We sit down with Director and Senior VP of Seiko Munehisa Shibasaki to chat new Grand Seiko Melbourne boutique, and more
Borna BošnjakWith its tall, heritage building ceilings and light-coloured fittings, Melbourne’s new Grand Seiko boutique has the right kind of welcoming elegance befitting one Mr Munehisa Shibasaki. Having studied some of his past interviews, I had expected a dash of sartorial elegance, and was not disappointed. With his subtly striped tie perfectly dimpled below the knot, he passes me his business card and welcomes me to Grand Seiko’s biggest Australian boutique. Sitting in the atrium above the main floor, he explains that he’s already quite familiar with Australia, having spent four years in Sydney earlier on in his tenure with Seiko.
A new boutique like this is a statement of intent, and a clear sign that Grand Seiko has faith in the Australian market, as told to us by Seiko President Akio Naito in 2024. But Mr Shibasaki didn’t want to draw too many conclusions from the first few months of the boutique’s operation post-soft launch. “It is still early days, so we are cautious about drawing firm conclusions. But I think Australian people are open-minded, and they love new technology and style. Most brands have a long history, and Grand Seiko launched globally in 2010, but Australians have been open-minded to accept our “new” brand, and also new technology like Spring Drive. Nowadays, they also travel to Japan a lot and understand its value, and not only its surface level, but also the culture.”
Despite its doors having opened not too long ago, the new boutique has already provided some surprising discoveries about Australians and Grand Seiko. “What has been more unexpected, and encouraging, is the strong interest in our precious metal pieces from clients who are completely new to the brand”, explains Shibasaki. “Australians clearly have a deep appreciation for craftsmanship, heritage, and innovation. With those values at the heart of Grand Seiko, the boutique experience has made people feel more confident in exploring and purchasing from our most exclusive lines, including the Masterpiece collection.”
If you’re anything like me though, you’d also be wondering what the person at the very pinnacle of Grand Seiko’s leadership chooses as his daily watch. When prompted, Shibasaki was happy to share his Evolution 9 SLGW003, interestingly fitted to a brown cordovan strap. Other than proudly showing off its wonderful high-beat calibre, Shibasaki recalled the 2024 GPHG awards, chuckling: “We introduced it last year, and waited to find it on the list for a prize. Unfortunately we missed the opportunity, but this watch has showed demand in all markets. I really love the beauty of the movement, and the unique shape of the bird click.”
Being the largest Grand Seiko store in Australia, you’d also expect it to offer pieces that you might otherwise not be able to find. And rather unsurprisingly, the 9SA4 calibre made its way into Mr Shibasaki top picks from the store, but this time in the boutique-exclusive, solid gold SLGW002 variant. Also on his list was the latest and greatest from the Spring Drive camp, in the shape of the SLGB003 U.F.A, in particular calling out its smaller, 37mm size and new micro-adjust clasp. His final choice completes a great trio, that being the GPHG-winning White Birch SLGH005.
Two of those three watches are from Grand Seiko’s mechanical line-up, and more specifically feature high-beat movements that have headlined a wave of recent releases from the brand. Being one of the few brands that focus on high-beat, I wondered what about those movements exactly is so attractive for Grand Seiko, and why it resonates well with fans. “High beat movements play a very important role in Grand Seiko’s history. In 1968, we introduced our first automatic high-beat in the 61GS, followed by the manual-winding 45GS”, Shibasaki explains, pointing to the watch he had handed me moments earlier, that being his personal, birth year 45GS 4522-7000 with a stunning blue dial. “In 2009, we launched the 9S series, and the 9SA achieves 80 hours of power reserve, which is quite difficult. Normally, high-beat movements need more torque, meaning their power reserve is not that high. But we achieved both high accuracy and high power reserve, and that is probably our great achievement. It’s the theorem that shows proof that we’re different in the watch industry, and shows our mechanical watchmaking capability.”
Other than speaking with Mr Shibasaki, the highlight for me, of course, was the selection of vintage watches on display as part of Grand Seiko’s travelling collection. This included all the important watches you could think of, from the very birth of Grand Seiko, and all the way to the late 1980s when it fizzled out for some time, before being revived once again. Luckily for me (and any other V.F.A. lover in the room), this also included an absolute unicorn of the V.F.A. world, the ref. 4580-7000.
Enjoy the weekend ahead,
Borna and the Time+Tide Team
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Wristshot of the week: a Grand Seiko First on (very) brief loan to me
This Grand Seiko First and its printed dial was my personal favourite piece of the night, graciously lent to me by a dedicated collector.
Time+Tide Shop pick of the week: echo/neutra Rivanera
The Brutalist dress watch that breaks norms and yet conforms, and it’s now back in stock in our Melbourne Discovery Studio. The contrast between the matte and polished surfaces of the titanium case are downright impressive, the echo/neutra Rivanera wears with surprisingly plentiful presence, wears as slim as you’d want it to, and has a great movement given the price and everything else that’s on offer. It’s no surprise it was as popular as it was when it launched, and we’re happy to be able to offer limited quantities of both the black and grey colourways.
Discover the echo/neutra Rivanera in the Time+Tide Melbourne Discovery Studio. Price: A$2,750
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