General Reference Books

Japanese Title: セイコー特殊時計開発物語―セイコープロフェッショナル・ウオッチに隠された特殊
Author: Ikuo Tokunaga
Publisher: World Mook, World Photo Press
Published: February 2009
Pages: 184
ISBN-10: 4846527638
EAN-13: 978-4846527631
Size: 25.6 X 18.2 X 1.7 cm
Language: Japanese
Rarity: 2
Recommended: 5

Content: This book was written by Ikuo Tokunaga one of Seiko’s most famous engineers who developed a lot of special watches such as deep-sea diver's watches, pilot watches, adventure watches, railway watches and so on over a span of thirty years. The book covers many of the special watches from Seiko and how they were developed and evolved. 

These are the chapters:

• King of the Land - Field Master, Land Master

• King of the Sea - Professional Divers, Scuba Master, Fishing Master, Cruising Master, Marine Master

• King of the Sky - Flight Computer, Professional Sky, Flight Master

• Railway Clocks - Railroad watches mechanical, quartz, clocks

• Blind evolution - Mechanical - watch Blind, quartz - voice timepiece

• Special performance watches – Shock, Anti-magnetic, Water resistant, Sports

• Special function - Calculator watch, Watch with TV, Receptor Watch

• Special Purpose - Giugiaro design watches, Watch Precious Metals, Jewellery watch

• Clock Material Development - Wood Watch, Watch lacquer, Titanium, Carbide, Ceramic Watch

• Special patents - Special waterproof device, patent special function devices, design patents

• Conclusion – Future of special watches

Comments: Excellent exploded diagrams, family organization charts and great insights into the design process for the wide range of special series of watches. Even without reading Japanese this is a book worth checking out. 

Japanese Title: セイコーダイバーズウオッチ進化論
Author: Ikuo Tokunaga
Pages: 159
Publisher: World Photo Press
Published: 2015/6/12
ISBN-10: 4846530787
EAN-13: 978-4846530785
Release Date: 2015/6/12
Size: 25.6 X 18.2 X 1.6 cm
Language: Japanese
Rarity: 1
Recommended: 5

Content: This book is written by famous Seiko designer Ikuo Tokunaga who was responsible for many of Seiko’s developments with watch design. The book is focused on the evolution of the divers watch and the different technologies that were created for this specialized field of watches.

The book is broken down into the following chapters.

• Seiko Divers Watch Latest Model

• Introduction of Seiko Professional Watches Essence

• Types and Characteristics of Waterproof Watches

• Types and Characteristics of Divers Watches

• Mechanical Divers Watch Evolution Theory

• Quartz Divers Watch Evolution

• Spring Drive Divers Watch Evolution Theory

• Divers Watch Exterior

  • Case Materials

  • Case Structure

  • Watch Case Patents

• Future Study of Divers Watch

Comments: The book contains numerous design drawings and exploded diagrams showing the watches construction. There are also a number of tables detailing the different diver models produced by Seiko over the years. While written just in Japanese the book has many pictures and diagrams that are of interest. There is a very small amount of information that is repeated from the previous “The Story of Evolution on the Special Watches of Seiko” book but most of the information provided is new. I would love to see an English translation of this book released at some time, but even if you cannot read most of the text there is a lot of useful information that can still be gained from this book. 

Japanese Title: グランドセイコー進化論
Author: Ikuo Tokunaga
Publisher: World Mook, World Photo Press
Published: January 2020
Pages: 224
ISBN-10: 4846532178
EAN-13: 978-4846532178
Size: 25.7 x 18.4 x 2.2 cm
Language: Japanese
Rarity: 1
Recommended: 5

Content: This book looks at the evolution of Grand Seiko models over the last 60 years. The book looks at many of the Grand Seiko iconic models from throughout the brand's history. There is an examination of the different movement types, mechanical, Spring Drive, and quartz, used in Grand Seiko’s. There is a look at the different watch materials and case evolution and an extensive 52 page glossary that lists the different terms in Japanese, English and French.

The book is broken down into the following chapters.

• Chapter 1: Grand Seiko High-Performance Technology Evolution

• Chapter 2: Grand Seiko Movement Evolution

• Chapter 3: Mechanical Grand Seiko Evolution

• Chapter 4: Quartz Grand Seiko Evolution

• Chapter 5: Spring Drive Grand Seiko Evolution

• Chapter 6: Seiko Watches and Exterior Technology Evolution

• Chapter 7: Luxury Watch Glossary

• Future: Creative Engineering of Luxury and High-Performance Watches

Comments: This book is written by the legendary engineer Ikuo Tokunaga who was responsible for many of the key developments in Seiko watches in the 1970’s to 2000’s. Ikuo was the key engineer responsible for the development of the Seiko 6159-7010 tuna and was awarded a dozen patents for this watch alone. Over his career Tokunaga-san was awarded over one hundred patents. The book includes a table of the different models at the start of chapters 3, 4, and 5 that shows release year, model number, calibre and specifications. This book is only available in Japan and can be purchased from Amazon Japan if you have a Japanese shipping address. If you are based internationally the book can be purchased via the Rakuten website with multiple vendors offering the book for sale. If you are visiting Japan the book can also be found in most large book stores.

Japanese Title: (セイコーブック)―時の革新者セイコー腕時計の軌跡
Author: Masaharu Nabata
Publisher: Town Mook, Tokuma Shoten
Published: May, 1999
Pages: 194
ISBN-10: 4197100566
EAN-13: 978-4197100569
Size: 30.0 x 21.4 x 1.0 cm
Language: Japanese
Rarity: 3.5
Recommended: 5

Content: The full Seiko history with chapters on Grand Seiko, Marvel and Cronos, Seiko Quartz, Kinetic, Design, Seiko Sports with lots of pictures of watches, advertising, schematics and Seiko people.

