Grand Seiko adds to its mechanical watchmaking capacity with new studio in northeast Japan

Grand Seiko has officially opened an entirely new studio dedicated to the production of its mechanical watches.

Shinji Hattori, the chairman and CEO of Seiko Watch Corporation, says the studio provides the ideal environment for our craftsmen and women to bring Grand Seiko’s mechanical watches to life and for the next generation of watchmakers to be trained and their skills developed. “It embodies Grand Seiko’s philosophy, The Nature of Time, and is clear evidence to the world of our dedication to the art of mechanical watchmaking,” he adds.

Kengo Kuma, the architect who designed the Grand Seiko Studio in Shizukuishi, Iwate Prefecture, northeastern Japan, says he was aiming to bring the natural setting of Shizukuishi into the building.

“Grand Seiko’s view of the importance of nature is reflected in every corner of its design and construction. I greatly enjoyed the challenge of making the clean room, where watches of the highest precision are assembled, from wood. To balance natural materials with the room’s high-technology technical requirements was a new and intriguing task,” he describes.

Along with the watchmaking floor, the studio also has an exhibition space where visitors can immerse themselves in Grand Seiko’s history and explore the manufacturing characteristics of Grand Seiko’s mechanical watches.

Events will be held at which visitors can try their hand at assembling a mechanical watch in a dedicated space known as the Studio Seminar Room.