4 Japanese watch brands with fantastic value for money.

Since the quartz crisis in 1970, Japanese watchmakers have gained international recognition.

Japanese watches are characterized by their timeless design and comparatively cheap. This has allowed the Japanese Watchmaker's to secure a firm place in the watch industry.

The watch production in Japan can be divided into two branches: In addition to very exclusive and expensive Japanese luxury watches, there are also a lot of watches that are quite cheap and well-known for their good value for money.

One could almost argue that a majority of Japanese watches are aimed at the entry-level market, or at least aimed at less wealthy customers - perhaps an influence of the quartz crisis, when Japanese watchmakers flooded the worldwide market with inexpensive quartz watches?

Anyway, the strategy seems to work. The watch industry in Japan is larger than ever before. In addition to countless small manufacturers that specialize primarily in high-end watches, there are four major manufacturers that have set themselves apart from the crowd.

Let's take a look at the 4 largest watch manufacturers from Japan, that have an excellent price-to-value ratio.

Seiko - Japan's leading watch manufacturer

Seiko is not only considered one of the most important watch manufacturers in Japan but also the biggest watch brand in the country by far.

But, what makes Seiko so significant?

First of all, Seiko revolutionized the technology of the quartz watch back in the year 1960, a technology that almost destroyed the European watch industry. Seiko's success in the 1980s allowed other Japanese watch manufacturers to grow alongside Seiko and establish themselves in the watch market during the quartz crisis.

Seiko (initially named Seikōsha) was founded in 1881 by Kintarō Hattori. Only 21 years old, Hattori was very young when he founded Seiko.

In the beginning, Seiko focused exclusively on wall clocks. But soon, Seiko began producing their first pocket watch, a watch that proved to be a big seller. By the early 1900s, Seikōsha (now Seiko) was the leading manufacturer of pocket, wall and table clocks in all of Japan.

The watch brand Seiko gained some experience and continued to develop its product line. In the year of 1913, the first wristwatch was launched, officially sold under the Seiko name from 1924.

However, the real breakthrough did not come until 1980, when the further development of the quartz watch enabled them to establish their brand internationally.

To this day, Seiko is one of the largest watch manufacturers and continues to push development with technical innovations such as the Spring Drive movement.