ampurist
[Purist]
64
One on One with "Watch Whisperer" Mr. Akira Oohira
New York City welcomes master watchmaker Mr. Akira Oohira
-- Who could imagine that in 1881, a 22 year old watchmaker and the company he founded would eventually boast the very first commercial quartz watch in the world? 133 years ago, Mr. Kintaro Hattori opened his first watch and jewelry shop fittingly named "K. Hattori". Just like all competitors, Mr. Hattori began his quest to find the most efficient and most precise solution to one of the most basic and necessary elements of life - telling the time.
Now we fast forward to a balmy November evening 133 years later when Master Watchmaker Mr. Akira Oohira is welcomed to the brand new Seiko boutique store located on 510 Madison Avenue. As I walk into the Madison Avenue boutique and shed the many layers New York City's weather demanded I wear, I am greeted by Mr. Oohira, Mr. Takashi Aoki, Mr. Rusty Rowlands, and Ms. Kathleen LeFebvre. Dressed in the magic white robe of the "watch whisperer" (Mr. Oohira's nickname within the company), an elaborate workstation is set up with two magnified screens focused on a baseplate of the Seiko Grand Master 9S85 Hi-Beat 36000 and a machine used to hold the balance spring while adjustments are made.
Mr. Oohira smiles for PuristsPro
Beginning the demonstration in the creation of the Grand Seiko 8S95, familiar heels, screws, and bridges were placed in a meticulous and precise manner. Along with the difference in materials, the demonstration came to a pause when Mr. Rowlands emphasized the placement of the escape wheel. Both the escape wheel and pallet are examples of the new cutting edge technology that Seiko is using in order to create the minuscule pieces for the Grand Seiko. The escape wheel and pallet are manufactured by MEMS (Micro Electro Mechanical System) engineering. The use of MEMS technology provides precision and smoothness on the surface of the part created. The result is the reduction in physical impact, improvement of durability, and increase in energy transfer efficiency. Furthermore, MEMS allows for a unique L shaped tip of the escape wheel for longer lubricant reserve.
As I watched Mr. Oohira continue, I noticed myself unable to breathe for fear that anything too substantial might blow away the tiny pieces in the tray of assorted parts. Once the MEMS-engineered escape wheel was put in place, Mr. Rowlands pointed out another unique feature of Grand Seiko. In most watches, there are only 4 gears turning to connect the escape wheel, but in the Grand Seiko, there is a 5th wheel. The purpose of adding the 5th wheel is to boost the vibration frequency. This intermediate escape wheel between the 4th wheel and escape wheel increases the speed of the pallet fork to tick in 10-beat. For this purpose, increasing the number of the teeth for the escape wheel was another option but it would cause instability affecting accuracy and durability. By adding the 5th wheel, Seiko could improve the stability and at the same time achieving the 10-beat.
As the demonstration came to a close, Mr. Oohira had one more surprise for me - showing me how he became and currently is the "watch whisperer". When talking about creating art (we will take sculpting as an example), there are masters and there are apprentices. The masters are so-called because not only do they teach, they have the secret touch that only someone born with this talent can possess. These masters not only have the ability to sculpt a replica of a creature, but because with a little chip in the eyes, a little more curve in the dress, or a little nick on the bicep, these masters can bring a sculpture to life. As Mr. Oohira explains, "It's a feeling".
Complementing the brand's pride of its Japanese aesthetic and work ethic, the brand has embarked on a recent push to expand its hold in the United States. Mr. Oohira's special visit to New York is to fulfill his role as a "Grand Master" and to teach the watch repairers and watch makers in the United States factory in Mahwah, New Jersey the final 10% of the calibration process by the Seiko Grand Master.
What Mr. Oohira possesses is the incredible skill of adjusting the escapement with just a few nudges and flicks of his wrists. When the pre-adjustment escapement was shown on the magnified video projected behind him, the imbalance and error was very obvious as the coil began to spin like an electron in an atom. After minutes of tinkering (yes, minutes... it would have taken anybody hours), I was left mesmerized by a perfectly spinning coil mimicking that of an optical illusion exercise. "This", Rusty Rowland explained, "is the 10% the master has come to teach."
When the loupe and cots (finger tip gloves) finally came off, I had my chance to pick the brain of the "watch whisperer"...
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ampurist: What are the differences between the Japanese style and the Swiss style of watchmaking philosophically and practically?
Mr. Oohira: The goal is probably the same in the Swiss style and the Japanese style. We have our own standard, the Seiko standard, and the Swiss have their standard. So basically they are quite similar.
ampurist: Where do you see the future of mechanical high watchmaking? Is there a difference in the direction between the Japanese and the Swiss?
Mr. Oohira: We didn't have all this technology 40 years back. Now, thanks to the technology that Seiko has developed, we can improve the accuracy of the material and also we can come up with new ideas for the components.
Rusty Rowlands: We have been remaking some of the components within our existing watches and using new metals. One of the things we recently did was the high beat series where we have 10 beats per second models as well as the 8 beat series that uses the MEMS technology. We also brought out a brand new hairspring. By bringing out some new alloys, we're able to then work with the shapes making it longer, wider, and thinner, and taking it from a 55-hour power reserve to a 72-hour power reserve. I think fine-tuning is really improved by using new materials to improve the accuracy, stability, and the longevity.
ampurist: And this is something that you view as a difference between the two markets?
