Giappone · Fondazione 1881
Seiko
Seiko sold the first quartz wristwatch, the Astron, on Christmas Day 1969.
Testo editoriale in inglese.
Seiko is a Tokyo-based, vertically integrated watchmaker that designs and makes its own movements, springs and cases, from quartz and solar pieces to Spring Drive and mechanical calibres. Its core lines are Seiko 5 Sports, Presage, Prospex, King Seiko and Astron, spanning roughly a few hundred to a few thousand euros; Grand Seiko and Credor now run as separate luxury brands.
Storia
Kintarō Hattori opened a watch and jewellery shop, K. Hattori, in Tokyo in 1881 and soon traded directly with foreign merchants in Yokohama. In 1892 he began producing wall clocks under the name Seikosha, roughly 'house of exquisite workmanship'. The company made its first pocket watch, the Timekeeper, in 1895 and Japan's first wristwatch, the Laurel, in 1913. After a provisional 'Glory' name was dropped, watches for mass production from 1924 carried the Seiko name. From 1932 the company was headquartered in the clock-tower building at Ginza 4-chome, today Seiko House Ginza.
Production was split between two Hattori-family companies, Daini Seikosha and Suwa Seikosha, which competed with each other on the same brand. The rivalry produced Grand Seiko in 1960, from Suwa, and King Seiko in 1961, from Daini. Seiko supplied timing for the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, launched Japan's first diver's watch in 1965 and entered the Neuchâtel and Geneva observatory chronometer trials in the late 1960s, where its mechanical movements placed among the leaders.
In 1969 Seiko released three landmark watches: the 5 Sports Speed Timer with calibre 6139, which Seiko counts as the first automatic chronograph on sale; the Grand Seiko V.F.A.; and, on 25 December, the Quartz Astron, the first quartz wristwatch sold to the public. Seiko opened its quartz patents to others, and the technology spread quickly, contributing to the crisis in Swiss mechanical watchmaking during the 1970s. Seiko followed with a six-digit LCD watch in 1973 and a titanium-cased diver's watch in 1975.
Later decades brought the self-charging Auto Quartz system in 1988, relaunched as Kinetic, and Spring Drive in 1999, a mainspring-powered movement regulated by a quartz crystal. The Astron GPS Solar of 2012 set the time from satellite signals. The parent company became a holding structure in 2001 and was renamed Seiko Group Corporation in 2022. Grand Seiko became a separate brand in 2017 and Credor in 2019, leaving Seiko to focus on Prospex, Presage, Astron, King Seiko and Seiko 5 Sports.
Fondatori
- Kintarō Hattori
- Founder · 1860–1934
- Tokyo watch dealer who apprenticed from the age of 13, opened K. Hattori in 1881 and started manufacturing under the Seikosha name in 1892.
Tappe
1881
K. Hattori opens in Tokyo
Kintarō Hattori opens a watch and jewellery shop in Tokyo, the business that became Seiko.
1892
Seikosha factory founded
Hattori begins producing wall clocks under the Seikosha name, meaning roughly 'house of exquisite workmanship'.
1913
Laurel, Japan's first wristwatch
Seikosha produces the Laurel, the first wristwatch made in Japan.
1924
First watches named Seiko
Watches for mass production from 1924 carry the Seiko name after the provisional 'Glory' name is dropped.
1960
First Grand Seiko
Suwa Seikosha releases the first Grand Seiko, a hand-wound calibre 3180 model made to Seiko's own chronometer standard.
1965
Japan's first diver's watch
Seiko introduces its first diver's watch, an automatic rated to 150 m and later nicknamed 62MAS by collectors.
1969
Speed Timer and Quartz Astron
Seiko launches the 6139 Speed Timer automatic chronograph and, on 25 December, the Astron, the first quartz wristwatch on sale.
1999
Spring Drive launched
Seiko introduces Spring Drive, a mainspring-driven movement regulated by a quartz crystal and electromagnetic brake.
2012
Astron GPS Solar
The Astron GPS Solar becomes the first solar-powered watch to set itself using GPS satellite signals.
2017
Grand Seiko becomes a separate brand
Seiko repositions Grand Seiko as an independent brand with its own distribution; Credor follows in 2019.
Tre cose che i collezionisti sanno
A three-second first commercial
Seiko aired Japan's first television commercial in 1953. A technician mishandled the equipment, so the time-signal spot ran for only three seconds and was rebroadcast that evening.
Two factories, one name
For decades Seiko watches came from two separate Hattori-family firms, Daini Seikosha and Suwa Seikosha, which competed internally. The rivalry is why King Seiko and Grand Seiko existed side by side.
Thinner than two millimetres
The 1969 U.T.D. dress watch used calibre 6800, a mechanical movement only 1.98 mm thick. Its descendants in the 68 family still power ultra-thin Credor pieces.
Modelli simbolo
- Astron1969
First quartz wristwatch sold to the public; the name returned in 2012 on the GPS Solar line.
- Seiko 51963
Began as the Sportsmatic 5: automatic, day-date, water resistant, 4 o'clock crown, durable case.
- 1965 Diver's (62MAS)1965
Japan's first diver's watch, 150 m water resistance; reissued several times in the Prospex line.
- Speed Timer1969
Calibre 6139 with column wheel and vertical clutch, among the first automatic chronographs of 1969.
- King Seiko1961
Daini Seikosha's answer to Grand Seiko; revived as a full collection in 2022.
Domande
- Is Grand Seiko the same company as Seiko?
- Yes and no. Grand Seiko is owned by Seiko Group Corporation, but since 2017 it has operated as a separate brand with its own boutiques, distribution and pricing, and its watches no longer carry the Seiko logo on the dial.
- Are Seiko watches made in Japan?
- Many are. Seiko assembles watches and movements in Iwate and Nagano prefectures, and also produces parts and movements in Singapore, Malaysia and China. Models made in Japan are usually marked accordingly on the dial or caseback.
- Does Seiko make its own movements?
- Yes. Seiko is vertically integrated: it develops and manufactures its mechanical, quartz, Kinetic, solar and Spring Drive movements in-house, including hairsprings and mainsprings, and sells movements to other brands.
- How do you pronounce Seiko?
- SAY-koh. In Japanese it is closer to 'seh-ee-koh' with a long final vowel. The word means 'exquisite' and sounds like the Japanese word for 'success'.