Quality Time Imbued with Style TOKYO TIME

Unique moments in photographs from the heart of contemporary Tokyo

Photographed by Josh Olins

Quality Time Imbued with Style

GINZA/SLGH005

일본의 미적 감각과 장인정신
전통과 혁신의 미학은 오늘날 전 세계에서 시간이 흐름에 따라 여전히 이어지고 있습니다.

일본의 전문성과 미적 감각을 상징하는 걸작 건축물들,
도쿄의 감성적인 도시 풍경은 사람들의 삶과 다양한 감정을 투영합니다.

미니멀리즘과 기능적인 아름다움. 감동과 우아함.
옛날부터 미래까지, 도쿄의 시간을 새겨갑니다.

그랜드세이코의 미학과 공명을 이루는 세계적인 사진작가 조쉬 올린스는 현대 도쿄의 이미지를 담아냅니다.

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SLGH005는 울창하고도 새하얀 자작나무 숲을 배경으로 신비로운 자연의 풍경을 그려냅니다.
세련되고도 럭셔리한 분위기로 유명한 도쿄의 긴자 지역은 SLGH005를 차고 함께 시간을 보내고 싶은 마음을 불러일으킵니다.

LOCATION

GINZA
SEIKO HOUSE

The Genuine Culture of Ginza + SEIKO HOUSE

  • The Genuine Culture of Ginza + SEIKO HOUSE

    Ginza has a distinguished history even among the many famed districts of Tokyo. Indeed, the neighborhood’s story traces back over 400 years. With the renaming of Edo (old Tokyo) in 1869 (the second year of the Meiji era), the name “Ginza” officially came to be. This coincided with the launching of a plan to construct a truly fireproof city in the Western tradition. With that, the boulevard currently known as “Chuo-dori” was paved with bricks along a stretch of seven kilometers. Rows of brick-built stores also sprang up along both sides of the thoroughfare. With the subsequent creation of a covered arcade on one side, visitors could leisurely stroll without opening their umbrellas on rainy days. This prompted an even greater surge of happy window shoppers to be drawn to the district regardless of the weather. It was around this time that the phrase ginbura (“strolling on the Ginza”) was coined as a trendy term. Tokyo’s “Chuo Ward” is a virtual treasure trove of modern architecture. More specifically, from the Meiji to the Taisho eras of Japanese history (1868-1926), a series of exquisite buildings, most destined to remain in the pages of architectural history, were erected in Nihonbashi, Ginza, and other chic districts.

    Located at the Ginza 4-Chome intersection, an address famed as Japan’s most fashionable, SEIKO HOUSE is a true landmark of Ginza. The current version of the building, noted for its elegantly curved facade, is the second-generation structure. It was completed in June of 1932 as the “Hattori Watch Shop Building. ”Featuring seven aboveground floors and two basement levels, it embodies the Neo-Renaissance style. This design was the brainchild of Jin Watanabe, an architect also renowned for his work on the Tokyo National Museum. Natural stone was used for the outside walls as a countermeasure for earthquakes and fires. The building emerged as a beautiful structure featuring arabesque patterns and elegant decorative reliefs.

    Towering above the roof is a clock tower that shines as an essential symbol of Ginza. Its four prominent dials can be read from most anywhere in the vicinity. On June 10, 2022, this clock tower celebrated the 90th anniversary of its completion. Recognized as the hallowed home of Seiko, the building is strategically positioned as a base for the transmission of information concerning the Seiko brand.

    The dial of the Evolution 9 Collection SLGH005, rooted in a concept derived from the image of a white birch forest on the Hiraniwa Plateau in Iwate Prefecture, incorporates a bold pressed pattern and delicate coloring. The result is a texture created in the image of those majestic white birch trees, with a design stimulating a profound sense of sophistication. This elegant creation’s dignity exudes the sophistication of Ginza, a place where beauty endures through the ages.

    Text by Taka Kawachi

Iwate Prefecture, the location of the Grand Seiko Studio Shizukuishi, home to all Grand Seiko mechanical watches, ranks as one of Japan’s premier white birch forest regions. Emanating from the mystical landscape, rows of towering white birch bathed in clear highland air rouse sensations of the inspiring beauty and strength of nature. In this creation, the magnificent white birch forest is elegantly expressed in a dial featuring a dynamic pressed pattern and delicate coloring.

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