Seiko Watch Corporation marked the opening of Grand Seiko Studio Shizukuishi, a space devoted to producing Grand Seiko mechanical watches

Seiko Watch Corporation marked the opening of Grand Seiko Studio Shizukuishi, a space devoted to producing Grand Seiko mechanical watches and other high-end timepieces, as a beginning to its new chapter in the 60-year history of the Grand Seiko brand.

This workshop was effectively added to the Shizuku-ishi Watch Studio, a high-end watch and movement manufacturing site of Morioka Seiko Instruments (located in the town of Shizukuishi in Iwate Prefecture).

The studio was declared open on July 20, 2020, in a ceremony that took place simultaneously at the Wako building, a retail establishment of Seiko Holdings Corporation, in Tokyo and at the studio in Shizukuishi, Iwate Prefecture, northeastern Japan. In Tokyo, Shinji Hattori, the Chairman and CEO of Seiko Watch Corporation, was joined by the studio’s distinguished architect, Kengo Kuma, while, in Shizukuishi, the Governor of Iwate Prefecture, Takuya Tasso, participated alongside the studio’s directors.

As he announced the opening of the studio, Shinji Hattori said, “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.”

Explaining his design for the studio, Kengo Kuma said, “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.”

The clean room

The studio also incorporates an exhibition space where visitors can immerse themselves in Grand Seiko’s history and explore the manufacturing characteristics of Grand Seiko’s mechanical watches. A lounge on the second floor contains an exhibition that explains the world of Grand Seiko and will also showcase the brand’s first “concept creation.”

The limited-edition Hi-beat 36000, made exclusively for, and at the studio, was unveiled at the ceremony.

About Grand Seiko

Grand Seiko was born in 1960 with an aim to create the very best watch of which the company was capable. Ever since the first Grand Seiko, every watch has achieved the highest level of precision, legibility, durability and ease of use. Grand Seiko is deeply rooted in its Japanese heritage, and its brand philosophy, “The Nature of Time,” celebrates the Japanese spirituality of time that is deeply inspired by nature and brought to life by “takumi” (craftsmen), the dedicated seekers of mastery.

About Kengo Kuma

Born in 1954. Before establishing Kengo Kuma & Associates in 1990, he received his Master’s Degree in Architecture from the University of Tokyo, where he is currently a University Professor of Architecture. Receiving many prestigious awards from all over the world, and recently having designed the New National Stadium in Japan, made him one of Japan's most acclaimed architects. He aims to design architecture which naturally merges with its cultural and environmental surroundings, proposing gentle, human scaled buildings.