SEIKO Celebrates 130 Years of Innovation

MAHWAH, N.J., Nov. 2, 2011 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- SEIKO is proud to announce its 130th Anniversary this year (www.seikowatches.com/130th), celebrating many inventions and creative advances achieved as one of the world's most coveted watch brands, and the honored dedication to perfection that SEIKO continues to deliver to the luxury watch market.

SEIKO, founded by Kintaro Hattori in 1881, is committed to the art and science of time. The story of SEIKO began when K. Hattori, a clock repair store, opened in Kyobashi, Tokyo. At 22 years old, he had a special vision for SEIKO, wanting to be "always one step ahead of the others." It was this passion that drove him to establish the Seikosha factory, build its first clock in 1892, first pocket watch in 1895, and to create Japan's first ever wrist watch "Laurel" in 1913. These achievements quickly established a company that was clearly able to master every aspect of the watchmaker's art, and from then, a revolutionary watch and clockmaking enterprise was born.

As the inventor of the ground-breaking quartz watch in 1969, SEIKO created a field of possibilities for this developing industry through the synergy of traditional and electronic technologies, giving the watchmaker four decades of experience in fusing intricate watchmaking skill with elegant design. SEIKO has introduced many firsts for watches, such as the world's first automatic chronograph in 1969, first TV watch in 1983, first Kinetic watch in 1988, first Spring Drive watch in 1999, and even the world's first watch designed specifically for a spacewalk in 2008.

Pioneering many technologies throughout the past 130 years, SEIKO is also proud to be the only watch manufacturer with every watch-making expertise including Quartz, Solar, Kinetic, Mechanical and Spring Drive. The synergy of SEIKO's five technologies will always be at the heart of further pioneering discoveries.

Today, after 130 years of innovation, SEIKO is pleased to mark this special anniversary with a new group of "firsts," including a powerful new collection of commemorative watches.

In addition, SEIKO is excited to introduce new partnerships and ventures, honoring the tradition that Kintaro Hattori created and building a fresh platform for the future. SEIKO continues to dream of new adventures in time and is still proudly dedicated to the perfection that founder Kintaro Hattori always strove to achieve. SEIKO is a company faithful to a culture of innovation and is continually driven by a consuming dedication to perfection.

For more information on SEIKO's 130th Anniversary, please visit www.seikowatches.com/130th.

Kathleen Dugan, Public Relations
SEIKO Corporation of America
(201) 529-7959
kdugan@seikousa.com

SEIKO Corporation of America is based in Mahwah, New Jersey and is a wholly-owned subsidiary of SEIKO Watch Corporation, which is headquartered in Tokyo. SEIKO was founded in 1881, and is the only watch manufacture with every watchmaking expertise including Mechanical, Quartz, Kinetic, Spring Drive and Solar.  For more information on SEIKO, visit www.seikousa.com.

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