Watchmaking in Japan

Watchmaking in Japan

A year of symbols for Japan

EDITORIAL

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By Serge Maillard

June 2024

An interesting development, perhaps even a major shift, is taking place in Japanese watchmaking. The Japanese watch industry has long set itself up to be everything that Swiss watchmaking is not, focusing on volume and accessibility while the Swiss produced fewer pieces at higher prices. However, the “Swiss model” of heading upmarket seems to be gaining traction in Japan as well. Although synonymous with its heavy industry, Japan can also boast an age-old artisanal heritage and an extremely refined culture.

A year of symbols for Japan

EDITORIAL

Español Français

By Serge Maillard

June 2024

A year of symbols for Japan

An interesting development, perhaps even a major shift, is taking place in Japanese watchmaking. The Japanese watch industry has long set itself up to be everything that Swiss watchmaking is not, focusing on volume and accessibility while the Swiss produced fewer pieces at higher prices. However, the “Swiss model” of heading upmarket seems to be gaining traction in Japan as well. Although synonymous with its heavy industry, Japan can also boast an age-old artisanal heritage and an extremely refined culture.

T

he pandemic’s effects on the structure of the watch industry, including lower sales volumes and a focus on tried-and-true, heritage and iconic models, coupled with the onslaught of smartwatches, are giving Japanese watch industry strategists food for thought. Although the move upmarket had already begun before 2020, this new era only confirms the trend.

The international success of Grand Seiko (and soon Credor?) is driving change in the global perception of Japanese watchmaking. At the same time, the emergence of a growing number of independent Japanese watchmakers, the best-known being Hajime Asaoka, has brought greater diversity to the ecosystem as a whole. The Japanese watch industry is capable of supplying calibres to the world and, in parallel, producing some of the rarest and most refined watches. This dimension is also reminiscent of the rich community of independents who have been instrumental in elevating Swiss watchmaking creativity across the industry.

The year 2024 is symbolic in a country already highly attuned to symbols, due to the coincidence of an extraordinary number of anniversaries: the 100^th anniversary of the first Seiko wristwatch, the 100^th anniversary of the Citizen watch, the 50^th anniversary of Casio watches, the 50^th anniversary of Credor and more. And that’s why we thought it would be a good idea to dedicate this issue to a watchmaking industry that no doubt has many more surprises up its sleeve. Come with us on a journey of discovery through the highly diverse faces of Japanese horology.

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A year of symbols for Japan

WATCH FILES
Watchmaking in Japan

The essence of Citizen in 100 watches

The essence of Citizen in 100 watches

A series of exhibitions has been taking place around the world to commemorate the centenary of the first model to bear the Citizen name. The last one, (...)

Tokyoflash Museum

Tokyoflash Museum

GALLERY

Tokyoflash was established in 2000 in Tokyo by Brent Car, CEO. Tokyoflash designers use the company blog to interact with their market audiences by (...)

控えめ “humble” in Japanese

控えめ “humble” in Japanese

GUEST COLUMN

I am thinking to myself, why on earth did Serge ask us to write for Europa Star on a regular basis? We at heist-out are the self-proclaimed “outcasts” of (...)

When Japan inspires Swiss watches

When Japan inspires Swiss watches

GALLERY

Urushi combination techniques, enamel miniaturisations of heritage artworks, architectural theory, comic influences, origami, engraving and motifs from (...)

Urushi: rise and shine

Urushi: rise and shine

For 9,000 years, the durable urushi lacquer – a natural sap from the urushi tree – has been used in Japan. It is an exquisite and challenging material that (...)

Otsuka Lotec: a retro touch

Otsuka Lotec: a retro touch

With 1950s engineering design cues, Jiro Katayama and his Otsuka Lotec brand, which makes around 180 pieces per year, have recently started receiving (...)

Hajime Asaoka: a multifaceted contribution to Japanese watchmaking

Hajime Asaoka: a multifaceted contribution to Japanese watchmaking

Hajime Asaoka is arguably the most famous among the growing number of independent Japanese watchmakers. Alongside an extremely individual and subjective (...)

Japanese ephemeral papers

Japanese ephemeral papers

In Japan, it is often said that the packaging is more important than what’s inside. In a gift – or simply with the food one brings home from the market – (...)

Daizoh Makihara: horological delicacies

Daizoh Makihara: horological delicacies

This former cook made a radical career change in the mid 2000s. In a process that is the horological equivalent of slow cooking, he makes one watch per (...)

Knot: the Japanese champion of customisation

Knot: the Japanese champion of customisation

Knot watches range from solar- and quartz-powered fashion-oriented models to premium automatic timepieces incorporating Japanese artisanship, including (...)

