Seiko is 145 years old, and it has marked the moment with something we didn't see coming: purple. The new Seiko 145th Anniversary limited editions are finished in "Edo purple", a traditional Japanese colour, and they're rolling out to Seiko Boutiques and selected retailers this October. It's also a great excuse to look at the vintage Seikos in our vault.
What Seiko Announced
Seiko's story began in 1881, when founder Kintaro Hattori opened a shop selling and repairing timepieces in Tokyo's Ginza district. To celebrate 145 years, Seiko has built a set of limited editions around Edo purple, a colour that emerged during the Edo period (1603 to 1868), when Tokyo was still called Edo. Every piece gets gold-coloured accents and "LIMITED EDITION" on the caseback.
The line-up covers almost every corner of the Seiko catalogue:
- Prospex Alpinist: 39.5mm, automatic Caliber 6R55 with a 72-hour power reserve, rotating inner compass ring and 200m water resistance. It revives the "Alpinist" logotype from the original 1959 Laurel Alpinist. Limited to 7,000.
- Prospex Speedtimer Solar Chronograph: 41.4mm, solar Caliber V192, inspired by the Speedtimers of the 1960s and 1970s, with a purple-accented tachymeter bezel. Limited to 8,000, £670 in the UK.
- Presage Cocktail Time GMT: 40.5mm, automatic Caliber 4R34 GMT, with a dial inspired by the "Edo Murasaki" cocktail created by Hisashi Kishi of Tokyo's STAR BAR. Limited to 6,000, £540.
- Astron GPS Solar Dual-Time Chronograph: 43.3mm titanium with ceramic bracelet links and a purple gradient dial inspired by the sky at dusk. Limited to 2,000, £2,600.
- Seiko 5 Sports SKX: 42.5mm, automatic Caliber 4R36, with a deep purple dial and a black dive-style bezel. Limited to 9,999, £380.
- The "Rotocall": a revival of a 1980s Seiko digital, in black-coated steel with a purple rotary switch. Limited to 4,000, £580.
The Seiko 5 Is the One for Us
Of the whole collection, the Seiko 5 Sports SKX is the one that speaks to vintage fans most. Seiko describes the original 1990s SKX models as a modernised version of the 1960s Seiko 5 classics, with better water resistance, tougher crystals and luminous hands and markers. The "5" still stands for the same five things it always has: automatic movement, day-date display, water resistance, a recessed crown and a durable case and bracelet.
That's exactly why vintage Seiko 5s are such a good way into collecting. If you want to know more, our history of the Seiko 5 covers the full story.
A Digital Classic Comes Back
The most unexpected piece is the Rotocall. Seiko first introduced it in 1982, and it became popular overseas thanks to its design and its reported use among astronauts. The original's rotary switch gave quick access to the alarm, timer and stopwatch, and the new version keeps that switch, now in purple against an all-black case.
It's a reminder of how adventurous Seiko's 1980s electronic watches were.
The Vintage Seikos in Our Vault
You don't need a limited edition to own a piece of Seiko history. Here are a few vintage Seikos in stock right now:
- Vintage Seiko 5 Automatic Watch | Gold Tone | Day-Date | Japan Made, £85. A genuine Seiko 5 automatic with a champagne sunburst dial, bilingual day-date and a gold-tone bracelet. The same formula the new SKX builds on.
- Vintage Seiko Memo Diary Digital Watch – Gold-Tone Case – Integrated Bracelet – Retro LCD, £650. If the Rotocall has caught your eye, this is Seiko's experimental digital side in vintage form: a gold-tone case, integrated bracelet and dot-matrix LCD. A collector's piece, sold with its functions untested.
- Vintage Seiko SQ100 Quartz Watch | Day-Date | Stainless Steel | Silver Dial | Japan, £85. A clean, everyday Seiko with a silver sunburst dial and a slim integrated steel case.
- Vintage Seiko Quartz Gold-Tone Round Dress Watch – Champagne Dial – Black Crocodile-Pattern Leather Strap, £125. For anyone who prefers the dressier Presage side of Seiko.
Every watch we sell has been checked by our in-house specialists. Want to see more? Browse the full In the Safe collection.
Final Thoughts
145 years on from a small repair shop in Ginza, Seiko is still covering everything from field watches to GPS chronographs to retro digitals. The Edo purple editions celebrate that, and the vintage pieces that came before are just as much a part of the story.
Explore more vintage pieces at skylinesjewellery.co.uk, and catch us live on TILT every Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday at 9pm.
Image credits: Seiko 145th Anniversary collection, Seiko 5 Sports SKX and Rotocall press images courtesy of Seiko Watch Corporation (official press release). UK prices from the Seiko Official UK Online Store.