It can sometimes be easy to forget that there was a time when finding high-quality, affordable mechanical watches was a bit of a challenge. Back in those days, Seiko was the name of the game, and while plenty of worthy competitors have risen through the ranks to challenge the Japanese brand, Seiko still has a few tricks up its sleeve.
Namely, Seiko knows how to make a hell of a dress watch. While there are plenty of iconic tool watches available at a true entry-level price point, finding great dress watches — especially mechanical ones — is harder to do. Since its initial introduction in 2010, the Cocktail Time series has offered collectors a genuinely exciting, and beautiful, dress watch at an almost shocking price.
Today, Seiko has expanded its Cocktail Time lineup with the introduction of their latest collaboration with Hisashi Kishi’s famed Ginza watering hole, STAR BAR. This is not the first time Kishi and STAR BAR have collaborated with Seiko either. You might remember that back in 2022, Kishi and Seiko released the SSA455J1 and SSA457J1. That duo, based on the familiar colors of classic cocktails like the Martini, were distinguished by the cutouts in their dials reminiscent of a ripple on the surface of a drink.
This time, Kishi and Seiko have released a pair of watches with inspiration taken from proprietary cocktails Kishi has created for STAR BAR inspired by the Tokyo skyline. What results is a pair of watches offered with beautiful gradient dials, perfect for your next nightcap in the wood-paneled basement bar.
The larger of the two watches, the SRPK75, named after the Purple Sunset, features a navy-to-purple vertical gradient dial set into a 40.5mm stainless steel case. The smaller of the pair, the SRE014, or Pinky Twilight, fades from a pale pink to a light champagne color. Pitched as a women’s watch, the Pinky Twilight measures in at 30.3mm in its rose gold-tone case. Both dials punctuate their gradient colorways with bold horizontal striations and a cloud-inspired wave pattern.
The watches are both water resistant to 50m, with applied gold-tone markers, and a date. Each model comes fitted to a calfskin strap in a complementary shade. The watches themselves are thin, with the Purple Sunset coming in at 11.8mm, and the Pinky Twilight at 10.9mm.
As the two watches are dramatically different sizes, it should come as no surprise that they are built around different movements. The larger Purple Sunset is powered by the familiar 4R35 movement we have all come to know and love, while the Pinky Twilight (which I should say is a name I absolutely love) runs off the smaller 2R05.
Each watch will be available this Spring in a limited edition of 9,000 for the SRPK75 Purple Sunset and 5,000 for the SRE014 Pinky Twilight. The SRPK75 Purple Sunset will retail for $525, while the SRE014 Pinky Twilight will sell for $575. Seiko