These are the chapters:

• The Legend of Grand Seiko

• The Profile of Early Seiko Watches

• Birth of the Standards, Marvel & Cronos

• The Challenge to Swiss Chronometer Concourse

• The Early History of Seiko Quartz

• The Smallest Electric Plant in the World... Kinetic

• The World of Seiko Watch Design

• The Legend of Ultimate Reliability... Seiko Sports

• The Museum of Seiko Antique Watches & Data Library

• Seiko Watch Current Collection

• Special Message From Seiko

• The History From Seiko Group

• The Gallery of Seiko Watch Ad

Comments: This is an excellent reference that covers many different areas of the history of Seiko. Some of the sections are reproduced in the book “A Journey in Time”. There are lots of large well shot images and this is worth acquiring.

Author: Sadao Ryugo
Publisher: NA
Published: May 2021
Pages: 178
ISBN-10: N/A
EAN-13: N/A
Size: 29.7 X 21.0 cm
Language: Japanese / English
Rarity: 2
Recommended: 5

Content: The book looks at the beginnings of Seiko’s professional dive watches. It starts from the development of the 62MAS and focuses on the key mechanical dive watches through to the 6309, 2205 and 4S15 models. The book has a mixture of both English and Japanese text. There are interviews with various key engineers and product designers including Taro Tanaka, Akio Nishizawa, Hideaki Uchiyama, Yasutaka Taruzawa, Tasuku Nakazawa, Gen Mitamura, and Nobuhiro Kosugi. In addition to the interviews there are also various topics covered such as details of the watches used in the Japanese Antarctic expeditions, 62MAS models with Daini Seikosha markings, and the birth of the Silver Wave mark.

Comments: The book has numerous interesting interviews with some of the key individuals involved in the development of the Seiko dive watches. Having these interviews with staff members directly involved in the process is an excellent resource. There are numerous new pieces of information that are revealed in the book and I am sure the contents will be of interest to any fans of Seiko dive watches. The book has black pages with white text and this negative design unfortunately makes it easy to pick up fingerprints. There was a limited print run for this book of 300 copies.

Disclaimer: I provided some content for this book and assisted with the English translations of the interviews, I do not have any financial connection to the book and did not receive any revenue from its sales.

Japanese Title: The History of the Seiko 5 Sports Speed-Timer
SEIKO自動巻クロノグラフの誕生
Author: Sadao Ryugo
Publisher: NA
Published: December 2019
Pages: 204
ISBN-10: N/A
EAN-13: N/A
Size: 27.0 X 18.0 cm
Language: Japanese / English
Rarity: 2
Recommended: 5

Content: This book contains a number of interviews with the people behind the design of the Seiko chronographs. The includes the designers of the watches and movements and covers not only the first chronograph models but also a comparison to the modern mechanical chronograph movements produced by Seiko. These interviews get to the stories behind the watches and reveals information that has never been made public before. In addition to the interviews there are also pages showing various advertising examples from different countries. The pages from both the Japanese domestic market and international catalogs showing the different models are also included.

Comments: The contents of this book is very interesting and shares the stories behind these watches. It is great to hear from the actual members involved in the projects and understand the motivations and issues that were faced when developing these pieces. Thankfully these interviews are provided in both Japanese and English. This book reveals the timeline for the release and development of these watches and confirms Seiko’s leadership in this area.

If you are interested in purchasing the book please send an email to the author at s.ryugo@blue.megaegg.ne.jp

Disclaimer: I provided some images for this book and assisted with the English translations of the interviews, I do not have any financial connection to the book and do not receive any revenue from its sales.

Author: Sadao Ryugo
Publisher: NA
Published: 2022
Pages: 172
ISBN-10: NA
EAN-13: NA
Size: 21.4 X 30 X 1.0 cm
Language: Japanese / English
Rarity: 3
Recommended: 5

Content: The content of this book, as the title suggests, is a history of both the Seiko Alpinist series and the 5 Sports Speed-Timer. The book begins with information on the early models of Alpinists and their introduction. There are details on the various models that led up to the product's development and details on various key features such as the case construction. Following the vintage models there is an interview with Jun Tanaka who was responsible for the reintroduction of the modern Alpinist. Following the interview are details on the various modern variations of Alpinist models that have been released.

Following the Alpinist based chapters is the section on the Speed-Timer. This includes details on the first model's introduction as well as the products that led up to the first automatic chronograph models. There are interviews with numerous key Seiko staff who were responsible for the original products development and the modern mechanical chronograph models. There are also sections looking at the different key vintage Speed-Timer models. Finally a look at the various Speed-Timer models that appear in the Seiko dealer catalogs.

Comments: This book is sure to contain some interesting information for any fans of the Seiko Alpinist or Speed-Timer models. The interviews with former staff members are very enlightening and contain information that is being introduced from the people directly involved. The book contains some excellent images of watches from some prominent collectors from around the world. This is the first time that much of the information on the Alpinist models has been collated and presented to the public. The Speed-Timer section of the book does replicate much of the information provided in Ryugo-san's previous book “The History of the Seiko 5 Sports Speed-Timer Birth of the Seiko Automatic Chronograph”, but there are a number of new sections added detailing additional models.

If you have any interest in the Alpinist models, or were unable to obtain a copy of the previous Speed-Timer book's release it is definitely worth getting a copy of this release. If you are interested in this title please check with the author via Instagram @mrseikosha

Note: I did assist with some English translations but do not have any financial connection to the book and do not receive any revenue from its sale.

Japanese Title: 国産時計博物館
Author: N/A
Publisher: World Photo Press
Published: July 1994
Pages: 224
ISBN-10: 4846520277
EAN-13: 978-4846520274
Size: 11.1 x 8.3 x 0.6 inches
Language: Japanese
Rarity: 3
Recommended: 4

Content: The book is divided into the following chapters.

• Early Model & Military Watch

• Standard Model

• Calendar Watch

• Chronograph

• Unique Model

• Design Watch

• Quartz and Electronic Watch

In each chapter they examine watches from Seiko, Citizen, Orient, and Takano. Each watch traditionally has a face shot as well as a case back and movement with the back removed. There is a small amount of text for each watch as well as movement and release date.
The back of the book also has a short section showing the current ranges from Seiko, Orient, Casio and Citizen at the time of printing. There is also a section showing adverts for 32 different second hand watch dealers.

