Japanese aesthetic sense and craftsmanship.
The aesthetics of tradition and innovation continue to mark the passage of time around the world today.
Masterpiece architecture that symbolizes the expertise and aesthetic sense of Japan.
Emotional Tokyo cityscapes project peoples’ lives and a rich range of expressions.
Minimalism and functional beauty. Emotion and elegance.
Marking Tokyo time from the days of old into the future.
International photographer Josh Olins, whose work resonates with the aesthetics of Grand Seiko, captures images of modern Tokyo.
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The SBGM221 is a timepiece rooted in the fusion of classic style and modernity.
The Okura is a classic hotel famed for the finest lodgings that Japan has to offer. The design of this structure, an undertaking engineered by architect Yoshiro Taniguchi and then his son Yoshio, draws from an exquisite blend of tradition and innovation.
LOCATION
The Okura Tokyo
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Construction of the Hotel Okura, in the Toranomon district of Tokyo, was completed in 1962. The goal of founder Kishichiro Okura, famed entrepreneur and hotelier, was a hotel fully satisfying global standards while exuding tradition and fine craftsmanship found only in Japan.
With the arrival of the year 2000, nearly four decades after the hotel’s completion, Japan found itself in the midst of a steady series of legal revisions. Following extensive seismic testing, the judgment was reached that the need existed for extensive earthquake-resistant retrofitting. As a result, in August 2015, the hotel’s main building was demolished to make way for a new chapter in the Okura’s history.
The key mission of this renewal was to advance the reconstruction in a means enabling a sublime blend of tradition and innovation to be passed on into the next era. Four years later, in September 2019, the fully reconstructed Okura Tokyo opened its doors for business. To the surprise of many, the newly completed lobby, widely extolled as a “modernist architecture masterpiece,” was reproduced with contours closely resembling the original.
Placed at the entrance, however, was a large water pond conceived by Yoshio Taniguchi as a signature architectural touch. Behind the large flower vase at the front of the entrance, meanwhile, is an freestanding wall decorated in gold. The rattan-style screens of the Okura Salon convey a pleasing sense of transparency, engendering a rich sensation of spaciousness. There is a seamless flow between the restored portions and added design. This maintains the profile of the lobby lingering in people’s memories, while engineering its rebirth as a new lobby space conceived for the next generation.
The Elegance Collection SBGM221, restoring the classical form of days gone by, is a timepiece likewise rich in the modern aesthetics for which Grand Seiko is renowned. The design, reflecting images of Japanese beauty and traditional craftsmanship, brings to mind the modern and harmonious mood of the Okura Tokyo. In this sense, it draws from the spirit of challenge, which Japanese craftsmen have continually devoted to their creative endeavors.
Text by Taka Kawachi
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SBGM221
Elegance Collection
This model is crafted to enhance the classical form of the past with sophisticated refinement. A box-shaped sapphire crystal, a case finished in the famed Zaratsu polishing technique, a deeply refined ivory dial, and other fine details are coaxed into nimble harmony in an elegant and traditional style. The see-through case back allows us to enjoy the beauty of the mechanical movement steadily marking the passage of time.
This model is crafted to enhance the classical form of the past with sophisticated refinement. A box-shaped sapphire crystal, a case finished in the famed Zaratsu polishing technique, a deeply refined ivory dial, and other fine details are coaxed into nimble harmony in an elegant and traditional style. The see-through case back allows us to enjoy the beauty of the mechanical movement steadily marking the passage of time.
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Photographer
Josh Olins
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Born in London, England, and currently based in New York, Olins excels in photography primarily seen in fashion ads and magazines. Famed for depictions rich in both strength and elegance, he enjoys a steady stream of offers from renowned magazines including VOGUE and many clients such as Louis Vuitton, Balenciaga, Calvin Klein, and Jil Sander.In the Japan Issue of Holiday Magazine, published in 2015, he earned keen attention for the inclusion of his Japan fashion editorial shoot extending throughout the entire issue.