Where is seiko made

The movements used in Seiko watches are manufactured in Japan. They are also made in their companies located in Malaysia, Singapore, and China. More specifically in their Shizuku-Ishi watch studio located in Iwate, Japan. An example of a luxury watch made here is the Grand Seiko watch. The craftsmen are considered to be the elite of the elite behind the watches. It is said that watches that are manufactured outside the country of Japan are allowed to be labeled as made in Japan.

This is in contrast to the strict criteria required for Swiss watches. Seiko is known for pricing their watches which are quartz quite low. They also have timepieces known as Grand Seiko which are classified as high horology. This history also includes quite a number of firsts in the world of watches.

The founder of Seiko, Kintaro Hattori was just 21 years old when he started his first business. He set up his clock and watch store which he named after himself i. Hattori, in the Kyobashi district in the city of Tokyo.

He was only 31 when he collaborated with Tsuruhiko Yoshikawa, an Engineer and together they started up the factory producing watches located in Seikosha. This factory became the beginning of the well-known brand known as Seiko and it all started in Once they had produced wall clocks which were excellent quality for several years, the brand released its first pocket watch.

Seiko named it the Timekeeper in the year The However, a lot of the 22 ligne movement was brought in from Switzerland. The fact that this watch was given the English name of Timekeeper was due to astute business intelligence of Hattori.

He understood that an English name would increase the chances of this product being exported in the future export. Hattori hurriedly noticed the growing reputation of the Laurel worldwide and correctly anticipated that the request for watches could soon overtake the request for pocket watches.

This is why the Laurel made its debut in the year , only 11 years after the release of the initial Hattori wall clocks. The Laurel was Initially, they needed to bring in parts from abroad which had a knock-on effect on production and made it slow. They were only able to produce between 30 and 50 pieces every day. However, by , the brand was able to manufacture their own balance springs. By the time it was , they were able to produce their own dials which were enamel. It was an unfortunate event when the great Kantor earthquake hit the city of Japan in the year The manufacturing of Seiko wristwatches also had to be halted.

However, Hattori was determined and made a decision to rebuild quickly even though the costs were massive. A short while later, more specifically a year after, the brand unveiled the very first watch named Seiko to the whole world.

For many, this tag signifies a certain standard of excellence and high-quality craftsmanship. So, while the majority of Seiko watches are assembled in the country, many of the parts used to make them have been manufactured in other parts of Asia. However, for their high-end line, Grand Seiko, all timepieces are manufactured in Northern Japan indefinitely and fit the tag given. Shop by Sub-brand. Shop By Gender. Men's Women's Unisex Kids. Shop by band type.

Bracelet Strap. Shop By Water Resistance. Shop By Style. In , he succeeded and the Laurel was produced. In the early days, the company was able to produce only 30 to 50 watches a day, but, for the first time, Kintaro had established a lead on the rest. In , the Great Kanto Earthquake struck and the company's headquarters and the Seikosha factory all burned down.

A fresh start had to be made. Just after the Earthquake, the company had created a new watch and it went on sale in December It was the first to carry the name Seiko, introducing to the world for the first time the brand name that was later to become synonymous with precision and accuracy, innovation and refinement.

As its railway network expanded, Japan National Railways appointed Seiko as its official supplier. Train drivers often made wooden cut-outs on their consoles where the approved pocket watch would sit in line of sight as they drove their trains.

The current clock tower was constructed in The building adopts a style called neo-renaissance. Diashock is a shock-resistance device. Even compared to other movement parts, this part is extremely thin, being only between 0.

Protection from shock is therefore crucial and the Seiko solution was to create Diashock, a device that absorbs impact on one of the most vulnerable parts of the mechanical watch, the balance-staff pivot. Diashock also reduces friction to ensure optimum amplitude of the balance wheel. This low-cost mechanism with excellent winding quality instantly dominated the world market, pioneering the popularization of self-winding watches. In , the first Grand Seiko model was produced.

High in the mountains in Nagano prefecture in central Japan. A small team of Seiko's most experienced and skilled watchmakers were entrusted with the task of making the very best watch of which they were capable.

Grand Seiko was to represent the pinnacle of Seiko's excellence in mechanical watchmaking and to deliver more accuracy, legibility and durability than any other watch. The day the Tokyo Olympic games opened, Seiko was ready with 1, timing devices, all purpose built for the task. The stopwatches created for athletics were tested by Mr. Thanks to a new heart-shaped cam on the balance, a new level of accuracy had been achieved.

Seiko had passed the test with flying colors. Its smooth operation and durability were ensured by a column wheel. The first Japan-made diver's watch, waterproof to a depth of meters.

The winding crown was designed with a double packing structure to withstand high water pressure. Designated for use by the 8th Japanese Antarctic Research Expedition. From , Seiko participated in the Neuchatel chronometer competition. In , Seiko was awarded second and third places. This was the last year of the competition. Seiko then entered the Geneva Observatory competitions in and, at the very first attempt, achieved fantastic result.

As the world's first automatic chronograph with a 'magic lever', column wheel and vertical clutch, this may have been the world's first such timepiece, and it was a milestone in Seiko's journey toward pre-eminence in chronograph technology.