The Brand: Seiko

Seiko’s story began in 1881 with the opening of a clock shop in Tokyo, it’s owner was Kintaro Hattori. Eleven years after the opening of his shop, Hattori opened a clock factory with ten employees and it was in 1895 that they began to produce pocket watches. Soon followed by alarm clocks in 1899, and then table clocks in 1902. Then in 1913 Hattori began working on his first wristwatch. The in 1924, 43 years after the initial opening, the brand Seiko was born with the creation of the first Seiko wristwatch.

Seiko established itself throughout the 20th century as being a driving force in the advancements that took place in the watching world. For example, in 1956, Seiko were the producers of the first winding wristwatch made in Japan. Then in 1964, Seiko became the official timer for the Tokyo Olympics. And then most notably Seiko unveiled the first quartz wristwatch, the Astron, in 1969. Marking the beginning of the quartz revolution. Or equally impressive the creation of the world’s first TV watch in 1982. And even more relevant today, with our abhorrent use of non-renewable energy sources, Seiko’s Kinetic. This watch had the ability to generate its own power from the movement of the wearer.

Ceaseless determination to innovate in every aspect of the watchmaker’s art is what defines Seiko’s 135-year history. By embracing this ethos, Seiko has been responsible for a string of industry-leading advances in the technology of time. Notably, the creation of the world’s first quartz watch in 1969. The listed technological developments serve as evidence to illustrate the revolutionary impact which Seiko has had on the watchmaking world. They are also markably unique in that they manufacture every aspect of every watch in-house.

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