Seiko

Seiko’s history began in 1881,[4] when its founder Kintarō Hattori opened a watch and jewelry shop called "K. Hattori" (服部時計店, Hattori Tokeiten) in Tokyo, Japan.

Kintarō Hattori had been working as clockmaker apprentice since the age of 13, with multiple stints in different watch shops, such as “Kobayashi Clock Shop”, ran by an expert technician named Seijiro Sakurai, “Kameda Clock Shop” in Nihonbashi, as well as “Sakata Clock Shop” in Ueno, where he learned how to both sell and repair timepieces. 

In 1881, a new age of Japan-made clocks and watches was dawning. Pioneers in Tokyo, Osaka, and Nagoya were studying and producing pocket watches based on Western products. Japanese wholesalers needed to purchase all the imported timepieces from foreign trading companies established in Yokohama, Kobe, and other open port areas. [5] [6]

In 1885, Mr. Hattori began dealing directly with these foreign trading firms in the Yokohama settlement focused on the wholesaling and retailing of western (imported) timepieces and machinery. [7]

Over the years, Kintarō Hattori developed a close partnership with multiple foreign trading firms, including the likes of C&J Favre-Brandt, F. Perregaux & Co., Zanuti & Cie. and Siber & Brennwald, allowing him to obtain exclusive imported timepieces and machinery which was not available to anyone else at that time. [8] [9] [10] [11]

Mr. Hattori’s shop became increasingly popular due to the rarity of the imported watches the shop was selling, items that couldn’t be found anywhere else in Japan. This growing success allowed him to relocate the company to the main street of Ginza (Tokyo), still the epicenter of commerce in Japan to this day.

The amount of support from his customers encouraged Mr Hattori to pursue the next step, which was becoming a manufacturer himself, an endeavor he would pursue shortly after by purchasing a factory in Tokyo and renaming it ‘Seikosha’ (精工舍).

In 1891, 10 years after the establishment of K. Hattori & Co., the 31-year-old Kintaro was asked to take up two important positions in industry, one as a director of the Tokyo Clockmaker and Watchmaker Association and one as a member of Tokyo Chamber of Commerce.

Eight years later, in 1895, the successful watch dealer purchased the whole corner of Ginza 4-chome (the present-day location of WAKO], constructed a building with a clock tower (16 meters from top to bottom), setting up shop at the new address.

In 1892, Mr. Hattori began to produce clocks under the name Seikosha (精工舎, Seikōsha), meaning roughly, "House of Exquisite Workmanship". According to Seiko's official company history, titled A Journey In Time: The Remarkable Story of Seiko (2003), Seiko is a Japanese word meaning "exquisite" (精巧, Seikō), "success" (成功, Seikō), or "sexual intercourse" (性交, Seikō).[12]

In order to avoid an ill omen, believed to be associated with the word "GLORY" in Japanese, Seikosha changed its trade mark to "SEIKO" in 1924.[13]

In 1969, Seiko introduced the Astron, the world's first production quartz watch; when it was introduced, it cost the same as a medium-sized car. Seiko later went on to introduce the first quartz chronograph.

In the late 1980s, Seiko produced the first automatic quartz that combined the self-energizing attributes of an automatic watch with quartz accuracy. The watch is entirely powered by its movement in everyday wear.[14] In 1991, to increase popularity, these watches were relaunched under the name Seiko Kinetic.[15]

In 1985, Orient and Seiko established a joint factory.

The company was incorporated (K. Hattori & Co., Ltd.) in 1917 and was renamed Hattori Seiko Co., Ltd. in 1983 and Seiko Corporation in 1990. After reconstructing and creating its operating subsidiaries (such as Seiko Watch Corporation and Seiko Clock Inc.), it became a holding company in 2001 and was renamed Seiko Holdings Corporation as of July 1, 2007.

