In addition to the announcement of new dive watches in Seiko’s Prospex line last week, the Japanese brand also revealed a total of five new watches in their Presage line, representing an entirely new collection. The Presage lineup has existed since 2016, and has become Seiko’s home for creating watches with a more refined vibe than their pure sports offerings, frequently paying tribute to traditional Japanese craftsmanship. This can come in a variety of flavors, from craft cocktails to watches with dials made in old fashioned craft traditions. These new watches take Japanese silk as their inspiration, and feel tied to previous Presage collections in the way they zero in on a specific facet of Japanese culture.
The new watches are part of what Seiko is referring to as the Classic Series, and are divided between simple three-handers with a date window at 3:00 and two references featuring a 24 hour subdial and an aperture at 9:00 through which you can see the caliber inside. The dials evoke Japanese silk in different ways. The three-handers have a fine texture that Seiko says is inspired by the lustrous qualities of the material, while the open-heart references are meant to evoke raw silk through a radial pattern. As with any dial inspired by something outside the discipline of watchmaking (the natural world, a particular type of craft, etc.), your mileage may vary on how accurately the dial represents a given subject. What matters most, I think, is whether you find it aesthetically pleasing, and Seiko’s attention to little details in these Classic Series watches might be what push them over the hump for some.
Notably, the dials across the Classic Series are all curved, and Seiko has executed the applied markers with a similar curve to match the dial. This is a little detail that will likely go a long way in how the watch impacts you visually. A completely flat marker on a curved dial can be a real distraction – it’s the type of thing that you might look at and not quite even realize why it looks “off,” but it’s clear that something is visually out of whack. The minute and second hands are also curved at their endpoints which should further emphasize the shape of the dial.
Multiple dial colors have been introduced in this first batch of Classic Series watches, with each referencing a specific traditional Japanese color. The shiro-iro dial, a champagne-like color, is meant to recall unbleached natural fabric. The sensaicha dial is a dark green inspired by silk that was used during the Edo Period, and the araigaki dial has a traditional persimmon tone. Lastly, the sumi-iro dial is a dark gray that is typically associated with garments worn by monks.
The case design appears similar to previous entries in the Presage collection, but Seiko indicates it has been subtly refined for a better wearing experience. They measure 40.2mm in diameter and are 13mm thick. Both the three-handers and open-heart models run on movements in the newer 6R family, which offers 72 hours of power reserve. Seiko is also debuting a new bracelet design in these Classic Series watches with shorter links (a similar adjustment was made for the recent crop of Prospex divers) that are designed to be more comfortable.
The new Classic Series watches are expected to be available in June. Retail pricing starts at €1,050 for the three-handers (references SPB463, SPB465, and SPB467) and jumps to €1,230 for the open-heart references (references SPB469 and SPB471). Seiko