Masahiro Kikuno: time is anything but linear

Masahiro Kikuno: time is anything but linear

Masahiro Kikuno made his mark on the horological map with the Wadokei, back in 2011. Since then, he has produced no more than one or two watches a year, (...)

Minase: windows on rare crafts

Minase: windows on rare crafts

The growing Japanese brand specialises in unique case-in-case designs, Sallaz polishing and the inclusion of artisanal crafts.

Casio: calculating time

Casio: calculating time

Exactly 50 years ago, in 1974, Casio, the leading name in calculators, launched the Casiotron – a completely novel concept of time measurement not as gears (...)

Citizen: en route for the next 100 years

Citizen: en route for the next 100 years

In 1924 the Shokosha Institute brought out its first entirely Japanese-made pocket watch and named it Citizen. A century later, Citizen is a heavyweight in (...)

Iconic japanese calibres

Iconic japanese calibres

Our thanks to Hirota Masayuki (Chronos Japan) for this selection.

Credor: 50 years of understated sophistication

Credor: 50 years of understated sophistication

Founded in 1974, Credor is both the most understated and the most sophisticated brand in the Seiko galaxy.

Grand Seiko Dô: the way of precision and elegance

Grand Seiko Dô: the way of precision and elegance

Travellers to Japan in the 2000s discovered that Seiko offered a collection of beautifully made, fine quality mechanical watches. This range, named Grand (...)

100 years of the Seiko wristwatch

100 years of the Seiko wristwatch

A century ago saw the first wristwatch bearing the Seiko name on the dial – the start of a new endeavour that would change the global horological landscape. (...)

“Japanese brands have all come to the same conclusion: move upmarket”

“Japanese brands have all come to the same conclusion: move upmarket”

Hirota Masayuki has been the face of Chronos Japan magazine for two decades. He is also one of Japan’s leading watch market specialists. We asked him about (...)

Naoya Hida: Japan's handcrafted watches for vintage lovers

Naoya Hida: Japan’s handcrafted watches for vintage lovers

Naoya Hida, a Japanese watch sales professional for several decades, was able to develop a hobby brand into a solid brand and a full-time profession. Since (...)

Orient Star is rising

Orient Star is rising

Orient Star denotes the top range of mechanical watches from Orient, a watchmaker with a history dating back to 1901 but fully integrated into the Seiko (...)

Miyota: from movement-maker to brand name

Miyota is on a mission to convince the global mid-range segment of the virtues and importance of mechanical calibres. In other words, to put the movement (...)

Watch Q&A with... Akio Naito – Seiko, Grand Seiko

Watch Q&A with... Akio Naito – Seiko, Grand Seiko

“A unique sense of beauty rooted in traditional Japanese aesthetics – sublime, yet understated and restrained”

Grand Seiko unveils its first mechanical complication

Grand Seiko unveils its first mechanical complication

Grand Seiko’s new Constant-Force Tourbillon Kodo combines a constant-force mechanism and a tourbillon as one unit on a single (...)

King Seiko: a 1965 classic is re-born!

King Seiko: a 1965 classic is re-born!

Never before in the company’s history had there been a period of such creativity and achievement. From the first Grand Seiko in 1960 to the automatic (...)

Orient revives the M-Force Sports collection

Orient revives the M-Force Sports collection

Orient is bringing back its popular M-Force model, a much-loved member of the Orient Sports Collection. The first four models of the new third generation (...)

Citizen Super TitaniumTM

Citizen Super Titanium^TM

WHEN INNOVATION MEANS MATERIALS

As illustrated on the cover of the lastest edition of Europa Star, in 2020 Citizen is celebrating the fiftieth anniversary of the first titanium (...)

Grand Seiko's new addition to the 60th anniversary collection

Grand Seiko’s new addition to the 60th anniversary collection

The revolutionary automatic caliber 9SA5 and a powerful new look are completing the Japanese brand’s celebration. Discover the three innovations that set (...)

Grand Seiko's chronometric quest

Grand Seiko’s chronometric quest

INNOVATION AS A CONSTANT FORCE

To widespread surprise, in September Grand Seiko presented a wholly unprecedented concept movement, the T0 (T-Zero) Constant-force Tourbillon. Its (...)

Grand Seiko's special relationship with nature

Grand Seiko’s special relationship with nature

The brilliant blue sky over Mt. Iwate at dawn that greets the watchmakers and technicians of the Grand Seiko Studio Shizukuishi inspires a new limited (...)

Seiko Presage Sharp Edged Series

Seiko Presage Sharp Edged Series

Sharp, angular and refined: a new Presage series features a Japanese Asanoha or hemp leaf pattern, familiar in Japanese culture for its use in design since (...)