Seiko is perhaps best known for its wristwatches, all of which were at one time produced entirely in house. This includes not only major items such as microgears, motors, hands, crystal oscillators, batteries, sensors, and LCDs, but also minor items such as the oils used in lubricating the watches and the luminous compounds used on the hands and the dials. Seiko watches were originally produced by two different subsidiaries. One was Daini Seikosha Co.,(now known as Seiko Instruments Inc.), and the other was Suwa Seikosha Co.(now known as Seiko Epson Corporation). Having two companies both producing the same brand of watch enabled Seiko to improve technology through competition and hedge risk. It also reduced risk of production problems, since one company can increase production in the case of decreased production in the other parties.

Currently watch movements are made in Shizukuishi, Iwate (SII Morioka Seiko Instruments), Ninohe, Iwate (SII Ninohe Tokei Kogyo), Shiojiri, Nagano (Seiko Epson) and their subsidiaries in China, Malaysia and Singapore. The fully integrated in-house production system is still practiced for luxury watches in Japan.

Seiko Corporation of America is responsible for the distribution of Seiko watches and clocks, as well as Pulsar and Lorus brand watches, in the United States. The models available in the United States are normally a smaller subset of the full line produced in Japan. Seiko Corporation of America has its headquarters (and Coserv repair center) in Mahwah, New Jersey. In the United States, Seiko watches are sold primarily by fine jewelers and department stores as well as 19 company stores located in various cities.

Pulsar Montre 4

On Friday, January 10, 2014 on the eve of the Australian Open in Melbourne, Shinji Hattori, President of Seiko Watch Corporation, presented to Novak Djokovic a Seiko 5 limited edition worth $1700. It was launched worldwide with a million units, symbolizing Seiko's partnership with the world's no.1 professional tennis player.[16]

• Seiko Watch Corporation — Planning for watches and other products and domestic and overseas sales
• Seiko Nextage Co., Ltd. — watches: Alba and licensed brand watches
• Seiko Clock Inc. — Development, manufacturing and sales of clocks (desk clocks, wall clocks, alarm clocks)
• Seiko Service Center Co., Ltd. — repair and after service for watches
• Seiko Time Systems Inc. — Sale and incidental installation work for system clocks, varied information display equipment and sports timing equipment, as well as timing and measurement services for various sports
• Seiko Precision Inc. — Manufacturing/sales for electronic devices, shutters for cameras and peripherals, and production equipment
• Seiko NPC Corporation — Development, manufacturing and marketing of integrated circuits (IC)
• Seiko Solutions Inc. — Development, manufacturing, sales, maintenance, services and consultations for the hardware and the software relating with information systems and network services
• Seiko Optical Products Co., Ltd. — Wholesale marketing of lenses and frames for glasses along with other optical-related products
• Seiko Instruments Inc. — Development, manufacturing and sales of watches, precision components and machine tools, electronic components, printers, measurement and analysis instruments
• Wako Co., Ltd. — Sales of watches, jewelry, accessories, interior supplies, art goods and crafts, glasses and foodstuffs
• Cronos Inc. — retail sales of watches, jewelry items and eyeglasses
• Seiko Business Services Inc. — human resources
• Ohara Inc. (Seiko owns 32.2% TYO: 5218) — specialty optical glass (glass materials for lenses and prisms)

A stainless steel Seiko 5 with grey face and 18-mm-wide leather watch strap

The Seiko 5 is a standard that many Seiko mechanical watch models meet since the introduction of the moniker in the 1960s.

Watches get this moniker as they exhibit the following 5 principles;

1. It must feature an automatic watch movement
2. It must display the day and the date on the dial
3. It must be water resistant to an acceptable degree
4. It must have a recessed crown at the 4 o' clock position
5. It must have a durable case and bracelet

Seiko has made many different models of the "5" standard watch, including large as well as small divers, watches featuring different strap options such as leather or even nylon, transparent or sterile case-back versions and many other variations. Today, the Seiko 5 lineup mostly comprises entry-level mechanical watches that act as an affordable entry point for consumers looking to enter the world of automatic watches.

NASA Flight Director Gene Kranz wore a Seiko 5 model 6119-8460 during the height of his career. It was on his wrist when the Apollo 11 crew touched down on the lunar surface, when the Apollo 13 explosion occurred, and throughout the remainder of his career at NASA.

