SEIKO was founded in 1881. The first factories were established in Japan by Mr Kintaro HATTORI.
For more information, visit the MANUFACTURING section.
The life of a battery depends on its quality, the watch mechanism and the usage of the different watch features (alarm, chronograph, light, etc.).
It will last from 2 to 3 years with the most common models (2/3 hands with or without date, chronographs, etc.) and up to 10 years for the CONTINUOUS CALENDAR models (men's models).
Note: When you purchase a watch, since the battery has been installed at the factory to verify function and performance, the battery life may be shorter than the specified time.
Repairs should be carried out by your usual dealer or any other dealer of your choice who will either repair your watch or transfer it to a workshop.
Approved workshops are spread throughout France and have been trained to deal with the latest technologies.
The repairs carried out by these workshops come with a one-year warranty (for complete repairs).
When your watch is still under warranty, always take the international warranty card with you when you visit your retailer.
It is required to receive a repair free of charge.
You can find the contact details of our dealers on our website under AUTHORISED DEALERS
We recommend that you contact your authorised SEIKO dealer.
To find your nearest dealer, visit AUTHORISED DEALERS.
If they do not have the model or information you require, they will contact SEIKO France for further information.
You can also view a large part of our collection on our website seiko.eu under the section COLLECTIONS.
GUARANTEE
The international guarantee is 3 years.
WATER RESISTANCE
Watches come with different degrees of water resistance.
If the watches have water-resistant characteristics, the words WATER RESISTANT or DIVER'S are marked on the back of the case, possibly followed by the degree of water-resistance measured in BAR (unit of pressure used in meteorology and fluids) or in metres.
The watch's conditions of use differ according to this degree of water resistance:
NOT WATER RESISTANT: If "WATER RESISTANT" is not marked on the case back, the watch is not water resistant and great care should be taken not to get it wet, as water will damage the internal mechanism.
If the watch gets wet, we recommend that you have it checked by a dealer or an authorised technical centre to ensure that it has not been damaged.
WATER RESISTANT: If "WATER RESISTANT" appears on the case back and/or dial, the watch has been designed and manufactured to withstand a pressure of 3 Bar (1 bar = 1 atmosphere = 1kg / force / cm²): this includes all accidental contact with water such as splashing, rain, domestic chores, but in no case swimming or diving.
Do not use the push-buttons or the winding mechanism when the watch is wet.
WATER RESISTANT 5 BAR: If "WATER RESISTANT 5 BAR or 50 M" appears on the case back and/or dial, the watch has been designed and manufactured to withstand a pressure of 5 Bar = showering, swimming, but in no case diving or scuba diving.
If the watch has been exposed to sea water, rinse it with fresh water and then dry it thoroughly.
Do not use the push-buttons or winding mechanism when the watch is wet or in water.
WATER RESISTANT 10 BAR: If "WATER RESISTANT 10 BAR or 100 M" appears on the dial and/or case back, the watch is designed and manufactured to withstand a pressure of 10 Bar: showering, swimming, shallow water diving ("freediving"), but not scuba or professional diving.
If the watch has been exposed to sea water, rinse it with fresh water and then dry it thoroughly.
Do not use the push-buttons or winding mechanism when the watch is wet or in water.
WATER RESISTANT 20 BAR: If "WATER RESISTANT 20 BAR or 200 M" appears on the dial and/or case back, the watch has been designed and manufactured to withstand a pressure of 20 Bar: showering, bathing, swimming, diving in medium depth water ("freediving"), but not scuba or professional diving.
If the watch has been exposed to sea water, rinse it with fresh water and then dry it thoroughly.
Do not use the push-buttons or winding mechanism when the watch is wet or in water.
DIVER'S WATCH: For scuba diving, we recommend wearing a professional watch from the "DIVER'S WATCH" series ("200M DIVER" to "1000M DIVER").
MECHANISM
A quartz watch is an electrically powered watch with a high-precision regulating element, the quartz crystal, which vibrates at 32768 hertz (vibrations per second).
This gives a setting variation of + or - 15 to 20 seconds per month.
These watches may have a digital display or a hand display.
The solar quartz movement operates with a solar powered cell instead of a battery.
This solar sensor integrated into the dial captures sunlight and converts it into electrical energy.
The energy produced is stored in an accumulator, which feeds an electronic circuit equipped with a quartz, vibrating at a very stable frequency.
This circuit regulates the rotation of the motor that operates the mechanism or generates the digital display.
Solar quartz movement delivers excellent precision of +/- 15 sec/month, for example, thanks to 32 Khz vibration.
Solar quartz movement generally has a running time that can vary from 5 to 6 months depending on the different calibres.
It must be recharged regularly by sunlight: a few hours of sun exposure are necessary to gain a few months of battery life.
The solar quartz movement has no battery but an energy accumulator (lasting 8 to 10 years), making it eco-friendly.
Solar quartz watches can be worn by anyone who gets regular exposure to the sun.
They feature a quartz movement but draw their energy from light sources (sun or powerful artificial light).
• The solar quartz watch is eco-friendly, as it has no batteries.
• A solar quartz watch is highly accurate.
• Above all, a solar quartz watch is convenient for everyday use and requires little maintenance.
• A quartz watch can provide several features at an affordable price (chronograph, alarm, light, countdown timer, etc.)
The automatic movement is mechanical with automatic winding.
It consists of a mainspring which powers a gear train, the rotation of which is regulated by the balance wheel.
The mainspring is powered by the movement of the wearer.
