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Founded in 1881, Seiko is Japan’s leading watch company and one of the world’s largest in-house watch manufactures. In addition to Seiko branded watches, they also produce high-end timepieces under the Grand Seiko and Credor labels.

03.09.2019
Felix Scholz

INTRODUCING: The Seiko Presage Enamel Spring Drive 

Presage has been something of a rising star in the Seiko firmament – a classically inspired, dressy collection that has proven to have broad appeal. These two new watches see the Seiko Presage powered by that most Seiko of technologies — the popular and silky smooth Spring Drive technology.  Already the pairing of Presage and precision is an exciting prospect. But there are two other elements of these two boutique-only 40mm steel watches, and that's the design and the dial. Seiko has evoked the spirit of Japanese design legend Riki Watanabe for the overall look and feel of these watches, working with Watanabe's colleagues to bring this clean, legible design to life. But don't be fooled by the apparent simplicity of the dial, it's a work of quiet expertise. Because it's been released in a material that's increasingly linked to the Presage line – enamel. In particular these black or white dials are porcelain enamel made by master craftsman Mitsuru Yokosawa. The organic lines of the dial are clear in the recesses around the power reserve indicator and the date aperture. And even though the look is quite dressy, the 100 metres of water resistance and the super-hard coating of the case… Read More

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22.08.2019
Felix Scholz

HANDS-ON: The Aussie-only Seiko Prospex SRPD50K

Seiko is a brand with a lot of love in Australia — their watches, especially the divers, are incredibly popular, due in equal parts to their good looks, virtual indestructibility and high ratio of bang vis-à-vis buck. So, we've got no doubt that this Australia-only limited edition — a two-tone twist on the classic turtle — will be a hit. So, say hello to the Seiko Prospex SRPD50K. If you're reading this, the fundamentals of the watch are likely familiar to you. A big, cushion-y case (which resembles the silhouette of a turtle — hence the name) that clocks in at 45mm across, 47.7mm top to bottom and 13.4mm tall. The movement is the solid caliber 4R36, and Hardlex crystal. The cosmetics, though, are completely new. The case has been treated with a dark grey/anthracite coating, which is a nice alternative to the straight-up matt black. It's dark, but it's still metallic. Add to this the yellow gold crown, bezel and applied dial details and you've got a watch that has all the wrist drama you could want. There's also some high contrast on the dial — the slightly grained black dial is nicely offset by the soft white luminous… Read More

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19.08.2019
Nick Kenyon

What is Zaratsu polishing? Its origins are less Japanese than you think

Zaratsu polishing

Seiko and its Grand sibling are well known for their technical skill in case finishing. This style of highly reflective polishing was first introduced into the Seiko family by watch designer Taro Tanaka, who came into the Japanese company to produce a holistic design language that was called "The Grammar of Design". One of the main tenants of this design language was for all of the flat surfaces of the watch case and hands to be polished to a mirror finish using a method called Zaratsu polishing. By maximising the interaction of the light with the flat surfaces of the case, the case gave an impression of extreme precision, with super-crisp case lines, a reflection you could see yourself in. This same method of polishing has been used by Citizen in their higher-end watches, suggesting a fondness for this method of polishing in Japanese watch firms. In fact, watch companies around the world use broadly similar techniques to achieve this level of polish, with many Swiss watch manufacturers using the term black polishing for a technique they typically use to finish parts of their movements. While not an identical technique between black and zaratsu polishing — with black polishing typically done by… Read More

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03.09.2019
Felix Scholz

INTRODUCING: The Seiko Presage Enamel Spring Drive 

Presage has been something of a rising star in the Seiko firmament – a classically inspired, dressy collection that has proven to have broad appeal. These two new watches see the Seiko Presage powered by that most Seiko of technologies — the popular and silky smooth Spring Drive technology.  Already the pairing of Presage and precision is an exciting prospect. But there are two other elements of these two boutique-only 40mm steel watches, and that's the design and the dial. Seiko has evoked the spirit of Japanese design legend Riki Watanabe for the overall look and feel of these watches, working with Watanabe's colleagues to bring this clean, legible design to life. But don't be fooled by the apparent simplicity of the dial, it's a work of quiet expertise. Because it's been released in a material that's increasingly linked to the Presage line – enamel. In particular these black or white dials are porcelain enamel made by master craftsman Mitsuru Yokosawa. The organic lines of the dial are clear in the recesses around the power reserve indicator and the date aperture. And even though the look is quite dressy, the 100 metres of water resistance and the super-hard coating of the case… Read More

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08.08.2019
Nick Kenyon

The Seiko 5 is alive – again

For decades, the Seiko 5 collection has been some of the best-value mechanical watchmaking on the planet. The ability to buy an automatic watch with an in-house movement for only a few hundred dollars must be responsible for introducing tens of thousands of people around the world to watches. You would be hard-pressed to find many watch collectors out there who haven't owned a Seiko 5 at one point in their collecting journey. And while many of the big Swiss brands would hate to admit it, the watch industry is a much better place for the existence of the Seiko 5. It is with great excitement then, that Seiko have announced the relaunch of the Seiko 5 Sports Models, with a brand new logo and collection. The new logo is an amalgamation of the "S" in sports, and number "5", a number specifically used for the requirement of every model to feature the following: a day-date display at the three o'clock position water resistance an automatic movement durable case and bracelet and a recessed crown in the four o'clock position With a list of minimum requirements like that, at the price point of the Seiko 5 it's very easy to… Read More

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29.06.2019
Nick Kenyon

Seiko vs. Garmin – who will survive an ultramarathon?

One of the most beautiful elements of the mechanical watch is it doesn't rely on disposable units of lithium to function. If you keep moving, your watch will too. This forms a dependent partnership that for many collectors is a huge emotional attraction to the mechanical watch. The energy from your fingertips directly transfers power into the micro-mechanical marvel that keeps you on time. This was the reason I wanted to wear a mechanical watch on my first attempt at an ultramarathon. My brother had convinced me to run 100km along the stunning coastline between Apollo Bay and the Twelve Apostles, and while I was definitely taking my (ancient) Garmin Forerunner 910XT, I was also very tempted to wear my Seiko SRP777. This dive watch has been reliable on a few adventures (significantly further above sea level than below), and I while it did mysteriously stop ticking on a Mongolian mountain range once, it is still the watch I trust the most. On the morning of the run we rose at 3am to get on the trail by 4am. With only around 10 hours of daylight and our prediction of at least 15 hours to complete the distance, we started… Read More

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30.05.2019
Felix Scholz

HANDS-ON: The Seiko Prospex 'Street Series' Solar Diver SNE533P

Seiko's distinctive shrouded diver (commonly called the 'Tuna Can') is a real cult model, due in equal parts to its indestructibility and its distinctive design. It's a watch that stands out from across the street, or in five metres of murky water — depending on how you like to use your dive watches.  Having said that, this solar-powered iteration — one part of a trio — is aimed more at a topside clientele, as the 'Street Series' sobriquet suggests. The series is offered in three colours — navy blue (which we've got here), an olive-y green and grey. The colour is due to the silicon strap, the shroud, the bezel and the dial. And for all that this is a lot of colour, the lack of contrast or superlative (dare I say flashy) design elements give the Street Series watches a serious, purposeful sensibility. They will also go quite well with a variety of outfits, which is a boon.  But don't be mistaken for thinking that these watches are style over substance. They're still every millimetre the legendary Seiko diver — all 47 of them. They're rated to 200 metres, and generally considered to be bombproof (don't test the theory). Adding… Read More

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