BY JOVAN K
Seiko teamed up with Tradman’s Bonsai Tokyo, which mixes streetwear with traditional bonsai art for a new limited edition watch: the Presage Classic Series x Tradman’s Bonsai (Ref. HCC009J1). The design concept comes from the look of a Japanese black pine tree under moonlight. Seiko first used the “Presage” name on a small watch run in 1960. They brought the name back in 2014 for artisan models before officially launching Presage as a full global collection in 2016.
The 38mm x 12.9mm stainless steel case gets a gold-colored PVD finish, framed by a thin coin-edge bezel, an oversized crown, a domed sapphire crystal, and an exhibition caseback. Despite its dressy look, the watch has a 100-meter water resistance rating.
The dial is the clear star here, finished in matsuba-iro green to represent longevity and vitality. Rather than a standard smooth finish, a 3D bark pattern catches the light from different angles, creating genuine visual depth beneath gold-toned indices, polished alpha hands, and a spearhead seconds hand.
Inside, the watch is driven by Seiko’s in-house Calibre 6R51, an automatic movement with manual winding capability that operates at a frequency of 21,600 vibrations per hour (3 Hz). Built with 24 jewels, this dedicated “no-date” engine keeps the dial completely symmetrical, dispensing with an unnecessary date window. It delivers a substantial 72-hour (3-day) power reserve and features a central hacking seconds function for precise time-setting.
The watch comes mounted on a seven-row gold PVD-coated stainless steel bracelet and features short rounded links for enhanced wrist articulation and is secured with a concealed triple-fold clasp.
For a more subdued look, Seiko includes an extra brown leather strap featuring an embossed sanko-matsu motif, which represents a traditional three-pronged pine needle pattern. It is limited to 2,000 pieces worldwide and costs €1,400.
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