Seiko vs Citizen: Best Japanese watch brands
Two dominant Japanese watch brands with more than a century of expertise in the watch business are Seiko and Citizen. When comparing Seiko vs Citizen, it is important to consider the movements that are utilized, the price range, the company’s history, and the watch catalogs.
One of the biggest watchmakers in the world is Citizen. This Japanese company offers a wide range of products and the newest technologies at an exceptional price-performance ratio. This company’s Eco-Drive and atomic time via GPS are highlights.
Seiko, a Japanese manufacturer, is a leader in watch industry innovation. Everything from inexpensive quartz timepieces to exquisite minute repeaters can be found in their collection. Without relying on any outside manufacturers, they manufacture every component in-house.
Seiko vs Citizen: History
Kinato Hattori, a young businessman, founded Seiko almost 130 years ago as a shop in the heart of Tokyo that sold and fixed watches and clocks. Kinarto purchased a factory in Tokyo after eleven years, and in 1982 he started making clocks there. The Seikosha plant was the name of the facility. The Japanese words “Seiko” and “sha” both mean “home,” making them a very appropriate name for what was to come in the years to come.
After establishing itself as a manufacturer of wall clocks and pocket watches for twenty-one years, Kinarto unveiled the Laurel, the country of Japan’s first wristwatch. The business had a track record of innovation at the time.
The company developed the shock-absorbing Diashock device in 1958 to guard the balance-staff pivot, one of a mechanical watch’s most delicate components.
Seiko made its entrance into the world of sports by acting as the Olympics official timekeeper in 1964 in Tokyo. As a result, Seiko was hired as the official timekeeper for a number of sporting events by the International Association of Athletics Federation.
Seiko’s first diving watch made its debut in 1965, gaining the company fame on a global scale. The first-ever Japanese-made diving watch caught the attention of watch lovers who were devoted to Swiss movements, earning Seiko newfound prestige. The Seiko Quartz Astron, the first quartz watch in history, was released by Seiko in 1969.
When it debuted the first titanium dive watch in the world in 1975, Seiko established yet another industry milestone. The Professional Diver’s 600m made its debut after seven years of development and experimentation. As it could withstand strain and pressures, this Professional Diver’s watch established a new benchmark for dive timepieces and became a dependable choice for divers. In 1999, Seiko unveiled Spring Drive, a proprietary technology that uses a new regulator in place of the conventional escapement to produce smooth motion and outstanding accuracy.
Citizen began in 1918 but was formally created in the 1930s by Japanese and Swiss investors. For watches he sold in Japan, watchmaker Rodolphe Schmid registered the trademark in Switzerland. When Citizen was “formed” in the 1930s, they made use of Schmid’s manufacturing factory as well as the resources of the Shokosha Watch Research Institute. Up until World War II, Citizen steadily gained popularity but didn’t achieve any international success.
Citizen watches have a distinguished history. The first completely waterproof watch in Japan was introduced by Citizen in 1959 with the Parawater. The brand was inspired by the Parawater’s success and Citizen’s diving watch line was born.
In 1976 Citizen created the Eco-Drive movement in addition to being one of the brands to develop and market quartz movements. Eco-Drive was one of the first solar-charging movements, so these days practically everyone who is interested in the watch industry is aware of what it is. Citizen takes pride in having always been environmentally conscientious.
The first multi-band atomic timekeeping watch was launched by Citizen in 1993. By synchronizing and adjusting its time to atomic clocks around the world, which are accurate to within two nanoseconds each day, the atomic watch ensures the highest level of precision. In 2018, the company teamed up with Disney to create a co-branded watch line based on Star Wars, Disney, and Marvel.
Seiko vs Citizen: Catalog
There is a timepiece in Seiko’s extensive catalog to suit every taste and price range. For instance, the Seiko 5 and 5 Sports are well-liked entry-level watches that provide dependable automatic in-house movements and fine finishing for a surprisingly low price.
Seiko dress watches can be found in the Presage range. Everyone includes a mechanical in-house caliber, and the styles range from sporty to classic. Seiko provides the Premier collection if you’re looking for something really contemporary. These watches come with kinetic, quartz, automatic, and solar-powered movements. Look into the Astron collection if you like high-tech watches. Seiko equips these watches with high-precision solar-powered calibers connected to the GPS network, giving them the name of the first quartz wristwatch in history.
