Seiko Watch Corporation Sustainability
In December 2025, we held the Seiko Time & Timepieces School: Sundial Edition at Ban Maelankam School, located in the mountainous region of Chiang Mai, Thailand.
Over the two-day program, 82 students from 3rd grade of elementary school to 3rd grade of junior high school participated. Along with learning about the history of watches and how they work, the students experienced making sundials.
This feature introduces children with roots in the Karen hill tribe as they engage with the concept of time and reflect on its meaning in their lives.
Here, we present reports on Seiko Time & Timepieces School workshops that Seiko Watch has conducted in the past.
On February 18, 2026, Palolo Elementary School, located in the Pālolo Valley area of Honolulu on the island of O‘ahu, Hawaii, hosted the “Seiko Time & Timepieces School” as part of the KA‘I Program (*1), which provides students with opportunities to pursue higher education. A total of 20 students from grades 4 through 6 participated in the event.
*1 : The KA‘I (Kūkulu Alaka‘i ‘Iolani) Program, established in 2010, is a community partnership between ‘Iolani School and Pālolo Valley. Its mission is to provide educational opportunities and support to under-resourced, often first-generation students, helping them achieve academic success and personal growth. The program offers various educational initiatives from elementary, middle, and high school levels, as well as post-secondary support.
“Kūkulu Alaka‘i” means “The Creation of Leaders” in Hawaiian.
During the workshop, students observed the mechanisms and components of a working mechanical wristwatch.
They also experienced a watchmaker’s precision task by using tweezers to insert a tiny screw into a 0.9 mm hole on a dial model. In addition, each student colored and assembled an original paper sundial, then went outside to check whether it correctly indicated the time. Throughout the workshop, the unique and engaging activities kept the students highly involved.
This workshop was also attended by Shinji Hattori, Group CEO of Seiko Group Corporation, who presented commemorative gifts to the school and to each participating student.
On December 6, 2025, we held the Seiko Time & Timepieces School at a department store in Taipei, Taiwan, with 18 students from 1st to 4th grade participating.
In addition to learning about the history of watches and how they work, the children observed a functioning mechanical wristwatch using magnifying glasses. They also experienced the work of watchmakers by using tweezers to place screws into small holes on dial models they had decorated with their own drawings. This watchmaking experience was especially well received, with many participants commenting that it greatly deepened their interest in wristwatches.
On November 15, 2025, we held a watch workshop in Aoyama, Tokyo, where participants created wristwatch-style sundials. A total of 32 participants (16 pairs of children and their parents) from preschool to 4th grade took part in the event.
During the first half of the class, participants explored the history of watches, learned how they work, and observed functioning mechanical watches and their components. In the second half, they created original sundial-inspired bracelets with our watch designers, making paper dials and triangular gnomons while decorating the bands and backing. After finishing, they went to the rooftop wearing their handmade sundials to check how accurately they could tell the time.
Participants shared a variety of feedback: “It was fun learning how both mechanical watches and sundials work,” and “It was a great experience to learn how watches work and then make my own sundial.” The event provided a wonderful opportunity for parents and children to enjoy learning and creating together.
On September 9 and 10, 2025, we conducted the Seiko Time & Timepieces School: Design Edition at two elementary schools in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (Sekolah Sri UCSI and Sri Bestari Private School), with 116 students from 4th to 6th grade participating.
In addition to exploring the structure and history of watches, the participants closely observed functioning mechanical watches and their components. They also experienced the work of watchmakers by using tweezers to place screws into approximately 0.9 mm-diameter holes in watch dial models. After learning about the design and features of diver’s watches, they created original designs by drawing on wristwatch-style bracelets. This design activity proved especially popular among the participating children, deepening their interest in watches.
On September 9, 2025, we held the Seiko Time & Timepieces School: Sundial Edition at Sakuho Elementary School in Minamisaku District, Nagano Prefecture, with 64 fourth-grade students participating. The town of Sakuho and Seiko Watch entered into a Forest Parents Agreement in March 2024, conducting forest conservation activities such as planting white birch trees in Yachiho Highland. Through this connection, we began offering watch workshops in 2024, making this the second year of the program.
In the first half of the class, students learned about the difference between time and timekeeping, the history of timepieces, and how wristwatches work. They examined precision components of mechanical watches using magnifying glasses and got firsthand experience with watchmakers’ assembly techniques by using tweezers to place screws into approximately 0.9 mm-diameter holes in watch dials.
In the second half, they experimented with wooden sundials manufactured by a local company and shadow clocks that use human shadows to check the time outdoors. Students were amazed to learn how to tell time using the sun and sundials, commenting: “Today’s watches evolved through generations of effort,” “Being able to tell time isn’t something to take for granted,” and “I understand the importance of time now.”
On March 17 and 18, 2025, we held the Seiko Time & Timepieces School: Design Edition at two schools in Singapore (Kheng Cheng School and Sunflower Student Care Centre), with 78 students from 1st to 6th grade participating.
The children learned about the history of watches and how they work, handled mechanical watches, and challenged themselves to identify their intricate parts. They also studied the design, functions, and features of diver’s watches. Additionally, they created their own wristwatch-style bracelets with unique drawings, beaming with joy as they wore them. Many children took what they learned back to their families at home and continued wearing their bracelets until bedtime, making the workshop a particularly memorable experience for all participants.
