In 1964, Seiko entered the Neuchâtel Observatory trials and placed poorly. By 1968, Swiss judges were quietly rewriting the rules as Suwa’s movements climbed the standings. That decade of pressure, Japan proving itself and Switzerland defending itself, produced the best affordable watches ever made, on both sides.
The Japanese pieces from those years are still undervalued: King Seikos with case finishing that rivals anything from Geneva, Citizen chronometers made in the hundreds. The European pieces are better understood but the mid-range is full of quiet excellence: Omega’s 5xx calibres, Longines’ last in-house movements, Universal’s micro-rotors.
We source from both because the story is one story. A collection with a King Seiko next to a Polerouter isn’t eclectic. It’s complete.