Rusty Rowlands: We actually took some of our watches to some Swiss manufacturers and said "What do you think?" and they all thought they were wonderful but they like a little more ornate and in Japan, I think their theory is simplicity and that's kind of, I don't want to say minimalistic, but maybe less is more with a focus on functionality.
ampurist: What are your thoughts on high complications like repeaters, tourbillons....
Mr. Oohira: For a display purpose, it is quite interesting, you know, you can easily understand a tourbillon when you see it. The idea is interesting.
ampurist: Would you try a tourbillon at some point?
Mr. Oohira: At the moment, we don't have any plans but in the future maybe... we are not sure.
ampurist: What is your best memory in your career?
Mr. Oohira: I am very pleased to be able to go overseas to work together with people like you and talk about performance as well as teaching my apprentices. I teach not only in Japan but also China, Russia, Hong Kong, and the UK. I enjoy teaching and handing down my skills.
ampurist: If someone were to expand their collection... why Seiko?
Rowlands: We could probably start with the highbeat. Before, we were the only brand to have a highbeat but now Breguet and Blancpain have chronographs. So this being the only 3-hand highbeat available from any watch brand, Seiko offers technology that isn't readily available. We know that the Grand Seiko probably isn't going to be a collector's first watch, second watch, or even third watch, but it is a watch that will certainly round out their collection because of the mechanical technology or even the spring drive which no other watch brand has available.
I don't want to say it fills a void in a collection but the fun thing that these guys have over here and the watch that people come in to see is the "mythical" Grand Seiko collection that they've only seen online. We only have a couple points of distribution in the United States. I think the access of Grand Seiko is something that people enjoy. It's not easy to get and now that we have the boutique, they finally are able to come in and experience Grand Seiko first hand.
Grand Seiko is offering technology at every level, whether its quartz, spring drive, or in this case, mechanical, that no other watch company is offering. We like to think we do things a little different and certainly at higher standards.
Mr. Oohira's answers were translated by Mr. Takashi
--
As I left 510 Madison Avenue, Seiko's description of the Grand Seiko resonated - "Grand Seiko is everything a luxury watch should be, with no unnecessary elaboration or undue decoration. Just pure, simple, and basic watchmaking raised to the level of an art form." See below for some pictures of the models of the Grand Seiko and of the demonstration.
This message has been edited by pingtsai on 2014-12-08 00:14:03
More posts:
One on One with "Watch Whisperer" Mr. Akira Oohira
New York City welcomes master watchmaker Mr. Akira Oohira -- Who could imagine that in 1881, a 22 year old watchmaker and the company he founded would eventually boast the very first commercial quartz watch in the world? 133 years ago, Mr. Kintaro Hattori...
Thank you for your wonderful post.
Seiko is a respected brand , and thanks to people like Mr. Oohira it made its mark on both Quarts and Mechanical markets. I wore Seiko Sports from 1991 to 2011 without any probems , only changed batery once every couple of years at the some watchmaker. He...
Thank You
Hi Edward, Thank you for the response. Seiko is truly a brand filled with heritage and history.
Thanks, ampurist!
This is exactly what SEIKO is, and exactly what/ who Ohira-san is..... He is really a great guy, beyond any watchmaker I can think of. Thanks for the rare interview report of him. He is the treasure of Japanese watch making scene...... Ken
Thanks Ken!
It was an incredible experience to be able to interview the master himself. Just watching him work was breathtaking.
Excellent interview and discussion
Ampurist, Thank you very much for your article. I especially appreciated your words and images on the "balance wheel magic" as I recently watched another Master in Shizukuishi Watch Studio. Again in just moments he completed the balancing task on the hair...
One wonders how the masters . . .
. . . of balance poising perceive our adulation. Undoubtedly, a few people have superior natural skills at the task, but as with practically any endeavor, it's practice that makes the difference. One of the 8-ball matches I played last night had my table ...
I may sound like a broken record, but...
... notice that Saito-san, another super watchmaker for Grand Seiko does NOT USE LOUPE. I have seen him assemble and dissemble the movement without any magnifying tool many times and each time I was amazed....... Well, the balance wheel thing is of course...
Amazing
Hi Cazalea, Great pictures! I'm glad you were able to witness how delicate the adjustments were. There really is no way to explain it.
Wonderful post. You asked some great questions.
I was particularly interested in the questions and answers comparing Swiss and Japanese watchmaking. Very enjoyable read.
Thanks, ampurist, excellent read and pictures. I especially liked...
The conclusion. Bravo!
great interview
Nice pics, and very good interview with Mr. Oohira. Interesting about the question on the tourbillon. Did you pick up a nice GS while you visited the boutique? Regards, ED-209
Very informative post...
I enjoyed reading about your visit with the Master. A Seiko was my first mechanical watch 30 years ago. I have yet to buy a Grand Seiko but posts like yours push me one step closer. Thanks for posting! Dave
