One of the Shizukuishi hallmarks is the mirrorlike glow of its watch cases and bracelets, the result of an exacting technique called zaratsu, used by Seiko since the 1950s to create polished, distortion-free surfaces. Also, its dial patterns are inspired by the mountains and, in the winter, the snowy environment of Shizukuishi.

While Seiko’s midmarket quartz watches are made at several locations, all the company’s mechanical timepieces are made and assembled in Shizukuishi, from the tiny parts churned out in oil-filled baths (parts so minuscule their shape can be seen only through a microscope), through processing, assembly and adjustment, and on to testing (more than 400 hours for each timepiece).

Image A Grand Seiko model. Credit... Ko Sasaki for The New York Times

Employees of all ages, including the 90 master craftsmen and women of Shizukuishi, mill about in the various production rooms. They wear cotton factory uniforms — gray or black trousers and jackets of various colors. (On a recent day, Mr. Hayashi wore a pink jacket, but he noted that the colors didn’t have any special meanings.)

The organization of the Shizukuishi factory’s production lines resembles that of its Swiss counterparts, but the atmosphere is singularly Japanese. Visitors entering the building must replace their shoes with a pair of company-provided plastic slippers. And twice each workday, around 10 a.m. and 3 p.m., employees absent-mindedly stretch, bend and jump, the calisthenics called radio taiso that are done in many Japanese factories.

“It’s refresh time,” Mr. Hayashi said as the factory loudspeakers began to broadcast the instructions, done in song and accompanied by piano notes.