It is a commonplace truth that consumer buying all over the world is increasingly affected by environmental concerns, but it is notable that the "green" dimension has not, until now, greatly impacted the watch industry, no doubt because consumers, quite correctly, do not see watches as a major source of environmental damage. But perhaps we should now all think again. Each year, 1.7 billion watch batteries are thrown away. Can that be a good thing? SEIKO thinks not, and this site is our guide to clean energy watchmaking and to the kind of clear thinking we need to solve the problem.

In fact, the world is realizing that there is a problem, and things are now changing as we see from the ever-increasing demand for SEIKO Kinetic, the only watch in the world to generate its own electricity by movement. We see it from the steadily increasing popularity of mechanical watches in the medium, as well as the upper price segment of the market, and from the extraordinary response to SEIKO's recently launched solar watch collection. All these technologies require no battery change, therefore, they generate no waste when worn.

SEIKO is proud of its record on the environment. We believe that we are the leading "green" watch company, a position that we hold both in terms of our products and the way we manufacture them.

But SEIKO knows that it needs to go further. SEIKO is proud of its environmental policies, and we intend to remain one step ahead in this area as well as in pure timekeeping technology.

  • Spring Drive
  • Kinetic
  • Solar
  • Mechanical

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SEIKO WATCH CORPORATION has always been dedicated to minimizing the environmental impact of its activities and products and to improving the global environment:
1969 Since 1969, SEIKO has reduced the power requirement of its quartz watches by 70%.
1993 SEIKO led the industry by eliminating CFC’s from its manufacturing processes.
1988 SEIKO introduced Kinetic, the only watch in the world to generate electricity by its wearer’s movement, thus eliminating the need for regular battery change.
1999 SEIKO introduced Spring Drive, a “green” technology that delivers accuracy of 1 second a day, but has no battery.
1999 SEIKO eliminated nickel from its watches, in line with the EU Nickel Directive.
2000 Since 2000, SEIKO has annually published an Environmental Report as part of its "CSR Report". In this report, SEIKO Holdings Corporation makes clear the progress it has made in environmental protection and sets annual goals for future action.
2005 Since 2005, All SEIKO’s watch production facilities have ISO 14001 certification.
2006 SEIKO’s electronic watches achieved compliance with the RoHS Directive, eliminating lead from the solder in our quartz movements. Many other watchmakers were unable to meet the EU’s RoHS requirements, and they were obliged to seek exemptions from the law. Some, even today, have not achieved this important EU standard.
2007 In April, SEIKO launched the first mercury free watch battery. In June 2008, SEIKO became the first in the industry to install mercury-free button batteries in all SEIKO watches, thereby preventing hundreds of kilograms of this potentially dangerous metal entering the environment.
2008 In November, all SEIKO watches, even mechanicals, and all bracelet parts became RoHS compliant.
SEIKO complies with all EU environmental Directives and regulations, including the RoHS, Nickel, Battery and WEEE Directives