Seiko セイコー

Seiko's history began in 1881, when Kintaro Hattori opened a shop selling and repairing clocks and watches in central Tokyo. The business began manufacturing its own clocks in 1892 under the Seikosha workshop, and released Japan's first wristwatch, the Laurel, in 1913 — the starting point for what would become the Seiko brand.

Seiko became a global pioneer in watchmaking technology, most famously with the Seiko Quartz Astron, launched on December 25, 1969, the world's first quartz wristwatch. Its far greater accuracy compared to mechanical movements triggered what the watch industry calls the 'quartz crisis,' reshaping the global watch market. Seiko has continued to develop mechanical watchmaking, quartz technology, and its Spring Drive movement side by side, and today operates as Seiko Group / Seiko Holdings alongside affiliated company Seiko Epson.