Thoughts on Seiko Kinetics Part I
Being a collector and admirer of Seiko kinetics for years, it’s probably strange to hear me say that I think the technology is redundant and perhaps even obsolete. It’s not that I don’t admire kinetics, I just think longer lasting batteries and solar recharging (dial limitations not withstanding) methods are becoming more practical solutions to the quartz watch problems Seiko was trying to address when they created the kinetic concept.
Based on what I read on the forums, I think this opinion is shared by many collectors. However, what I don’t see recognized is that when released, the kinetic concept was a brilliant attempt to address the frustrations of owning quartz watches back in the the day.
Most critics of kinetic technology fail to remember what it was like to own a quartz watch back in the 1980’s. By then, quartz was well established and no longer a novelty. As the thrill of the stepping second hand and quartz accuracy wore off, owners started realizing two major problems with their new watches; battery life (it was not uncommon to get a year or less out of a single battery) and the unexpected death of your battery at any given moment.
End of battery life indicators (typified today by the jumping seconds hand) were not yet in wide use and it was not uncommon to walk around for an hour or two not knowing that your watch had stopped. All of the sudden, you would realize that the time hadn’t changed in two hours. Hopefully this wouldn’t get you in trouble, but often it could.
The frustration of dealing with a dead watch was compounded by the fact that it felt like you’d just had the battery replaced. Now you had to go to the jeweler to get it fixed. However, as many know, it sometimes wasn’t a pleasant experience. More often than not, a visit to the jeweler ended not only with a replaced battery, but also some new scratches and gouges in your cases and even crystals. These were the joys of owning a quartz watch.
This was the time when quality watchmakers stopped working in jewelry stores. There was no reason. Mechanical watches were almost extinct. Now you had run of the mill clerks working on your expensive watches. I clearly remember taking a Casio quartz watch to various mall jewelers in 1985 and asking; “can you replace the battery without marking up the case?” None of them would give me the answer I wanted to hear. Frustrating to say the least.
Sure automatics were available then, but remember, this was a dark time in horology. It wasn’t easy to find cheap automatics let alone higher end brands. Outside of Rolex, finding an automatic watch in a store was not easy. When Seiko released the kinetic movement, I instantly realized that it was a clever attempt in addressing the shortcomings outlined above.
By understanding this environment, I think all can gain a better appreciation for the reasons Seiko spent so much time and effort in developing the kinetic concept. In the next installment, I’ll discuss some Seiko history in kinetic development and also review what I think is the most interesting and collectible of all watches related to Kinetic technology.
