How Classicseiko came to be

I have always had an independent streak, never studious or academic but always interested in ideas, outsiders and the underdog. My housemaster at school often referred to my ‘Celtic temperament’ usually after more trouble with authority figures, be that teachers, prefects or some other version of autocrat. I now consider his description a compliment. My nature has led me down a wonderful and interesting path through life, I recently found my first adult passport and taped in the back was a tiny cutting which reads ‘During the first period of a man’s life the greatest danger is not to take the risk’ For the first time, I have just looked up who said this and discovered it was the Danish philosopher Søren Kierkegaard. It seems by accident or design I have somehow never given up this attitude & have much to thank Kierkegaard for.

Academically challenged and somewhat lazy by nature, university was never for me, so as soon as I could I decided to travel. At 19, after working and saving for a year I took off to Australia and between then and now I have travelled far and wide, sold advertising and cars, worked in bars and restaurants, been a professional photographer, not had a boss for 25 years, got married to the love of my life, had two gorgeous daughters & fostered a large number of dogs. In 2005 in a knee-jerk reaction to living the middle class ‘suburban dream’ we made the decision to sell up and move the family to the Dominican Republic where we purchased an adventure tour business.

15 years on and back in the UK to be nearer our generous, supportive but gracefully ageing parents, in March 2020 our successful business in the DR offering tours to cruise ship passengers came to a grinding halt. As finances tightened I decided to sell my collection of vintage Seiko watches, the underrated and undervalued watch brand that scared the Swiss giants so badly in the late 1960’s they promptly cancelled the competition they were in danger of losing! Pecuniary needs and a passion to share my love of this remarkable brand has evolved into classicseiko.com - So here I am, taking another risk with a new business - Will it  be successful? I truly believe it will, only time will tell but I’m sure Mr. Kierkegaard would approve. So please, enjoy browsing the website and perhaps you too will take a chance and invest in a vintage Seiko, watches which still represent fantastic value in the fast appreciating world of vintage mechanical time pieces.

Cheers!

Below: My first vintage Seiko, a Lord Matic 5606-9000 from 1971