• An automatic movement is a traditional watchmaking movement.
• An automatic movement consists solely of mechanical components, so it is an eco-friendly mechanism.
• An automatic movement is less precise than a quartz, Kinetic or Spring Drive movement.
• Automatic movements vary by several seconds per day (-15/+25 sec/day for example).
• Automatic movements have a running time of several hours (45 hours for example).
• Automatic movements are more fragile than quartz or kinetic movements.
Automatic watches are suitable for people who are physically active.
They have a battery life of about 45 hours on full charge; if they are not moving enough during the day they may stop during the night.
• It is a watch that operates without batteries.
• It is a watch that boasts a long life span.
• High-end automatic watches are handcrafted by specialised master watchmakers.
SEIKO's automatic watches are powered by the wearer.
A traditional watch movement consisting solely of mechanical parts assembled together and set to follow the "tick-tock" rhythm.
By developing and patenting our own low-power GPS receptor, Seiko has achieved a world first: a solar-powered analogue GPS watch capable of receiving GPS signals and analysing this data.
It covers all the areas within the 39 time zones.
Wherever you are on Earth under the open sky, Astron will automatically receive the time signal once a day.
The solar-powered GPS quartz movement is exceptionally accurate when connected to satellites: 1 sec/100,000 years, the same accuracy as an atomic clock, which is fitted to each satellite.
The solar-powered GPS quartz movement has a running time of 2 years when fully charged.
It must be recharged regularly by sunlight: a few hours of sun exposure are necessary to gain a few months of battery life.
A solar sensor integrated into the dial captures sunlight and converts it into electrical energy.
The solar quartz GPS movement has no battery but an energy accumulator (lasting 8 to 10 years), making it eco-friendly.
The solar GPS quartz movement offers the following features:
• Time and time zone adjustment by GPS
• 2nd time zone
• Continuous calendar until 28 February 2100
• GPS signal reception indicator
• World time feature (39 time zones)
• DST (summer/winter clock) feature and indicator
• Energy control feature: automatic standby after 72 hours of darkness (up to 2 years)
• Airplane mode
ASTRON watches are primarily intended for frequent travellers or tech and innovation enthusiasts.
They have the ability to connect to satellites to geolocate themselves and automatically adjust to the correct time zone anywhere in the world with the precision of an atomic clock, once a day and on demand.
They do not have a GPS navigation feature.
KINETIC watches are battery-free quartz watches with a built-in micro-generator.
This generator uses the movement of your arm to produce its energy.
The word KINETIC is inspired by the Greek "kinesis" meaning movement.
KINETIC AUTO-RELAY watches are KINETIC quartz watches, with an additional feature that allows the watch to be put on standby to save energy.
It can remain on standby for up to 4 years and resets itself to the correct time as soon as it is worn again.
Since 1998, SEIKO has created two chronograph mechanisms using KINETIC technology.
SEIKO is the only manufacturer in the world that has succeeded in combining a high-quality chronograph system based on the fine art of mechanical watchmaking with state-of-the-art KINETIC technology.
It is a watch that takes into account even and odd months, as well as leap years, when setting the date.
This saves you the trouble of adjusting the date manually during even-numbered months and in February.
No, these two technologies are often confused and have only one thing in common: they use the movement of the arm to produce their energy.
Automatic watches are mechanical watches.
KINETIC watches are quartz watches.
Quartz technology allows for a more precise time setting (+ or - 15 sec / month) whereas mechanical systems can vary up to + or - 30 seconds per day.
Materials
METALS
STEEL: SEIKO uses high-quality stainless steel. To produce stainless steel, it is necessary to incorporate a certain proportion of nickel into the alloy.
The composition of the stainless steel complies with European standards.
However, some people who are very sensitive to nickel may still develop allergies.
TITANIUM: Titanium is a very light metal, non-magnetic and highly resistant to corrosive agents.
It is also hypoallergenic. Contrary to popular belief, it is scratchable, just like steel.
Due to its exceptional properties, titanium is also used in the most demanding fields such as aeronautics and surgery.
COATINGS
SEIKO uses different types of coatings: gold, palladium or carbon titanium, allowing for gold, white or black finishes.
By adding other components to the carbon titanium, bluish or brown finishes can also be achieved.
URETHANE AND PLASTIC
SEIKO uses synthetic materials on the casings of some of its models to achieve a particular design.
Rubber type straps are made of urethane for flexibility and strength.
GLASS
We mainly use two types of high-quality glass.
Hardened mineral glass (HARDLEX) on the majority of our watches and more scratch-resistant sapphire crystal glass.
LUMIBRITE
LumiBrite is the latest development in Seiko's luminous coatings that is brighter, more durable and completely free of radioactive substances.
In the past, all luminous paints used radioactive substances to generate the glowing effect.
As a result of technological advances, they have been replaced by luminous fluorescent paints that glow in the dark by releasing the light energy stored in the surrounding light.
This was seen as a major step forward, as fluorescent light paints are completely devoid of radioactivity and potential hazards.
However, the luminous effect tended to be short-lived; it quickly faded as the stored light energy was discharged.
LumiBrite is a significantly improved luminous fluorescent paint that rapidly absorbs more of the light energy exposed to it and glows for longer in the dark.
As the name suggests, LumiBrite starts out glowing brightly in the dark and fades slowly.
It is also completely radioactivity-free, which keeps people safe, and is kind to the environment. This is the ideal successor to radioactive light paint and conventional fluorescent paints.