Comments: There is limited specific information on each watch but the images are clear and there is a wide variety of watches presented. At the start of the book there are four pages of English text on history of Japanese watch makers.

Japanese Title: 精工舎懐中時計図鑑
Author: Sadao Ryugo
Publisher: Keisuisha Hanshobu
Published: March 2009
Pages: 178
ISBN-10: 4863270518
EAN-13: 978-4863270510
Size: 26 x 18.8 x 2.2 cm
Language: Japanese
Rarity: 1
Recommended: 5

Content: This book shows Seiko pocket watches from the start of the company until the end of the 1920’s. The book has many pictures of the various watches and they are divided into different periods and then sections such as military watches or railroad watches.
The book starts with the beginning of Seikosha, then the history of pocket watches of Seikosha. Following chapters cover the Meiji pocket watches, Taisho, Showa, pocket watches, Seikosha before and after the war.

Comments: This book seems to be the best resource for information of the early pocket watches from Seikosha. There are lots of sections describing the differences between models and the things to look at when comparing the different models. There is also a large amount of information that makes it possible to confirm the exact movement types and to help date specific watches. If you like early Seikosha pocket watches then this book is recommended.

Japanese Title: 1950’s-70’s Antique Japan Watch【アンティーク国産時計】Toki’s Antique Japan Watch Collection
Author: Toki
Editor: Low BEAT Editorial Department
Publisher: Seeds Factory シーズ・ファクトリー
Published: 17th February 2021
Pages: 242 
ISBN-10: 4865425241
EAN-13: 978-4865425246
Size: 25.8 x 18.5 x 1.5 cm
Language: Japanese
Rarity: 4
Recommended: 5

Content: This is a photo book featuring the Japanese watches of collector Mr Toki. Unlike most watch books the focus is not just on the watches but also the packaging and accessories that were supplied with them. The watches are shown with their original boxes, manuals, tags and accessories. As the title suggests, this book contains carefully selected items from the domestic brands Seiko, Citizen, Orient, Takano, and Ricoh, that were manufactured mainly in the 1950s to 1970s. The editorial department of the excellent antique watch magazine "LowBEAT" assisted in the books production.

Some models featured include: 

• Seiko: Grand Seiko, King Seiko, Super, Marvel, Lord Marvel, Laurel, Crown, Liner, Skyliner, Champion

• Citizen: Auto, Alarm, Ace, High Line, Chronometer, Homer, Guppy, Deluxe, Jet

• Orient: Star, Mars, Jupiter, Royal, Grand Prix, Almighty, Divers

• Takano: Prime, Senior, Superior, Chateau, Sabrina

• Ricoh: Dynamic, Wide, EXPO, Deluxe Eight, Dynamic Escort, Calendar, Countness

Comments: This book was initially produced as a small private print run, but when shown on social media there was significant demand for wider availability, so a crowdfunding project was started and eventually 250 copies of the book were produced. The book does not have in-depth details for the models such as movement specifications, but it is more focused on the accessories and items that are often overlooked and lost through time. As it is mainly a picture focused book the Japanese language text is not really a barrier for international readers. If you are interested in the original items and packaging for the models then this book is worth tracking down a copy.

Japanese Title: 昭和を生きた商人 時計卸商の興亡
Author: Teruo Yamada
Publisher: literary, Inc.
Published: 1st January 2003
Pages: 199
ISBN-10: 4835549325
EAN-13: 978-4835549323
Size: 19.5 x 13.5 x 2 cm
Language: Japanese
Rarity: 3
Recommended: 3

Content: The Yamada Watch Shop is a very famous retailer in Japan. This book examines the history of watch wholesale in the Japanese market through the 20th century. It looks at the influence of watch wholesalers in the industry and how this grew and receded over time.

The book is divided into the following chapters.

• A man's flower road

• Glory in the West, Yamada in the East

• Yamatoku-san's coming to Tokyo

• The birth of Seiko watch wholesalers

• Resurrection from the war

• Flowers and storms

• Towards further growth

• The dark clouds and struggles of a wholesaler

• Wholesalers enter a period of struggle

• The fierce struggle of watch wholesalers

• Flowers and Storms (2)

• Measures of Watch Wholesalers & Distributors

• Annexation of watch wholesalers

• Wholesaler payment box era

• Both Flowers and Storms

• Showa Merchants Tranquillity

• Afterword

Comments: Having an insight into changes in the industry from the perspective of a retailer gives an angle that is not often explored. The role of the wholesaler was significant over the years but has been reduced and essentially now eliminated as the companies now want a direct relationship with the retailers. This book is all Japanese text and does not include any images.

Author: Chris Dahlman
Publisher: Blurb 
Published: August 25, 2021
Pages: 84
ISBN-10: 1006595120
EAN-13: 978-1006595127
Size: 25 x 20.5 x 0.7 cm
Language: English (a Japanese edition of this has also been released)
Rarity: 2
Recommended: 2

Content: The motivation for this book was the purchase of an unusual Seikomatic J12082S SilverWave watch by the author Chris Dahlman. The SilverWave model does not traditionally have a date window and there was an inscription “を記念して1964年ギャチュンカン遠征” on the rear that translates to “In Commemoration of the 1964 Gyachung Kang Expedition”. This marking piqued Chris’s interest and he began his research into the story behind this watch and related expedition. Over multiple years of research he was able to discover more about the expedition and this book is the culmination of this.

