By Jovan Krstevski
Seiko’s pulling another rabbit out of the hat for 2025 with the Presage Classic Series Unglazed Arita Porcelain Dial SPB497. This limited edition watch of only 1,200 pieces is a real talking point. Riding shotgun with the “Craftsmanship” label, this piece showcases a four century old Japanese craft in a fresh way. It’s a premium Presage from a watchhouse long steeped in mechanical earnestness.
Cased in stainless steel with Seiko’s proprietary “super hard coating” for those wary of desk-diving scrapes, the SPB497 comes in at 40.6mm x 12.5mm size. The lugs span a not inconsiderable 49.1mm across with a 20mm lug width. A double domed sapphire crystal caps things off, while a display back with more restraint than razzle hints at what’s ticking within. Water resistance is 100 meters.
The dial is where the rubber meets the road. It’s unglazed Arita porcelain, a first for Presage, giving it a natural, matte feel. The absence of a date window keeps things clean and lets that modernized “hishi” (rhombus) pattern shine. That pattern is subtle, most prominent around the indexes, giving the dial a nice bit of three dimensional character. Gold colored hands and baton markers round it out, playing off the warm porcelain.
It’s packing the Caliber 6R51 automatic movement, a step up from the 4R series, humming along at 21,600vph (3 Hz) and offering a power reserve of around 72 hours. While it’s a solid, reliable engine, it has an accuracy rating of -15/+25 seconds per day and the finishing is pretty much standard industrial fare, even with a gold colored rotor.
The SPB497 comes on a black leather strap with gold contrast stitches near the lugs, secured via a double push-button release deployant clasp engraved with Seiko’s signature. The SPB497 is priced at $1,850 USD.
