JAPAN CALLING

For our visit to Japan after the pandemic, we have the Seiko Museum Ginza and the Grand Seiko Studio Shizukuishi as our first priorities

- RUCKDEE CHOTJINDA

Seiko and Grand Seiko each completed important projects in 2020, namely, the Seiko Museum Ginza in Tokyo and the Grand Seiko Studio Shizukuishi in Morioka, respectively. These beauties were not accessible to most of the world until international travel resumed with Japan reopening its borders. So, when the invitation came for us to visit these important sites in early December last year, we had zero reservations.

Seiko Museum Ginza marks the brand's new museum in the heart of the famed Ginza shopping district. Compared with the previous museum, which was also in Tokyo, but in Mukojima in the Sumida Ward, the new one does a better job at presenting the stories with each floor of the building being dedicated to a specific theme. For example, the 2nd floor depicts the history of the company, how it survived the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923, and how it progressed into the wristwatch market. On the 3rd floor, the ambiance is dimmed slightly to set the mood for the topic of how people in ancient eras told time in Japan, in the wider Asian region, and in the western world.

Representing milestones over the decades, the exhibits chosen for this museum reaffirm Seiko's guiding philosophy of being "always one step ahead of the rest". Apart from their first timepieces in different categories, you will find Seiko movements that won the chronometer contest in Switzerland and the accompanying certificate. Another notable watch includes the striking and instantly recognizable Sportura Kinetic Chronograph from 1999 - a limited edition of 1,000 pieces. We are not going to reveal more because you need to come and discover the marvels for yourself next time you are in Tokyo.