The Seiko Presage series is an all-mechanical lineup, a step up from the entry-level Seiko 5 models. It has slightly more elaborate designs and complex movements, such as urushi-lacquer dials, and self-winding movements with power reserve indicators.[19] The Presage line watches are usually priced between US$200 to US$3,000.[20]

Seiko entered a cooperation with the traditional cloisonné maker Ando Cloisonné Company from Nagoya to produce the dial for the limited edition in 2018.[21][22]

The Seiko Prospex series includes their professional series of watches such as their diving watches, which are typically ISO 6425 rated from 200 to 1000 metres of water resistance. Other watches in the Prospex line include field and pilot style watches.

The Grand Seiko logo

Grand Seiko SBGA011 “Snowflake” with 9R Spring Drive movement

Prior to 1960, to challenge the status of Swiss watches and change the perception of Japanese watches, Daini Seikosha and Suwa began the discussion of a product line that can match the quality of Swiss watches under the suggestion of the parent company. At the time, Suwa Seikosha Co. was in charge of manufacturing men's watches, so it was decided that Suwa would be producing the first Grand Seiko (GS).

The first Grand Seiko was released in 1960, it was based on Seiko's previous high-end watch, CROWN. This Grand Seiko has a 25-jewel, manual-winding, 3180 caliber, and only 36,000 units were produced. This was also the first chronometer-grade watch manufactured in Japan, and it was based on Seiko's own chronometer standard.[23]

Some Grand Seiko timepieces also incorporate the company's revolutionary Spring Drive movement, a movement that is a combination of both automatic and quartz timekeeping methods, leading to unparalleled accuracy in the world of automatic wristwatches, the most famous of which is the SBGA011 Grand Seiko "Snowflake", housing the 9R Spring Drive movement as seen on the right.

The design language of the Grand Seiko was set in 1967, with the creation of Grand Seiko 44GS. The 44GS set the ground for all future Grand Seiko with nine elements. These elements help improve the legibility of the watch under different situations, and create a sharp, crisp visual impression:[24]

1. Double width index at 12 o'clock
2. Multi-faceted rectangular markers
3. Highly polished bezel
4. Highly polished planes and two-dimensional surface
5. Half recessed crown
6. Flat dial
7. Multi-faceted hour and minute hands
8. Curved side line
9. Reverse slanted bezel wall and case side
10. Dress style with simple but beautiful design
11. Zaratsu polishing

Seiko produces electronic devices as well. During the 1980s, the company produced a notable range of digital synthesizers, such as the DS-250, for use in electronic music. Today the music division (part of Seiko Life Sports) produces metronomes and tuning devices.

In 1968, Seiko introduced three ten beat (ten ticks per second) calibers, the automatic caliber 61GS, the manual winding 45GS[25] and 19GS[26] for women's watch. The 61GS was Japan's first automatic ten beat watch, and it was the most accurate mechanical watch due to the high beat calibers.[27] The calibers are considered high beat because normal mechanical movements beat six to eight times per second, and higher beat makes the watch more resistant to shock, thus achieving the high accuracy.[28]

In 2009, Seiko released the new ten beat caliber 9S85,[29] which is a completely new design from the previous high beat caliber. The new caliber also met the Grand Seiko Standard, a chronometer certification that the company claims to be more strict than the Chronometer Certificate in Switzerland.[30]

List of Seiko mechanical movements

On December 25, 1969, Seiko released the world's first quartz watch, the Seiko Quartz ASTRON, which marked the beginning of the quartz revolution.[44][45][46] The watch uses a crystal oscillator for accuracy, where the crystal generates steady vibration when voltage is applied to it. During the ten years of development at Suwa Seikosha, Seiko managed to create many parts which enabled the viable application of quartz in wristwatches. For example, Seiko cut the crystal oscillator into the shape of a tuning-fork, and developed an integrated circuit and step motor to operate with the signals from the crystal oscillator.

Quartz wristwatch Astron Cal. 35A, Seiko, Japan, 1969

Although creating the parts that enabled quartz watches, Seiko did not monopolize the patent rights for the unique pieces, but decided to open them.

