Meet Master Craftsman Yoshifusa Nakazawa

Come to our event at Exquisite Timepieces and meet the artist behind the Micro Artist Studio at Seiko Epson Corporation’s Shiojiri plan.The Micro Artist Studio was established in the year 2000 for the purpose of passing on the skills required in the watchmaking craft to the next generation. As demand for high grade, traditional watches grows, Seiko decided to train a new generation of skilled craftsmen in the technologies and artistic crafts that will preserve world-class Japanese watchmaking and create new timepieces that will further increase Seiko’s growing reputation as a leading manufacture.

Technical experts from an array of different fields have gathered at the Micro Artist Studio, and since 2004 they have applied their many and varied talents to producing exclusive watches. The studio is known for having created the Spring Drive Minute Repeater and Sonnerie and the two Eichi watches, all of which have been widely praised for their craftsmanship and rare beauty.

Seiko’s craft and the technique it embodies have not only cultivated successors to its legacy, but also inspired passion by expanding horizons with the Eichi II. The Micro Artist Studio will continue its mission to develop even greater craft techniques.

Yoshifusa Nakazawa joined Suwa Seikosha in 1978. After receiving instruction at the company’s technical training center for three years, he was crowned champion in the Watch Assembly and Repair Section of the 1981 World Skills Olympics held in Atlanta, USA. From there he went on to develop his career in assembling luxury watches. From 1991 to 1997, Mr. Nakazawa worked to cultivate talent and improve manufacturing procedures abroad. He later returned to Seiko Epson in Japan and worked as a foreman on the assembly line. In 2005, Mr. Nakazawa officially joined the Micro Artist Studio to take charge of complication watch assembly.

Mr. Nakazawa’s motto is ‘Thoroughly execute the basics of assembly,’ and his methods are highly regarded for their precision and exquisite finish. He is set on using his watchmaking experience—the know-how, passion, satisfaction, and sincerity he feels toward his work—and passing it on to the next generation of watchmakers as he continues to demonstrate his superior skill and leadership.