Your Crash Course to Seiko Movements

Exploring Seiko’s movements is quite a mammoth task. These are the most popular movements for a quick lesson.

The movement inside a watch is a little like the engine of a vehicle. It keeps a watch running by actuating the hands or controlling the digital display (for digital watches). 

Today, there are many watch movements to choose from. Seiko, however, has been consistently making good ones for over a century!

The Best Seiko Movements 

Some of the best Seiko movements are much more affordable than traditional Swiss-made movements. They were, after all, largely responsible for the early demise of many Swiss manufacturers during the quartz crisis. 

Seiko was the first to produce the quartz watch in 1969. Its accuracy cemented the brand’s position amongst some of the top movement manufacturers in the world

The brand’s mechanical movements, however, came even before this time. The 1956 Seiko Marvel showcased the brand’s first fully in-house engine. 

Then came the first chronograph watch during the 1960s. It featured the Calibre 6139 — the world’s first automatic chronograph movement. 

What was even more revolutionary was that it incorporated a vertical clutch and column wheel. These features contributed to a smoother stopwatch performance. 

Seiko Automatic Movements 

Seiko automatic movements use the natural motion of your wrist to power a self-winding mechanism. This mechanism comprises a small oscillating weight that rotates when you wear it. 

When the rotor moves in response to the wrist’s movement, it transfers energy to a mainspring. 

Of course, under the category of mechanical watches (also shared by the automatic) sits the manual winding type. This is a more intricate arrangement. It is manually wound by hand before gradually unwinding until the power runs out.

Check this article out if you want to delve a little deeper into the difference between automatic and manual-winding movements.

Other types of movement include the Seiko Kinetic type, which charges a quartz crystal and stores it in a battery. 

Also, the brand’s proprietary Spring Drive technology gets power from the rotor but without the use of a battery. 

The Seiko Quartz Movements

A quartz movement from Seiko is another kettle of fish. It relies on a battery to vibrate at a rate of 32,768 times per second. The electrical pulse created from this powers the electric motor, which, in turn, activates the gears in a watch. 

One of the main advantages of a Seiko quartz watch is its accuracy. The fact it operates via battery also constitutes a cheaper repair, service, or replacement. 

The first Seiko Quartz Movement was the Quartz Astron 35SQ, which played a role in the arrival of the quartz crisis. 

The signals generated by a quartz oscillator are incredibly precise. For that reason, these watches are more accurate than their mechanical counterparts. 

5 Seiko Mechanical Movements – the Technologies 

The Japanese brand has a broad catalog of movements that remain some of the most accurate in the world. To uphold this reputation, they benefitted from several technological triumphs from Seiko’s innovations. 

These go by the names Diashock, Spron, and Magic Lever, to name just a few examples. 

Let’s look at some of the technologies that enhance Seiko’s mechanical movements. 

1. Diashock

Diashock is Seiko’s proprietary anti-shock system, introduced in the mid-1950s. It was initially featured in the company’s first in-house movement. It supported the movement’s balance wheel with spring-loaded construction.

If you drop a watch, damage to the integral parts of the movement — like the balance wheel pivot — is likely. Diashock is Seiko’s very own version of Incabloc technology, serving to reduce the risk of impact on the engine. 

2. Magic Lever

Introduced nine years after Diashock, the Magic Lever by Seiko improves the efficiency of a winding system. It does this by shortening the winding mechanism extending the power reserve. 

There are many advantages to the Magic Lever Winding system created by Seiko. One is that it comprises far fewer parts than a traditional Swiss winding system.

3. Spron 

Seiko’s Spron technology is similar to that of Nivarox. It is the company’s special alloy, developed for its mainsprings. 

The advantages of this alloy, crafted from cobalt and nickel, are that it is both tear and corrosion-resistant. 

The reason why the movement lasts so long is down to the longevity of this mainspring. Leveraging its reputation further, Seiko is one of the very few brands in the world that can make its mainsprings.  

4. Tri-Synchro Regulator

This Spring Drive technology, developed by Seiko specialists, can control the unwinding of the mainspring to optimize its power source. 

It does this by acting as a speed control mechanism. A brake in the rotor slows the power down while enabling electric signals to pass from the quartz oscillator. 

5. Spring Drive 

Is Seiko’s Spring Drive technology automatic or quartz? That is the question most commonly asked when discussing this type of movement. 

To put it simply, Spring Drive defies this categorization because it is neither of the two. It features a mainspring, promising a higher torque, enabling it to power large watches. 

It goes without an escape, too, benefitting from the Tri-Synchro Regulator I mentioned earlier. 

Seiko Movements Ranked in Order of Popularity

Seiko has been developing consistently accurate, well-built movements for over a century. Now, you can view some of these Seiko movements ranked in order of popularity. 

1. The Seiko 4R35

Of all the incredible Seiko movements (and there are so many of them!), the 4R35 has to be the most widely used. Its versatility and affordability lends itself to a handy date feature, which wasn’t available in its predecessor, the 7S26. 

The movement was released circa 2011 and fits inside models like the Seiko Presage and Sumo.

For those who prefer Seiko’s traditional movements over those with Spron technology, the 4R35 is a sure winner. 

