Snad to nikoho nepobouří, když tohle hodně staré vlákno oživím... Ten rozhovor s Higuchim už na webu není - stránka neexistuje. Tak si dovoluji pro historii, pamětníky a zájemce ho sem zkopírovat ze svého archivu Kde jsou ty časy... An Interview with Katsuhisa Higuchi Anyone who considers himself a serious aficionado of Japanese timepieces has certainly heard the name Katsuhisa Higuchi. Katsu-san, as he is known to friends and customers who shop online at Higuchi-inc.com, has earned an enviable reputation as one of the ?go to? guys for those who covet exquisite Japanese timepieces only sold in Japan?s domestic market. Indeed, where would we be if not for Internet access to Katsu-san?s elegant brick and mortar watch store located in Oita, Japan? What if we were denied access to our Seiko Tunas, Sumos and Marinemasters, Credors, Grand Seikos, and a host of other timepieces that would otherwise never make it to our shores? Thanks to Katsu-san and the service he provides, we have an inroad into the finest offerings from the Japanese marques. Perhaps it?s about time we found out more about the man who continues to satiate our cravings for the otherwise unattainable. Shall we? How long has this watch store been in your family? My grandfather opened this store in 1924, and it has been in my family ever since. If you didn?t have this watch store, would you consider being in a different line of work? No, I have never considered doing anything else but running this store and being in the watch business. My earliest memories evolved around this store and I spent the bulk of my childhood here. I was practically raised in this store! Please tell us about your Japanese customers. How do their tastes in watches differ from those of your overseas customers? My Japanese customers range in age from the youths to the senior citizens. In general, the younger crowd tends to favor Swiss timepieces, while my older customers prefer our domestic brands of Seiko, Citizen and Orient. It is quite possible that things may be different in the trendier metropolis of Tokyo, but here in Oita, that is what their tastes are. What are the attitudes of young Japanese people towards watches? From what I have seen, young Japanese are very interested in watches. And quite a number of my younger customers are very avid collectors. You oftentimes attend watch events in Tokyo and even in Basel, Switzerland. What do you do at these watch fairs? I really do enjoy attending those watch fairs. It gives me the opportunity to meet with the factory representatives and even the executives sometimes. When I do, I give them my opinion as well as the opinions of my customers as to how to improve a particular product line. I also relay to the factory reps the concerns of my customers along with their suggestions on products that would really interest them. What was the first watch you ever bought for yourself? Do you still have it? The first watch I ever bought myself was a Seiko Quartz Diver. I still have it somewhere in my house, amongst all my other watches. I do own quite a number of watches. :-) What watch do you usually wear? I have a wide variety of daily wearers?numerous Grand Seikos, Seiko divers, Zenith Chronographs, Casio G-shock, Suuntos, and others that I fail to remember! I really enjoy watches! What are your favorite vintage watches? I really like the vintage Grand Seikos?excellent movements! What was it that prompted you to take your business global? There was obviously a turning point of some sort. I first set up my Japanese website. For a few years, I received many emails from American customers asking me to sell them the Seiko Marinemaster Kinetic. They really like this watch! So, I decided to create an English website for English-speaking customers. Has the Internet changed your business a lot? Yes, absolutely! Thanks to the Internet, I have gained a lot more business than I thought possible. One of the things I enjoy the most from my Internet business is the opportunity to meet so many people from around the world. If all I had was my storefront, I would not have gotten to know my global customers. Many of my longtime customers have now become my good friends. How many of your international customers have come here to Oita to visit you? Oh, about 10 of them. I always look forward to meeting them. How much time do you spend each week reading and writing emails to your customers? I receive about 40 to 50 emails a day from around the world. I read and reply to the emails when I can, as well as attend to customers in my store. It can get very busy at times! Do you know why so few Japanese dealers sell to overseas customers? Only you and Seiya-san ship watches outside Japan. Why is it that more Japanese sellers do not want to sell overseas? I am not sure, but perhaps it is the language barrier? My English is not very good, but I do try and I am learning all the time. The newly-released Seiko 6R15-powered divers have been getting a lot of attention. What do you think about them? I wear one too! They are tough watches, and are very good value for money. Do you have an on-site watch repairman in your store? I used to have one, but he is now retired. I have a good friend who is a watchmaker and he is not too far away. He?s very good and we send work out to him. Tell us more about your family and the activities that you share together. I got married over 15 years ago and I have 3 children. My daughter is the eldest and her favorite sport is tennis. My two sons love baseball and they play in a local team. As a family, we try to spend as much time together as we can. We really enjoy going on vacations together, especially to explore new parts of Japan that we have never been to. I have been to many countries in Europe and Asia, but never to the United States yet. I hope to take my family there someday. Tell us more about Oita, where you live. I love my hometown, which is located on the island of Kyushu, in the southernmost part of Japan. We have very lovely beaches and mountains. The hot springs here are very well-known, and bring in a lot of tourists. Do you keep up with the Japanese watch forums? I would really like to, but I don?t seem to have enough time anymore. If you had to pick just one Seiko watch to wear for the rest of your life, which one will it be? The Grand Seiko GMT Automatic. It is really a beautiful watch. Can I sell you one? :-)
