Seiko history

In 1884 the adoption of the worldwide 24 time-zone system, with its reference meridian at Greenwich near London, produced a standardization of time that further increased that demand.

Throughout the 1890's, the success of Seikosha's wall clock business increased, and Kintaro looked to broaden the range of his business.

The name Seiko was derived from Seikosha, the first factory opened in 1892 by Hattori.

In 1895, he created a pocket watch, the Timekeeper.

In 1910 improvements in technology brought new machinery which helped increase production and allow the pocket watch business to turn a profit for the first time.

As the market expanded, the company began exporting clocks to China, and by 1912 China received 70 percent of Japan’s total export of timepieces.

In 1913, Hattori opened its first overseas branch, in Shanghai.

In 1917, K. Hattori & Co., Ltd. became a public company.

Just after the Earthquake, the company had created a new watch and it went on sale in December 1924.

In 1927, Kintaro Hattori, at age 69, was honored as the imperial nominee to the House of Peers.

At this time some products were still sold under “Seiko” and some under “Seikosha” – further success came about in 1929 when a Seikosha pocketwatch was chosen as Japan National Railway’s official “railway watch”.

Using the micro-engineering expertise acquired in its clock and watch production, the Seikosha plant began producing camera shutters in 1930.

In 1936 K. Hattori & Co., Ltd. marketed a total of 2.06 million clocks and watches, the highest figure since the opening of the Seikosha plant; Japan’s total watch and clock production came to 3.54 million.

In 1937, Daini (the Second) Seikosha was established in Kameido, Tokyo.

In 1939 the company started marketing Braille pocket watches.

In 1944, Daini Seikosha opened their “Suwa plant” in central Japan as an extension of Daini Seikosha to evacuate from Tokyo during World War II.

As Japan entered World War II, K. Hattori’s normal marketing activities were hindered, as reflected in the Seiko group’s 1945 production figures.

While Seiko’s Crown and other mechanical watches of the 1950’s were constantly improving and increasingly popular, the team assembled to create Grand Seiko knew that, given time and resource, they needed, and could, go further.

By 1953, however, K. Hattori & Co., Ltd. had recovered to its prewar sales level.

The company marketed its first self-winding wrist-watch in 1955.

In 1956, the team at Suwa Seikosha unveiled the Marvel, a watch inspired by what they saw as the fundamentals of watchmaking: accuracy, durability, and aesthetic beauty.

Two years later in 1958, Suwa followed up with Lord Marvel, a watch featuring a highly legible design thanks to its large markers and hands.

In 1959, Suwa launched The Crown, an elegant dress watch that was based on the Marvel but with profound technical advances.

Born in 1960, Grand Seiko is the realization of Seiko founder Kintaro Hattori’s mission to create the “ideal watch” ­– a timepiece that perfectly embodies precision, legibility, durability, and beauty.

Initially launched in 1963, the Seiko 5 Sport collection is loved by watch enthusiasts worldwide.

Making its debut into the world of sports, Seiko served as the official timer of the 1964 Tokyo Olympics.

In 1965, Seiko’s first dive watch was debuted, drawing recognition to the brand worldwide.

With the advent of Caliber 9S came a new Grand Seiko Standard, going further than the chronometer standard and the original Standard set in 1966.

In 1967, Grand Seiko introduced a watch that would come to forever influence Grand Seiko’s Style – the 44GS. The shape of the case was groundbreaking.

The 61GS, created by Suwa Seikosha in 1968, was Japan’s first watch with an automatic 10-beat movement, Caliber 6145.

In November 1969, Grand Seiko announced the 61GS V.F.A. Realized once again by Suwa, this important timepiece featured an automatic 10-beat movement with a groundbreaking accuracy standard.

The 56GS, released in 1970, presented a smaller form factor via an automatic caliber measuring just 4.5mm in height.

In 1971, the firm expanded into the United Kingdom with Seiko Time (U.K.) Ltd.

Three years later in 1972, Suwa took another step forward with a new variant of the 61GS V.F.A., this time updated with a day-date complication.

Capable of continuously displaying the hour, minutes and seconds on a field-effect liquid crystal display, this groundbreaking digital watch attracted wide attention when it was first marketed in October 1973.

In 1974 Shoji Hattori died and Kentaro Hattori,Shoji’s nephew and Genzo’s oldest son, took the helm.

In 1975, Seiko set yet another industry standard when the world’s first titanium dive watch was introduced.

The year 1977 saw record earnings and new products for Hattori Seiko, many of which appeared under brand names other than Seiko.

After eleven years, Kinarto bought a factory in Tokyo where he would produce his first clock in 1982.

The United States also saw the first Lorus quartz watches in 1983.

Boyer, Edward, "A Family Rift Roils Seiko," Fortune , November 12, 1984.

In 1985, Seiko was appointed as the official timer to the IAAF and Roma 87 was the first World Championships that Seiko timed.

In 1987 Reijiro Hattori took over as chairman of the company when Kentaro Hattori passed away and he hired the first non-Hattori to become president of the company, Shiro Yoshimura.

In 1988 came the big breakthrough; Seiko KINETIC, a watch with an oscillating weight that converted the wearer's motion into electricity and thus powered the quartz movement.

In the 1989 fiscal year, Seiko produced about 109 million watches and 32 million clocks.

The company name was also changed to the Seiko Corporation in 1990, marking the first time that the company name did not include the “Hattori”.

When this company ran into financial difficulties in 1991, Seiko and Seiko Epson (both of which were already backers of AT&E) bought the start-up’s assets for $19 million.

Enter Caliber 9F. Introduced in 1993, Grand Seiko’s 9F movement combined an accuracy rating of +-10 seconds a year with the high torque of a mechanical movement and a low level of energy consumption.

Seiko then developed a new version of the watch, which it test-marketed in Los Angeles in 1994.

In the 1996 fiscal year, Seiko produced about 209 million watches and 25 million clocks.

In 1997 Seiko unveiled the 9F6 series, with a superior level of case design that made Grand Seiko quartz watches even more comfortable to wear.

And the 1998 Nagano Olympics would certainly provide an ideal platform for Seiko to reestablish its preeminent position in the timekeeping industry.

In 1999, the company introduced Spring Drive, a technology unique to Seiko that replaces the traditional escapement with a new regulator, delivering smooth motion and excellent accuracy.

In 2000, Seiko launched a new line of titanium wristwatches suitable for outdoor use.

"Seiko, Citizen Link Up Distribution, Sales," Reuters News, July 9, 2001.

In 2002, Seiko acted as the official timer for the Salt Lake City Winter Olympic Games.

"Seiko Profit Recovers on Group-Wide Changes," Asian Wall Street Journal , May 14, 2003.

In 2004, the first Grand Seiko Spring Drive, a model using Caliber 9R65, was released.

Kachi, Hiroyuki, and Kanji Ishibashi, "Seiko Group Net Profit Drops as Watch Sales in Japan Slump," Asian Wall Street Journal, May 11, 2005.

Caliber 9S67 with a 72-hour power reserve was created in 2006.

Astron GPS Solar has been an outstanding success since its launch in September 2012, with its huge global acceptance giving proof positive of the global demand for a watch that adjusts to time zones.

The watch that won the “Petite Aiguille” award was first revealed at Baselworld 2014.

The Spring Drive 8 day power reserve was unveiled in 2016 and is capable of continuous operation for a remarkable eight days.

In 2018, the brand introduced a GMT complication with an independent hour hand via Caliber 9F86.

In July of 2020, they opened Grand Seiko Studio Shizukuishi, the new birthplace of all modern Grand Seiko 9S Mechanical timepieces.