The Seiko Museum in Tokyo is a great museum for anyone interested in tech, watches or just wants to learn more about a great brand. This museum goes in-depth on the origins of clocks and time, and how Seiko adapted to the trends, and influenced the world in how we tell time and track it today (Swimming/Olympics).

Seiko should be best known for their technological advances in watches, but usually they’re known for being cheap. To this day, their accuracy is so good, they’re tech is used in all swimming competitions. In terms of watches, without Seiko I don’t think anyone would be able to afford a quality watch. They’d just be too expensive or be inaccurate. Watches as we know them today take so much engineering influences or even straight up parts from Seiko. Some of my Swiss watches have an accuracy of +/- 1 second per day, but some of Seiko’s watches are accurate up to +/- 5 seconds per year.

The museum is located in Sumida, and entrance is free, but reservations are required. When you make a reservation, usually you’ll be told the tour times and given a free guided tour. I emailed the museum in the morning, and Yuka replied and told me to come in that day. The weather was absolute shit with the typhoon warnings, so she was able to give me a personalized detailed tour (1-1.5 hrs). She is very knowledgable about all things Seiko. Sometimes tour guides just stay on script, but we talked about where to buy vintage watches, how the different movements worked, numerous models, release dates, and competitors.

It’s funny when you ask people who know a little about watches what they think of Seiko, usually it’s “They’re cheap”. And they definitely can be, but they can cost $10,000+. I’m not sure where we’d be without a juggernaut like Seiko pushing the boundaries of telling time. It’s sad that this brand has such an identity issue, but we know they don’t give a fuck and are just counting the dough.

Source: Seiko