Seiko - 100 years of wristworn watches
We have admittedly heard it all as far as Seiko is concerned. Demonised for having purportedly been behind the 1970s watch industry crisis, it often sees its work outright ignored by specialists of the sector. The kind of pretexts invoked for this neglect, which are fallacious to say the least, reflect ancient and unfounded historical grievances. But never mind all that now! The Japanese brand launched in 1881 by Kintaro Hattori - a true watchmaker from the other side of the world - will no longer be on the ground floor of Hall 1 at Baselworld, as it as been in the past, but on the first floor. Regardless of its location, its ability to anticipate the future of horology remains intact and those who are interested in its consistently well-made and avant-garde creations will know where to find it.
Celebrating to keep the memory alive
This year in particular, a visit to its booth is indeed a must, since the Japanese firm is celebrating an important milestone: the 100th anniversary of its first wristwatch. It was indeed in 1913 that introduced its very first such model named Laurel and intended to compete with the models being imported from the United States (Hamilton, Waltham…) or from Switzerland. In actual fact, the company was determined to maintain its leadership position on the domestic market. Barely 10 years later, it placed the Seiko brand name on the very same dials and intensified production of wristwatches that the firm, already well ahead of its times, presented as a product of the future. Connoisseurs with a taste for landmark dates will remember that 1960 was the launch year of the Grand Seiko collection. This range comprises some truly marvellous creations, and this year's offering features the presence of a "vintage" timepiece inspired by a 1967 model: the very one that asserted the "Seiko Style" within the world of watch designs. Likewise, 1969 saw the launch of the first series-made quartz watch (that earned it widespread hatred within the profession); as well as the introduction of an automatic chronograph with Pellaton winding (a first) and a vertical coupling-clutch (another first). All these inventions were to be followed by that of the LCD (liquid crystal display) in 1973, as well as the development of the Kinetic. The latter movement, combining a mechanical part for recharging the battery and a quartz part for the display, is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year - an opportunity for Seiko to make a small improvement to its calibre that will delight connoisseurs - especially since the brand will make a genuine effort in terms of pricing this technology competitively.
The future is on the move
In 2005, the brand presented the Spring Drive watch, a model in which the energy supplied by a spring housed inside a barrel - as on classic watches - is regulated by an innovative rotating organ driven by a so-called "Tri-synchro" system. This original association enables these watches - crafted according to traditional techniques and assembled by master-watchmakers in extremely small series - to achieve remarkable precision, virtually equivalent to that of quartz watches. Moreover, last year the perpetually forward-looking Japanese manufacturer revealed yet another innovation with the Astron (a name borrowed from the first series-produced quartz watch launched in 1969). This watch equipped with a low-consumption GPS receiver, developed and patented by Seiko to enable its wearer to be exactly and constantly in sync with the time anywhere in the world without having to worry about adjusting it (since it recognises and adjusts to 39 different time zones), and solar powered via a dial sensor system, will be available in a limited series of 5,500 bearing an insignia on the back with the "S" for Seiko first registered by the company founder in 1900…
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