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Seiko Holdings Corporation
セイコーホールディングス株式会社
Company type	Public
Traded as	TYO: 8050
Industry	Retail-Jewelry, Precision Instruments and Machinery
Founded	Chūō, Tokyo, Japan; 1881; 143 years ago; (incorporated in 1917)
Headquarters	1-26-1 Ginza, Chūō, Tokyo, Japan; (Officially registered at 4-5-11 Ginza, Chūō, Tokyo, Japan)
Key people	Shinji Hattori, Chairman and CEO
Products	Watches, clocks, printers, semiconductors, mechatronics devices, machine tools, optical glass materials, jewellery, eyeglasses, etc.
Revenue	¥213.73 billion (FY2005, consolidated)
Number of employees	6,699 (March 31, 2006, consolidated)
Website	Seiko Holdings Corporation

Seiko Holdings Corporation (セイコーホールディングス株式会社, Seikō Hōrudingusu Kabushiki-gaisha) (TYO: 8050), more commonly known simply as Seiko (/ˈseɪkoʊ/ SAY-koh), is a Japanese luxury watchmaker that manufactures and sells watches, clocks, electronic devices, semiconductors and optical products.

History and ongoing developments edit

The company was founded in 1881, when Kintarō Hattori opened a watch and jewelry shop called "K. Hattori" (服部時計店, Hattori Tokeiten) in the Ginza area of Tokyo, Japan. Eleven years later, in 1892, he began to produce clocks under the name Seikosha (精工舎, Seikōsha), meaning roughly "House of Exquisite Workmanship". According to Seiko's official company history, titled "A Journey In Time: The Remarkable Story of Seiko" (2003), Seiko is a Japanese word meaning "exquisite" or "success" ("exquisite" is usually written 精巧 from Chinese jīngqiǎo, while the meaning "success" is usually written 成功 from Chinese chénggōng).

The first watches produced under the Seiko brand appeared in 1924. In 1969, Seiko introduced the Astron, the world's first production quartz watch; when it was introduced, it cost the same as a medium-sized car. Seiko later went on to introduce the first quartz chronograph. In the late 1980s, Seiko produced the first Kinetic watch that combined the self-energizing attributes of an automatic watch with quartz accuracy. The watch is entirely powered by its movement in everyday wear.

In 1985, Orient and Seiko established a joint factory.

The company was incorporated (K. Hattori & Co., Ltd.) in 1917 and was renamed Hattori Seiko Co., Ltd. in 1983 and Seiko Corporation in 1990. After reconstructing and creating its operating subsidiaries (such as Seiko Watch Corporation and Seiko Clock Inc.), it became a holding company in 2001 and was renamed Seiko Holdings Corporation as of July 1, 2007.

Seiko is perhaps best known for its wristwatches, all of which were at one time produced entirely in-house. This includes not only major items such as microgears, motors, hands, crystal oscillators, batteries, sensors, LCDs but also minor items such as the oils used in lubricating the watches and the luminous compounds used on the hands and the dials. Currently watch movements are made in Shizukuishi, Iwate (SII Morioka Seiko Instruments), Ninohe, Iwate (SII Ninohe Tokei Kogyo), Shiojiri, Nagano (Seiko Epson) and their subsidiaries in China, Malaysia and Singapore. The fully integrated in-house production system is still practised for luxury watches in Japan.

Models edit

A 'Seiko Automatic-Chronograph' Cal. 6139, the „Pogue Seiko“, the first automatic chronograph in space^[2]^[3]

Seiko Grand Quartz 9940-8010 (Twin Quartz), 1979.

Seiko SKX007 automatic diver's wristwatch.

A 'Grand Seiko' Automatic Hi-Beat 5646-7000.

A King Seiko Automatic Special Hi-Beat 5246-6000 Chronometer Officially Certified.

Seiko Flyback-Automatic-Chronograph Cal. 7016, the so-called "Seiko-Monaco" (1976).

