Seiko Ko Dekho !. Review on Seiko Watches

I must start off this review by thanking Karan (Karan23) for helping me find a topic for a review (courtesy his informative and cool review on Swatch). I was kind of bored to write one on movies but at the same time my “writer germ” was bothering me to write something. So here it is…

I have a great fascination for watches. One day I would love to have a great collection of watches; so many, that I can wear a different one everyday. It would pretty much look like a scene from a movie where this rich guy opens his wardrobe and has 100 suits to choose from…I would just replace the suits with my big collection of watches!

The watch that I wear pretty often these days is my Seiko Chronograph. Personally I like either those slim watches with plain dials (black, navy blue) or thick but elegant classic metallic sport watches which have all the gadgets like the alarm, chronograph etc makes feel like I am a rough and tough guy! Gold and diamonds are a strict no-no for me. Diamonds are fine, but only if sparingly and artistically used.

Before I describe my watch let us explore the company behind some of world’s high performance watches being produced today.

Seiko (pronounced as “Say-Co”)

Although the “Seiko” brand name was used only by 1924 with the introduction of its first wristwatch, the company was actually founded 43 years earlier by a clockmaker named Kintaro Hattori as a clock shop in Tokyo's Ginza District called “K. Hattori & Co., Ltd.”. This company in the beginning manufactured wall clocks, alarm clocks, table clocks etc. It was only in the year 1913 that the production of wristwatches started in Japan. Seiko brand name was first used in 1924. Thus began the journey of the high performance watches pioneering in breakthrough technologies.

Did you know?

• Seiko Astron was the world's first quartz watch (35SQ) introduced in 1969

  
  




• Seiko introduced world's first LCD quartz watch with six-digit digital display (06LC) in 1973.

  
  




• Seiko introduced world's first multi-function digital watch in 1975.

  
  




• Seiko introduced world's first quartz alarm clock in 1976.

  
  




• Seiko introduced world's first intelligent analogue quartz watch with alarm, chronograph and timer functions controlled by an IC computer on a chip in 1988.

  
  




• Seiko introduced Perpetual Calendar watch driven by world's first ultrasonic micromotor and Seiko Thermic, the world's first watch driven by body heat in 1998.

  
  




• Seiko Company has repeatedly staked its reputation on performance, acting as the Official Timer of the Olympic Games in Tokyo, Sapporo, Barcelona, Lillihammer, Nagano and Salt Lake City.

  
  

So that is some of the trivia that I gathered from the Internet about the company, but I focused more on the watches that they introduced. Some of their well known brands of wristwatches are the Seiko Kinetic collection, the Perpetual Calendar series, the Chronograph collection, the Le Grande Sport series, and the Ladies Jewelry collection. But Seiko also makes many other products which are not related to time at all like golf clubs, electric shavers, jewelry, electronic devices, computer peripherals, musical instruments and myriad of other products. Amazing haan?! And all we knew was that Seiko made wristwatches and clocks!

So let me now come back to my watch…

I wear a Seiko Le Grand Sport Chronograph(Seiko Model SDWF73) a classic combination of contemporary European design and functionality. It has stainless steel case and bracelet, black dial with silver subdials, LumiBrite hands and markers. It has date at 3:00, a chronograph which records elapsed time up to 6 hours in 1/5 seconds, alarm, tachymeter timer, double locking clasp and is water resistant to 100 meters.

Now for the folks who are wondering about LumiBrite. It is the latest development in SEIKO luminous paints. Conventional luminous paints all used to rely on radioactive substances to generate their afterglow. Then came fluorescent paints that glowed in the dark by releasing light energy stored while the surrounding light was bright. They being non-radioactive and non-hazardous were seen to be of great advantage, but their glow tended to be short-lived, fading rapidly as the stored light-energy was discharged. LumiBrite is a dramatically improved fluorescent luminous paint that quickly absorbs more of the light-energy falling on it and glows brighter, for much longer, in the dark.

I bought my watch from the Internet after a lot of research at $200 although its sticker price was $325. I am happy with its looks and its performance although the volume of the alarm is too low for my deep slumber! I don’t use most of its functionalities. A procrastinator like myself needs a watch which can beat the hell of out of me to keep me on track :) But hey what the heck, I bought this watch for keepsake and I know I am going to cherish it for many years to come. A definite recommendation for its rugged but very elegant looks! My Dad also wears Seiko, but I feel mine definitely looks better than his ;)

I cannot end this review without mentioning about their Kinetic design. In 1992, Seiko introduced their breakthrough technology in the Kinetic design collection, which is a line of quartz watches that are electrically charged by movement. One step further in 1999 they introduced the Kinetic Auto Relay which goes into suspended animation when unworn for three days, thus conserving energy, but with a few shakes of the wearer's wrist, it wakes up and resets itself to the exact time!

Some of the websites that you can use for your research when you are buying watches are https://princetonwatches.com, https://bluenile.com, https://ashford.com. I would always recommend in going and trying watches out in a showroom and then buying them online!

Peace

Roshan

P.S. If the link is still active you can have a look at my model at https://princetonwatches.com/shop/SDWF73.asp

© Roshan Thomas