Since its introduction in 2016, the Presage collection has melded Japanese artistry with Seiko’s longstanding mastery of mechanical watchmaking. With the new Classic Series, Presage draws from the colours, materials, and textures of traditional Japanese crafts to express the soft and gentle side of Japanese design. The series makes its debut with five new creations, each conveying a traditional sense of Japanese beauty while bringing the mechanical watchmaking for which Seiko is renowned to the fore.
At the heart of the new series are richly textured, curved dials that express the soft and supple feel of natural textiles whose use is interwoven into Japan’s culture. The series features two different dial configurations and sets of functions. The dials of the three-hand with date creations are inspired by lustrous silk fabric, while the two open-heart watches express the texture of raw silk yarn through a radial pattern.
With their curvature and intricately textured patterns, the dials capture and reflect ambient light to create a heightened sense of depth and beauty. The tops of the indexes curve to conform with the dials’ rounded shape, and the minute and second hands bend gently towards the markers.
The series makes its debut with dials in four traditional colours, left to right: shiro-iro, sensaicha, araigaki, and sumi-iro. Each watch imparts a warm lustre to the traditional Japanese colour it expresses. These include shiro-iro, the color of unbleached natural fabric, which inspires two dials in the collection; sensaicha, a dark brownish-green that was fashionable during the Edo Period; araigaki, a washed and bleached persimmon color; and sumi-iro, a greyish black originally used in garments worn by monks.
The case is constructed with soft, curved surfaces, and the dual-curved sapphire crystal echoes the contours of the dome-shaped dial, adding further depth to the overall design.
A newly developed multi-row bracelet with design inspiration from the 1970s provides a delicate and comfortable feeling on the wrist. The bracelet’s links have an ergonomic shape, with a curved top surface and a reduction of contact points around the wrist for a comfortable fit and enhanced aesthetics.
Three of the watches have the classic three-hand configuration with central seconds and date, while the remaining two bear a 24-hour scale and a dial opening onto the movement’s escapement at 9 o’clock. Powering each new watch is one of two recently introduced Seiko 6R movements that run for 72 hours, ensuring that a watch removed Friday evening will be ready to wear on Monday morning without having to be reset. The three-hand watches with date use Calibre 6R55, while Calibre 6R5J powers the open-heart watches. Each movement’s gold-coloured oscillating weight is visible through an exhibition case back.
All five watches will be available in June 2024 at Seiko Boutiques and select retail partners worldwide. For more information, visit Seiko’s official website.
