The Japanese word for a watch is tokei (時計) and a luxury watch is kōkyū dokei (高級時計). Find more watch terminology with their Japanese translations here.
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| Romanji | Kanji | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Watch/timepiece とけい | Tokei | 時計 | |
| Wristwatch うでどけい | Ude dokei | 腕時計 | |
| Digital watch デジタルどけい | Dejitaru dokei | デジタル時計 | |
| Smart watch スマートウォッチ | Sumātou-otchi | None | |
| Analog watch アナログどけい | Anarogu tokei | アナログ時計 | |
| Gold watch きんどけい | Kin dokei | 金時計 | |
| Luxury watch こうきゅうどけい | Kōkyū dokei | 高級時計 | |
| Pocket watch かいちゅうどけい | Kaichū dokei | 懐中時計 | |
| Hour hand じしん | Jishin | 時針 | |
| Watchmaker とけいや | Tokei-ya | 時計屋 | |
| Watch store とけいてん | Tokei-ten | 時計店 |
Interesting facts about Japanese watches
The Japanese watch industry has a much shorter history compared to its Swiss counterparts. Seiko, one of Japan’s most well-known watch brands, only began producing wrist watches as recently as 1924. The industry however, didn’t gain momentum until after World War II, when Japan focused on industrial development.
Today, there are a number of Japanese watch brands, including Seiko, Casio, Citizen, Timex and Orient to name a few. Not only are many of these brands known for their precision, accuracy, and reliability, but also for their affordability, and are thus highly respected by watch enthusiasts around the world.