History
It was the determination to excel that brought about the birth of Grand Seiko in 1960.
During its development and ever since, the idea that drove the designers and engineers was that Grand Seiko should be the ideal watch with standards of precision, durability, legibility and beauty that would lead the world.
1960-1979
Grand Seiko was born with the determination to create watches of high precision and quality that could compete on the world stage. The Grand Seiko team participated in the Observatory Chronometer Competitions in Switzerland and continued to present high-precision models, constantly striving to create a better and more accurate watch.
1960
The first Grand Seiko
A rigorous in-house certification process was conducted, equivalent to the superior grade of the chronometer standard set by the Bureaux Officiels de Contrôle de la Marche des Montres of the time. The Caliber 3180 featured numerous mechanisms to achieve high accuracy, including a large balance wheel, a movable stud for regulating beat error, and a fine-tuning regulation function.
1964
Grand Seiko Self-Dater
A second-generation Grand Seiko with a calendar function and water resistance increased to 50 meters, which improved practicality.
1966
Establishment of the Grand Seiko Standard
Grand Seiko established its own standards for mechanical watches. Strict accuracy standards were introduced to ensure excellent performance under various conditions. It set a standard of accuracy that surpassed the globally accepted chronometer standard de¬fined by the Bureaux Officiels de Contrôle de la Marche des Montres in Geneva. The Grand Seiko Standard was initially set at +6 to -3 seconds, which was revised to +5 to -3 seconds per day (mean daily rate) in 1969.
1967～1968
Participation in the Observatory Chronometer Competitions in Switzerland
In 1967, Daini Seikosha placed 2nd and Suwa Seikosha placed 3rd for the Series Prize in the company prize category at the Neuchatel Observatory Competition. In 1968, in its first appearance at the Geneva Observatory Competition, Suwa Seikosha took 4th through 10th place, resulting in the highest ranking for a mechanical wristwatch movement, while Quartz watches made in Switzerland took the 1st to 3rd place positions in the wristwatch section. The skills and experience gained in the competitions were later applied in the development of the 61GS and 45GS.
1967
44GS
The 44GS was the first Grand Seiko model manufactured by Daini Seikosha. It was a manual-winding watch with a 5-beat movement, adjusted to the highest accuracy of its time. It also marked the birth of the "Grand Seiko Style," a design language that continues to this day.
62GS
The 62GS was the first automatic Grand Seiko. Its bezel-less design gives the dial a more spacious appearance, and the sharp, multi-faceted case was achieved through Zaratsu polishing. The crown was placed unobtrusively at the 4 o'clock position.
1968
61GS
The 61GS was Japan's first automatic 10-beat model. The 10-beat movement improved isochronism, achieving greater stability and accuracy in the face of positional differences and external disturbances. The watch also featured the Magic Lever, a winding mechanism developed by Suwa Seikosha.
45GS
Following the release of the automatic-winding 61GS, the manual-winding 10-beat 45GS was introduced. Its movement was thinner compared to previous manual-winding GS models like the 57 and 44 series and offered greater accuracy with more stability against positional differences and external disturbances. The date model also featured an instant date-change mechanism.
19GS
A small-sized 10-beat movement for women, based on the 10-beat caliber 1944, further refined for accuracy and quality.
1969
61GS V.F.A.
V.F.A. stands for "Very Fine Adjusted." It was a super-high-accuracy model that pursued accuracy to the farthest limit at the time, achieving a rate of ±one minute per month, a remarkable feat for a mechanical watch.
45GS V.F.A.
Similar to the 61GS V.F.A., this model also pursued a super high accuracy to the farthest limit at the time, achieving a rate of ±one minute per month, a remarkable feat for a mechanical watch.
1970
56GS
In response to a growing demand for lighter, thinner, and more user-friendly watches, the 56GS was developed. It achieved high accuracy with an automatic 8-beat movement yet was slim and had a clean design that fit comfortably on the wrist.
61GS Special
A specially adjusted model of the automatic-winding 10-beat 61GS, which was finished to even stricter accuracy standards with an average daily rate of ±3 seconds.
1972
19GS V.F.A.
This women's model was adjusted for extreme accuracy, achieving a rate of ±2 minutes per month, setting a new high standard for women's mechanical watches.