2. The 7S26

The Seiko Calibre 7S26 thoroughly deserves to be on this list of best Seiko movements. It inspired the 7S series and ticked six times per second. This meant that the automatic engine powered a much smoother second hand around the dial. 

Those watches, particularly the diving kind powered by the 7S26, were impressively robust. The most popular type is the SKX. 

The movement is no longer in production but the 4R36 replaced it. You could easily lose yourself among the variants that this legacy caliber 7S26 powered. There are so many out there. 

However, its architecture would go on to be modified significantly in the years that followed. 

3. The Seiko 4R36

As aforementioned, the 4R36 is the movement that took over the former 4R35 and, before that, the 7S26 Calibre. While it still offered the same performance rate and power reserve of 40 hours, it saw some upgrades. 

Seiko had already equipped the watch with a hacking second function and hand-winding capability, as seen in the 4R35. However, the 4R36 also came with a day-date function, as opposed to the standard date aperture of the 4R35. 

If you look through the Seiko 5 Sports watch collection today, you’ll see many models powered by the Calibre 4R36.

4. Seiko 5R65

The Seiko Calibre 5R65 is in an impressive movement thanks to its Spring Drive technology. It produces an accuracy of +/-1 seconds per day. Launched inside watches like the Marinemaster Golden Tuna, this high-end caliber promises a 70-hour power reserve.

This movement is also able to beat at a rate of 28,800 vibrations per hour. It comprises 292 parts, including a column wheel and vertical clutch. 

5. Seiko 5X53

The history of the 5X53 dates back to the birth of Seiko solar-powered watches in the 1970s. It also features some modern models from the brand’s catalog.

This is a quartz movement with an impressive accuracy of – /+ 15 seconds per month! Differing from other quartz movements, it can set the time using a GPS signal. It is amongst some of the Japanese brand’s finest horological achievements to date, shaping its history drastically. 

It also offers several complications, such as the sundial pointer day at 3 o’clock and day/night indication. Plus, it features dual time capability and 39 time zones. 

6. Seiko V175

The V175 Calibre by Seiko is another solar-charging movement. It’s in the brand’s masculine and powerful-looking Prospex Air Diver’s Chronograph watch. The added complication this watch offers is, of course, a chronograph. 

The movement features central hours, minutes, and chronograph seconds, as well as small running seconds at 9 o’clock. It also features a 24-hour scale at 3H and a date at 4:30.

As with all of Seiko’s solar-powered movements, it converts light into electrical energy, storing it in the battery. The movement takes anywhere between 5-150 hours of light to charge, depending on the light source fully. 

A Seiko Movement List for Quick Referencing 

Here’s a quick Seiko movement list and each one’s basic fact profile. 

1. The Seiko 4R35

Featured In: The Seiko Presage 

Year or Development: 2011

Performance: 21,600VPH

Accuracy: – 35 / +45 seconds per day 

Power reserve: 40 hours

2. The Seiko 7S26

Featured In: the Seiko Prospex 

Year or Development: 1996

Performance: 21,600VPH

Accuracy: – 20 / +49 seconds per day 

Power reserve: 40 hours

3. Seiko 4R36

Featured in: Seiko 5 Sport

Year of Development: 2011

Performance: 21, 600VPH

Accuracy: -31 / + 45 seconds per day 

Power Reserve: 40 hours

4. Seiko 5R65

Featured In: Seiko Golden Tuna

Year of Development: 2005

Performance: 28 800VPH

Accuracy: -/+ 1 seconds per day 

Power Reserve: 70 hours

5. Seiko 5X53

Featured In: Seiko Astron GPS

Year of Development: 2018

Performance: 32,768 Hz

Accuracy: -/+ 15 seconds per month

Power Reserve: 6 months once fully charged by the light source 

6. Seiko V175

Featured in: Prospex Air Diver’s Chronograph

Year of Development: 2018

Performance: 32,768 Hz

Accuracy: -/+ 15 seconds per month

Power Reserve: requires 5 hours of light to charge fully 

FAQs

If you’re still weighing up the different Seiko movements, these FAQs may help. 

Which Seiko Movement Is Best? 

The Calibre 4R35 and 4R36 are some of the most popular calibers today. While every Seiko movement offers its advantages, personal preferences regarding features and budget vary from collector to collector.

Are Seiko Movements Reliable?

Yes, enthusiasts rate Seiko’s movements, both automatic and quartz-driven, for their reliability. They are some of the most accurate in the world. 

How Do Seiko Movements Work? 

While some Seiko watch movements are solar-powered, others are classified as automatic or manual. The former relies on the natural movement of your wrist. Seiko’s Spring Drive technology, however, is arguably superior to both. 

The Takeaway 

So, that was your crash course in some of the best Seiko movements. Of course, this list could never be exhaustive of all movements created by the Japanese manufacturer. 

However, it does give you an idea of the breadth and scope of the brand’s expertise in this field. 

Which Seiko watch movement do you consider the most impressive of all time? Are you a fan of the ultra-accurate quartz? Or does the brand’s cutting-edge solar-powered range get your vote? Leave your comments below!