Revealing The Enchantment
Explore five enchanting new creations that celebrate vibrant colours and intricate textures.
Since its grand entrance in 2016, the Seiko Presage collection has been a delightful dance between Japanese artistry and Seiko’s legendary mechanical watchmaking. Now, the new Classic Series takes centre stage, drawing inspiration from the vibrant colours, rich materials, and intricate textures of traditional Japanese crafts. This series is a whimsical celebration of the soft, gentle side of Japanese design. Introducing five enchanting new creations, each watch captures the essence of traditional Japanese beauty with a playful twist, all while showcasing Seiko's exceptional mechanical prowess.
Three of these beauties (SPB463, SPB465, SPB467) flaunt the classic three-hand configuration with central seconds and date, while the other two (SPB469, SPB471) up the ante with a 24-hour indicator and a peek into the movement’s escapement via the aperture at the 9 o'clock position. Under the hood, each watch is powered by one of Seiko's newly introduced 6R movements, which offer a generous 72-hour power reserve. The three-hand date models run on the robust automatic Calibre 6R55, while the open-heart models boast the impressive Calibre 6R5J. You can admire the craftsmanship through the exhibition case back, where each movement’s gold-coloured oscillating weight gleams like a little treasure.
As mentioned, the focus of this new series are richly textured, curved dials that capture the soft, supple feel of natural textiles, deeply rooted in Japanese culture. The series features two distinct dial configurations and sets of functions. The three-hand with date models (SPB463, SPB465, SPB467) are inspired by lustrous silk fabric, while the two open-heart models (SPB469, SPB471) showcase the texture of raw silk yarn through a stunning radial pattern. These intricately textured dials, with their graceful curvature, capture and reflect ambient light, creating a mesmerising sense of depth and beauty. The tops of the indices curve to follow the dials’ rounded shape, and the minute and seconds hands have been gently bent towards the markers, enhancing the overall elegance and harmony of the design. The choice of colour plays an important role as it affects the aura emanating from each timepiece. As such, each watch in the collection radiates a warm lustre, showcasing traditional Japanese colours. These include shiro-iro, the hue of unbleached natural fabric, which inspires two dials in the collection; sensaicha, a dark brownish-green that was fashionable during the Edo Period; araigaki, a washed and bleached persimmon colour; and sumi-iro, a greyish black originally used in garments worn by monks.
Furthermore, the cases of the watches boast soft, curved surfaces, perfectly complemented by the dual-curved sapphire crystal. The latter also echoes the contours of the dome-shaped dial, adding extra depth to the overall design. Inspired by the 1970s, the newly developed multi-row bracelet not only looks retro-chic but also feels incredibly comfortable on the wrist. Each link has been painstakingly shaped ergonomically with a curved top surface and fewer contact points around the wrist, ensuring a snug fit and an enhanced aesthetic appeal.
