Seiko Watches

The company started in 1881, when Kintaro Hattori opened a watch and jewellery shop in the Ginza area of Tokyo, Japan. Eleven years later he began to produce clocks under the name Seikosha (???, Seik?sha?). 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", "minute", or "success". (The meaning "exquisite" is usually written ?? while the meaning "success" is usually written ??.)

The first watches produced under the Seiko brand appeared in 1924. In 1969, Seiko introduced the Seiko "Astron"[1], 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 1985, Orient Watches and Seiko established a joint factory. Recognized as a leader in timekeeping accuracy, Seiko products are often used as the official timekeepers of the major sporting events including the Olympic Games and the FIFA World Cup editions in Argentina 1978, Spain 1982, Mexico 1986 and Italy 1990.
Grand Quartz, produced in 1978
Grand Quartz, produced in 1978

Seiko is a division of the Seiko Group. The Seiko Group consists of Seiko Corporation (SEIKO), Seiko Instruments Inc. (SII) and Seiko Epson Corporation (EPSON) which is known for its printers in Europe and North America and its diverse line of electronics and computer equipment within Japan. Although they have some common shareholders including the key members of the Hattori family, the three companies in the Seiko Group are not affiliated. They are managed and operated completely independently. Seiko Watch Corporation, a subsidiary of Seiko Corporation, markets Seiko watches while Seiko Instruments and Seiko Epson manufacture their movements.

Seiko is perhaps known best, though, for its wristwatches. Seiko is known for their advanced technology and is one of the few wristwatch manufacturers that produce all of their watches and movements entirely in-house. Even minor items such as the oils used in lubricating the watches and the luminous compounds used on the hands and the dials are produced by the Seiko factories.

Seiko produces both quartz and mechanical watches of varying prices. The cheapest are around US$50; the most expensive (the Credor Spring Drive Sonnerie) costs over $US100,000[1]. Seiko's mechanical watches are the most prized by collectors—from the Seiko "5" series (the 5 is proposed to reflect 5 essential features of the watch namely shockproof, waterproof, automatic, with day and date display), which is the most common, the Seiko automatic Chronometer series, the "Bell-Matic" with a mechanical alarm to the highly prized luxury "Credor", "King Seiko" and "Grand Seiko" lines. Seiko Kinetic watches account for a large proportion of sales nowadays and combine the self-energizing attributes of an automatic watch with quartz accuracy. There is no battery to change; the watch is entirely powered by its movement in everyday wear.
Seiko Pyramid Talk, world's first quartz talking clock, from 1984
Seiko Pyramid Talk, world's first quartz talking clock, from 1984
The Hattori Clock Tower in Ginza, Tokyo, former headquarters and main store building of K. Hattori & Co., currently houses Wako Department Store.
The Hattori Clock Tower in Ginza, Tokyo, former headquarters and main store building of K. Hattori & Co., currently houses Wako Department Store.

Frustratingly for collectors, Seiko does not release all of its watch lines in every region. Some are exclusively available in Asia, for instance. Many online retailers will ship watches overseas, though.

Seiko Corporation of America is responsible for distribution of Seiko watches and clocks, as well as Pulsar 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.

Seiko's 2004 marketing campaign emphasized that a watch, as opposed to other traits (such as what car they drive, for example) tells most about a person.

Various Seiko watches were worn by the cinematic James Bond 007 in four films, starring Roger Moore, from 1977-1985. Also, a Seiko watch was worn by Sean Connery in the 1983 Bond film, Never Say Never Again.

Seiko also produces other electronic devices. Notably, during the 1980's, this company produced a range of digital synthesizers, such as the DS-250, for use in electronic music. Today, the music division, a part of Seiko S-Yard, produces metronomes & tuning devices.

Source: Wikipedia