Seiko produces watches with quartz, kinetic, solar, and mechanical watches of varying prices, ranging from around ¥4,000 (US$45) (sold under the brand Alba) to ¥50,000,000 (US$554,000) (for the Credor FUGAKU GBCC999).^[4]

'Seiko Quartz Automatic Generating System' (A.G.S. = early Kinetic), Perpetuum Nobile (produced in 1989), Cal. 7M45, No. 246 of 700.

'Seiko Marinemaster Professional' SBDX001 Diver's 300 m mechanical watch for mixed-gas diving.

Seiko has several lines such as the Seiko "5" series (the 5 reflects five key features of the watch, namely automatic winding, day and date display in a single window—rare at the time, water resistant, recessed crown at the 4 o’clock position and durable case and bracelet—i.e. steel),^[5] and the luxury "Credor," "King Seiko," and "Grand Seiko" series.

Movements edit

Quartz Movement edit

On December 25, 1969, Seiko released the world’s first quartz watch, the Seiko Quartz ASTRON. The watch uses a crystal oscillator at its core for accuracy, where the crystal generate steady vibration when voltage is applied to it. During the ten years of development period at Suwa Seikosha, Seiko manage to create many parts which enabled viable application of quartz on wristwatch. For example, Seiko cut the crystal oscillator into the shape of a tuning-fork, developed integrated circuit and step motor to properly operate the signals from the crystal oscillator.

Additional to creating the parts that enabled quartz watch, Seiko did not monopolized the patent rights for the unique pieces, but decided to open it to the world, with a vision to change the future of watches.

In 1973, Seiko announced the world’s first LCD quartz watch with six-digit digital display.

In 1975, Seiko launched the world’s first multi-function digital watch, the 0634.

In 1978, Seiko released the Twin Quartz watch to address the impact of temperature on the frequency of the quartz crystal oscillator, which put a limitation on the accuracy of quartz watch. Seiko put a second crystal in the watch that's linked with a processor that detects the change in temperature and signals the main oscillator to compensate. The result was a huge improve in the watch’s accuracy from 5 seconds per month to 5 seconds per year.

In 1988, Seiko combined the automatic with electric watch making with Seiko Kinetic, a movement that's powered by the user and convert the energy to electricity for the quartz movement.

Spring Drive edit

In 2005, Seiko Spring Drive was announced. It was developed by Yoshikazu Akahane and his team and inspired by Yoshikazu’s vision: “a watch wound by a mainspring and with one-second-a-day accuracy, a precision that only the finest electronic watches could deliver.”^[6] This movement achieved high accuracy with 1 second per day, long power reserve (72 hours) with its special developed alloy, fast winding with the “Magic Lever” design and glide-motion movement with the watch hands.

The movement uses a mainspring as a source of energy and transmits it through gear train just like a traditional mechanical watch, but instead of an escapement and balance wheel, Seiko used the newly developed "Tri-synchro regulator", which acts like a quartz movement. The Tri-synchro regulator has three main function: controlling the mechanical energy of the mainspring, generate electricity for the low consumption (~25 nanowatts) quartz crystal oscillator and generate a magnetic force to regulate the glide wheel. By replacing the traditional escapement with magnetic brake, the Spring Drive operates with lower noise and present a glide motion hand that shows continuous flow of time. The Spring Drive movement was also used as the basis for the first ever watch designed to be worn by an astronaut during a space walk, the aptly named Seiko Spring Drive Spacewalk.^[7]

Seiko in The United States of America edit

Seiko Pyramid Talk, the famous quartz talking clock from 1984.

Seiko Corporation of America is responsible for distribution of Seiko watches and clocks, as well as Pulsar brand watches, in the United States. The models available in the United States are normally a smaller subset of the full line produced in Japan. Seiko Corporation of America has its headquarters (and Coserv repair center) in Mahwah, New Jersey. In the United States, Seiko watches are sold primarily by fine jewelers and department stores as well as 19 company stores located in various cities.

