Works — Social Creative

Genta the Watch | Imagine how a watch feels: a sustainable repair story. Daimaru Matsuzakaya Department Stores, Nagoya

2022.07 | Signage / Sustainability


Genta the Watch | Imagine how a watch feels: a sustainable repair story. Daimaru Matsuzakaya Department Stores, Nagoya

For the renewal of the GENTA the Watch floor at Daimaru Matsuzakaya's Nagoya store, I made a digital signage film to be shown in the newly built repair corner, Watch Terrace.
“Imagine how a watch feels.”I proposed this concept, and aimed for a film that expresses the feelings of staff who love watches.

In Watch Terrace, an open space surrounded by warm wooden interiors and plants, visitors can watch certified watch repairers at work through the glass. It is designed to let people feel the rich time spent with a watch.

Background

  • Renewal of the GENTA the Watch floor
  • New Watch Terrace (live repair + rest space)
  • The brief was to create a space that sees a watch not as a mere object but as a member of the family, and puts warmth and story even into the act of repair.
  • Bringing in the perspective of contributing to a sustainable society,the meaning of “caring for a watch and using it for a long time”was conveyed quietly through film.

Approach

  • Camerawork from the watch's point of view
  • Interview scenes that bring out the staff's feelings
  • Natural-light filming that makes the most of warm wood and greenery
  • A story that naturally includes sustainable values

Results and response

  • Shown continuously as a signage film at the new repair corner, Watch Terrace
  • Leaves visitors with a sense of how precious time with a watch is
  • Encourages empathy for a culture of caring for watches for a long time, and for sustainability

Client's voice

He made a promotional video for our renovated floor. Since the image of the whole floor was being renewed on a large scale, we absolutely did not want to compromise on the video either. We met many times to talk about what kind of video we wanted, and he listened carefully. When he delivered a draft, we made some selfish requests for changes (laughs), but he gladly accommodated them, and I feel it turned out to be a great piece.

A comment from Narita

It was a special project through which I arrived at the theme of nurturing imagination. I am truly grateful that I could carry on film the feelings of people and the stories that flow behind an object like a watch.

Client
Daimaru Matsuzakaya Department Stores Co., Ltd. Matsuzakaya Nagoya
Place
GENTA the Watch, Watch Terrace, North Building 5FOn July 6, 2022, the first renovation in 14 years roughly doubled the floor space. A live repair workshop and rest space in the center of the floor
Concept
“Imagine how a watch feels.” (proposed by Narita)
Role
Planning, concept proposal and direction
Used in
Signage at Watch Terrace (looped in the rest space)
Signage filmConcept proposalInterviewSustainability

Timeline

How it came together

  1. 2021.12 — 2022.02

    Planning and proposal

    Planning and proposal

    When the person in charge came to me, I suddenly wondered, “How does a watch feel?” I wrote the proposal with that feeling intact, and presented it as “Let's imagine how a watch feels.”

  2. 2022

    The words of the people on the floor

    Reporting and direction

    I talked with staff who have worked in the watch department for more than a decade. Their words became the core of the film. Partway through production, I bought a hand-wound watch myself.

    • “Maybe a watch is something that watches over a family?”
    • “I love the time I spend winding a hand-wound watch.”
    • “The watch I have was given to me by my late grandfather.”
  3. 2022.07 — 08

    Reopening, and the signage goes live

    A watch is not something to throw away, but something passed down from parent to child. In a sustainable space with a repair workshop at the center of the floor, the film still plays in the rest space. “I see customers watching it, drink in hand,” the person in charge told me.

Credits

Planning and direction
Narita Jun
Filming and editing
小川 佳補
With thanks to
GENTA the Watch, Grand Seiko, Omiya watch repair

Links

Genta the Watch, photo 1

Client's Voice

I see customers watching it, drink in hand.

Since the image of the whole floor was being renewed on a large scale, we absolutely did not want to compromise on the promotional video. We met many times about what we wanted, he listened carefully, gladly accommodated our selfish requests, and I feel it turned out to be a great piece.
It loops in the rest space, and I see customers watching it, drink in hand. We're very satisfied with such a heartwarming video.

Matsuzakaya Nagoya | Department store, PR for a renovated floor · ★★★★★ 5.0

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