After decades of developing new ideas and enhancing their collection of movements and styles, Citizen has an image that is overwhelmingly positive. Their timepieces have mechanical, quartz, and Eco-Drive movements. Citizen catalog consists of many collections notable for the Promaster Land , Promaster Marine
Seiko 5 Collection
If you enjoy wearing watches, you’ve probably heard of the Seiko 5 and Seiko 5 Sports lines. The Seiko 5 Sports series, consists primarily of extra-sporty dress watches and dive watches. They are the ideal option for everyday wear thanks to their straightforward, sporty designs. While there are many lovely watches in the Seiko 5 collection, there are also pieces with dials and textile bands that are reminiscent of pilot’s and military watches. Seiko combined the two collections into one branded “Seiko 5 Sports” in the early 2020s. The subseries Sports Style, Suits Style, Street Style, Specialist Style, and Sense Style make up the current collection. The Sense Style line features wonderfully vibrant colors and a variety of patterns, from camouflage to brilliant and striking. While the watches in the Sports and Street Style series have a more classic and sophisticated look than those in the Suits and Specialist Style series.
Seiko Presage Collection
Seiko mostly creates watches in the Presage collection that are classically stylish. Many of these timepieces were inspired by historical classics from the long history of the brand. Each watch in the collection has an internal mechanical caliber, which is another trait that unites the entire line.
Prestige and Basic are the two lines that make up the collection. The superior technology of the Prestige series sets it unique. The majority of the watches employ calibers from the 5R or 6R series, which have respective power reserves of 45 and 50 hours. Numerous variants come with extra features such as a chronograph, power reserve indicator, or GMT functionality.
The majority of the watches featuring movements from the 4R family may be found in the Presage Basic Line. The power reserve for these calibers is 41 hours. Seiko frequently embellishes the dials with intricate sunbursts or delicate motifs.
Grand Seiko and Credor Luxury Collection
The premium brands Grand Seiko and Credor are the pinnacles of Seiko’s product line. Both companies are selling high-end luxury timepieces that more than hold their own against their Swiss competitors.
Grand Seiko watches stand out thanks to their simple, traditional looks. The finishing is something that Seiko’s watchmakers focus on even more than technical perfection. They have some of the best zaratsu polishing in the entire globe.
Platinum and other precious metals are the primary focus of the Credor brand. Their watch designs range from conventionally straightforward to elaborate. Additionally, variants with tourbillons or minute repeaters are available.
Citizen Promaster Collection
With the precision of a quartz watch, Eco-Drive powers the Promaster Land. Some Promaster Land watches come with added functions like an electronic compass and an altimeter, while other models use radio signals that are broadcast all over the world to synchronize to atomic time.
Around a dozen diving watches, including a true classic in the Citizen Automatic Diver’s with a mechanical caliber, are included in the Promaster Marine line. The watch with reference number NY0040-09EE has a devoted following and has stayed mostly unaltered for decades. It is regarded as one of the most reasonably priced diving watches because of its durability and is approved in compliance with ISO 6425. The model may be recognized by its eight-o’clock screw-down crown. Its automatic caliber, which is produced internally by Citizen subsidiary Miyota, oscillates at a pace of 21,600 alternations per hour. The watch is water resistant up to 200 meters.
The Promaster Sky line of models. The bezel on these pilot timepieces has a variety of capabilities to help in calculating flight data. Some models of the Promaster Sky come with titanium casings and are also offered as radio watches.
Citizen Sports Collection
There are roughly 50 timepieces in the Sports collection. The Omega Seamaster 300 is similar to the Sports watches with the reference numbers AW1520-51L and AW1523-01E. The watches in this collection are reliable, designed for daily wear, and water-resistant to a depth of 100 m. (10 bar).
About 50 watches also are available in Citizen’s Basic series. These quartz-powered, battery-operated watches range in style from traditional to sporty. The majority of them are waterproof up to 30 meters.
Bulova and Miyota
Since 2008, the Citizen company has owned the American watchmaker Bulova. Miyota, a subsidiary of Citizen, uses Citizen calibers in watches made by brands other than their parent company: Dugena, Festina, Jacques Lemans, and Invicta. Additionally, Citizen provides the official timekeepers for Manchester United and the US Open tennis tournament.
Seiko vs Citizen: Pricing
Seiko 5 Sports line current releases cost between 200 and 290 USD, including the military-inspired SRPG37K1 and diving watch SRPD55K2. The price of some special editions might reach USD 900.
The Prospex series of timepieces start at less than 400 USD. At this price range, you can find models with solar-powered movements, many of which have chronograph features. Fans have given the collection’s well-known diving watches nicknames based on their distinctive shapes: Turtle, Samurai, and Tuna. For somewhere between 500 and 2,500 USD, you may call one of these watches your own.
Online, the Presage collection dress watches can be purchased for as little as $400 USD. Costs for watches featuring a chronograph or GMT feature range from $1,200 to $1,900 USD.
Citizen watches in the Promaster line start from $170 USD, while watches from the Promaster Marine line are a little more expensive with prices starting at $185 USD. The Promaster Sky watches start around $260 USD. The most expensive line is the Eco-Drive line where the price range is from $1,100 – $5,000 USD.
Which brand is your favourite ?
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