Seiko, which has accomplished many successful examples of transferring the inspiration from traditional Japanese arts to its models, continues to maintain this tradition with a new model.
Introduced in 2016, the Seiko Presage collection is a product group that mostly consists of elegant and classically themed models. The collection, which hosts many important models from relatively accessible cocktail models to the much more complex “Craftsmanship Series” that pays homage to traditional works of art of Japan such as Arita porcelain, enamel, and Urushi, is expanding today with a new green lacquered dial and a movement with dual retrograde displays.
This new model, which is a part of the highest level watches of the Presage collection, gains importance as the version that brings together the green dial color and the Urushi technique under the same roof for the first time.
The new model comes in a stainless steel case with a diameter of 40.5mm and a height of 13mm. Scratch-resistant sapphire crystals serve on both sides of the stylish case, where glossy and matte surfaces are used together. The elegant case, which houses a slightly conical crown, is water-resistant up to 100 meters.
The Presage SPB295J1 features a beautiful dial made with Urushi lacquer (the sap of the Chinese lacquer tree or urushi in Japanese) in master craftsman Isshu Tamura's studio in Kanazawa, in the center of Japan's main island of Honshu. The dial, which has been hand-painted several times and then polished, successfully carries its deep green tone to the wrists thanks to this technique. Seiko combines this color with classic baton indices, logos, and markers printed in white. The hour and minute hands, which are finished in white for greater contrast, offer adequate legibility, while gold-tone accents emphasize the model's classic theme.
Inside the new model, the Caliber 6R24 movement works. In addition to displaying the time, the in-house automatic movement also houses a Retrograde day and date display, as well as a power reserve indicator. The 31-jewels movement beats at a frequency of 4Hz (28,800vph) and offers up to 45 hours of power reserve when fully wound.
The model, which is limited to only 2000 pieces, is accompanied by a black buffalo leather strap and folding buckle. The list price for the model is EUR 1,950.
