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Seiko Teams with Rowing Blazers for Second Collection

Seiko reprises its collaboration with clothing brand Rowing Blazers with a new 40mm steel-cased collection featuring eye-catching orange, blue, green, and black dials, each sold with a steel bracelet and a specially designed nylon strap.

One of the four new Rowing Blazers x Seiko 5 Sports series.

The latest Rowing Blazers x Seiko 5 Sports series, designed by Rowing Blazers founder Jack Carlson and vintage watch expert Eric Wind in partnership with Seiko, features four different references with four vintage-inspired dials.

More specifically, the four new Rowing Blazers x Seiko 5 Sports models include: SRPJ57 (orange dial with an additional green and white nylon strap); SRPJ59 (lime dial with an additional purple and black strap); SRPJ61 (sky blue dial with an additional crimson and yellow strap); and SRPJ63 (black dial with hour markers in the colors of the brand’s signature “croquet stripe” with an additional matching strap).

Each limited edition model (of 888 pieces) also includes a crown emblazoned with the Rowing Blazers logo and a caseback featuring the brand’s skeleton “Tempus Fugit” (“Time Flies”) motif.

Each with also will arrive in a presentation box.

Wind explains that he wanted to design a new collection that reflected the spirit of Jack Carlson’s own vintage 1970 Seiko 6106-7107 dive model with a bright orange dial. “We kept the now-iconic ‘candy cane’ second hand and ‘Tempus Fugit’ case back from the first Rowing Blazers x Seiko collaboration,” he adds.

Each watch measures 40mm diameter and if fit with Seiko’s automatic Caliber 4R36 with 41 hours of power reserve. Each dial offers and day and date calendars with days that can be changed between English and Japanese.

The Rowing Blazers x Seiko 5 Sports series will be available online and at the new Rowing Blazers New York boutique located at 8 Rivington at 11 am today (October 28th). 

Price: $495.  

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The Watches

New Seiko Presage Series Echoes 1960s Styles

By Gary Girdvainis 

Seiko’s new Presage Style 60’s Series takes its inspiration from the Seiko original “Crown Chronograph” introduced in 1964. The watch, Seiko’s first wristwatch equipped with a stopwatch function, marked the beginning of Seiko’s chronograph wristwatch manufacturing.

The original Seiko Crown Chronograph, circa 1964.

While the new Presage Style 60’s Series combines the vintage feel of the 1964 version with modern updates, the new series does not include chronographs but instead creates a timeless look that will be always be comfortably in-style.

Seiko Presage Style 60’s reference SRPG07J1.

On their exteriors, the new designs real the vintage Crown Chronograph’s boxed crystal, faceted indexes and dauphine hands. The new Seiko Presage line also now offers nylon straps and, notably, offers a date display on most versions.

Inside, you’ll find the excellent Seiko 4R35 or 4R39 automatic winding mechanical movement ticking away at 21,600 vph with a 41-hour power reserve.

Seiko is offering seven variations, all crafted in stainless steel and measuring 40.8mm in diameter. The new series offers watches with dials in black, brown, ivory, and earth tones colors of blue and green reminiscent of the 1960s.

One version (above) offered in three color variations has the “heartbeat” cut-out dial highlighting the balance wheel and escapement ($525) with no date. The others have full-coverage dials ($575). