INTRODUCING: The Seiko 5 Sports x Worn & Wound 10th Anniversary Limited Edition
Zach BlassSeiko loves to celebrate anniversaries. The 140th anniversary of the Seiko Corporation brought forth a ton of commemorative limited-edition novelties, for both the Seiko and Grand Seiko brands, each celebrating the rich history of the vertically integrated manufacture. But today’s new Seiko limited edition, while celebrating an anniversary, is not for their own. In honour of their 10th birthday, our friends at Worn & Wound have teamed up with Seiko to release a special and price-approachable limited edition of 1000 numbered pieces: the Seiko 5 Sports x Worn & Wound 10th Anniversary Limited Edition.
Now you may be wondering why Seiko? Why a 5 Sports model? The choice was by no means random. Its selection is rooted in the philosophy and early origins of the publication. Worn & Wound explains: “Compact, sporty, stylish, and great value, the SNK803 defined what a young Worn & Wound was all about. As such, it was the subject of the second review ever published on Worn & Wound, back in June of 2011. Though Worn & Wound was a very new site at the time, that review drew attention from Seiko fans and forums that pushed the company forward.”
Seiko 5 Sports watches are known for being very price accessible, yet high performing, daily wearers – a great first watch for any budding collector. The Seiko 5 Sports x Worn & Wound 10th Anniversary Limited Edition continues this tradition, with a wrist-friendly, 100 metre water-resistant, stainless steel case 39.4mm in diameter, 13.2mm thick, and 48.1mm across the wrist lug-to-lug. Head on, you’ll notice a very utility-driven finish – the stepped bezel, case, and lugs adorned with a rich concentric brush. The case sides, however, are mirror polished in order to create a more versatile aesthetic, polished surfaces traditionally adding a more elegant flair to sportier timepieces. Considering the fact the lugs are drilled, it is very easy to explore beyond the two bundled straps and dress up the timepiece if you so desire.
While the SNK803 is its muse, Worn & Wound have put their fresh stamp on the cult classic template – introducing new colour and texture beneath the Hardly crystal. The central medallion, which hosts light grey hour arabic numerals, is rendered in an attractive sunburst charcoal grey. Moving outward, you have a waffle/diamond textured surface executed in a sandy khaki hue that I would describe as creamy in appearance. It is in this sector you find the hashed minutes track and corresponding large black arabic numerals for every fifth minute – aside from the 12′ position where a touch of colour is added through a red triangle (a very pilot’s watch aesthetic). The central hours and minutes hands are treated with LumiBrite luminescent coatings, along with the pips adjacent to every bolded fifth minute hash. The central seconds hand has a luminescent coating as well, but keep in mind that the lumed surface is its circular counter-weight – the red-tip is the actual indicator of the current second (but in fairness this is true to previous generation designs). At 3′ you have a day-date complication, something you do not usually find at this price point outside of Seiko, with a black disc indicating the calendar day in English or Kanji at the discretion of the wearer and a central medallion matching the charcoal grey disc indicating the calendar date.
The Seiko 5 Sports x Worn & Wound 10th Anniversary Limited Edition is bundled with two fabric straps. By default, the watch is outfitted on a olive green two-piece nylon strap with olive-green stitching. If a NATO is more your jive, you have the option of switching to blue fabric strap right out of the gate. As I mentioned before, the drilled lugs will make it very user-friendly to swap between the pair – or even explore aftermarket options as well. The khaki and grey colored dial scheme really allows the watch to situate itself in the strap-monster category.
Underneath the commemoratively etched exhibition caseback is the in-house automatic Seiko calibre 4R36. This truly is a robust and reliable caliber. The 21,600 vph calibre offers 40 hours of power reserve, with a pledged accuracy range of +45/-35 seconds per day. It is not winning any observatory contest by any means, but the calibre is known to perform well within its declared range and affords buyers a price approachable means of owning a watch with an in-house automatic calibre.
Seiko 5 Sports x Worn & Wound 10th Anniversary Limited Edition pricing and availability:
The Seiko 5 Sports x Worn & Wound 10th Anniversary Limited Edition will be available to order beginning 7pm EST February 17th, 2022, as a limited edition of 1,000 numbered pieces. Available within the US Only, shipping to commence the first week of March. Price: $325 USD
| Brand | Seiko |
| Model | 5 Sports W&W 10th Anniversary Limited Edition |
| Case Material | Stainless Steel |
| Case Dimensions | 39.4mm x 13.2mm x 48.1mm |
| Water-Resistance | 100m |
| Dial | Khaki and charcoal grey |
| Straps | Two-piece Nylon in Olive Green + ADPT US-Made Mil-Strap in Admiralty Gray |
| Movement | In-house automatic Seiko 4R36 |
| Power Reserve | 40 hours |
| Complications | Hours, minutes, seconds, day, date |
| Availability | February 17th 7pm EST. US Only, 1,000 pcs. |
| Price | $325 USD |