Comments: The book is mainly based around the diary entries from the 1964 expedition to climb the Gyachung Kang peak in the Himalayas. There are photos from the expedition as well as a route map produced by the author. There is a small amount of information on the specific watch featured on the cover. It is noted that Seiko supplied the watches for the expedition as an equipment sponsor. There is a page describing the basic features of the watch and comparing this to the standard Seikomatic SilverWave model. A table details the general exterior differences between the models. Additionally a listing comparing the components between the traditional SilverWave with a Seikomatic 20 jewel 603 calibre and the expedition J12082S with a Seikomatic Selfdater 24 jewel 394 calibre movement is also included. This is all of the information about the watch itself as the majority of the book is describing the expedition itself. If you are buying the book specifically to find more details about the watch itself this may be a little disappointing, but if you are interested in the story of the expedition itself then the book is worth checking out.

Japanese Title: 時間の日本史 - 日本人はいかに「時」を創ってきたのか
Author: Katsuhiro Sasaki, Takeshi Inoue, Masamasa Hirota, Mizuhiko Hosokawa, Kenta Fujisawa
Publisher: Shogakukan 小学館
Published: 30th July 2021
Pages: 230
ISBN-10: 4093888183
EAN-13: 978-4093888189
Size: 21.6 x 15.7 x 2.1 cm
Language: Japanese
Rarity: 2
Recommended: 4

Content: This book tracks the progress of time and timekeeping within Japan. This is presented in a chronological order with the book broken down into five main sections each written by experts in that field.

The book is divided into the following sections:

• Chapter 1 ・ Watchmaking from Asuka to the calendar change and historical background - (National Science Museum Honorary Researcher, Katsuhiro Sasaki)

• Chapter 2 ・ Calendar change to Taisho ・ Major change in consciousness about time - (Akashi Municipal Astronomical Science Museum Director, Takeshi Inoue)

• Chapter 3 ・ Showa -Reiwa, the road to a major watch-producing country - (Masamasa Hirota, editor-in-chief of the watch magazine "Kronos Japan Edition")

• Chapter 4 ・ Latest research on time measurement - (Senior Researcher, Information and Communication Research Organization, Mizuhiko Hosokawa)

• Chapter 5 ・ Astronomy & Time to take a bird's-eye view from time studies - (Kenta Fujisawa, director of the Institute of Time Studies, Yamaguchi University)

Comments: The book is an interesting exploration of the development of “time” over the years. This has a lot of interesting content and there are a number of small images included throughout to illustrate the topics being discussed. The book does not cover details for any specific watches, so it is more suited to people interested in the topics in general.

Japanese Title: 日本の懐中時計 - 明治・大正昭和変遷史
Author: Shigeru Eguchi
Publisher: Kaisei Shuppan Co. Ltd.
Published: June 1981
Pages: 110
ISBN-10: NA
EAN-13: NA
Size: 225 x 157 x 15 mm
Language: Japanese
Rarity: 4
Recommended: 3.5

Content: The book as the title suggests the book has information on early Japanese made pocket watches.

The book is broken down into the following chapters.

Comments: The book has basic specifications for each of the models along with a short description. The specifications are listed in both Japanese and English. Like many Japanese books it is provided in a slip case. Part 2 of the book is focused upon Seikosha models and if this is your focus then the Illustrated Seikosha Pocket Watches is probably a better option and would be easier to locate a copy.

Japanese Title: セイコー王国を築いた男―小説・服部金太郎
Author: Wakayama Saburo
Publisher: Aoki Inc.
Published: January 1993
Pages: 260
ISBN-10: 4791307224
EAN-13: 978-4791307227
Size: 19.4 x 13.8 x 2.2 cm
Language: Japanese
Rarity: 3
Recommended: 1.5

Content: As expected from the title this book is a biography of Kintaro Hattori from his early years through to the formation of Seiko and his legacy. 

The book is broken down into the following chapters:

• Apprenticeship

• The Way to the clock

• Hattori Watch Shop

• Leap

• If you do not see boys on a third day

• Establish a Precision Crane

• Pioneer Spirit

• Watch King of Japan

• One Step Ahead

• Disappointed

• Huge Footprints

Comments: This is a pure text based biography and of reduced information for non-Japanese readers as the facts presented here are widely known and covered in multiple publications.

Japanese Title: 時計王―セイコー王国を築いた男
Author: Wakayama Saburo
Publisher: Gakken
Published: May 2002
Pages: 294
ISBN-10: 4059001414
EAN-13: 978-4059001416
Size: 15.2 x 10.6 x 1.6 cm
Language: Japanese
Rarity: 2.5
Recommended: 1.5

Content: As expected from the title this book is a biography of Kintaro Hattori from his early years through to the formation of Seiko and his legacy.

Japanese Title: スイスを食った男たち: 時計王国セイコーの100年
Author: Ken Katsuta
Publisher: Management Vision Center
Published: February 1981
Pages: 268
ISBN-10: 4905825016
EAN-13: 978-4905825012
Size:  197 x 137 x 22 mm
Language: Japanese
Rarity: 3
Recommended: 3

Content: This book covers a general overview of the first 100 years of Seiko. The book has a little more info on the management structure towards the second half of the book. This is a topic often overlooked by many books that focus more on simple product release chronology. 

The book is broken down into the following chapters.

• Preface

• Prologue Imperial Hotel Peacock Room

• Another Watch War

• Brilliant Promotional Strategy

• Digital Shock

• Ginza 4-chome, Design Room

• Shinshu Seiki the secret of rapid growth

• Road to Mechatronics

• Founder Kintaro Hattori

• Owner Management and Group Development

• Reconstruction of Seikosha

• Seiko’s Global Strategy

• Entering the New Century

• Conclusion

Comments: The book only has a small number of images with mostly photos of factories and staff members. There is some interesting information contained in the book but as you would expect many of these topics have also been covered in other books on the company history.

Japanese Title: セイコーエプソン物語 - 内陸工業史研究ノート
Author: Ito Iwahiro
Publisher: Local Publishing Company
Published: April 2005
Pages: 231
ISBN-10: 4876637571
EAN-13: 978-4876637577
Size:  197 x 137 x 23 mm
Language: Japanese
Rarity: 3.5
Recommended: 3.5

Comments: This book looks at the history of Seiko Epson and the growth of the company. This book concentrates on the watch production side of the company and less upon other areas like printers and display products.

