BY JOVAN KRSTEVSKI
Do you happen to be a watch nerd who also loves video games or vice versa? If the answer to this question is yes, you are in for a treat. Japanese Watch giant Seiko has teamed up with Street Fighter 5, a widely popular fighting game, to launch six special limited-edition Seiko 5 sports watches inspired by the game’s characters.
The new Seiko 5 Street Fighter V sports watches have been designed to pay a tribute to 6 popular characters: Ryu, Ken, Chun Li, Guile, Blanka, and Zangief. Each reference reflects the unique identity of the characters borrowing heavily from their attire and special moves. All watches feature the same 42.5mm case, 100 meters of water resistance, handled crystals, a bezel on top, and are powered by the trustworthy 4R36 movement that operates at a frequency of 3 Hz and offers a power reserve of around 41 hours. Now, let’s have a quick look at each reference.
Starting with the Ryu model, what you get here is a white textured dial that is inspired by Ryu’s “do-gi” uniform. At the 9 o’clock position is a terse printing of the “Furinkazan” kanji characteristics that can be seen on Ryu’s gloves and signify “wind, forest, fire, and mountains”. The hour markers have been presented as applied batons and have been filled with white luminous paint. Sitting on top of the case is a bi-colored red and black bezel that has been scratched to showcase the rigors of Ryu’s training. The watch would come attached to a white canvas strap, once again a nod to Ryu’s uniform.
For Ryu’s best friend Ken, the entire watch has been given a red and black makeover inspired by Ken’s clothing. The base dial has been presented in black and has been given a Matt finish. The applied indices are a mix of circles, a baton at 6 and a triangle at 12, and have been filled with black luminous material to match the overall theme of this reference. The hour and minute hands have been painted in gold to mimic the blonde hair of Ken. The case on this instance has been given a black PVD treatment, whilst the offset crown at 4 like the hands has been presented in a golden tone. The bezel like the dial is black and features markings in red. The transparent case back has been printed with the serial number along with the controller command for Ken’s favorite move “Shoryuken”. The watch would come attached to a red canvas strap with black contrast stitching.
The Chun Li model like the Ken and Ryu variants has been dressed in blue and gold to echo the color of Chun Li’s attire. The blue dial has been given a nice sunburst finish that adds a little bit of sheen and jazziness to the dial. The hour index comprises applied circles and sharply faceted markers at 6 and 9 that are inspired by the spikes on Chun Li’s bracelet. Encompassing the marker at 12 is a unique design seen on Chun Li’s dress collar. The bezel like the dial has been painted in blue and features golden Roman numerals from 1 to 12 printed in a golden tone. The case back comes printed with the controller command “Spinning bird kick” and the serial number. The watch would come attached to a blue leather strap.
The Guile model, which also happens to be my favorite of the lot is a military-style watch inspired by Guile’s role as a major in the United States Air Force. Following the military theme, the dial has been given a camouflage look. Complementing the light and dark green shades, are the white Arabic numerals. What further strengthens the Air Force Association is the applied patch at 6. Applied at 9 is the “dog-tag “of Guile’s best friend Charlie Nash and adding a dash of color to the dial is the red-tipped second’s hand. The bezel has been painted in olive color and features a printed countdown timer, tying in the aviation connection. The case back on this instance showcases the controller command for Guile’s special move “Sonic Boom” along with the serial number. The watch would come attached to a brown leather strap with white contrast stitching. 
The Blanka as expected is the wildest variant of the lot. The eccentric looks and attire of Blanka have been reflected in the lime green and orange color scheme. Inspired by Blanka’s special spinning move, the green dial on this variant features a special spiral texture. The minute chapter ring has been presented in orange to resonate with the color of Blanka’s hair and the sharp pointy hour markers mimic Blanka’s teeth. The bezel which has also been presented in green features Blanka’s special move, “Electric Thunder”. The case back has been embossed with Blanka’s special move “Electric Thunder” along with the serial number. This watch would come attached to a sporting green/orange NATO strap.
Finally we have the bold looking Zangief model. Inspired by the professional wrestler’s pumped up muscles this watch is characterized by oversized Arabic numerals at 6, 9, and 12. The dial has been presented in red and black to complement Zangief’s attire and has been given a unique ripple effect to mimic his special move the “Cyclone Lariat”. The hands and the indexes have been covered with black paint and the day/date display has been magnified for ease of reading. The case and the bezel get a golden treatment, and the bezel features 12 circular markings reminiscent of pattern on Zangief’s belt. The transparent case back shows off Zangief’s iconic move “Screw Pile Driver” along with the serial number. The watch would come attached to a yellow and red nato that is a great representative of Zangief’s wrist band.
The new Seiko 5 Sports Street Fighter V limited edition watches are limited to a production run of 9,999 units per model and would be available to purchase starting September 2020 at a retail price of EUR 450.
