Seikosha(1) It may come as a surprise to some, that what became the Seiko Corporation, in 1990, can trace its origins farther back than such traditional Swiss manufacturers, as Breitling, Ebel, Fortis or Rolex. Indeed, K. Hattori & Co., Ltd., renamed Hattori Seiko Co., Ltd., in 1983, was founded by a Tokyo jeweller, Kintaro Hattori, in 1881, and began its production of Seikosha timepieces (wall clocks and fob watches) in 1892. Alarm clocks (1899), table and musical clocks (1902) followed, until, in 1913, the first Japanese wrist watch appeared. By 1917 K. Hattori & Co. had grown to become a public company, which, by 1936, had 60% of total watch sales in Japan. One should not forget that by the early 1900's, Japan was already an industrial power and one of the most literate countries in the World. (2) The Seiko brand was first used on watches in 1924, namely in a tasteful medium sized classic round watch with Breguet numerals and moon hands. Watch producing companies, as Daini Seikosha, Co. (1937, today's Seiko Instruments) and Daiwa Kogyo Ltd. (1942, today's Seiko Epson Co.) were created, in tune with increased technical sophistication and demand. The resuming of production after the War, led to the appearance of the first Seiko automatic (1955), the introduction of quartz clocks for broadcasting (1958) and the development of the first portable quartz chronometer (1963), presented during Seiko's appointment as Official Timer of the 1964 Tokyo Olympic Games. (This distinction was again bestowed on several occasions, e. g., the 1972 Sapporo Winter Olympic Games; the 1978, 1982 and 1986 World Cup Soccer Championships (Argentina, Spain, Mexico); the World Athletic Championships, in 1987 (Italy) and 1991 (Tokyo); the Barcelona Olympic Games (1992); the Winter Olympic Games, in 1994 (Norway) and 1998 (Japan); etc.). (3) The first great breakthrough happened in 1969, with the launching of the first commercially viable quartz wrist watch, the celebrated Seiko Astron (35 SQ). This marked the beginning of a series of "World first's" in high-tech horology: the first six-digit LCD quartz alarm clock (06 LC, 1973); the first multi-function digital watch (1975); the first quartz alarm clock (1976); the first adjusted (see Glossary) Twin Quartz watch, with a variation of less than 5 seconds per year (1978); the first TV watch (1982); the first sound-recording watch (1983); the first watch with true computer functions (1984); the first Intelligent Quartz watch - a chronograph with alarm, calendar, and 1/10th second timer functions, controlled by an IC "computer on a chip" (1988); the famous Scubamaster, the first computerised diver's watch with incorporated dive table, capable of storing data on up to 30 dives (1990); and the first "perpetual calendar" (the "millennium plus", 1991). (4) The second great breakthrough came with the first Kinetic Automatic Generating System (AGS), "the quartz watch without a battery", in which an oscillating weight (similar to those in automatic watches) converts the wearer's movements into electricity, which is fed to a capacitor and released by it, as needed, to actuate the quartz movement (Best New Product of 1994). Among other innovations and refinements, Seiko introduced the Lumibrite luminescence technique for hands and markers (a safe descendant of Ingersoll's Radiolite), a power-reserve indicator for quartz watches, solar energy watches, and smaller and smaller calibre's, allowing for ultra-slim designs, mainly used in dress watches. (5) As it happens with Japanese cars, there is no doubt that Seiko watches are amongst the most reliable in the World - but, as with cars, Japanese watch making is no match for Swiss quality manufacturers. In this sense, comparing a Seiko to a Patek Phillippe is much the same as comparing a Honda to a Rolls-Royce... Where the comparison breaks down is also where the technical aspects come into play: whereas the technology is much the same, as far as cars are concerned, the great divide between quartz and mechanical applies in the horological field. Japan holds about 70 % of the World market for inexpensive watches - most of which have quartz movements, whereas the Swiss hold about 70 % of the World market for top-grade watches - most of which are mechanical. One of Blancpain's mottoes puts it in a nutshell: "We haven't produced a quartz watch since 1735"... Seiko attacked this problem on several fronts: (a) by enhancing its share of the lower end of the market, with the creation of subsidiary brands, like Pulsar and Lorus, and by opening branches and representations all over the World; (b) on the other end, by acquiring the "Jean Lassale" Swiss manufacturer (1981), which produces fine pieces designed by Jorg Hysek in the "porthole" style, in gold and stainless steel (gold plated simply "Lassale" watches are produced in Japan); (c) finally, on the aesthetic front, which merits a further note. (6) Again, as it happens with Japanese cars, Japanese watches tend to have designs marked by local tastes, which do not necessarily coincide with those of Western cultures. Seiko has maintained and renovated its traditional lines, but there is hardly a style which it has not reproduced or imitated: Patek Philippe, Cartier, Breguet, Audemars Piguet, Breitling, Rolex, etc., find obvious reflections in many of the hundreds of models produced by the Seiko brand. More recently, Seiko has gone a step further, by enlisting the services of the renowned Italian designer, Giugiaro, to produce the Macchina Sportiva line, including six sophisticated chronographs, and has launched the Rivoli line for ladies, clearly in the Western style. In short, a fine, distinguished and reliable brand, with a long tradition - for most tastes, pockets and, certainly, for all seasons. |
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