Seiko

Founded
1881
Based in
Tokyo, Japan
In our catalog
23 watches from $90 to $3,800

Seiko is the watchmaker that changed the industry twice. In 1969 it launched the first quartz wristwatch, which nearly wiped out the Swiss mechanical industry. And for decades it has made reliable mechanical watches at prices nobody else can match. From $100 Seiko 5s to $3,000 Marinemasters, it has something for almost everyone.

History

Kintaro Hattori opened a watch and jewelry shop in Tokyo's Ginza district in 1881. In 1892 he started making clocks under the name Seikosha, and in 1913 made the Laurel, the first Japanese wristwatch. The Seiko name was first used in 1924.

Seiko timed the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, launched its first dive watch (the 62MAS) in 1965 and in 1969 released the Astron, the first quartz wristwatch. The same year it made one of the first automatic chronographs. In the 1970s and 1980s Seiko made watches for divers, explorers and astronauts. It launched Grand Seiko in 1960 and King Seiko in 1961, and both are now high-end lines; Grand Seiko became its own brand in 2017.

Signature models

What it's known for

Seiko makes its own movements, cases and dials, and offers mechanical watches at very low prices. Its divers are some of the most popular watches in the world.

Price and positioning

Seiko watches cost from about $100 for a Seiko 5 to $3,600 for a Marinemaster. Citizen and Orient are the Japanese alternatives, and Tissot and Hamilton the Swiss ones. If you're buying your first mechanical watch, a Seiko 5 or a Prospex diver is a hard recommendation to beat.

Seiko watches in our library

Vintage Seiko watches

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