The made in Japan sincerely has nothing to envy to the Swiss made.
It just so happens that Switzerland is close to France and in the heart of Europe, when Japan is on the other side of the world.
But today, the boundaries of time no longer exist, and we are discovering more and more on the Old Continent, and elsewhere, the richness and seniority of the Japanese watch industry.
Thus, the history of Seiko dates back to 1881, when Kintaro Hattori opened a clock repair and sale shop in Ginza.
In 1892 he created a factory called Seikosha where he produced his own clocks.
Twenty years later, when pocket watches were still the norm, he was already experimenting with wristwatches, which were at the cutting edge of technology at that time.
It was in 1913 that Seiko produced Japan's first wristwatch, the Laurel.
A first innovation that will be followed by many others, such as the first quartz wristwatch in 1969.
yoshimitsuTAKANO
So, as more and more companies focused on manufacturing table clocks and pocket watches, Kintaro Hattori, who foresaw the arrival of the wristwatch era, took a length ahead of its competitors by starting to develop its own wristwatch.
In 1913, Seikosha began production of the Laurel, the start of its rapid progress in developing all wristwatch manufacturing technologies, from design to micro-manufacturing to machine tool manufacturing.
In 2023, Seiko will celebrate the 110th anniversary of its first wristwatch with the release of a commemorative watch collection, starting with a new creation inspired by the 1913 Laurel. This watch with enamel dial is offered in limited edition of 2500 copies (1900 €).
Seiko
It reproduces in every detail the shape and design of the original Laurel.
The round case retains the elegance of the original while housing a modern automatic movement, the Seiko caliber 6R27.
We find on its enamel dial the characteristic Arabic numerals, the blue hands in the retro style and the large crown with the fluted edges of the time.
Its pure enamel dial comes from the hands of master craftsman Mitsuru Yokohama and his teams.
Beneath a box-shapped sapphire crystal, there is a power reserve indicator at nine o'clock and the date at six o'clock.
This Seiko Presage Watchmaking 110th Anniversary will be available from January 2023 in Seiko boutiques and authorized retailers.