Towards the end of 2023, Robb Report Malaysia co-hosted a Grand Seiko event with The Hour Glass at the latter’s Penang flagship. Located at Gurney Plaza, The Hour Glass boutique was transformed for a single night with elegant touches of Japanese craftsmanship, cuisine and drink.
As guests streamed into the boutique, they were welcomed by chilled Saito sake, with flavours ranging from the rich and dry junmai to the full-bodied fruity pear aromas of the junmai daiginjo. Inside The Hour Glass’ The Apartment, so-called for the living space found within the boutique, guests perused the rich literature of Grand Seiko, including its founding as a house of precision ‘Seiko-sha’ by Kintaro Hattori in 1892, as well as the launch of the very first Grand Seiko in 1960. The brand was birthed in the mountains of Nagano by skilled watchmakers and was intended to represent the pinnacle of Seiko’s excellence in mechanical watchmaking—delivering greater accuracy, legibility and durability than any other timepiece.
Among the stars of the evening was the high-beat precision of the new Tentagraph, the first mechanical chronograph to carry the Grand Seiko badge. Its 72-hour power reserve is significant in that it fuels a 10-beat chronograph. High-intensity titanium encases the new Caliber 9SC5, with the bracelet also composed of the same titanium. The dial of this 43.2mm-diameter timepiece evokes the mighty Mount Iwate, the soaring peak that dominates the vision field of watchmakers at the Grand Seiko Studio Shuizukuishi. Other highlights of the evening include the latest Grand Seiko diver ‘Ushio’, equipped with a five-day Spring Drive movement; ‘Lake Suwa’, with a dial reminiscent of its naming inspiration located southeast of the Shinshu Watch Studio; and the unmistakable ‘White Birch’ with a face that mirrors the forests by the Shizukuishi studio.
In another corner of The Apartment, a team of skilled exponents from Haku Extraordinary Japanese Cuisine carved a massive 82kg tuna into sashimi, a spectacle that attracted a fair amount of guests clamouring to record it on their smartphones. In addition, tins of Frosista caviar redolent with the scent of the ocean and umami flavours were offered for tasting. To pair with the cuisine were copious amounts of the aforementioned Saito sake as well as Fuji whiskies—both the single grain and single blended variants. The whiskies, simultaneously delicate, fruity and silky, offered a different edge to the evening of horology.
Photography: Norlman Lo / The Hour Glass
