Although the Seiko name was adopted in 1924 with the introduction of its first wrist watch, the company was actually founded 43 years earlier by a clockmaker in Tokyo's Ginza District. Applauded for its accuracy and craftsmanship, the Seiko watch became a resounding success and by 1938, demand for the timepieces pushed yearly production to well over one million watches.
Dedicated to technology advancement and precise manufacture, the Seiko Company has repeatedly staked its reputation on performance, acting as the Official Timer of the Olympic Games in Tokyo, Sapporo, Barcelona, Lillihammer and Nagano.
Seiko's many design innovations include the world's first quartz watch, the world's first LCD quartz watch with six digit display, and the world's first intelligent analog quartz watch with alarm and timer function. In 1992, with the introduction of the Kinetic design, once again Seiko rewrote the state of the art. The Seiko Kinetic collection is a line of quartz watches that are electrically charged by movement. The Kinetic Auto Relay goes into suspended animation when unworn for three days, thus conserving energy. With a few shakes of the wearer's wrist, it wakes up and resets itself to the exact time.
Timeline of Seiko Innovations
1881 K. Hattori, predecessor of today's Seiko Corporation, established.
1892 Seikosha clock supply factory established; production of wall clocks begins.
1913 Production of Laurel, the first wristwatch made in Japan, begins.
1917 K. Hattori & Co., Ltd. incorporated.
1924 SEIKO brand first used on watches.
1930 Production of camera shutters begins.
1937 Watch production split off as Daini Seikosha Co., Ltd., predecessor of today's Seiko Instruments Inc.
1947 Retail division split off as Wako Co., Ltd.
1949 K. Hattori & Co., Ltd. listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange.
1953 Seiko sponsors Japan’s first TV commercial.
1958 Seiko commercializes quartz clocks for broadcasting use.
1959 Suwa Factory of Daini Seikosha becomes independent as Suwa Seikosha, predecessor of today’s Seiko Epson Corporation.
1964 Seiko serves as Official Timer of the Tokyo Olympic Games.
1965 Seiko becomes sales representative of Royal Asscher Diamond.
1969 Seiko introduces the world's first quartz watch.
1970 Seikosha becomes an independent company.
1972 Seiko serves as Official Timer of the Sapporo Winter Olympic Games.
1982 Seiko introduces the world's first TV watch.
1983 K. Hattori & Co., Ltd. renamed Hattori Seiko Co., Ltd.
1984 Seiko introduces world's first liquid-crystal TV. Seiko sets up SEIKO Mullion Clock, Japan's first large-sized marionette clock.
1990 Hattori Seiko Co., Ltd. renamed Seiko Corporation.
1992 Seiko serves as Official Timer of the Barcelona Olympic Games.
1993 Seiko introduces the S-Yard golf clubs.
1994 Seiko serves as Official Timer of the Lillehammer Winter Olympic Games.
1996 Seiko Precision Inc., Seiko Clock Inc., and Seiko Optical Products, Co., Ltd. established.
1997 Seiko introduces the world’s first backside progressive addition lens. Japanese company name changed to Seiko Kabushiki Kaisha. Seiko Jewelry Co., Ltd. established. 1998 Seiko serves as Official Timer of the Nagano Winter Olympic Games.
2000 Seiko S-Yard Co., Ltd. established.
2001 Seiko Watch Corporation established. Seiko Corporation becomes a pure holding company.
2002 Seiko serves as Official Timer of the Salt Lake City Winter Olympic Games.
2003 Seiko serves as Official Timer of the IAAF World Championships in Athletics in Paris.
Dedicated to technology advancement and precise manufacture, the Seiko Company has repeatedly staked its reputation on performance, acting as the Official Timer of the Olympic Games in Tokyo, Sapporo, Barcelona, Lillihammer and Nagano.
Seiko's many design innovations include the world's first quartz watch, the world's first LCD quartz watch with six digit display, and the world's first intelligent analog quartz watch with alarm and timer function. In 1992, with the introduction of the Kinetic design, once again Seiko rewrote the state of the art. The Seiko Kinetic collection is a line of quartz watches that are electrically charged by movement. The Kinetic Auto Relay goes into suspended animation when unworn for three days, thus conserving energy. With a few shakes of the wearer's wrist, it wakes up and resets itself to the exact time.