Seiko's 2004 marketing campaign emphasized that a watch, as opposed to other traits (such as what car they drive, for example), tells the most about a person.

Media appearance edit

Various Seiko watches were worn by James Bond in four films starring Roger Moore from 1977 to 1985. Moore wore a Seiko in the 1979 film North Sea Hijack. Also, a Seiko watch was worn by Sean Connery in the 1983 Bond film Never Say Never Again.

A Seiko 6105-8110/8119 dive watch was worn by Martin Sheen in the 1979 film Apocalypse Now.^[8] A Seiko H558 is worn by Arnold Schwarzenegger in various films including Commando and Predator. A Seiko Chronograph is worn by Jason Bourne in the book The Bourne Identity by Robert Ludlum. Aki Ross wears a Seiko wristband computer in the animated film Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within, and in Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes as well as Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, Big Boss can be seen wearing the Seiko G757 5020. A Seiko 7A28-7000, basically a modified Seiko Chronograph is worn by Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) in the 1986 film Aliens – various other characters can also be seen wearing various Seiko watches devised by Italian car designer Giorgetto Giugiaro.

In the 2013 oceanic survival film All Is Lost, Robert Redford's character can be seen wearing the Seiko SKX009/SKX175 dive watch, a variation of the SKX007.^[9]

NASA Flight Director Gene Kranz wore a Seiko 5 model 6119-8460 during the height of his career. It was on his wrist when the Apollo 11 crew touched down on the lunar surface, when the Apollo 13 explosion occurred, and throughout the remainder of his career at NASA. The watch was recently sold and is still in working order.

On Friday, January 10, on the eve of the Australian Tennis Open in Melbourne, Seiko launched its new partnership with world no.1 professional tennis player Novak Djokovic, with Shinji Hattori, President of Seiko Watch Corporation, announcing the agreement and presenting to Novak Djokovic a Seiko Astron GPS Solar watch as a symbol of this new global partnership.

Official timekeeper edit

Seiko is also the official timekeeper of many major sporting events:

Olympic Games edit

1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan
1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Spain
1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer, Norway
1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan
2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States

FIFA World Cup edit

IAAF World Championships edit

1987 World Championships in Athletics in Rome, Italy, 1987
1991 World Championships in Athletics in Tokyo, Japan, 1991
2015 World Championships in Athletics in Beijing, China, 2015

Seiko is also named as the official timekeeper of the Gran Turismo racing game series, published by Sony Computer Entertainment. It's also the sponsor of FC Barcelona.

Seiko used to sponsor Honda F1 (previously known as BAR [British American Racing] Honda). The Seiko name cannot currently be found on the Honda racing cars because Seiko Japan refused to be advertised whilst the names of tobacco companies are still appearing on the cars. They can, however, be found on the lollipop used in the pitlane.

Historic Seiko watches edit

Seiko Gyro Marvel Automatic Diashock 17 Jewels, 1960
Seiko Champion Diashock 19 Jewels, 1960
Seiko King Diashock 25 Jewels, 2nd model, 1967
Seiko Skyliner 6220-7990, 1968
Seiko Sportsmatic Calendar 820 water30proof Seahorse
Seiko Bell-Matic 17 Jewels
Seiko Bell-Matic 27 Jewels
Seiko Quartz 2002 3803-7070, 1973
Seiko Chronograph Automatic 6139-7080 ("Hexagon"), 1974
Seiko Grand Quartz 4843-5010, 1975
Seiko King Quartz 0853-8005, 1976
Seiko Automatic Chronograph 6138-0040 "Bullhead", 1976

Seiko Automatic Chronograph 6138-0040 "Bullhead", 1976
Seiko Chronograph Automatic 6138-8020 ("Panda"), 1977
Seiko LCD Solar Alarm Chronograph A156-5000, 1978 (Seiko's 1st solar-powered watch)
Seiko H558-5000 Quartz Diver "Arnie", 1983. Worn by Arnold Schwarzenegger in five feature films.

