Grand Seiko
Timing is Crucial: Seiko’s First Boutique in UK
Grand Seiko
Timing is Crucial: Seiko’s First Boutique in UK
The 2017 World Championships were a sight to behold, with Usain Bolt finishing a shocking third in the 100 meters and pulling up with an injury in what he said was to be the final race of his career (the 4×100 relay), Seiko ambassador Darya Klishina winning an unexpected, but deserved, silver medal in the long jump, a Botswana sprinter running his own race in the 200-meter qualifying and a host of other truly remarkable performances.
“There are two important reasons for Seiko,” says President, COO and CMO of Seiko Watch Corporation Shuji Takahashi. “The first reason is that playing the role of official timer, Seiko can exhibit our precision quality to the world. By doing this we can emphasize the close affinity between Seiko and sport and we can enhance our sports watches. Another reason is social contribution. Sport provides emotion and courage to all sorts of people, so by supporting sports we can pay back to society some of what we have received from society.”
Opening the London Boutique
Seiko took advantage of the timing (pun intended) to open its first-ever boutique in the UK, at 57 Brompton Road in Knightsbridge, London. Takahashi attended the boutique opening and, instead of cutting a ribbon, smashed open a box of sake with a hammer, along with other Seiko personnel, the Japanese ambassador to the UK and celebrity Jonathan Ross (who is a Grand Seiko wearer and a Japanophile).
“Seiko considers our independent retail partners to be extremely important to us,” Takahashi continues. “We regard boutiques as a center of communication of our history and our world view. At the present moment, the brand awareness of Grand Seiko and our four Seiko product brands is still not sufficient, so by setting up boutiques we want to increase the brand awareness of the world customers.”
Visit the shop now at www.seiko.co.uk