IF you are an ’80s kid, you probably grew up knowing “Seiko” for three things: the so-called lucky wallet, the sexy films Gretchen B. made famous, and the Seiko 5 watches your dad and uncles could never stop talking about.
Yes, the same Gretchen you’ve been following on IG for her “juicy” stories recently. Also I dare you not to sing: “Seiko, Seiko wallet/ang wallet na maswerte/balat nito ay ‘ginuwayn/international pa ang mga design.” Ha! You’re in LSS mode now!
As for the watch, you might not be aware of it but Seiko is actually one of the oldest tech companies in the world, tracing its beginnings from way back in the late 1800s. Throughout history, they have introduced numerous technological innovations not only for watches but also with their other brands, such as the printer and projector brand Epson.
HOUSE OF EXQUISITE WORKMANSHIP. The story of Seiko began in 1881, when a 22-year-old entrepreneur, Kintaro Hattori, opened a store that sold and repaired watches and clocks in Tokyo. He then put up the first ever “Seikosha” factory 11 years later, in 1892, producing wall clocks.
Seikosha roughly translated to “House of Exquisite Workmanship,” and it is where the word Seiko was derived from. Seiko also meant “exquisite” or “success.” True to its name, Seikosha’s wall clock business became a success prompting Kintaro to broaden the range of his business by introducing the Timekeeper, a pocket watch, in 1895, which eventually paved the way for Japan’s first-ever wristwatch called the “Laurel,” in 1913.
The first “Seiko” watch was released in 1924, a year after the Great Kanto Earthquake destroyed the company’s headquarters and its Seikosha factory all burned down. Seiko’s innovations include the “Diashock,” a shock-resistant device; the Gyro Marvel, the first self-winding watch equipped with Seiko’s proprietary “magic lever” system which is still being used today; and the creation for the first Japanese diver’s watch.
In 1969, Seiko ignited the quartz revolution with the first quartz watch, Seiko Quartz Astron. At the time, the Astron cost the same as a medium-sized car.
Eventually, the company made the wristwatch the most versatile gadget of its time, introducing new features, such as an LCD quartz display, a multi-function digital watch with a chronograph, a watch with a TV and radio tuner, as well as a watch that could record short voice memos.
Seiko is also credited for ushering in the age of portable information devices when it released the UC-2000. It was the world’s first watch with computer functions. It had a memory of up to 2,000 characters and could store telephone numbers and addresses, as well as a diary or schedule for up to one month. Talk about high tech!
SEIKO 5 SPORTS: DESIGNED FOR THE NEXT GEN. Throughout its long history, Seiko has produced watches with quartz, kinetic, solar and mechanical movements of varying styles and prices points. To separate them, the company created several different brands, namely, Grand Seiko, Astron, Prospex, Presage, Seiko Premier, and perhaps, the most popular of them all, the Seiko 5 Sports.
Born in the 1960s, the Seiko 5 was the brand’s introductory line of automatic watches and the “5’’ represented the promise that every watch would have five key attributes: an automatic movement, a day-date display at the three o’clock position, water resistance, a recessed crown at the four o’clock position, and a case and bracelet built for durability. Taken together and in combination with a mainspring and shock-resistance system, these features gave Seiko 5 its distinctive appearance and its strength.
The Seiko 5 Sports was created for the ever-growing number of men and women who wanted a watch they could trust as they played sports.
In addition to the fundamental values of Seiko 5, the Sports variant offered enhanced water-resistance, a strengthened crystal, and luminous hands and
hour markers. Throughout the next decades, Seiko 5 Sports found great international favor as a ‘’go-anywhere’’ watch that offered a unique look and extraordinary value.
In particular, the collection became synonymous among younger watch lovers with the many designs that had dials in vivid colors.
This year, the Seiko 5 Sports is reborn with 27 different executions, each in one of five styles: Sports, Suits, Specialist, Street and Sense. Drawing inspiration from the five decades of Seiko 5 Sports’ success, its design is based on one of Seiko’s most-loved sports watches. Every creation in the new collection shares an updated version of this celebrated case and all have the same arrow shaped minute hands, distinctive hour markers and one-way rotating bezel. The movements are all Seiko’s tried-and-trusted automatic Caliber 4R36, with 24 jewels, optional manual-winding, a 41-hour power reserve, and a hacking second hand.
SHOW YOUR STYLE. To celebrate the grand relaunch of the Seiko 5 Sports collection, a special event was held at the SMX Convention Center in SM Aura last October 16. It also introduced new Seiko 5 celebrity ambassadors including Rodjun Cruz, Dianne Medina, Khalil Ramos, Chu Calleja and Ben&Ben—each one representing the 5 Seiko personas: Street, Sense, Suits, Sports, and Specialist, respectively.
Launch visitors enjoyed a 20-percent discount for all Seiko 5 Sports watches, and 15-percent off on other Seiko watches through the Seiko ambassadors promo codes. DJ Javi Vargas and DJ Tobi Panlilio pumped up the venue as guests engaged in five different booth activities that provided a unique Seiko 5 Sports experience.
SMART HYPES THE LATEST IPHONE
THE new iPhone 11 series is out and Smart Communications has just wrapped up its pre-order promos for the latest Apple smartphones.
The new iPhones are best experienced with Smart Signature Device Plan L, which comes with monthly 15GB data, Unli AnyNet Texts, Unli On-net Calls, and 150 min AnyNet Calls.
Under Smart Signature Device Plan L, Smart offers the iPhone 11 (64GB) for P2,499 per month for 24 months with a one-time cash-out of P7,000. With the same plan, Smart also offers the iPhone 11 Pro (64GB) for P3,099 per month for 24 months with a one-time cash-out of P11,500 and the iPhone 11 Pro Max (64GB) for P3,299 per month for 24 months with a one-time cash-out of P12,910.
You can also get the new iPhones via affordable cash amortization options under Smart Signature Plan M, which comes with monthly 10GB data, Unli AnyNet Texts, Unli On-net Calls, and 150 min AnyNet Calls. And for existing Smart Postpaid subscribers, great news: those who are availing of iPhone via retention can simply charge their device cash-out to their monthly bill—so there’s no need to shell out cash up-front. The iPhone 11 comes in six new gorgeous colors including purple, green, yellow, black, white and red.
Smart is also the only mobile services provider in the Philippines that offers Carrier Billing for App Store and Apple Music, among others.
This is a safe, secure and convenient payment method that enables Smart Postpaid subscribers to easily charge all Apple purchases to their mobile phone bill, eliminating the need for a credit card.