Original Item. Only One Available. This is a very nice nearly mint example of an Imperial Japanese Army Aviator’s stopwatch in its original wood case by Seikosha of Tokyo.

The case is stamped on the lid 測秒器, meaning second meter, or stopwatch. The interior of the case is stamped with a date, 五 十 昭. This marking is written right to left, and would be read: SHOWA (current reigning emperor) Juu-Nana (15th year of reign - 1940).

The stopwatch is very clean and is entirely functional with great movement, and the dial snaps back without any issue and with great precision. The case has a felt indent to keep the stopwatch safe, but the material is now falling apart and comes off onto your hand. The case measures 3 ¼ x 4 ½ x ⅞”.

A very good piece, the second we have ever offered! Ready for further research and display.

Seikosha Co., Ltd. (精工舎, Seikōsha) was a branch of the Japanese company Seiko that produced clocks, watches, shutters, computer printers and other devices. It was the root of the manufacturing companies of the Seiko Group.

In 1937, Seikosha Factory divided its watch section to establish Daini Seikosha (in Kameido, Tokyo), a new firm dedicated to the enhanced production of watches.
World events interfered. The consecutive outbreak of the Sino-Japanese War in 1937, World War II in 1939, and the Pacific War in 1941 forced both Seikosha Factory and Daini Seikosha to shift to full-fledged production for the war effort. The production of watches and clocks for civilians was reduced year by year and virtually suspended by the end of war in 1945.

Daini Seikosha (Kameido factory) was devastated by war damage. Production had to be restarted in evacuation factories located in Kiryu (in Gunma prefecture), Toyama, Sendai, and Suwa (in Nagano prefecture). At the end of 1949, all these evacuation factories but Suwa were shut down to redirect resources to the restoration of the Kameido factory (the Suwa factory later became Suwa Seikosha, the present-day SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION).

While production got on the right track to some extent, the company still suffered a number of quality-related problems resulting from the aging of machinery, inferior materials, and technological stagnation during and after the wars.