Grand Seiko—The Sleeping Lion

In 2024, Akio Naito, President of Seiko Watch Corporation, reflected on the global expansion of Grand Seiko, the company’s luxury watch brand. Originally created more than 60 years ago as the luxury model of Seiko watches in Japan, Grand Seiko struggled to differentiate itself internationally due to Seiko’s strong association with affordable quartz watches. After years of restructuring and investment, Grand Seiko gained recognition, notably winning the 2022 Chronometry Prize at the Grand Prix d'Horlogerie de Genève. The brand further expanded with the opening of its largest flagship boutique in New York in 2024. As Seiko sought to further expand Grand Seiko’s presence in the U.S. and beyond, Naito considered whether the brand should continue to use the brand name, Grand Seiko, rebrand as "GS," or use a completely different brand name to strengthen its luxury positioning. How important was it to have “Seiko” as part of the brand name “Grand Seiko”?