Seiko watches actually began as Seikosha watches in 1881. Kintaro Hattori opened a clock shop in Tokyo, Japan, and the rest is history. Today, the Seiko Corporation is the parent company of Seiko of America. Hattori continued his watch legacy by producing pocket watches in 1895, followed by alarm clocks in 1899, and table and musical clocks in 1902.

By 1914, mass production was introduced to keep up with the supply and demand of Seikosha watches, and by 1924, Seikosha became Seiko. As the years passed, the popularity of Seiko watches continued to rise. It became known for its superb craftmanship and style. In 1968, Seiko watches earned the honor of introducing the world's first quartz wall clock. Continuing its list of firsts in the watch world, Seiko marketed the first quartz watch in 1969, and its pioneering efforts continued by introducing the world's first TV watch. Kinetic technology, which required no battery change and is powered by the movement of a person's body, was introduced in 1992. Today, Seiko continues to offer beautiful watches with style, class, and high performance, as well as unsurpassed technology.

1881

Establishment by Kintaro Hattori of K. Hattori & Co., Ltd., predecessor of today's SEIKO HOLDINGS CORPORATION.

1892

Foundation of Seikosha clock supply factory. Production of wall clocks begins.

1913

Production of the first wrist watch made in Japan begins.

1917

K. Hattori & Co., Ltd. becomes a public company.

1924

Seiko brand first used on watches.

1937

Watch production split off as Daini Seikosha Co., Ltd., independent predecessor of today's Seiko Instruments Inc.

1955

Production of the first self-winding wrist watch made in Japan begins.

1964

Seiko serves as Official Timer of Tokyo Olympic Games in Japan.

1969

Introduction of Seiko Astron, world's first quartz watch (35SQ).

1973

Introduction of world's first LCD quartz watch with six-digit digital display (06LC).

1975

Introduction of world's first multi-function digital watch.

1978

Establishment of subsidiary in Switzerland.
Seiko serves as Official Timer of World Cup Soccer Championships in Argentina.
Introduction of world's first very-fine adjusted ultra-accurate Twin Quartz watch, with less than five seconds deviation per year.

A ROLEX OYSTER, with specially reinforced case attached to Professor Jacques Picard’s bathyscaphe, The TRIESTE, reached a depth of 10, 916 meters in the Pacific with no damage.

1979

Establishment of subsidiary in Sweden. Introduction of Pulsar brand. Introduction of Alba brand.

1982

Seiko serves as Official Timer of World Cup Soccer Championships in Spain. Introduction of world's first TV watch. Introduction of Lorus brand.

1983

K. Hattori & Co., Ltd. renamed as Hattori Seiko Co., Ltd. Introduction of world's first watch with sound-recording functions.

1984

Introduction of world's first "talking" clock, the Seiko Pyramid Talk.

1987

Seiko serves as Official Timer of 2nd IAAF World Championships in Athletics in Italy.

1988

Introduction of quartz watch with sweep second hand. Introduction of world's first automatic power generating quartz watch. Introduction of world's first intelligent analogue quartz watch with alarm, chronograph and timer functions controlled by an IC "computer on a chip."

1990

Hattori Seiko Co., Ltd. renamed as Seiko Corporation. Seiko serves as Official Timer of World Cup Soccer Championships in Italy. Introduction of the Seiko "The Age of Discovery" collection. Introduction of the Seiko Scubamaster, world's first computerised diver's watch to incorporate a dive table. Introduction of the Seiko Receptor Message Watch incorporating a miniaturised FM subcarrier.

1991

Establishment of subsidiary in Finland. Establishment of subsidiary in Taiwan. Seiko serves as Official Timer of 3rd IAAF World Championships in Athletics in Tokyo, Japan. Introduction of the Seiko Perpetual Calendar with the world's first "millennium-plus calendar".

1992

Seiko serves as Official Timer of Barcelona Olympic Games in Spain.

1993

Introduction of the "S-YARD" Golf Clubs.

1994

Establishment of a representative office in Beijing. Seiko serves as Official Timer of Lillehammer Olympic Winter Games in Norway. Introduction of Seiko Kinetic series.

1995

Introduction of Alba "Spoon" series.

1997

Establishment of Seiko Jewelry Co., Ltd. Changed Japanese company name to Seiko Kabushiki Kaisha. Introduction of Seiko Kinetic Arctura.

1998

Seiko serves as Official Timer of Nagano Olympic Winter Games in Japan. Introduction of Perpetual Calendar watch driven by world's first ultrasonic micromotor. Introduction of the Seiko Thermic, the world's first watch driven by body heat.

1999

Introduction of the Seiko Kinetic Auto Relay watch, which automatically resumes correct indication of current time.
Introduction of hand wound spring-drive watch with quartz accuracy.

2000

Establishment of Seiko S-Yard Co., Ltd.

2001

Establishment of Seiko Watch Corporation

2002

Seiko serves as Official Timer of Salt Lake City Olympic Winter Games in USA.