The new Seiko SPB259 and SSA445 inspired by the district where Seiko’s story began

In celebration of their 140^th Anniversary Seiko has been releasing watches throughout the year, and now they have released two watches based on the Tokyo District of Ginza which is where the story of Seiko began. The Seiko Alpinist SPB259 and the Seiko Presage SSA445 each have a dial inspired by the district and are both limited edition watches and set to release worldwide in October 2021.

In 1881, Kintaro Hattori opened a shop selling and repairing watches and clocks which later became one of the most popular watch companies in the world. Ginza is the Tokyo district where the shop was opened in 1881 and to this day is still where Seiko is located. The Seiko Alpinist SPB259 is the first limited edition watch released in this collection with a dial that has a sunray effect based on the texture of Ginza’s cobblestones on the dial. Another small detail of this watch is the colour of the second hand which is based on the colour known as Komparu. Which is based on Komparu Street in Ginza, a street previously popular for its nightlife and the colour was first used between 1868 and 1912.  

The watch is powered by the Calibre 6R35 automatic movement which has a power reserve of 70 hours and can be seen through the sapphire crystal case back. It has a case size of 38mm and is water resistant to 200m and features Lumibrite on the hands and indexes. It comes paired with a stainless-steel bracelet with a three-fold clasp and the watch is limited to 3,500 pieces worldwide.

The Seiko Presage SSA445 while it shares many of the same elements as the SPB259 such as the exact same dial texture and colour as well as the colour of the second hand. As it is part of the Seiko Presage line there are some notable differences such as the case size being 40.8mm and features an open-heart feature on the dial and a 24 hour indicator. It features a Calibre 4R39 automatic movement with a power reserve of 41 hours and the crystal is made out of Hardlex and also features Lumibrite on the hands and indexes. It has a water resistance of 50m which is only really suitable for swimming or taking a shower. It also features an exhibition case back and this watch is limited to 4,000 pieces worldwide.

The Seiko Alpinist SPB259 will be priced at €750 and is limited to 3,500 pieces and the Seiko Presage SSA445 will be priced at €590 and limited to 4,000 pieces and both watches will be available from October 2021. Seiko Celebrating their 140^th Anniversary has released quite a few incredible limited-edition timepieces. Hopefully, Seiko keeps releasing more timepieces and as these watches have been nothing short of amazing in both their design and what they stand for.