A Short History of Seiko Watches

In 1881, Kintaro Hattori opened a clock shop in Tokyo, which established a foundation for modern clock and watch making in Japan. This new brand was titled Seikosha. The store was the direct ancestor of the current Seiko Corporation, Tokyo, which is the parent company of Seiko Corporation of America. Eleven years later, Hattori opened a clock factory with ten employees. Two months after it is inception, the first dozen clocks were produced. In 1895, the production of pocket watches began. Following that trend, the company began to produce alarm clocks in 1899, which was followed by the introduction of table and musical clocks in 1902. In 1912, Hattori began considering ideas regarding the production of a Japanese wristwatch. The following year, his company began working on the first Seikosha wristwatch to ever be made in Japan. In 1924, the Seiko brand was officially created. After 43 years of the company's existence, the first Seiko wristwatch was made.

Applauded for its accuracy and craftsmanship, the Seiko watch became a resounding success and by 1938, demand for the timepieces pushed yearly production to well over one million watches.

Since that time, there have been many modern advancements to the world of watches. But, throughout the changing times, Seiko has remained a powerhouse in the timepiece industry. In 1956, they produced the first self-winding wristwatch made in Japan. In 1964, Seiko released the world´s first quartz chronometers and became the official timer of the Olympic Summer Games in Tokyo. In 1968, they introduced the world´s first quartz wall clock. The following year, in 1969, Seiko released the first quartz watch. Also that year, Tiffany & Co. began selling the Seiko Astron 35SQ, which was encased in solid 18kt yellow gold. During the next several years, Seiko introduced many firsts to the world of watches, including the first multi-function digital watch and the first LCD quartz watch with six-digit digital display.

Seiko's many design innovations include the world's first quartz watch, the world's first LCD quartz watch with six digit display, and the world's first intelligent analog quartz watch with alarm and timer function.

In the 70's Seiko5 automatic watch series were introduced with great success. To be a Seiko 5, the watch has to have the following five attributes: 1. Automatic Mechanism 2. Water Resistant (usually 30m) 3. Shock Resistant 4. Date Display 5. Day Display.

In 1992, with the introduction of the Kinetic design, once again Seiko rewrote the state of the art. The Seiko Kinetic collection is a line of quartz watches that are electrically charged by movement. The Kinetic Auto Relay goes into suspended animation when unworn for three days, thus conserving energy. With a few shakes of the wearer's wrist, it wakes up and resets itself to the exact time.

Other trend-setting, multi-functional watches by Seiko include the Perpetual Calendar series which automatically reset their date settings for the next 100 years; the Chronograph collection with dual stopwatch features; the Seiko Prospex series, a combination of professional sports design and functionality; and the Ladies Jewelry collection, an elegant marriage of versatility and style

As with any timepiece, caring for your watch will promote a longer life for the product. If the battery is in need of changing, be sure to have this done immediately. Bodying advices customers contact authorized Seiko dealer for battery and other minor repairs. If the Seiko watch is under warranty, the repairs should be done at no cost. If the warranty has expired, however, the customer will be responsible for the cost of repairs and replacements.