Seiko
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Seiko is a Japanese watch company. The company started in 1881. The first watches produced under the Seiko brand appeared in 1924. In 1969, Seiko introduced the Seiko "Astron", the world's first quartz watch; when it was introduced, it cost the same as a medium-sized car. In 1985, Orient and Seiko established a joint factory. In 1994, 1998, and 2002, Seiko was the Official Timer of the Olympic Games.
Seiko is the parent company of the computer printer manufacturer, Epson, SII, Seiko Optical Products, and several other companies.
Seiko is perhaps known best, though, for its wristwatches. The company makes both quartz and mechanical watches of varying prices. The cheapest are around $50 USD; the most expensive cost many thousands. The Seiko "5" series seems to be the most common, and the Grand Seiko line the most prized. Fans of the company and watch snobs like Seiko's automatic (mechanical self-winding) and 'kinetic' (electronic and self-charging) best.
Frustratingly for collectors, Seiko does not release all of its watch lines in every region. Some are exclusively available in Asia, for instance. Many online retailers will ship watches overseas, though.
Seiko Corporation of America is responsible for distribution of Seiko watches and clocks, as well as Pulsar 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 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 -- like what car they drive, for example -- tells most about a person.
According to Seiko's official company history, titled "A Journey In Time: The Remarkable Story of Seiko" (2003), Seiko is a Japanese word for "exquisite", "minute", or "success".
Seiko is also the official timer of many sports events:
- Tokyo Olympic Summer Games in Japan, 1964;
- World Cup Soccer Championships in Argentina, 1978;
- World Cup Soccer Championships in Spain, 1982;
- World Cup Soccer Championships in Mexico, 1986;
- IAAF World Championships in Athletics in Italy, 1987;
- World Cup Soccer Championships in Italy, 1990;
- IAAF World Championships in Athletics in Tokyo, Japan, 1991;
- Nagano Olympic Winter Games in Japan, 1998;
- Salt Lake City Olympic Winter Games in USA, 2002;
External links
- Official Seiko site (http://www.seikowatches.com)de:Seiko