Timeline of Seiko Innovations
1881 K. Hattori, predecessor of today's Seiko Corporation, established.
1892 Seikosha clock supply factory established; production of wall clocks begins.
1913 Production of Laurel, the first wristwatch made in Japan, begins.
1917 K. Hattori & Co., Ltd. incorporated.
1924 SEIKO brand first used on watches.
1930 Production of camera shutters begins.
1937 Watch production split off as Daini Seikosha Co., Ltd., predecessor of today's Seiko Instruments Inc.
1947 Retail division split off as Wako Co., Ltd.
1949 K. Hattori & Co., Ltd. listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange.
1953 Seiko sponsors Japan’s first TV commercial.
1958 Seiko commercializes quartz clocks for broadcasting use.
1959 Suwa Factory of Daini Seikosha becomes independent as Suwa Seikosha, predecessor of today’s Seiko Epson Corporation.
1964 Seiko serves as Official Timer of the Tokyo Olympic Games.
1965 Seiko becomes sales representative of Royal Asscher Diamond.
1969 Seiko introduces the world's first quartz watch.
1970 Seikosha becomes an independent company.
1972 Seiko serves as Official Timer of the Sapporo Winter Olympic Games.
1982 Seiko introduces the world's first TV watch.
1983 K. Hattori & Co., Ltd. renamed Hattori Seiko Co., Ltd.
1984 Seiko introduces world's first liquid-crystal TV. Seiko sets up SEIKO Mullion Clock, Japan's first large-sized marionette clock.
1990 Hattori Seiko Co., Ltd. renamed Seiko Corporation.
1992 Seiko serves as Official Timer of the Barcelona Olympic Games.
1993 Seiko introduces the S-Yard golf clubs.
1994 Seiko serves as Official Timer of the Lillehammer Winter Olympic Games.
1996 Seiko Precision Inc., Seiko Clock Inc., and Seiko Optical Products, Co., Ltd. established.
1997 Seiko introduces the world’s first backside progressive addition lens. Japanese company name changed to Seiko Kabushiki Kaisha. Seiko Jewelry Co., Ltd. established. 1998 Seiko serves as Official Timer of the Nagano Winter Olympic Games.
2000 Seiko S-Yard Co., Ltd. established.
2001 Seiko Watch Corporation established. Seiko Corporation becomes a pure holding company.
2002 Seiko serves as Official Timer of the Salt Lake City Winter Olympic Games.
2003 Seiko serves as Official Timer of the IAAF World Championships in Athletics in Paris.
Seikosha was a branch of the Japanese company Seiko that produces clocks, watches, shutters, computer printers and other devices. It was the root of the manufacturing companies of the Seiko Group.
- 1881 — KintarÅ Hattori opens the watch and jewelry shop "K. Hattori" (Hattori Tokaiten in Japanese; currently named Seiko Holdings Corporation) in the Ginza area of Tokyo, Japan.
- 1892 — Seikosha is established in Tokyo as the clock manufacturing arm of K. Hattori.
- 1917 — K. Hattori becomes a company (K. Hattori & Co., Ltd.).
- 1937 — The watch production division of Seikosha is split off as Daini Seikosha Co., Ltd.
- 1942 — Daiwa Kogyo, Ltd. is founded in Suwa, Nagano by Hisao Yamazaki.
- 1943 — Daini Seikosha establishes a factory in Suwa for manufacturing watches with Daiwa Kogyo.
- 1959 — Daiwa Kogyo and the Suwa Plant of Daini Seikosha merge to form Suwa Seikosha Co., Ltd.
- 1961 — Shinshu Seiki Co., Ltd. is established as a subsidiary of Suwa Seikosha.
- 1970 — Seikosha is split off from K. Hattori & Co., Ltd., and Seikosha Co., Ltd. is incorporated.
- 1982 — K. Hattori & Co., Ltd. is renamed Hattori Seiko Co., Ltd.
- 1982 — Shinshu Seiki is renamed Epson Corporation.
- 1983 — Daini Seikosha is renamed Seiko Instruments & Electronics Ltd.
- 1985 — Suwa Seikosha and Epson merge to form Seiko Epson Corporation.
- 1990 — Hattori Seiko Co., Ltd. is renamed Seiko Corporation.
- 1996 — Seikosha Co., Ltd. is divided into Seiko Precision Inc. and Seiko Clock Inc.
- 1997 — Seiko Instruments & Electronics is renamed Seiko Instruments Inc.
- 2007 — Seiko Corporation is renamed Seiko Holdings Corporation.
- 1 October 2009 — Seiko Instruments becomes a wholly owned subsidiary of Seiko Holdings.
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