will also be producing a larger version inspired by the first model from 1960 (8,000 euros), limited to 968 pieces (expected to ship in June). It is equipped with a new, larger movement, with a 72-hour power reserve (Caliber 9S68), to better suit the bigger diameter. It is also the first watch with a case of “brilliant hard titanium,” a new metal exclusive to Grand Seiko that offers a similar color as stainless steel combined with the benefits of a titanium case.

Stay tuned for more pictures, hands-on impressions and additional information.

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No Responses to “Grand Seiko’s Next Big Step: The Premium Brand Gets More Independent”

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  1. While I’m impressed with the look, craftsmanship, and know the quality is there, I just cannot see investing this kind of money into a Japanese “Seiko”! They have the right idea splitting the company off, but they should have given this high end line a different name to differentiate themselves from the low end market they are known for.

    Reply
  2. Joel Shapiro

    $20,000 for a gold watch? $7,000 for stainless? Give me a break. No wonder younger people are all going to smart watches, if they wear a watch at all. The watch industry is killing itself with its greed.

    Reply
  3. Patrick Thompson

    I could not agree more with Azzrock…
    And, lets not forget the “spring drive” movement invented by Seiko. It is without question one of the finest auto movements made today. Seiko is a great watch, and those who knock it, just do not know what they are talking about.

    Reply
  4. Randy Jaye

    This is a great idea as the Grand Seiko has always been in a class beyond the “regular” Seiko watches.

    I would suspect that the prices of the Grand Seiko watches from this time forward will steadily rise.

    Reply
  5. The Japanese have shown thoroughly Their expertise in metallurgy and precision manufacturing. They have no need to apologize or take a back seat to anyone.

    Reply
  6. Whineboy

    Handle one thoroughly and then you might understand. Amazing workmanship and style.

    Reply
    • Highest quality and finish anywhere, any brand. Both case and movements. Spring Drive Seikos are unique watches with 240 patents for the movement details alone. Mine is accurate to 0.2 sec/day or better. People are ready to pay the same or more for lesser watches like Rolex for example, also steel. Why?

      Reply
    • Azzrock

      Why not? They’ve developed a lot of technologies and innovations that have changed the industry. The level of polish using their Zaratsu process is extremely high. Their level of detail, quality, and accuracy are excellent.

      Reply
    • Petrus

      Then don’t. Grand Seikos are premium watches no matter how you look at it. I would say 6500€ spring drive Grand Seiko is a better watch than any comparatively priced Rolex or Omega (they are also steel…), for example. Better finish, better quality, much more accurate.

      Reply
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