Grand Seiko’s New Manhattan Flagship Is The Latest New NYC Horological Landmark
The Grand Seiko Flagship is the latest of a series of new boutiques, including Citizen and Chanel.
For those of us who have been long-time lovers of and followers of Grand Seiko, the brand’s presence here in the United States and especially here in New York, has in years past very much seemed to mirror the identity of Grand Seiko itself. Many years ago, a group of enthusiasts of which I was a member, chose a Grand Seiko as a gift for another member on the occasion of his graduation from watchmaking school. At that time, Grand Seiko was not available outside Japan but it was still an internationally known insider’s secret, and part of the pleasure of Grand Seiko was both its limited availability – you had to either buy from a reseller, or travel to Japan itself – and the fact that it was not widely known. Grand Seiko launched internationally in 2010, and, in 2014 Grand Seiko USA officially launched its first boutique in the United States, at 510 Madison Avenue in New York.
No kind hearted or generous minded person would ever have gone so far as to call the 510 Madison store “cramped” but let’s just say, you wouldn’t have wanted it to be any smaller. It felt like a physical expression of the brand’s status as a well-kept secret, and visiting always felt like finding a secret doorway to a pleasantly relaxing secret domain – a watch lover’s Secret Garden, if you like. However, as the brand got bigger and better known – a big step was splitting off Grand Seiko as a separate brand from Seiko itself, which occurred in 2017 (a move to which I was vocally opposed, and I ain’t too proud to say that in retrospect I was dead wrong) – I think we all started to wish for a home for GS in the Big Apple with a little more elbow room.
Boy, did we get it. Grand Seiko’s new flagship store is a little closer to midtown – the address is now 540 Madison Avenue, on the corner of Madison and East 55th Street – but in look and feel it is light years from Grand Seiko’s old digs at 510 Madison.
For one thing, unlike 510 Madison, it is impossible to miss. The new flagship is on one of the busiest corners in New York and with two story windows facing both north and east, there is an abundance of natural light as well as a light and airy feeling which really reflects the natural inspiration behind so many of Grand Seiko’s timepieces.
The new space has two floors, with ample room (at last) for events and a huge range of watches on display, of course. The opening night was packed, with long time fans, collectors, journalists and pretty much anyone else you could imagine who loves Grand Seiko, already knows them well, or wants to learn more. Not only is this by far the largest Grand Seiko boutique in the US, it is currently the largest Grand Seiko boutique in the world.
Among those present was Akio Naito, now President of Seiko Watch Corporation and formerly Chairman and CEO, Grand Seiko Corporation Of America.
It is hard not to feel a sense of personal pride as well, if you are a long-time supporter and fan of Grand Seiko, to see the brand’s big, bright, and beautiful new home. It’s a new chapter in the long story of Grand Seiko and a sign of just how far the company’s vision, and ability to grow while staying true to its roots in Japanese watchmaking and Japanese culture, has taken it.