The leader in Japanese precision watchmaking. Seiko’s beginnings trace back to 1881 with Kintarō Hattori starting “K. Hattori & Co.” in Tokyo. Hattori had been a clockmaker apprentice since the age of 13, working at different watch shops, refining his watch repair and salesmanship skills. He started the business retailing imported Swiss timepieces through his close connections to foreign watchmakers and trading firms. His shop was rapidly gaining popularity due to the rare and exclusive timepieces only he had access to in Japan; eventually the store was so successful he was able to relocate it to the main commercial street of Ginza where it stands to this day. He did this for almost two decades before deciding to manufacture his own watches by purchasing a factory in Tokyo and renaming it to “Seikosha”. His first Japanese-manufactured timepieces were a huge success and through this he was able to afford a trip to Europe to acquire new watchmaking equipment so he could keep up with western watchmaking. This trip proved to be a success and Hattori was able to create new assembly lines and expand his burgeoning business. In 1924 he officially founded the company known today as Seiko. Seiko shook the watch industry to its core when it released the first-ever quartz movement in a watch in 1969. If you exclude the Swatch Group, (which is more akin to a watchmaker conglomerate), then Seiko is the largest watchmaker in the world. Karats is your destination for Seiko watches in the Kansas City area. Karats has a large selection of Seiko watches for sale. Karats also offers crystal, strap replacement, overhaul, oiling, movement servicing, or any other type of repair for your Seiko watches. Karats is located in Overland Park, Kansas, and we look forward to meeting all your Seiko watch needs.
Karats is an authorized retailer for Seiko and we look forward to helping you choose your next watch.