matthewking
297
Foreign perceptions of Japanese watches - thoughts?
Dear Watch Fam.,
I am trying to get a bead on American (or international) perceptions of Japanese watch brands. Your thoughts as representative of the aficionado community would be greatly appreciated.
My personal feeling is that Japanese perceptions of Japanese watches and international perceptions of Japanese watches are quite different, at least within the average consumer group (mass market). Whereas Japanese understand the Seiko brand, for example, in terms of its intrinsic value (value derived from "in itself" or "from its own sake"), Americans or Europeans view Seiko in terms of its extrinsic value (what we often like to call the "value proposition" - Seiko's qualities vis-a-vis JLC's in a comparative, competitive sense).
While this is a generalization with much noise at the edges (edges that may or may not include "the aficionado" class, I'm not sure), this is my rough, personal understanding of the difference in Japanese vs international perceptions of Japanese watch brands.
What do you think? How do you think Japanese brand perception is received in your home country? Is there any differentiation between Japanese watch brands - Seiko vs Citizen vs Casio? Do you think these perceptions have changed over time?
I understand this is not a "sexy" topic of discussion, but for those who might be willing to humor my interest, your comments would be greatly appreciated.
Cheers from Tokyo,
Matt
Foreign perceptions of Japanese watches - thoughts?
Dear Watch Fam., I am trying to get a bead on American (or international) perceptions of Japanese watch brands. Your thoughts as representative of the aficionado community would be greatly appreciated. My personal feeling is that Japanese perceptions of J...
Up until recently, when I think of Japanese watch brands,
My perception is that they are finely tuned machined which is more suited to mid low level products. Quality and reliability are two obvious expected traits from Japanese brands. Yet, I personally do not think they are on the same level aesthetic wise wit...
Thank you for your thoughts!
Interesting that you point to pedigree, because this seems to be both one of Seiko's strongest (domestically and with Seiko collectors) and weakest (international general perception) points.
It is an irony really, because
As many loyal fans of Japanese watch brand would happily point out, Seiko is a storied brand from Japan with long heritage. Unfortunately those are only within a limited confinement that is not exposed to the international community. And also Seiko\'s suc...
Precisely
We have the Core model at ~$50 and the GS model at ~$5k and the Credor model ranging up to $400,000. All with Seiko on the dial. That is a terribly confusing brand identity.
To Europeans and potentially Americans...
But not necessarily at home. One can see the same behaviour from many Japanese brands and they tend to be quite successful with it on some continents. Toyota does everything from the very cheap Daihatsu to the ~US400k LFA and even under its own brand in J...
notions
There is no perceived difference between japanese brands in my country (CEE region). They are seen as are reliable "workhorses".
Interesting
So Seiko with its higher-end models (eg. GS) is not differentiated from Casio (G-shock) and Citizen (Eco-drive)?
Basically
Grand Seiko is a relatively new phenomenon compared to the Swiss manufacturers, and it should offer more for less than it's competitors for decades to come in order to boost the brand image. Free-sprung balance, micro-adjustable bracelets, thinner cases, ...
Matthew, I think this is an evolving global understanding
I have been told that surveys at the turn of the century showed US customers see Seiko as a $400 watch. But that doesn't mean that watch collectors see it as such, or that Seiko haven't been able to push the bar higher. Perhaps this is going slower than w...
Wonderful!
Wonderful feedback, thank you! Changing perceptions of Seiko is the story I am most interested in, and I think you are right on when you allude to the power of the collector in setting the long-term trend in perception. Marketing is powerful, but over tim...
I think the attitudes are evolving...
And they differ by price range and customer type. At the range of up to say $400 (anecdotal, not precise), I guess they are valued for their quality, reliability, durability, price / performance ratio... In terms of Swiss competition, there is largely onl...
Arigato~!
Thank you for your great reply. May I ask what you mean by "the signaling potential is negligible for the peer group"? Do you mean this in the economics sense, in terms of Seiko not being able to communicate its high-end brand identity to other watch hous...
The latter
While Omega, Rolex and similar brands will have instant \'status\' recognition, Grand Seiko will not - i.e. It is a completely under the radar watch.
unique watch dial
the watch dial full of the colorful feeling. i think that the Japanese watch filled a unique and class tint, the l feel the Japan is a country full of the traditional breath and custom.
GS's visual design is lacking
An interesting question, Matt. Since you asked, here are the opinions from this USA citizen who has lived most of his life in California. Likes: JLC, VC, Hermes, Piaget. Dislikes: AP, Rolex, Hublot, Gerard-Perregaux. “Regular” Seiko: A brand of high quali...
Coming to a dealer near you
Yes, that is one of the major challenges for Seiko - how to manage their dual identity of cheap quartz vs quality mechanical. I think Seiko will finally make a GS push in North America. The wheels are turning. Take a gander at their collection, you may be...
"Grand Seiko is as good as a Rolex"
I often hear this from new owners. Watches from GS are as good (designed, engineered, manufactured, conservative, materials, style) but watches from GS are also less (stereotyped, expensive, stolen, etc.) Those last 3 attributes are very important to some...
Exactly
and to me, that positioning seems quite nice: Seiko's GS as an "inconspicuous consumption" alternative to Rolex's conspicuous consumption. I do think that to make this work optimally, cutting the tin can offerings at the bottom of Seiko's lineup will be n...
Lets us look at factors that influence our perceptions...
Monetary - Utility, Art, Fashion or Jewelry?...none being mutually exclusive. Most watch brands differentiate themselves by pricing in order of Utility Culture- Industry culture, heritage, affiliations, mkting etc that contribute to the brands image and v...
The hushhush little secret
Great way to break down what factors influence perceptions. I think you touched on a little secret that many watch people might feel deep down to be true but that people don't often like to openly comment on - "Most of us know Japanese can produce better ...
Diversification is not bad as long as you have a mkt for it...
demand is contracting in relation to supply..look at the oversupply in grey mkt... they missed their prime to put it did a lot of other swiss watchmakers.