1

The Pocket Watches from Foreign Trading Companies

When it was founded, K. Hattori Co. sold pocket watches acquired from the foreign trading companies. Kintaro gained the trust of these Western companies by paying promptly each month, rather Japan’s twice-annual custom that dated to the Edo period (1603-1867).

2

Japan's First Alarm Clock

At the time, German alarm clocks dominated the world, but, being made of steel, they rusted easily. Seiko rose in popularity by using nickel plating on brass cases to prevent rust, and their products quickly spread throughout Japan and China.

Recommended Points

In 1915, Seiko got orders for 600,000 from the UK and 300,000 from France.

3

Balance Wheel Drilling and Screw Machine

These machine tools were developed in-house at the Daini Seikosha Factory in the pre-war years. The drill on the right is used to make pilot holes in the balance wheel, the heart of a mechanical watch, while the drill on the left is used to process the screw holes. The key feature of these is that they can do the steps of rotate, feed, and cut with a single power source.

Recommended Points

Pressing a button starts the Drilling and Screw machine. The century-old automatic machinery in operation is a must-see!

4

Kintaro's Friendships and Hobbies

Known as “the King of Timepieces in the East”, Kintaro had a wide circle of acquaintances, including luminaries such as Tsuneta Yano, founder of Dai-ichi Life Insurance, and the great industrialist Eiichi Shibusawa. Here you can also see some of his hobbies, such as shogi (Japanese chess), comic tanka, and calligraphy.

1

Hybrid Wall Clock

This alternating-current electric clock was made nearly 90 years ago. Equipped with an auxiliary spring, it can keep going even when the power goes out - which happened a lot back then. Furthermore, it used electricity to automatically wind its mainspring.

2

History of Seiko's Braille Watches

Seiko started developing timepieces for the visually impaired back in 1939. By touching the hands, the user could tell the time. Seiko also develops user-friendly products like digital watches that read out the time audibly.

3

Marvel to Crown and Cronos

The rising demand for watches led to attempts for more and more precision. Seiko fans can see how historical models like the Marvel, Crown, and Cronos gave birth to the Grand Seiko and King Seiko lines.

Recommended Points

Use the magnifying glass to examine the movements of the Marvel, Crown, and Cronos in the drawer. See if you can analyze the features of each.

4

Movement Presented at the Neuchatel Observatory Competition

This is the actual movement presented at the Swiss Neuchâtel Observatory Competition in timepiece accuracy. In 1967, the Daini Seikosha Factory and the Suwa Seikosha Factory took second and third place in the Company Awards, the first Japanese company to do so, demonstrating the precision of their timepieces.

Recommended Points

Seiko took all the top ranks in the mechanical timepiece division at the following year’s Swiss Geneva Observatory Competition.

1

Digital Stop Clock

The world’s first quartz digital stop clock, developed for the international sports games that took place in 1964. Able to measure down to just 1/100th of a second, and up to 9 hours, 59 minutes, 59.99 seconds, it could measure both lap times and elapsed time on its digital display.

2

Spring Drive Spacewalk

The special Spring Drive watch made for spacewalks. With no battery to get damaged or run out unexpectedly in the harsh environment of space, where temperatures can fluctuate between -20 and +70°C, astronauts did not need to worry about its reliability.

Recommended Points

Look inside the drawer to see prototype bands and parts made during development. These cannot be seen anywhere else.

3

Seiko Diver's Watch Professional 600

The world’s first diver’s watch with Titanium case and 600 m water resistance made for saturation diving. Using a protective case that’s known as the “tuna can,” it is a showcase of Seiko’s technology with twenty patents for the casing alone.

Recommended Points

Instead of using a helium gas escape valve, it relies on incredible levels of air- and water-tightness to completely prevent any gas from getting in at all.

4

Seiko Diver's Watch

Worn by the adventurer Naomi Uemura when he completed a 12,000km solo dog-sled run crossing the Arctic Circle between 1974 and 1976, demonstrating its reliability in extreme conditions. This is one of Seiko’s most important sports watches.