In 1973, Seiko announced the world's first LCD quartz watch with six-digit digital display.

In 1975, Seiko launched the world's first multi-function digital watch, the 0634.

In 1978, Seiko released the Twin Quartz watch to address the impact of temperature on the frequency of the quartz crystal oscillator, which put a limitation on the accuracy of quartz watches. Seiko put a second crystal in the watch that is linked with a processor that detects the change in temperature and signals the main oscillator to compensate. The result was a huge improvement in the watch's accuracy from 5 seconds per month to 5 seconds per year.

In 1988, Seiko combined automatic and electric watches, creating the Seiko Kinetic, a movement that is powered by the movements of the user, converting the energy to electricity for the quartz movement.

The 9F quartz movement is used in Grand Seiko quartz watches.[47]

The Grand Seiko's 9F quartz movement is assembled entirely by hand by two expert craftsmen.

Features include:

• Backlash auto-adjust mechanism
• Twin pulse control motor
• Instant date change mechanism – it can change the date display in 1/2000th of a second

Kinetic watches were introduced by Seiko in 1986 at the Basel Fair Trade Show.[48]

The Spring Drive was announced in 1997. It was developed by Yoshikazu Akahane and his team and inspired by Yoshikazu's vision: "a watch wound by a mainspring and with one-second-a-day accuracy, a precision that only the finest electronic watches could deliver".[49] This movement achieved high accuracy with one second per day, long power reserve (72 hours) with its special developed alloy, fast winding with the "Magic Lever" design and glide-motion movement with the watch hands.

The movement uses a mainspring as a source of energy and transmits it through a gear train, just like a traditional mechanical watch, but instead of an escapement and balance wheel, Seiko used the newly developed "Tri-synchro regulator", which acts like a quartz movement. The Tri-synchro regulator has three main functions: controlling the mechanical energy of the mainspring, generate electricity for the low consumption (~25 nanowatts) quartz crystal oscillator and generate a magnetic force to regulate the glide wheel. By replacing the traditional escapement with a magnetic brake, the Spring Drive operates with lower noise and presents a glide motion hand that shows the continuous flow of time. The Spring Drive movement was also used as the basis for the first-ever watch designed to be worn by an astronaut during a space walk, the aptly named Seiko Spring Drive Spacewalk.[50]

• 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan
• 1972 Winter Olympics in Sapporo, Japan
• 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Spain
• 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer, Norway
• 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan
• 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States

• 1978 FIFA World Cup in Argentina
• 1982 FIFA World Cup in Spain
• 1986 FIFA World Cup in Mexico
• 1990 FIFA World Cup in Italy

Currently, Seiko has an agreement with World Athletics to act as the timekeeper for the latest editions of the World Athletics Championships. The agreement started in 1985[51] and is set to continue until at least 2029.[52]

• 1987 World Championships in Athletics in Rome, Italy
• 1991 World Championships in Athletics in Tokyo, Japan
• 1993 World Championships in Athletics in Stuttgart, Germany
• 1995 World Championships in Athletics in Gothenburg, Sweden
• 1997 World Championships in Athletics in Athens, Greece
• 1999 World Championships in Athletics in Seville, Spain
• 2001 World Championships in Athletics in Edmonton, Canada
• 2003 World Championships in Athletics in Paris, France
• 2005 World Championships in Athletics in Helsinki, Finland
• 2007 World Championships in Athletics in Osaka, Japan
• 2009 World Championships in Athletics in Berlin, Germany
• 2011 World Championships in Athletics in Daegu, South Korea
• 2013 World Championships in Athletics in Moscow, Russia
• 2015 World Championships in Athletics in Beijing, China
• 2017 World Championships in Athletics in London, United Kingdom
• 2019 World Championships in Athletics in Doha, Qatar
• 2022 World Athletics Championships in Eugene, United States

Throuhgout the history, Seiko has been the official timekeeper for many tennis tournaments.[53]

• Seiko Super Tennis in Tokyo, Japan (1978–1995)
• French Open in Paris, France (1980–1991)
• Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo, Japan and later in Osaka, Japan (1984–present)