Appleton, WI

Wednesday, October 06, 2010

Japanese watch manufacturer Seiko has announced that its Grand Seiko, previously available only in Japan, will be released in several new markets including North America and Europe beginning in October of 2010.

While Seiko is long known for high quality, but generally affordable quartz timepieces, watch aficionados report that Seiko's Grand Seiko line rivals the best Swiss-made mechanical watches both in terms of quality and in price. Grand Seiko models include not only hand crafted mechanical watches, but also models with Seiko's Spring Drive movement, an electronic and mechanical hybrid.

Seiko introduced the first production quartz watch in 1969. During the quartz watch revolution in the 1970s it grew to become one of the largest and most respected watch manufacturers in the world, but has slipped somewhat in recent years against some of its competitors including Citizen, and Switzerland based Swatch Group.

It is expected that the release of Grand Seiko into markets with strong demand for high-end mechanical timepieces will help improve the cachet of the Seiko brand at a time when sales of "non-luxury" brands of watches has been steadily slipping. Fierce competition in a shrinking watches marketplace has left many brands struggling to differentiate themselves from their competitors. "This may do for Seiko, what Lexus did for Toyota" according to Watchco.com President Dave Gerzcak. "It will make Seiko an even stronger brand."

While Seiko watches are ubiquitous in malls jewelry and department stores, the availability of Grand Seiko will be significantly more restricted. Distribution is likely to be limited to specialty boutiques and to watch retailers who cater to high-end watch consumers, but if the initial launch is successful, you can expect to see Grand Seiko become more widely available.

Dave Gerczak

The Watch Co

Appleton, WI

920-450-6181

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