Seiko itself makes very high-end watches, especially under the 'Grand Seiko' moniker, some of which are as expensive as the well-known ones from the Swiss manuf

Seiko itself makes very high-end watches, especially under the 'Grand Seiko' moniker, some of which are as expensive as the well-known ones from the Swiss manufacturers, but at the same time incredibly understated unless you're really into the matter. This can be a branding/marketing claim in itself, of course. There's an origin story around their Spring Drive mechanism that goes something like a lonely engineer-genius tinkering on it for 30 years until he had it perfected (don't quote me on that). In that way, Seiko appeals to the 'Japanese artisan/craftsmanship geek' who consciously chooses the non-mainstream brand. Not sure if that is intentional marketing or truly authentic company identity.