Hello,

I recently bought this sign:



It was advertised as a Seiko dealer sign from the 1940s. Nice woodwork!

I would appreciate any help translating it, because the only thing I could identify is the S Seiko logo. Thanks

 

I am Japanese, so I copied the words on the sign.

時計は S セイコー
特約店
セイコー会々員の店
増田時計店

The word '会々員' is an old word, and in today's Japanese, '会員' is used.
'増田時計店' is the name of the store.

 

"For watches, it's Seiko
Authorized Dealer
[Not quite sure about 会々員の店 – "member outlet for Seiko"? @mountainunder -san, what do you think?]
Masuda Watch Shop"

 

Thanks. On the listing it was described as an old advert from the 1940s. So an old word is not out of place.

 

Sorry, I was explaining it wrong.
"会々員" is not an old word, it's still in use today.

Here is the explanation of the "セイコー会々員の店" again.
The kanji "々" is a substitute character that can be used when the same kanji as the previous one is used consecutively.
In other words, "セイコー会々員の店" can be rewritten as "セイコー会会員の店".
Furthermore, if you rewrite "セイコー会会員の店" in a form that is easily translated by a translation service, it becomes "セイコー会 会員の店".

"セイコー会" is the name of the organization( or society? or group?).
I don't know if "セイコー会" is an official organization of Seiko or not. I'm sorry...

In other words, the meaning of "セイコー会々員の店" is "Seiko-kai" Member's Store.

I tried to look up "増田時計店", but I couldn't find where it was.
The signboard looks retro.

 

Hmm, I’ve never seen that doubler sign used to avoid two consecutive characters that weren’t part of the same word, but a Google search for 会々員 brings up a few old citations (including the Japanese Yahoo Auctions sale of the OP’s sign). I can’t get my keyboard to type it unless I input 島々 or something. “Odoriji” brings up〻but not 々.

Anyway, the third line would be something like “Member Outlet, Seiko Group,” seemingly saying that Mr. Masuda was not merely an authorized dealer but part of the Seiko Watch family.

Incidentally, until recently I was living practically in the shadow of the old Hattori mansion, home of the Seiko founder. It occupies the entire top of the hill between my old neighborhood and Shirokanedai and is almost unglimpseable behind a tall cement wall. It looks like the Haunted Mansion at Disney World, but someone still seems to be living there.

 

Interesting detail ! I'm quite happy to have stumbled by chance on this wooden sign. It is well made, and looks great. I wonder why the auction did not gather much interest, it went for much less than my max bid...

How it looks in situation :

 

Looks spiffy. Just to clarify, I didn't mean that the watchmaker was related to the Hattori family, but rather just trying to convey what I think is the nuance of the sign. Authorized outlet, yet also (the shop is) a member of the Seiko club.

 

OK. Translating little details is so hard sometimes ... But it is fun, here I am, a French guy asking for help on an Australian forum, in English, about Japanese things. Thanks again.

 

You just made my brain hurt again.