SALMANPK
5832
Your Questions
So how does the dealer compete?
I really can't say how since I'm not in this line of work but as a student of business, social behavior and history I can say it will be tough going forward for dealers without the commitment and support of Seiko to promote and develop the brand. At the moment I can say some Independent watchmakers are far more prolific and effective at promoting themselves than GS which is bizarre considering the resources and size of Seiko.
We have to admit there is a serious problem with branding of the product. A Grand Seiko is also a Seiko (but cannot only be a Grand Seiko because the dials say Seiko and then Grand Seiko as well), Seiko can offer complicated, highly finished mechanical wrist watches under Credor and the Seiko Ananta lines, even though the complicated Ananta lines are made at the same Shizukuishi Watch Studio as the GS yet doesn't get the GS designation. Here is an example the SAEC001 Double Retrograde with Power Reserve Indicator and Day Indicator made at the Shizukuishi Watch Studio alongside the GS. It is a complicated wrist watch yet falls under the Ananta line and not GS. I am sure the quality of finish is slightly below the GS level but why not up the quality and call it a GS as well?
The most complicated wrist watch currently available under GS is a Chronograph. No Perpetual Calendars, No Tourbillons, No Minute Repeaters?? Seiko filed a Patent for a Tourbillon in 1998 and as far as I know has yet to bring one to the market yet Chinese watch making companies are pumping out Tourbillons every year by the thousands. It boggles the mind why GS hasn't come out with a Tourbillon yet made to its high standards of finishing and accuracy. I understand they had a focus on accuracy on the 1960s and 70s and saw no need for a Tourbillon to make a more accurate watch (i.e. the VFA) but the market has changed. People want pizzazz and gadgets and things that whirl around on the dial of their watches so they can be amused and show it to their nearest and dearest.
The dealers have a tough time justifying or explaining the Ananta line and the GS line. Seiko has to refine and decide whether it should keep the GS line and eliminate the Ananta line or the other way around but to keep both? To be honest I don't like the sound of the name "Ananta", I know it has some significance or the other but doesn't sound good to my ears or even to say it.
Then there is Credor. All the super high end complications (minute repeater), highly quality skeletonized pieces and others come under this umbrella. No plans to export any of them. I heard a line which is apropos from one of my new favorite shows "Halt and Catch Fire" recently which was along the lines of " And I learned if you wanna sell station wagons, you'd better have a sports car to park in the window"
Ananta, GS, Credor, Galante, High End Spring Drive Moonphase bring them under one umbrella, Spin it off into a separate Company (With One Brand Name) and Appoint a CEO with a Board. Maybe even consider setting up HQ for the newly spun off company in Switzerland while keeping the majority of the production facilities in Japan but at the same time set up an Atelier to benefit from the concentration of know how and skills in Switzerland and incorporate them into the higher end pieces.
So given the lack of focus, clarity and cross over pieces my sympathies are with the authorized dealers.
But then again what to do I know, I am sure the top executives at Seiko HQ know better.
At the moment with the way things are, discount and try to give their customers a good deal to build up a relationship and interest in GS pieces. If things don't change it might take decades for GS to be established as a brand.
S
Pic Source: Google Images
This message has been edited by SALMANQ8 on 2014-08-04 00:16:47 This message has been edited by SALMANQ8 on 2014-08-04 00:27:16 This message has been edited by SALMANQ8 on 2014-08-04 00:32:44
More posts:
What kind of guy buys a Grand Seiko?
I discussed this question today with Riley, the cheerful product specialist at World Lux, the authorized GS dealer in Seattle. The GS customer is a man. He usually comes in knowing about the brand and knowing what he wants. Other mid-level Swiss products ...
Interesting question.
Here is who I think buys a GS. Someone that appreciates quality, someone who is non-pretentious and does not want to be the center of attention but rather that quiet person that listens and analyzes the room. Someone who enjoys things that are carefully m...
Funny enough...
I bought my 44GS there, and I upgraded the strap with one I sourced here in Los Angeles! (I also bought a Grand Seiko deployant from Japan for the heck of it.) So yes, I guess I sort of fit their profile! With respect to a NY GS boutique, I suspect there ...
Fit the profile? . . .
. . . pretty much, down to puzzlement over the discrepancy with regard to straps, which doesn't quite make sense (and, remarkably, parallels Glashütte's proclivity for supplying overly long straps). The most common thread amongst those drawn to GS, imho, ...