Seiko Prospex LX line Limited Edition

Seiko Prospex LX line Limited Edition

The LX line was introduced in 2019 from the Prospex collection as the pinnacle of Seiko sports watches. The line’s name, LX, hints at the Latin word for (...)

The Grand Seiko Studio Shizukuishi opens its doors

The Grand Seiko Studio Shizukuishi opens its doors

A new chapter in the 60-year history of Grand Seiko opens with the inauguration of an entirely new studio dedicated to the production of Grand Seiko’s (...)

Grand Seiko celebrates its 60th Anniversary

Grand Seiko celebrates its 60th Anniversary

BRAND FOCUS

This year, Grand Seiko is celebrating 60 years of existence. Called “kanreki”, this anniversary is especially important in the Japanese culture. To mark the (...)

Citizen: the titan of titanium

Citizen: the titan of titanium

COVER STORY

Exactly fifty years ago, in the golden age of the Apollo missions, Japanese brand Citizen introduced a new material into watchmaking that had hitherto been (...)

Citizen sets its sights on the moon

Citizen sets its sights on the moon

SPACE

The world’s first commercial lunar exploration program, HAKUTO-R, will be equipped with Citizen’s Super Titanium™ on components used in the lunar lander and (...)

A history of sports timekeeping

A history of sports timekeeping

1964: A TURNING POINT FOR SEIKO

The Olympic Games held in Tokyo in 1964 changed Seiko for ever. That edition, the first ‘technological’ Olympics, brought the Japanese company into the (...)

Seiko: “We want to go beyond functionality”

Seiko: “We want to go beyond functionality”

JAPANESE BRANDS

How to convey not only the functional aspect of Seiko’s and Grand Seiko’s collections, but also the Japanese sense of beauty found in these timepieces? An (...)

The secret calendars of Japanese prints

The secret calendars of Japanese prints

HISTORY

To circumvent the state monopoly on calendars, ingenious Japanese craftsmen designed prints that revealed – to initiates only – the alternation of short and (...)

Visiting Seiko Dream Square in Tokyo

Visiting Seiko Dream Square in Tokyo

CONCEPT STORES

Last December, Seiko inaugurated this space, which differs greatly from a traditional boutique. Rather than simply displaying watches, the Japanese giant (...)

In the world's largest movement factory

In the world’s largest movement factory

REPORT

A quartz calibre is produced every second at the Saku factory operated by Miyota. The Citizen Group’s movement manufacturer equips a plethora of entry-level (...)

Orient: the watch brand of Epson

JAPANESE BRANDS

Orient, which specialises in automatic watches, wants to take advantage of Epson’s global infrastructure to make itself better known (...)

Minase: Japan's best-kept horological secret

Minase: Japan’s best-kept horological secret

REPORT

Minase is a good example of how technological innovation in Japan can also be an ode to nature. We paid a visit to this family company in Akita, in the (...)

Visiting Tissot's new boutique in Tokyo

Visiting Tissot’s new boutique in Tokyo

CONCEPT STORES

This year, the Swiss brand opened a new boutique in the Daikanyama district, which is popular with designers and has many art galleries, bookstores and (...)

Casio: “We must do better in the metal analogue watch”

Casio: “We must do better in the metal analogue watch”

JAPANESE BRANDS

The first generation of G-Shock used plastics, the second one incorporated metal, and the new one is made of carbon. Simultaneously, the brand intends to (...)

Citizen: “Reaping the benefits of our acquisitions”

Citizen: “Reaping the benefits of our acquisitions”

JAPANESE BRANDS

The Japanese giant is active on a number of fronts: developing record accuracy with the Caliber 0100, moving towards the connected world with the Eco-Drive (...)

Japanese watchmaking wants to change its image

Japanese watchmaking wants to change its image

ANALYSIS

Seiko, Citizen and Casio now offer models at prices that were unthinkable a few years ago. Japanese companies intend to move from a highly technological (...)

Master of the swords

Master of the swords

PORTRAIT

Swordsmith Sadanobu Gassan works with Casio to craft watches for a dedicated MR-G line. The heir to six generations of artisans, he explains how he works (...)

The enigma of Japanese youth

The enigma of Japanese youth

ANALYSIS

Japanese people aged 20 to 40 are much less into luxury than their parents, who experienced the country’s industrial boom. They prefer to save for their (...)

A new era for Japanese watchmaking?

A new era for Japanese watchmaking?

EDITORIAL

As demand for Japanese quartz movements continues to fall, due to declining interest in the fashion watch, and as the arrival of the smartwatch causes (...)