Grand Seiko's 60th Anniversary Limited Edition models. When it comes to attention to detail, very few brands come close to Lexus. People in the automotive world know that. But for non-horologists (fans of watchs), there’s a brand that’s been around since the 60s that’s just as punctilious: enter Grand Seiko. Both brands have frequently collaborated in Japan so it was only a matter of time before they came together in the Philippines to show auto and watch enthusiasts their world-renowned craftsmanship. Exactly a week ago at the Lexus Manila dealership, Grand Seiko held its first-ever craftsman event and put on display (and sale) a plethora of watches from the Heritage, Elegance and Sports Collection, including its 60^th anniversary models that had guests snapping photos while computing for the exclusive twenty-percent discount offered on site. Musicians serenade the crowd with a Japanese koto instrument. There couldn’t be a more apt scene that evening inside the Yuji Hirata-designed dealership. Just after the entrance was a setup for a Japanese calligrapher who taught guests how to make their own ‘enso’ (a circle drawn in a single stroke that expresses the person’s state of mind). Around the indoor atrium garden and the luxurious fixtures and furniture were Grand Seiko watches of the finest quality and workmanship, and topping it off was background music being strummed out of the Japanese musical instrument ‘koto’. Grand Seiko Takumi, Takuya Nishinaka, assembles a watch in front of the guests. As the crowd settled down early in the evening, reps from Grand Seiko brought in no less than award-winning ‘takumi’ (craftsman in Japanese) Takuya Nishinaka who is certified at the highest level, 1^st Level National Skilled Watch Craftsman. On the spot he demoed to the fascinated crowd the assembly of a Grand Seiko. Using his sophisticated equipment, it took less than 15 minutes. “We are proud to bring in the Grand Seiko concept store to the country, especially with the expertise that has been shared with us by Craftsman Nishinaka, to demonstrate the technology that goes inside each timepiece. Aside from the Snowflake, we are planning to bring in more styles in the future for our collections from the proud 60-year history of the brand,” said Karl Dy, president of Timeplus Corporation (local distributor of Grand Seiko). Just like Takuya Nishinaka, who spent 10 years honing his skills as a watch takumi, Lexus artisans also spend years perfecting their craft. It takes close to 25 years to become a Lexus takumi and at the highest level. They can detect vehicle faults/imperfections as small as one millimeter. One intriguing test aspiring Lexus takumis take is folding a cat origami in just 90 seconds, using only your non-dominant hand. “It’s all about craftsmanship and it’s all about values. This is not just a matter of production or automation but some are even customized based on whatever the customer needs. We believe that this is also in the same position as our brand,” said Raymond Rodriguez, Lexus president. The evening’s theme was ‘The Nature of Time’ as each Grand Seiko piece, according to Nishinaka, is a reflection of nature moving in harmony with the passage of time. Horologists and Lexus fans should be happy to note that this won’t be a one-off event. “This is just the first but we will be doing many more. This has been done in Japan, in Hong Kong, and in other countries, always a collaboration between Lexus and Grand Seiko,” added Rodriguez. Text and photos by Eric Tipan