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Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Yoshifusa Nakazawa’s watchmaking philosophy starts with a deceptively modest instruction: “Thoroughly execute the basics of assembly.” A World Skills competition winner who joined Seiko’s Micro Artist Studio in 2005, Nakazawa says careful handling of parts, screws and tools is central to making a watch work well and look beautiful. His role is assembly and adjustment; the studio’s finished watches also depend on specialists who finish their individual components.
Who is Yoshifusa Nakazawa?
Nakazawa joined Suwa Seikosha in 1978 and trained for three years at the company’s technical training center. In 1981, he won the Watch Assembly and Repair Section at the World Skills Olympics in Atlanta, USA, according to Seiko Watch Corporation’s official profile.
From 1991 to 1997, he worked abroad to cultivate talent and improve manufacturing procedures. After returning to Japan, he worked at Seiko Epson as an assembly-line foreman. He joined the Micro Artist Studio in 2005 to take charge of assembling complicated watches. Seiko’s interview says the decision was made in spring and he began working there fully in November.
What is Grand Seiko’s Micro Artist Studio?
Established in 2000 at Seiko Epson’s Shiojiri plant, the Micro Artist Studio was created to preserve watchmaking skills and pass them to a new generation. It is part of the Shinshu Toki-no-Waza Studio, alongside the Dial Workshop, Takumi (Mastery) Studio, and Case & Jewelry Studio. Seiko says specialists began producing exclusive watches at the Micro Artist Studio in 2004.
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#1 Best Overall
- Three-fold clasp with push button release
- Dual-curved sapphire crystal
- Power reserve display on the back
- Power resrve Approx. 72 hours(3 days)
The studio is associated with Spring Drive Minute Repeater and Sonnerie watches and Eichi models. A 2017 Hodinkee visit described the wider Shinshu Watch Studio as home to Grand Seiko quartz and Spring Drive production and reported that Nakazawa led a small Micro Artist Studio team hand-finishing and hand-assembling complex Spring Drive watches. That account is a dated studio feature, not a current audit of the studio’s organization or production.
What does Nakazawa mean by “the basics of assembly”?
For Nakazawa, precision and beauty are not separate goals added at the end of watchmaking. They begin with how a watchmaker handles and assembles the parts. His stated motto is “Thoroughly execute the basics of assembly.” In Seiko’s official interview, he points to screws as an example: high-precision screws connect delicate components, and repeatedly tightening and loosening them can damage a slot, affect appearance and compromise accuracy.
Rank #2
- See-through case back
- Date display
- Screw-down crown
- 40mm Diameter
- Weight 178.0 g
Tools matter, but Nakazawa emphasizes choosing ones suited to the person doing the work. He describes preferring short tweezers as his own working preference, not a universal instruction for watchmakers. As he puts it, “It is difficult to do fine work in this simple way, but each wasted effort eliminated is a step in the right direction.”
Assembly is one part of a team process
Nakazawa says his job is to assemble and adjust watches using parts finished by other members of the studio. Seiko’s production account describes work including polishing, hand-painted porcelain dial work and bluing, as well as Nakazawa’s assembly process. These are coordinated specialties; the evidence does not suggest that he personally carries out every finishing operation on a watch.
Rank #3
- 24-hour hand (dual time display function)
- Power Reserve Approx. 55 hours
- See-through case back
Which watches did Nakazawa help create?
Seiko identifies the studio’s work with Spring Drive Minute Repeater and Sonnerie watches and two Eichi watches. Nakazawa has said the team’s work on Eichi was inspired by Philippe Dufour’s Simplicity: a restrained dial paired with a carefully finished movement visible from the back. He says the team wanted to make a watch that could be considered art.
A 2018 Love ’N Watches interview transcript adds Nakazawa’s account that members of the finishing team visited Dufour’s Swiss workshop to learn about finishing. That is a secondary interview account; it also distinguishes the finishers’ work from Nakazawa’s assembly and adjustment role.
Rank #4
- STUNNING BLUE DIAL: this automatic men's watch features a deep blue, pressed pattern and gloss finish surrounded by a stainless steel watch case
- AUTOMATIC: these self-winding, automatic men's watches are powered by your movement, with a power reserve of 41 hours
- STAINLESS STEEL: features a durable stainless steel watch case and bracelet with see through caseback
- WATER-RESISTANT: these men's wrist watches are water-resistant down to 50 meters
- 4R35 CALIBER: equipped with the reliable caliber 4R35 automatic movement, this accurate men's watch keeps precise time
What changed from Eichi to Eichi II?
Seiko’s production notes describe two documented changes: Eichi II moved the power-reserve indicator to the back, and its rear plate has two bridges rather than the three used on the 2008 Eichi. The interview dates Eichi II’s announcement to 2014. These design differences do not establish current availability, price or technical superiority.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How does the studio pass on watchmaking skills?
The Micro Artist Studio’s founding purpose was to pass watchmaking skills to a new generation. Nakazawa describes practical work as the starting point: “The process of passing on skills to the next-generation begins with practical experience of watchmaking at the Micro Artist Studio.” Seiko’s interview reported ten studio members at the time it was published; that is an interview-era figure, not a verified current headcount.
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