BY HARLAN CHAPMAN-GREEN
It’s hard to imagine that Seiko has been around for 145 years. Horology itself is an old industry, but most of the clock and watchmakers we know about come from Europe, the oldest names in the industry are still based here. But thinking that it’s all European is doing a disservice to the old names that are based around the world, and while Seiko isn’t the oldest, it is one of the most important names in the industry today.
Tokyo, Japan’s capital city, wasn’t always called Tokyo. At one point, its name was Edo, and by the mid 1800s it was one of the world’s largest cities. At the time, ‘Edo Purple’ was a very popular colour for the city, and so Seiko has used it in six special edition watches to mark the company’s 145th year. Today we’re looking at the mechanical watches, but you will also find Seiko has made special editions of its Astron and Speedtimer models and a digital watch based on a classic design from the 80s.
Seiko 5 Sports SKX “Edo Purple” HDB003
The most affordable model of the three is the Seiko 5, with a 42.5mm x 13.9mm stainless steel case and 100m of water resistance. The rotating bezel gives it sporting potential, meanwhile, chunky hands point to equally chunky markers, all of which are treated with lume.
They sit above a sunray-finished dial in “Edo Purple”, and a date and day window provides more practicality. Inside the watch sits the self-winding calibre 4R36, which has 41 hours of power reserve and a 3Hz beat rate. This piece is limited to 9,999 pieces with a retail price of €450.
Presage Cocktail Time GMT “Edo Purple” HCB006
The Cocktail Time is one of my favourite Seiko models, and it’s mostly because of the unique glossy dials with sunray-style finishes that just seal the deal. The new “Edo Purple” model stands out for the right reasons. Shiny purple is unusual in the watch world, but this proves that it can be done well – I really like the dauphine hands and the applied markers, and the indications for the “caller” GMT with the cursive-scripted numerals fit right in.
It comes in a 40.5mm x 12.8mm steel case with 50m of water resistance. The self-winding calibre 4R34 powers this model, and it has identical specs to the 4R31 save for the addition of the GMT function. This piece is limited to 6,000 and priced at €620.
Prospex Alpinist “Edo Purple” HBC006
The priciest in the range today is the Prospex Alpinist, which comes with a light purple dial complete with applied numerals and ‘cathedral’ hands and a magnified date window. Around the dial’s edge sits the compass bezel, which can be interacted with using the crown at 4 O’clock; this makes the Alpinist especially useful as a field watch if that’s your kind of vibe.
The stainless steel case measures 39.5mm x 12.7mm and has 200m of water resistance, the most of today’s lineup. Inside the case sits the self-winding calibre 6R55, which has a 72-hour power reserve and a 3Hz beat rate. This is the only model available on a leather strap, but the price is still the highest at €980, it’s limited to 7,000 pieces.
Which of these is your favourite? I think I’m leaning towards the Cocktail Time myself despite the 50m of water resistance, I just can’t help but love that dial.
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