Other Watchy Bits: A Brief History of Seiko

Seiko is one of the most prolific brands in horology and has an extensive history dating back over 130 years. The brand started in 1881 when a 21-year-old entrepreneur, Kintaro Hattori, opened a shop in central Tokyo--Ginza to be specific--that specialized in repairing watches and clocks. Eleven years later, in 1892, Kintaro opened up his manufacturing facility, Seikosha, which primarily focused on producing wall clocks. Fun fact: Seikosha combines the word seiko (成功,) meaning “exquisite” or “success,” and sha, meaning “house” in Japanese. The translation of Seikosha is “exquisite or success house.”

Other Watchy Bits: The Patek Philippe Nautilus

A watchmaker ahead of his time, Genta developed watches for brands such as Omega (Constellation), an early piece with Patek (Golden Ellipse), Audemars Piguet (Royal Oak) and IWC (Ingenieur). With his extraordinary level of expertise and existing knowledge of AP, Patek gave him the wheel to create their stainless steel sports watch. As Genta tells it, he sketched the design of the Nautilus in 5 minutes while eating at a hotel restaurant.