History of Seiko

Seiko's story begins in 1877, when Kintaro Hattori set up his own watch repair shop in Kyobashi. In addition to addressing repair watches also sells second-hand watches. In 1881 Kintaro Hattori opened a watch named after K. Hattori & Co. Ltd in the legendary Ginza district in Tokyo.

With ten employees, Kintaro Hattori opened a watch factory in Ishiwara-cho, Tokyo. The first dozen clocks were made two months later.

After two decades of manufacturing technology for clocks, the company produces the first wristwatch made in Japan.



Since 1903, the assembly of all watches are made in the Seikosha factory, which became the largest producer of watches in Japan, but also one of the largest in the world.
In late 1913 the company opened its first office in exports in Shanghai, China, the same year produced the "Laurel", and without resorting to parts or components from other manufacturers. Today, all parts of watches, from the belt until the mechanisms are manufactured by the firm.

Slowly continue to innovate. In 1927 Seiko produced the smallest of Japan Women's Watch, Seiko ten years later sold over two million watches, in

1940, the brand produces the "Super", its first wristwatch with a second and the following year the first pocket chronograph Japan.

In the 50 constructed the first Seiko automatic watch Japan. Also begin to prevail in contests of watchmaking and rival since that time to Swiss watches. Seiko is now recognized worldwide.

In 1964 Seiko provides the official timekeeper of the Olympic Games in Tokyo, among which were the first quartz chronometers. Since then, several Olympic and World Cup football championships were timed by the firm. A year later, introduced the first model of diving or "Diver", the model 6217, decorated on the back with a wave pattern taken from a Japanese illustrator Katsushika Hokusai, The Great Wave of Kanagawa. Today, Seiko diving models continue to carry the water on its back cover.

At Christmas of 1969 was introduced on Seiko Quartz-Astron 35SQ, first quartz watch on the market, behind only 5 seconds per month. Made in gold, its price was $ 1250, as an automobile. Would launch its slogan "Someday, all watches are like that."

In 1972, the American company Hamilton launches the first digital watch, under the Pulsar brand, a brand that would later be acquired by Seiko. Seemed to open a new era in timekeeping. In his trailer, in 1973 introduced the first digital watch in

Chronograph 1975 and incorporated in the 80 speakers presented models with a calculator, voice recorder or television.
When it seemed cornered the clock needles LCD screen, the launch of the Swatch Swiss Watch in 1983 revived the analog commercially.

In 1988 he introduced the Kinetic, not launch commercially until 1992, a hybrid between the classic automatic mechanical and quartz watches. Human movement, rather than winding a mechanical mechanism, drives a generator that powers an electric mechanism. Again, again using the slogan "Someday, all watches are like that." Later this line would be improved with the "Auto Relay", stopping the clock if it is a time without use and set the correct time, up to 4 years later, when

In 1998 presented the Thermic, powered by body heat. And a year later presented the "Spring Drive", another hybrid movement Self-winding mechanical and quartz in which unlike the kinetic, which are conventional quartz gauge whose power comes from a battery charged by human movement, the Spring Drive is a winding mechanical caliber, whose escape is controlled by an electronic circuit with a quartz oscillator. The movement of the hands of the clock is completely fluid. The range of a fully loaded Spring Drive mechanism is 72 hours compared to 40 of a conventional mechanism. Because of its exclusivity and high price, is sold primarily in the collections of luxury watches "Grand Seiko" and "Credor."

Seiko sold under many brands, collections and series, and its trade varies across countries. Seiko watches sold prices ranging from popular (about 50 €), to luxury watches, like the Spring Drive Sonnerie Credor, costing more than $ 100,000. It owns several brands, such as luxurious Credor, Wired, Alba, Pulsar and Lorus (not to be confused with Lotus), and participates in more than half of the shares in the capital of the famous watchmaker Orient. Under the brand name Seiko has a series of luxury watches, like Seiko or Grand Seiko King, popular series such as Premier, Sportura, Velatura, Arctura, Coutura, Rivoli, Vivace, or set to automatic movements Seiko "5", which refers 5 qualities to auto, shock resistant, water resistant, with date and day.

KINETIC PERPETUAL launched in 2005, a new generation of Kinetic movement. Combining system and Kinetic Perpetual Calendar Auto Relay.

On January 26, 2009, Seiko Holdings and Seiko Instruments announced that the two companies will be merged on October 1, 2009 through a share swap. Seiko Instruments became a wholly-owned subsidiary of Seiko Holdings as of October 1, 2009.