The Story of Seiko Watches

No watch brand has had a bigger impact on popular culture than Seiko. Appearing in iconic films like Apocalypse Now, Moonraker (James Bond), Alien, being a part of Metal Gear Solid a groundbreaking masterpiece that changed people’s perception of video games.

And even being the official timekeeper for many major sporting events like the Olympics, FIFA World cup, the IAAF world championships, and Formula 1 are just some of the reasons why the brand is almost instantly recognizable almost anywhere you go.

It's hard to believe that all of this began 141 years ago at a small watchmaking shop in Japan. The story of Seiko begins with Kintaro Hattori, a young Japanese man who was fascinated and obsessed with clocks.

Even though Japan was rapidly modernizing in the 19th century, clocks were still a rarity. It was his dream to become a watchmaker to help people measure the passage of time. He studied endlessly for days to study the mechanisms of clocks, thoroughly devoting himself to their repair.

At 21 he opened his own small shop in 1881. After gaining experience in the watchmaking industry Hattori established Seikosha (house of precision) in 1892, a factory which was dedicated to the production of wall clocks.

A few years later Kintaro opened a huge watchmaking store in Tokyo’s thriving Ginza district which had a clocktower at the top for everyone to see the time.

In 1913 Hattori’s hard work would finally pay off as he successfully created Japan’s first wristwatch “The Laurel”. His dreams of becoming a world-renowned watchmaker were finally coming true, however, on the 1st of September 1923 time stood still.

The great Kanto earthquake turned Tokyo into shambles and the fires that followed completely damaged the city. Hattori’s store, factory, and machinery along with 1500 hundred that trusted him to repair had all been destroyed.

All of Hattori’s dreams were lying in the rubble of the aftermath collecting dust. Yet, He was undaunted by the chaos that the earthquake had left behind, and he was determined to begin again, to continue chasing his dreams.

His first step was to offer replacements to all those who had lost their watches in the earthquake, it was his way of resuming normalcy. So resilient was Kintaro that one year after the Earthquake he introduced a brand new wristwatch, heralding the start of a new era. The watch was the first to bear the Seiko name.

A name that would become one of the biggest brands in the watch industry with a revenue of over 200 billion, a name that would be a pioneer in terms of innovation and become an important part of popular culture.

Kintaro Hatori’s hard work, strength, and perseverance are a testament to the fact that if one truly believes in his dreams, nothing is impossible.