King Seiko Vanac, Grand Quartz & GS62 from BB Garage

There are watch stores that simply sell watches, and then there are places that become destinations. During my 2026 trip to Japan, one of those destinations was BB Amemura and its sister store, BB Garage, in Osaka.

As the founder of WatchTravel, I wasn’t just looking to buy another watch. I was searching for pieces that told a story—watches that represented important chapters in Japanese horology and would become lasting reminders of this journey.

First Stop: BB Amemura

Walking into BB Amemura immediately felt different from visiting a modern luxury boutique. Instead of rows of current production models, the displays were filled with decades of Japanese watchmaking history.

Vintage Grand Seikos.

King Seikos.

Vanacs.

Quartz masterpieces from the late 1970s.

Mechanical classics from the golden era of Seiko.

The staff were eager to open drawers and drawers for me of watches. Just the display cases seemed to contain watches I’d only ever seen in books, auction catalogs, or online forums.

Rather than chasing Swiss icons, I found myself drawn to the uniquely Japanese designs—watches that reflected Seiko’s willingness to experiment with bold cases, colorful dials, and innovative movements during the 1960s and 1970s.

The Treasure Cave: BB Garage

If BB Amemura is the showroom, BB Garage feels like stepping into a collector’s workshop.

Here I finally met Samo-san, whose reputation among Seiko enthusiasts is well deserved. It was immediately obvious that he wasn’t simply selling watches—he genuinely cared about preserving them.

As we talked through the display cases, he patiently pulled out watch after watch, explaining the history behind different references, movements, and dials.

For a Seiko enthusiast, it felt like being allowed behind the curtain.

Falling for the King Seiko Vanac Special

One watch kept pulling my attention back.

A King Seiko Vanac Special.

The Vanac line has always fascinated me because it represents one of Seiko’s boldest design periods. Angular cases, vibrant dials, faceted crystals, and unmistakably 1970s styling make these watches unlike anything else produced by Seiko before or since.

This wasn’t simply another vintage King Seiko.

It was a Vanac Special.

The case had incredible presence, the dial captured light beautifully, and it embodied an era when Seiko wasn’t afraid to be adventurous.

Some watches are purchased with spreadsheets.

Others simply make you smile.

This one made me smile.

Watching a Watch Expert at Work

One of the highlights of the visit wasn’t buying the watch.

It was watching Samo-san carefully place the Vanac onto a timegrapher.

Rather than simply handing it over, he adjusted and regulated the movement while I watched the timing traces stabilize on the screen.

Seeing an experienced specialist fine-tune a nearly fifty-year-old movement before it left the shop added something impossible to quantify.

It wasn’t just another transaction.

It was craftsmanship being passed from one enthusiast to another.

A Surprise Addition

As I continued browsing, another piece caught my eye.

A Seiko Grand Quartz Twin Quartz.

The late 1970s marked the height of Japan’s quartz revolution, and Twin Quartz movements represented Seiko’s pursuit of ultimate accuracy. These weren’t ordinary quartz watches—they were engineering statements.

The example I chose featured one of my favorite textured dials, earning it the affectionate nickname “the Quartz Snowflake.”

Picking up both the Vanac Special and the Twin Quartz felt like capturing two completely different sides of Seiko’s history.

One represented mechanical artistry.

The other represented Japan’s technological revolution.

So Nice I Visited Twice …

A few days later I found myself returning.

Anyone who has spent time hunting vintage watches knows the feeling.

You leave.

You think you’re finished.

Then one watch keeps appearing in your mind.

For me, that watch was a 1966 Grand Seiko 62GS.

My Birth-Year Grand Seiko

The watch that ultimately completed my Osaka journey was a Grand Seiko 6246-9000.

Its serial number revealed something incredibly special.

It was manufactured in August 1966—the same month and year I was born.

Collectors often talk about “birth-year watches.”

Finding one made during your exact birth month is something altogether different.

The 62GS occupies an important place in Grand Seiko history as the brand’s first automatic model. Elegant, beautifully proportioned, and unmistakably Grand Seiko, it represents the beginning of a lineage that continues today.

Holding a watch that had been quietly ticking away since the month I entered the world gave it a meaning no modern limited edition could ever replicate.

More Than Just Purchases

Looking back, these weren’t simply acquisitions.

Each watch captured a different chapter of Seiko’s extraordinary history.

• King Seiko Vanac Special — the bold creativity of the 1970s.

• Grand Quartz Twin Quartz — Japan’s relentless pursuit of precision.

• Grand Seiko 62GS (August 1966) — the elegance of Grand Seiko’s first automatic and a deeply personal birth-month connection.

Just as memorable were the people.

Meeting Samo-san, watching him regulate the Vanac on the timegrapher, discussing vintage Seikos, and sharing stories reminded me why traveling for watches is so rewarding.

You don’t just come home with watches.

You come home with memories.

And that’s exactly what WatchTravel is all about.

Thank you to Samo San and BB Garage🙏

WatchTravel Verdict for BB Garage

⭐ Selection: 10/10

 ⭐ Service: 10/10

 ⭐ Value: 9/10

 ⭐ Collector Appeal: 10/10