When it comes to creating mesmerizing and original dials, Grand Seiko is an industry benchmark. Snowflakes, white and green birches, the brilliant blue sky over Mt. Iwate at dawn it's the beauty surrounding the Grand Seiko Studio Shizukuishi translated into dial art. But GS is not the only brand with an obsession for dials. That's why it's time to present you with five dialed-in alternatives to Grand Seiko watches. Well start in Japan with Minase, fly to Malaysia to visit MING, then head over to Glasgow in Scotland to check out AnOrdain. Then well travel to a small German town to take a look at Glash 1tte Original, and end up back in Japan because Seiko's Presage collection could offer a few surprising and budget-friendly alternatives to Big Brother GS.Why look for alternatives for watches you can actually buy? First and foremost, because it's fun to do. Sifting through brands and collections to get to a final quintet is very entertaining. The second reason is that in the shadow of a giant that pumps out quite a few (stunning) new models per year, other smaller, less powerful, and less visible brands also try to capture your attention with original and special dials. This is the focal point of my search for Grand Seiko alternatives.?- let the different dials do most of the talking.Grand Seikos dials are of the highest level (and so are the different case shapes, finishing, and different movement types, but that's for another time). But that doesn't mean the brand has no competition when it comes to the face of a watch. There are brands out there that are just as obsessed with creating an expressive face. And it shows. I'll let the different dials do most of the talking.
Five dialed-in alternatives to Grand Seiko MinaseAround 100 kilometers west of the Grand Seiko Studio Shizukuishi, in the coastal and snowy Akita region of Japan, you will find Minase. Named after a former village that merged into the expanded city of Yuzawa, Minase is a watch brand that was created in 2005 by Japanese tool manufacturer Kyowa Co. Ltd. The company's specialized skills include drilling, case forging, bracelet manufacturing, and polishing, and that shows in the exuberant case shapes. To pull off all those angles and details in a luxurious and comfortable way, Minase embodies the very essence of manufacturing expertise. Oh, you like Zaratsu polishing? Well, Minase also owns a German-made Sallaz polishing machine, and Zaratsu is the Japanese phonetic adaptation of Sallaz.
D |grad | dials and Japanese lacquerBut let's focus on the dials. Minase also creates some remarkable watch faces, something we've been well aware of for a while. That awareness plus admiration led to the creation of the Fratello ? Minase Divido Limited Edition. The complex, three-dimensional, architectural, and angular Divido is the canvas for a flaked, color-changing royal blue dial. It's sporty, chic, and very dynamic.
In the regular collection, you will also find several other colorful Divido models. For example, there is one with an atmospheric gray-to-white d |grad | dial. There are also versions with dials in red or silver urushi lacquer sprinkled with silver maki-e, a Japanese lacquer decoration technique. All of these Divido models have a price of CHF 5,500.
Five dialed-in alternatives to Grand Seiko MinaseAround 100 kilometers west of the Grand Seiko Studio Shizukuishi, in the coastal and snowy Akita region of Japan, you will find Minase. Named after a former village that merged into the expanded city of Yuzawa, Minase is a watch brand that was created in 2005 by Japanese tool manufacturer Kyowa Co. Ltd. The company's specialized skills include drilling, case forging, bracelet manufacturing, and polishing, and that shows in the exuberant case shapes. To pull off all those angles and details in a luxurious and comfortable way, Minase embodies the very essence of manufacturing expertise. Oh, you like Zaratsu polishing? Well, Minase also owns a German-made Sallaz polishing machine, and Zaratsu is the Japanese phonetic adaptation of Sallaz.D |grad | dials and Japanese lacquerBut let's focus on the dials. Minase also creates some remarkable watch faces, something we've been well aware of for a while. That awareness plus admiration led to the creation of the Fratello ? Minase Divido Limited Edition. The complex, three-dimensional, architectural, and angular Divido is the canvas for a flaked, color-changing royal blue dial. It's sporty, chic, and very dynamic.In the regular collection, you will also find several other colorful Divido models. For example, there is one with an atmospheric gray-to-white d |grad | dial. There are also versions with dials in red or silver urushi lacquer sprinkled with silver maki-e, a Japanese lacquer decoration technique. All of these Divido models have a price of CHF 5,500.