The book is broken down into the following chapters.

• Introduction and Rapidly Developing Western-style Watches

• Establishment of Hattori Watch Shop and Seikosha

• The Sprout of the Watch Industry in Suwa

• War time, Turns into a Munitions Factory

• Watchmaking Resumed After the War

• Birth of the First Wristwatch in Suwa

• Finally Suwa Remained

• Independent Technology - Triumphant “Marvel”

• Beyond Switzerland with the Finest Products

• Top of the Quartz Revolution

• To General Equipment Manufacturer

• Entering the Global Business for More than 60 Years

Content: Throughout the book there are numerous tables and images to illustrate the points being explored. This book's focus on the watch development division of the company is a nice change compared to many Epson history books that focus upon the business products of the company.

Japanese Title: 匠の時代 1
Author: Katsuto Uchihashi
Publisher: Iwanami Shoten
Published: April 2011 
Pages: 262
ISBN-10: 400603217X
EAN-13: 9784006032173
Size: 150 x 105 x 14 mm
Language: Japanese
Rarity: 2
Recommended: 2

Contents: The book is broken into two distinctive sections. The first part examines the development of the quartz watch by Seiko and how its creation took place. The second half of the book is dedicated to the evolution of the compact low cost calculators from Japanese companies like Sharp and Casio.

The full table of contents can be seen below:

Chapter 1 - Seiko Quartz World 
* From Evacuation Factory
* Spring and Crystal 
* Technological War
* Birth of Quartz 
* Recovery
* Clock Revolution 
* Pushing the Limits

Chapter 2  - Calculator War 
* Birth of 25th Unit 
* Impact 
* "Dr. Rocket" 
* Don’t Believe in “Theory”
* Counterattack
* Survival Strategy
* "Pippippi Calculator" Appeared
* Human Resources War

Comments: This first half of this book is obviously the section that is of interest to watch fans. It covers a story that is quite commonly known regarding the development of the quartz watch.

Japanese Title: 知られざる企業集団 セイコーグループ
Author: Ryutaro Kobayashi
Publisher: Nihon Kogyo Shimbun
Published: May 1987
Pages: 238
ISBN-10: 4819105337
EAN-13: 978-4819105330
Size: 190 x 130 x 17 mm
Language: Japanese
Rarity: 2
Recommended: 3

Contents: This book examines the Seiko group companies and different events from the 60’s to 80’s. The table of contents can be found below:

1. Tokyo Olympics and Seiko Group
* Next Major Command
* Emergence of Quartz watches
* Start on a Diversified Route
* Olympic Effect
2. History of Group Foundation
* Determination on a rainy day
* Watches are business with high priority
* Half Step forward without going backward
* Fourth Era
3. Seiko Hattori World Champion
* Top Brands
* Launch of Quartz watch in the US
* Reorganization of domestic sales system
* Conquest of the distribution industry
* Big Turning point
* Supply Time
* Seiko Super Tennis
4. Unprecedented strength of technology
* Electronic technology is the key to survival
* Challenge of the polygon
* Technical strength of the watch industry
* Merged with Seiko Koki
5. Flowers that bloomed with production technology Seiko Electronics Industry
* Start of high tech route
* Watchmaking
* Overtake Switzerland
* Completion of “System A”
* Human Based Production Technology
* Perception of diversification
* Cultural Industry that saves time
6. Information Society Leader - Seiko Epson
* Transformation Roots
* World’s First Quartz Watch
* Diversified Flowers Bloom
* Road to Corporate Integration
* US operations concept
7. Diversification and Seiko Group
* Mechatronics Embodiment
* Epson is a Mass Produced Product
* Aiming for niche industry
* Loose coupling
8. What will be born from the Seoul Olympics
* Being a member of the international community
* Technology and Skills
* Seoul Tournament with small impact
List of Seiko Officers

Comments: This book covers many interesting subjects but unfortunately often seem to be quite shallow or slightly misleading to their content. For example the chapter covering “Launch of Quartz watch in the US“ very briefly mentions that the Astron went on sale in early 1970 in the United States, but the chapter focuses on the expansion of the Seiko dealer network and growth in the US market share from 1972 to the end of the 70’s.

Japanese Title: セイコーエプソン知られざる全貌―地方で育ったグローバル企業
Author: Kazuhiro Aoyagi
Publisher: Nikkan Kogyo Shimbun
Published: June 2000
Pages: 184
ISBN-10: 4526045411
EAN-13: 9784526045417
Size: 195 x 140 x 22 mm
Language: Japanese
Rarity: 2
Recommended: 1

Contents: The book focuses on the growth of Seiko Epson and the expansion of the company into the electronic device and business product segments. The key technologies behind these categories are examined along with the corporate culture within the organization. The table of contents can be seen below:

Chapter 1 - History of Top-Share Printer "Colorio"
Chapter 2 - Key Technology Supporting EPSON
Chapter 3 - Number One Product Widely Scattered in Industry
Chapter 4 - Corporate Culture Grown at Lake Suwa - Environmental Leading Company
Chapter 5 - "Selection and Concentration" - Toward a large-scale listing for the 21st century
Seiko Epson related materials

Comments: The book covers the growth of Epson and how the company expanded from their watch business to other areas such as semiconductors, crystals, and LCD technologies. It covers the growth of the company's printer, display product, and electronic component products. This book has very little focus on the watch production side of the business and is of minimal interest to watch fans.

Japanese Title: 究め極めた「省・小・精」が未来を拓く
技術で驚きと感動をつくるエプソンブランド４０年のあゆみ
Author: Ogawara Katsuyuki
Publisher: Diamond
Published: July 2015
Pages: 208
ISBN-10: 4478066362
EAN-13: 978-4-478-06636-2
Size: 21 x 15 x 1.9 cm
Language: Japanese
Rarity: 1
Recommended: 3

Contents: This book, as the title suggests, covers the first 40 years of the Epson corporation. This covers the company development, management practices and key products including watches, printers and displays.

