rational geekery

I bought my first Seiko wristwatch when I was 21. Generously my Grandparents had allowed me £250 for this landmark centenary, and in the window of a jeweller’s, in the town of Mansfield, I saw a Seiko “Kinetic” sports watch and my mind was set.

With a blue dial, stainless steel bracelet, 3-fold clasp, and rotating bezel, the watch is a collision of style and substance. The toughened glass has never once suffered a scratch, even though it has travelled with me on all my travels. Equally the integrity of the bracelet has always been absolute, and not a modicum of moisture has ever entered the casing.

The “Kinetic” technology that powers its hands is without fault, and I have never seen it lose a second once. It has truly been an exceptional wristwatch.

I have toyed with other watchmakers. I have a Casio “G-Shock” for Mountain Biking, a large faced Emporio Armani chronograph, and a Swatch “Irony” chronograph, which I picked up very cheap in an airport.

The G-Shock is an astonishingly robust timepiece, but hideously ugly, hence its very specific usage. The Armani is beautiful, but after only a year, the leather strap tore and the chronograph stopped working, this was distressing as the watch was a very special gift. The Swatch is only a few months old, but the glass face is slightly marked from a run-in with a doorframe. The Seiko is utterly faultless, and looks exactly the same as the day it was purchased.

I have another Seiko; a beautiful leather strapped dress-watch. This is quartz-powered, and has a plain white face, with elegant Roman numerals. It’s the only gold-cased watch I own, or have ever owned, and it’s the first choice for any formal occasion. Again the glass, casing, and brown-leather strap, are equally faultless.

As someone who as a child, and a teen, got through countless watches, it has been a revelation to own a Seiko. Seiko are not a particularly expensive watchmaker, although they’re not terribly cheap either; Seiko are, however, a quality watchmaker. Unlike many wristwatch manufacturers Seiko produce all their components in-house, meaning they control the quality of every aspect of their products. No part of a Seiko, not even the fine oil inside, is produced by a third party. It is this commitment to quality, and the outstanding performance of their wristwatches, that has earned Seiko its Loyalty Points.

When a few years ago, I was deciding what to buy my sister for her eighteenth birthday, there was only one choice in the end: a smart Seiko sports-watch, with a stylish blue dial.