The second annual US GS9 Club Experience is in the books, and what a time it was!
Hundreds of members and guests descended on Brooklyn, New York, November 18 for the biggest, most exciting, and highest profile US GS9 Club event to date.
Over the next few weeks, Chronicle 9 will bring you lots of content from the meet up so that many of you can relive the day and members who weren’t there can share in the experience.
The short video below offers a glimpse into the activities and festivities, which ranged from panel discussions, watchmaker demos, and a technical presentation on the GPHG Award-winning Kodo Constant-force Tourbillon – to a full-on party set to the tunes of Ukrainian DJ duo ARTBAT.
The event also featured an amazing lineup of new and vintage Grand Seiko watches and a selection of models that will be auctioned by Phillips – headlined by a unique version of the Kodo Constant-force Tourbillon, SLGT001.
A photo and video team was on hand to document the fun of GS9. With so much on the schedule, so many enthusiasts in attendance, and so many rare watches on hand, it’s no surprise that they returned with truly amazing shots.
The Event Space
The bar was set high when GS9 convened at Jazz At Lincoln Center last year. This year GS9 had to deliver an event that would wow guests. For 2022, the GS9 Experience returned to New York but shifted boroughs to Brooklyn’s Weylin, in the Williamsburg neighborhood. A slice of old New York housed in the former Williamsburg Savings Bank, it’s one of the truly grand public places in the city. Its impressive rotunda and other Gilded Age architectural features provided an ideal backdrop for the grandest US GS9 Club Event to date.
Attendees
With hundreds on hand in Brooklyn, there was an unrivaled opportunity for Grand Seiko fans to meet, greet, tell stories, and share their favorite watches with one another. This was a celebration of GS9 Club members after all, and as you can see, the photographs capture many a smiling face and attendees engaged in conversation, checking out watches, and viewing the panel conversations.
Anywhere Grand Seiko collectors get together, you are bound to see some great watches, and this event certainly didn’t disappoint in that regard. In addition to the models from the current collection, sold-out limited editions, and vintage pieces that Grand Seiko brought to GS9, the members themselves turned out with many of their own favorites.
Welcome Speech, Panels, and Presentations
From beginning to end, everything was curated to provide a can’t-miss experience for GS9 Club members.
What follows is a short recap of the day’s panels and presentations. This content was recorded, and each video will soon be made available to GS9 members right here on Chronicle 9. So if you happened to miss something, or would like to catch a panel for a second time, please stay tuned.
The GS9 Experience kicked off with a warm welcome from Grand Seiko Corporation of America President Brice Le Troadec, who offered attendees a hint of the exciting day in store and shared exciting updates from Grand Seiko.
He then turned over the mic to Brand Curator Joe Kirk, who introduced two new issues of the GS9 magazine. One was available to read at the time of the announcement, but the second contained a special surprise and would be distributed at six o’clock, he said.
Wasting no time, Joe then delivered a rousing masterclass in one of the most recent, talked-about, and important watches in the history of Grand Seiko, the Kodo Constant-force Tourbillon.
Attendees learned how this first-of-its-kind high-complication began as a concept developed by one of the brightest watchmakers at Grand Seiko before it was re-imagined as a limited edition and offered to collectors.
Next up, one of the newest members of the Grand Seiko team, Editorial Content Manager Jon Bues, spoke with familiar faces from the world of watch content for a panel titled “Lights, Camera, Action.”
An exploration of how engaging watch content is made for today’s digital audiences, the panel covered a range of topics and drew on some of the most popular personalities in watch content today.
Panelists included Christian Zeron of Theo & Harris, Teddy Baldassare of TeddyBaldassare.com, Brynn Wallner of Dimepiece, and Zach Piña of Pip Media.
Later, Joe Kirk led a discussion on the evolution of Grand Seiko, and was joined by prominent figures from the media, retail, and the auction world.
Panelists Jack Forster, Paul Boutros, Kelly Yoch, Rob Caplan, Bhanu Chopra, and Daniel Broadfoot described the early days of Grand Seiko and its entrance in the American market, offering opinions about what they’d like to see the brand do next.
And finally, Spencer Bailey, the founder of the Slowdown, welcomed Hodinkee’s Malaika Crawford and writer, investor, and U.S.-Japan Council Board Member David Kenji Chang for a conversation about all things Japanese style.
The Reveal of SBGY023
In the lead up to the event, guests were told of an announcement slated for six o’clock that they would not want to miss.
Delivering on this promise, Brice Le Troadec and Joe Kirk took the stage to present the first US GS9 Club limited edition.
A manually wound Spring Drive movement in a steel “dress series” case, SBGY023 features a grey kirazuri dial inspired by a Japanese woodblock print of Matsumoto Castle, a national treasure of Japan and a landmark of Nagano, the Prefecture where Spring Drive watches are made.
The After Party
Immediately following the announcement of the limited-edition, a large curtain drew back to reveal a replica of Matsumoto Castle and second stage for the Ukrainian musical ensemble ARTBAT.
It was quite a day, to say the least!
Thank you so much to the guests, panelists, and staff, who made the 2022 GS9 Experience such a success.