The book is divided into the following chapters:

• “EPSON” Birth I want to continue to create “Dream Products” that are not here yet

• “EPSON” Debuts, World's First Dream Creates Technology, Technology Creates an Era

• “Province” 4 core technologies that EPSON is proud to study “Small & Precision”

• “Technologies that innovate the world” Core technologies will change the way of life

• “Exceed” that challenges with evolving management “Sincere Effort” “Your Vision”

• “Creation and Challenge” 40 years of Epson’s future

Comments: This book has a good general overview of Epson’s history but for products the main focus is on printers and not watch products. There is some information on the watches but this is generally relatively short and does not provide any significant new information for watch fans. Some of the following products are highlighted throughout the book.

• EP-101 - Compact Printer

• 35SQ - Seiko Quartz Astron 35SQ

• EPSON EX-1 - Accounting Computer

• MP-80 - Personal Computer Printer

• HC-20 - handheld computer

• T001 - wristwatch with TV

• IP-130K - ink jet printer

• ET-10 - LCD pocket color TV

• PC- 9800 - PC 286 series compatible

• 700-VPJ - LCD video projector

• Mush - ultra-compact autonomous robot

• MJ-700V2C - color inkjet printer

• MJ-500C / 800C - color inkjet printer

• EP-801A - inkjet printer

Japanese Title: 眠れる獅子を起こすグランドセイコー復活物語
Author: Hirohiko Umemoto
Publisher: Discover Twenty One
Published: March, 2021
Pages:273
ISBN-10: 4799327267
EAN-13: 978-4799327265
Size: 13.0 x 18.7 cm
Language: Japanese
Rarity: 1
Recommended: 2

Contents: This book looks at the general marketing activities of Grand Seiko from 2010. The author Hirohiko Umemoto was previously the vice president and COO of Seiko Watch Corporation. The book states that Grand Seiko, which has been sluggish for 50 years, has tripled sales in 5 years, and the book explains the different marketing activities behind this success.

Table of Contents:

• The law of success is caught in three places

• Who and how to make money?

• Rebuilding business by "improving brand value"

• Grand Seiko's Growth Strategy

• First Stage (First Half): Awakening of the Sleeping Lion

• First Stage (Second Half): Establishing the status of a leading brand

• Stages 2 and 3: "Luxury Branding" and "Global Expansion"

Comments: This book is a business title and it does not have any specific details on Grand Seiko and the marketing for the company. The contents are broken down into general topics and are designed to be applicable to any industry. There is a reasonable amount of duplication in the book with numerous chapters covering essentially the same topics. This is disappointing compared to what the title promises, but it is not surprising that there is no Grand Seiko internal information that is shared by a staff member who has only recently left the company.

Japanese Title: 国内生産でも世界で勝てる―メード・イン・ジャパンの逆襲 小型・精密・実装技術で進化するシチズン時計のDNA
Author: Makoto Umehara
Publisher: Toyo Keizai
Published: October 2004
Pages: 229
ISBN-10: 4492501290
EAN-13: 978-4492501290
Size: 19 x 13.2 x 2 cm
Language: Japanese
Rarity: 3.5
Recommended: 1.5

Content: This book focuses upon the business practices that helped Citizen fight back against low cost competition and build the company to the powerhouse it is today. The full title of this book is Can win in the world even in domestic production - Counterattack of Made in Japan - Citizen Watch DNA evolving with miniature, precision, packaging technology. 

Comments: This is a business book focused on the corporate decisions and not the actual watches, so do not expect a history on the development of Eco-Drive or any model specific details.

Japanese Title: ドロ沼の時計戦争―80年代にはどこが伸びどこがダメになるか
Author: TakeShima Ken
Pages: 209
Publisher: Yale publisher
Published: November 1979
ASIN: B000J87K8S
Size: 18.6 X 12.7 X 2.0 cm
Language: Japanese
Rarity: 3
Recommended: 2

Content: This book examines how the Japanese watch industry coped with the quartz revolution and the very competitive market in the late 70’s. 

The chapters are as follows:

• Watch Kingdom in the World – Japan

• Why the Swiss Watch Kingdom was Defeated

• Do you Die or Live? Digital War

• Casio’s fight, which will Win?

• Clock War that threw men?

• Does the retail store have a future?

• Citizen Wants to Catch Up with Seiko

Comments: The book contains a small number of pictures and is almost all text. If you do not read Japanese I cannot recommend this book.

Japanese Title: アンティーク&モダンデジタルウォッチ
Editor in Chief: Mr. Watanabe
Editors: Eiji Tsurutani / Yuji Tanaka / Daisuke Kuwamoto
Pages: 129
Publisher: Rippu Shobo Publishing Co. Ltd.
Published: August 1997
ISBN-10:  4651097162
EAN-13: 987-465109716-9
Size: 29.8 x 22.8 x 1.4 cm
Language: Japanese
Rarity: 3
Recommended: 3.5

Content: This book is filled with large clear images of various digital watches mainly from Japanese manufactures. The book is arranged in roughly chronological order and watches are grouped into common areas. It starts from the first 6 digit LCD watch, the Seiko 06LC, and finishes around the early 1990's. There is also a section for LED watches and another section on toy watches.

Comments: This is a nice overview of the early digital watches and contains lots of nicely shot images and some interesting information. 

Japanese Title: デジタル・ウォッチ大図鑑
Author: N/A
Pages: 143
Publisher: Green Arrow Graffitti
Published: March 1997
ISBN-10:  4766331990
EAN-13: 978-4766331998
Size: 21 x 15 x 1.0cm
Language: Japanese
Rarity: 2.5
Recommended: 1

Content: This is a collection of digital watch images that are presented with a small description next to each.

Comments: The information in this book is minimal at best. There is little organization to the book and there are no real details provided on the watches presented. The models seem to be grouped almost randomly and are at best grouped into brands. There are a small amount of Seiko models displayed with more Citizen models shown and lots of Casio models. There is also a significant amount of early LED watch images presented. I would not bother getting this book unless you can pick it up for just a couple of dollars.