Wow, that's gorgeous
I don\'t know this model but I like it! Can you tell us more? Cheers, Cazalea
This is the Asia Limted Edition for 2014......
Model number should be SBGH031G. Pardon for the bad mobile phone picture. A good picture should shows the multiple lion logo on the dial.
Well, in Japan....
... it is becoming more common to give the broom-to-be Grand Seiko or other watch of choice in return of the engagement ring from the bride-to-be. So, more and more young guys are wearing Grand Seiko. In other words, when you see a young guy wearing Grand...
Thanks for this info
I remember that in the shop we discussed the only women buying GS were buying for boyfriend or husband. I guess my wife is rare to be the owner of her own GS.
Sophisticated Collectors...
Who are experienced, been widely exposed to the Swiss Watchmaking Industry and its whole Machinery and who can discern Intrinsic Value from Perceived Value. They are also indifferent to the general consensus of what is In or Out. Also has an affinity for ...
Perhaps it is the wine and cheese I'm enjoying
but I\'m happy and amused to read we (GS owners) describing ourselves so clinically (and entertainingly). I guess we want to describe ourselves in a completely neutral ( but complementary) manner. Thanks so much for adding to the discussion. Are there any...
Glad you enjoyed it :-)
But I wasn't describing myself, I just shared the qualities I have observed over the years, very rarely do you find all of them in one person :-) S
Further...
I spoke at length with the Seiko AD in Kuwait about opening a GS Boutique, he did share that there has been some indication from Seiko that they would like that and have asked the AD if they are interested. The AD is so far not interested due to the follo...
Thanks for the extended conversation with the AD
Your points expand and extend the conversation I had with the Seattle AD. It doesn\'t do the local dealer much good if the serious watch guys (often PuristS) buy their watches overseas or second-hand. So how does the dealer compete? How does he or she get...
Your Questions
So how does the dealer compete? I really can't say how since I'm not in this line of work but as a student of business, social behavior and history I can say it will be tough going forward for dealers without the commitment and support of Seiko to promote...
Some thoughts on high-end Seiko...
I share your sentiments with respect to the somewhat confusing strategy employed for their high end lines: GS, Ananta, Credor, Galante. To my mind, the presence of so many sub-brands adds unnecessary complication to international distribution and retail o...
GS is not exactly a "first nice watch" kind of purchase...
I mean that in a general sense and not considering Japan, of course. I agree with what SalmanQ8 wrote. Exposure to Swiss brands educate and refine the horological palate and equips us with some knowledge and confidence to go out and explore beyond "Swiss ...
I agree with your assessment
I sold a Paul Gerber piece to buy my first GS -- I had had at least 50 Swiss watches up to that point. But buying after the first one (Quartz "Milgauss") I think I\'ve had about 20 Grand Seikos; I have 12 still. I haven\'t stopped buying Swiss watches but...
Very nice Credor...
I still remember the chimes from their minute repeater from some wav file. Absolutely fantastic. On a different note, coming from SalmanQ8's AD conversation, I can understand how challenging it must be to create the GS identity and market it as something ...
Having had orange, white and blue Samurai watches
I appreciate their appeal. In fact, I think it\'s a watch that turned out way better than they intended or expected! Some GS models are stunning like the Samurai and a few, sadly, are so boring one can\'t understand why one bought it in the first place. T...
I love the Titanium Samurais...
but for some reason or the other they slip away, buying my GS SBGA031 was easier than buying one of them, same goes for the Landmaster L.E pieces, hard to buy and my grail right now is definitely the Kinetic Flightmaster but just impossible to find one. S...
I have the same model as yours...
as well as the orange version. We made a group buy of the orange ones from Japan via a gentleman named Higuchi. Logistics was a bit complicated at that time but it did reach us eventually. One of our friends egged me on to get that same model as yours whi...
You're very lucky..
that you get to walk into a store and see some pieces on display, I have to go to the Offices of the AD to order a GS piece, the stares of astonishment I saw from the Accounting Department when I wanted to order one and the price I was willing to pay conv...
Grand Seiko is coming popular ....
GS is a right choice, especially Rolex price likes Rocket! In terms of qualify, GS could be beaten down by no other in the price range.
