The "Revolution in Time" Brought About by a Pioneer of Japanese-Made Watches
1881 | TOKYO, JAPAN | KINTARO HATTORI

SEIKO, a Japanese watch manufacturer that the world can be proud of, is a name synonymous with high-precision watches and is deeply trusted by watch enthusiasts around the globe. Its glorious history began in 1881 with a small Hattori Watch Shop on a street corner in Ginza, which repaired and sold used watches. The founder was Kintaro Hattori. The spirit he held dear, "always one step ahead of the times," still lives on in Seiko's DNA more than a century later. It was the beginning of a grand story that would eventually rewrite the history of watchmaking worldwide.

After achieving success as a watch trader, Kintaro's next goal was to manufacture watches himself. In 1892, he established Seikosha, a factory dedicated to "making exquisite watches," and began manufacturing wall clocks. Then, in 1913, he finally completed the Laurel, Japan's first domestically produced wristwatch. This marked a moment when Japan broke away from imitating the West and achieved independence in watchmaking technology. In 1924, as a symbol of recovery from the Great Kanto Earthquake, he released the first wristwatch bearing the name "SEIKO." And that name would eventually take the world by storm.

In the 1960s, Seiko entered its technological golden age. At a time when Swiss-made watches were the absolute standard for luxury timepieces, the "GRAND SEIKO," released in 1960, was created with the aim of being "the finest watch to challenge the world." Precision, legibility, and beauty—this model pursued the highest standards in all these aspects, embodying the pride of Japanese craftsmanship. Around the same time, another masterpiece, the "KING SEIKO," was born. Suwa Seikosha, which manufactured the Grand Seiko, and Daini Seikosha (Kameido), which produced the King Seiko, competed with each other, improving the precision of mechanical watches at an astonishing pace. This healthy rivalry was undoubtedly the driving force behind Seiko's leap forward. Furthermore, in 1963, Seiko released the "SEIKO 5," equipped with five groundbreaking functions including automatic winding, water resistance, and date/day display, realizing the popularization of high-performance watches. In 1965, Seiko released the first domestically produced "SEIKO DIVERS," demonstrating its robustness to meet the demanding requirements of professionals.

Then, on December 25, 1969, the world was shaken by a revolution brought about by Seiko. It was the announcement of the world's first quartz wristwatch, the "SEIKO ASTRON." The arrival of quartz watches, which boasted overwhelmingly higher precision than mechanical watches, caused a seismic shift in the watch industry known as the "quartz shock." However, Seiko, the pioneer of quartz wristwatches, quickly released its patented quartz wristwatch technology in 1970. This was intended to consolidate the specifications, which had been inconsistent among the various companies manufacturing quartz wristwatches following Seiko's lead, into the "Seiko method," and to accelerate technological development, thereby promoting cost reduction of materials, miniaturization, thinning, and high precision. In fact, as intended, quartz wristwatches achieved a rapid cost reduction in the 1980s. They transformed "accurate time," which had previously been only available to a select few wealthy people, into a product that everyone could afford.

For over 140 years since its founding, Seiko's journey, which began in Kintaro Hattori's small shop, is synonymous with the history of "time" in Japan, and indeed, the world. From the pinnacle of mechanical watchmaking seen in Grand Seiko, through the technological revolution of the quartz crisis, to today's GPS solar watches, the spirit of innovation has been passed down without interruption. Wearing a Seiko wristwatch is more than just telling time; it is wearing the story of the "revolution of time" spun by the pioneer of Japanese wristwatches.