Seiko Instruments Inc. to showcase watches at the Basel 2003 World Watch & Jewelry Show
Brand watches planned for exhibit include Nike, Issey Miyake, Alessi, and Disney

Seiko Instruments Inc. (abbreviated:SII, COO:Akio Irie, Head office:8, Nakase 1-Chome, Mihama-ku, Chiba-shi, Chiba. TEL:+81-43-211-1111) will display four unique watch brands -Nike, Issey Miyake, Alessi, and Disney- at the Basel 2003 World Watch & Jewelry Show. (SII is a licensee of the aforementioned brands.)

Since its founding in 1937, SII has engaged in the development and manufacture of watches for over sixty years. SII is a comprehensive timepiece manufacturer that produces all kinds of watches – mechanical watches, analog quartz watches, digital quartz watches – from “parts to finish.” Through our exhibition at Basel 2003, we will promote SII’s ability to leverage our development and manufacturing expertise to produce and market branded watches based on a variety of concepts in order to meet the diverse and changing needs of the market.

[Watch brands planned for display at Basel 2003]
Nike

On September 1, 2002, SII and Nike Inc. entered into a global brand licensing agreement for Nike watches. This agreement combines the strengths of SII in manufacturing, engineering and service with Nike’s knowledge of marketing and product design. Nike continues to be the brand of choice for top athletes around the world due to their award-winning designs based on an active understanding of athletes’ needs. At Basel 2003, we will launch the Nike Oregon Series. Inspired by the emerging sport of adventure racing, these watches are built to be durable and robust in any environment. Because adventure racing combines multiple sports like running, mountain biking, canoeing and orienteering, it is a great testing ground for this new series of watches. The Nike Oregon Series is built to meet the needs of athletes in any outdoor environment.

Issey Miyake
Issey Miyake watches manifest the central thinking of Issey Miyake, that “the contrasting strengths of skilled manufacturing – beauty and function, hand craftsmanship and high technology – bring fulfillment to our lives.” At Basel 2003, we will showcase VAKIO, a watch designed by the young up-and-coming Finnish industrial designer Harri Koskinen. The word “Vakio” is Finnish for “constant” and “standard.” The VAKIO collection is a novel and beautiful watch series that expresses the originality of its designer Harri Koskinen.

Alessi
Alessi is a top maker of houseware and lifestyle goods whose innovative and quality products – developed in collaboration with top-notch designers – continue to be highly praised in over seventy countries. SII has collaborated with Alessi in the planning, manufacture, and marketing of watches since 2002, when SII Marketing International (SMI) -our sales unit in the US- entered into a licensing agreement with the company. Our Alessi brand watches fuse our rich timepiece manufacturing technology with Alessi’s progres

Disney
Disney is famous for Mickey Mouse and its many other characters that bring joy to people the world over. Since SMI entered into a licensing agreement with Disney, SMI and SII have collaborated with Disney in the planning, production, and marketing of watches designed around Disney character themes, primarily in US and Europe. Our Disney brand watches range from colorful pop styles to the chic and elegant, and all display Disney’s lovable characters, including Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, and Winnie the Pooh. (SII’s license from Disney does not cover certain countries, such as Japan.)

[Details of Basel Show]
Basel 2003 World Watch & Jewellery Show

Date: April 3, 2003 (Thursday) to April 10, 2003 (Thursday)
Time: 9am-6pm (on last day: from 9am-4pm)
Location: Basel, Switzerland
Address: Schweizer Mustermesse, CH-4021 Basel, Switzerland

SII Booth
Place: Hall 5.0 / Stand C-31
Phone: 41 61 6994685
FAX: 41 61 6994684


Contact Information
Press Contact
Seiko Instruments Inc.
Corporate Strategy
Corporate Communications Dept.
Fax:+81-43-211-8011
E-mail:pr@sii.co.jp
Website:http://www.sii.co.jp/corp/eg/

Product Inquiry
Please contact the person in charge for each brand, as indicated in the press release.

The content of this news release is based on the information as of the release date. Please note that the content may not be always up-to-date.