Seiko H558-5000 Quartz Diver "Arnie", 1983. Worn by Arnold Schwarzenegger in five feature films.
Seiko Quartz Automatic Generating System 7M22-6A50, 1988
Seiko Quartz A.G.S. 7M22-8A20, 1988
Seiko Automatic Generating System 5M22-8A80, 1993
Seiko AGS SCUBA Diver 200m 5M23-6A60, 1993
Seiko Kinetic 5M42-0A70, 1995
Seiko Sportura Dual Time World Chronograph H023-00A0, 2003
Seiko 5 Automatic 21 Jewels

Operating companies (products and services) edit

Seiko Watch Corporation — watches: Seiko (Grand Seiko, Dolce & Exceline, Brightz, Lukia, Prospex, iu, Ruse, Spirit, Alpinist, Ignition, Premier, Velatura, Coutura, Arctura, Sportura, Criteria, Rivoli, Vivace, etc.), Credor, Galante, Wired, Wired XYZ, Pulsar, Lorus, XNY. Seiko Watch is a planning and marketing company. Seiko Holdings delegates a large portion of the manufacturing in its watch business to Seiko Epson and Seiko Instruments.
Seiko Nextage Co., Ltd. — watches: Alba and licensed brand watches
Seiko Clock Inc. — clocks, kitchen timers: Seiko, Seiko Westminster-Whittington (outside Japan), Seiko Chime and Strike (Japan only), Decor Seiko, Seiko Emblem, Seiko Premium (Discontinued), Seiko Melodies in Motion Musical Clocks (outside Japan), Seiko Wave Symphony Musical Clocks (Japan only), Pyxis, Character clocks (Disney's characters, Pocket Monster, Doraemon, etc.; Japan only)
Seiko Service Center Co., Ltd. — repair and after service for watches
Seiko Time Systems Inc. — system clocks (outside, building wall, monument, floral clocks), sports timing equipment
Seiko Precision Inc. — printers, time servers, electronic devices, micromechatronics devices, camera shutters, etc.
Seiko NPC Corporation — semiconductors
Seiko Solutions Inc. — system solutions
Seiko Optical Products Co., Ltd. — optical lenses & frames
Seiko Instruments Inc. — electronic components, precision parts, watches, analysis and measurement instruments, machine tools, printers, network items, information systems and services, IC dictionaries, etc.
Wako Co., Ltd. — upscale specialty retails
Cronos Inc. — retail sales of watches, jewelry items and eyeglasses
Seiko Business Services Inc. — human resources
Ohara Inc. (Seiko owns 32.2% TYO: 5218) — specialty optical glass (glass materials for lenses and prisms)

Seiko Group edit

Seiko Holdings is one of the three core companies of the Seiko Group. The Seiko Group consists of Seiko Holdings Corporation (Seiko), Seiko Instruments Inc. (SII), and Seiko Epson Corporation (Epson). Although they have some common shareholders, including the key members of the Hattori family (posterity of Kintarō Hattori), the three companies in the Seiko Group are not affiliated. They are managed and operated completely independently. Seiko Watch, an operating subsidiary of Seiko Holdings, markets Seiko watches, while SII and Epson manufacture their movements.

On January 26, 2009, Seiko Holdings and Seiko Instruments announced that the two companies will be merged on October 1, 2009 through a share swap. Seiko Instruments became a wholly owned subsidiary of Seiko Holdings as of October 1, 2009.

Other edit

Seiko also produces other electronic devices. Notably, during the 1980s, the company produced a range of digital synthesizers, such as the DS-250, for use in electronic music. Today, the music division, a part of Seiko Life Sports, produces metronomes and tuning devices.