Japanese Title: ジャパン・メイド トゥールビヨン-超高級機械式腕時計に挑んだ日本のモノづくり
Author: Hajime Asaoka, Masato Otsubo , Osawa Jiro, Hirota MiyabiSusumu
Publisher: B & T Books
Published: October 2015
Pages: 178
ISBN-10: 4526074640
EAN-13: 9784526074646
Size: 21 X 15 X 1.8 cm
Language: Japanese
Rarity: 1
Recommended: 3

Contents: Mr. Hajime Asaoka is Japan's first high-end independent watchmaker who has built a number of different watches including a tourbillon model. These watches are hand produced and the process of building this model watch is documented in this book. The full title of this book is Japan Made Tourbillon - Manufacturing in Japan that Challenged Ultra-luxury Mechanical Watches.

 Comments: The book outlines the inspiration, design and production process of the mechanism of the finished tourbillon watch. The book contains a large number of technical drawings and is a complex in-depth discussion of the issues involved. Without a fluent understanding of Japanese and a strong background in watch design the book will be of minimal interest to most readers.

Japanese Title: 機械式時計講座
Author: Shoichiro Komaki
Publisher: University of Tokyo Press
Published: August 2014
Pages: 264 pages
ISBN-10:  
EAN-13: 978-4130688000
Size: 26 X 19 X 3 cm
Language: Japanese
Rarity: 1
Recommended: 3

Contents: This is a reprinting of a serialized mechanical watch introductory course that had been printed in the Japanese magazine “The world of Watches". The course was written by Shoichiro Komaki who is a member of the Japan Clock Society and technology adviser. In 1958 Komaki-san joined Seiko and was involved in the design and research for watches. He was involved in the submission of the watches for the Swiss Observatory Competition and was also heavily involved in the development of Quartz technology.

Comments: This is a highly technical book and due to the specialized nature of the contents would only be useful for native Japanese readers with a strong background in mechanical watch servicing and assembly.

Japanese Title: クォーツ時計 (科学からのメッセージ) 
Author: N/A
Publisher: Tohren
Published: 1984
Pages: 38
ISBN-10: 4924574023
EAN-13: 978-4924574021
Size: 28.5x 21.4 x 0.7cm
Language: Japanese
Rarity: 3
Recommended: 2

Content: There is a short history of timekeeping and then this book describes the basic principles of quartz technology as well as a section on how LCD’s and CMOS-IC operate. 

Comments: This book has a simple description of the technology and is not brand specific. There are a number of sections that specifically reference Seiko including a two page FAQ section at the end of the book. Due to the small amount of hard information contained in this book and the general nature of it this is not recommended.

French Title: Rattraper et dépasser la Suisse Histoire de l’industrie horlogère japonaise de 1850 à nos jours
Author: Pierre-Yves Donzé
Publisher: Editions Alphil - Presses Universitaires Suisses
Published: 2014
Pages: 506
ISBN-10: 294048998X
EAN-13: 978-2-940489-98-5
Size: 210 x 140 x 28mm
Language: French
Rarity: 3
Recommended: 3

Content: The description for this book states that it contains a complete history of the Japanese watch industry, from the opening of the country in the 1850s to the present day. The analysis covers the main manufacturers of Japanese watches (Seiko, Citizen and Casio) as well as other types of players, such as the State, universities and collective research organizations.

Comments: I have not seen this book but I have read that it does contain a wealth of interesting information. If you speak French this would be recommended.

Author: Pierre-Yves Donzé
Publisher: Routledge Taylor & Francis Group
Published: November 2016
Pages: 242
ISBN-10: 1138650692
EAN-13: 978-1138650695
Size: 234 x 158 x 21mm
Language: English
Rarity: 1
Recommended: 3

Content: This book traces the history of the Japanese watch industry from the opening of the Japanese economy in 1850 to the present day. The book is broken down into the following sections:

• Introduction

• PART I The birth of an industry (1850–1945)

  • 1 The emergence and the growth of a market

  • 2 The first steps towards industrialization (1880–1914)

  • 3 Technological challenges (1900–1937)

  • 4 The evolution of markets (1900–1937)

  • 5 The main manufacturers

  • 6 The experience of war

• PART II The conquest of the world (1945–1985)

  • 7 Technological challenges

  • 8 The evolution of markets

  • 9 Organization and management of the largest watch companies

• PART III The Japanese watch industry since 1985

• Conclusion

• Appendix

• Bibliography

• Index

Comments: This book seems to examine the history of the Japanese watch industry and how the commercial markets have evolved. I am unsure how much information from the book "Catching Up and Overtaking Switzerland" is replicated in this book.

Japanese Title: 時計の針はなぜ右回りなのか―時計と時間の謎解き読本
Author: Oda Ichiro
Publisher: Megapress
Published: October 1994
Pages: 230
ISBN-10: 4794205783
EAN-13: 9784794205780
Size: 19 x 13.4 x 1.6 cm
Language: Japanese
Rarity: 3
Recommended: 2

Content: This is a series of short essays about different topics relating to time and time keeping. Some of the topics covered are as listed below:

• The beginning of the week is Sunday or Monday?

• Why are the clock hands clockwise?

• Why is the clock in the catalog pointing at 10:08?

• How much can the accuracy of the quartz watch be increased?

• How does the advancement of watch technology change sports?

• How did the pocket watch become a watch?

• Why did the American watch industry decline?

• Which shop is using a counterclockwise clock?

• How to increase the accuracy of hourglasses?

• How many seconds are needed to avoid aerial collisions?

• Is it possible to introduce daylight saving time in Japan?

• Is it true that you can live longer if it is an Islamic calendar?

Comments: This is a short collection of topics that all relate to time. Each topic is covered in 2-4 pages. The book was written by Oda Ichiro who worked for Seiko for many years in the product management, sales planning and publicity departments. He was in charge of the planning and editing of the Seiko publication “A Journey in Time”. 
 

