Seiko Epson employee receives "Shinshu Master Craftsman" award for fiscal year 3

Mr. Kazunori Hoshino, an employee of Seiko Epson Corporation, has been awarded the "Shinshu Master Craftsman" title, a prestigious award given to highly skilled workers in Nagano Prefecture in 3.

Recognizing exceptional skills

　Mr. Kazunori Hoshino, an employee of Seiko Epson's WP Design Development Department, has been awarded the "Shinshu Master Craftsman" award in the Governor's Award for Outstanding Skilled Workers in 3. The "Shinshu Master Craftsman" award has been presented by Nagano Prefecture since 1970 to recognize engineers in the prefecture who have outstanding skills as artisans and to acknowledge their many years of hard work.

　Seiko has a history of awarding the award since 1972, and has produced 32 "Shinshu Master Craftsmen" to date. The reasons why Mr. Hoshino, the 33rd recipient, received the award are as follows:

　He is a leading figure in industrial design (watches) in the prefecture and a person of outstanding craftsmanship, possessing designs that can be realized at a high level with creativity, outstanding expressiveness and originality backed by knowledge of watches. He has also contributed to the prefecture through design (designs and appeal that make use of the characteristics of each region through commercialization), and has helped promote the goodness of Shinshu outside the prefecture and to the world.

　In fact, looking at the Grand Seiko lineup, many models are designed with inspiration from the Shinshu region, where the watch is manufactured. The beautiful natural scenery of Shinshu is incorporated into the watch design, such as the fantastical snow scene "Shizuriyuki" (hanging snow), which was adopted in the new model announced in October, and the starry sky of Achi Village on the dial.

　Regarding this award, Hoshino commented as follows:

"It is an honor beyond my imagination to have received the Governor's Award for Outstanding Skilled Workers thanks to the guidance and support of so many people, and I would like to express my sincere gratitude to them all. I will continue to create watches that will impress customers who hold them in their hands, and I will strive to improve my techniques and skills so that I can convey the appealing world of watches through design, aiming for even greater heights."