Japanese Title: あなたの人生の残り時間は? 時計と時間のウンチク話
Author: Ichiro Oda
Publisher: Kusashisha
Published: June 2004
Pages: 230
ISBN-10: 479421314X
EAN-13: 9784794213143
Size: 19 x 13.4 x 1.6 cm
Language: Japanese
Rarity: 3
Recommended: 2

Contents: This is a collection of short essays on different topics related to time, each essay is approximately 2-3 pages. The essays are grouped into the following chapters:

• Does the week start on a Monday or a Sunday?

• Are Japanese really busy?

• “Second” Watching Sports

• Clocks that colored history

• What is the most expensive watch in the world?

• Can waiting time at the airport be zero?

• Summer time finally begins

Comments: This collection of essays is assembled by Ichiro Oda the former employee of Hattori Watch Store (currently Seiko). He was engaged in sales, sales planning, advertising and public relations. This book is a follow up to "Why is the clock hand clockwise?" that was released ten years earlier and had a similar format. This should be considered as just general casual reading and not really reference material.

Japanese Title: 「世界最速の男」をとらえろ！-進化する「スポ－ツ計時」の驚くべき世界
Author: Ichiro Oda
Publisher: Soshisha 草思社
Published: July 2013
Pages: 237
ISBN-10: 479421989X
EAN-13: 978-4794219893
Size: 18.8 x 13.2 x 1.7 cm
Language: Japanese
Rarity: 3
Recommended: 4

Content: This book looks at the history of sports timekeeping and the challenges that are faced in this segment. Some of the topics covered are listed below.

• The era when the clock could not catch up with the competition

• Training for referees to train their dynamic vision

• "Olympic Games of Science"

• Tokyo Olympics

• "Electronic eyes" instead of visual inspection

• Measurement up to 1/10,000th of a second

• New fine measurement

• 3 mm difference divides gold and silver

• Swimming is OK to fly up to 0.03 seconds

• "The fastest man in the world" disappeared in 5 days

• Is the pistol 0.5 seconds earlier?

• It is possible to discriminate “1 / hundreds or thousands of seconds”

• If it fails, it will be known all over the world

• Olympic equipment exceeding 10 billion yen

• Is the pool distortion larger than the timing error?

• No malfunction is allowed even at a high temperature of 50 degrees or an extremely cold temperature of -30 degrees.

• Flying regulations to be reviewed

• Is “less than 100 ms” correct?

• What is the ultimate sports timekeeping?

The book examines the issues from the producers of the timing devices point of view, as well as the users of the devices and how the advances in sports timekeeping have altered the sports themselves.

Comments: If you are interested in sports timekeeping this book is definitely worth checking out. The book was written by former Seiko employee Ichiro Oda who joined the company after graduating university in 1971. Oda-san worked for Seiko for over 25 years where he was responsible for watch sales, sales planning, promotion, public relations, etc. After leaving Seiko he held the role of visiting professor at the Institute of Time Studies, Yamaguchi University, and was the director of the Japan Time Society.

Japanese Title: スポーツ計時1000分の1秒物語
Author: Akihide Mori 森 彰英
Publisher: Kodansha
Published: 1st May 1993
Pages: 206
ISBN-10: 4062060418
EAN-13: 978-4062060417
Size: 19.5 x 13.5 x 2 cm
Language: Japanese
Rarity: 3
Recommended: 2

Content: This book examines the people, mechanisms and equipment behind the scenes that allow athletes to set new world records today. High tech timing devices now record athletic and swimming events to 1/1000th of a second. The book examines the human drama behind the records and the painstaking development of timekeeping engineers.

The book is broken down into the following chapters:

• Chapter 1 Timekeeping creates drama 

• Chapter 2 People evolve in sports

• Chapter 3 Recognized electronic timekeeping

• Chapter 4 Similarity between ski competition and F1

• Chapter 5 Timekeeping humans and precision machine humans

• Chapter 6 People who support the challenge

• Chapter 7 Swimming has become an intellectual game

Comments: This book looks at the development behind modern sports timing technology and the history to get to this point. There is a section looking at the development of stopwatches and another looking at the success of the 1964 Tokyo Olympics where quartz precision timing was used for the first time at that level. If you are specifically interested in sports timekeeping then there may be some interesting content included.

Japanese Title: スポーツタイミング 百物語
Author: Yasuaki Asahara 浅原 保明
Publisher: Baseball Magazine Company
Published: 1st July 1996
Pages: 275
ISBN-10: 4583033303
EAN-13: 978-4583033303
Size: 19.5 x 13.5 x 2.2 cm
Language: Japanese
Rarity: 3
Recommended: 2

Content: This book also looks at the development and implementation of modern sports timing devices. The author has been involved in sports timekeeping for many years, including World Championships and the Olympic Games, so they are able to provide an inside perspective on this specialised area of timing.

Comments: There is only a small amount of Seiko specific content in this book. If you are very interested in sports timing this book will give some insight into the background from an end user's point of view.

Japanese Title: 黄金の刻 小説 服部金太郎
Author: Shuhei Nire
Publisher: Shueisha
Published: 2021
Pages: 389
ISBN-10: 4087717720
EAN-13: 9784087717723
Size: 19.7 X 14 X 3.3 cm
Language: Japanese
Rarity: 1
Recommended: 1

Content: This book is a fictional history of the life of Kintaro Hattori and his efforts to found Seiko and build the company into the success it became. The book is loosely based on factual elements but many of the specific details included in the book were invented by the author to produce an entertaining and complete story of Hattori-san's life and his business endeavours.

Comments: This book was written to commemorate the 140th Anniversary of the founding of Seiko. It could be considered an extensive work of fan fiction where there is a mix of both factual and invented events around the founding of Seiko. The book is written completely in Japanese and as a novel it does not have any photos or content for non-Japanese readers. While it is likely an entertaining story it would be of minimal interest to fans of the company as it does not accurately represent the history of the company.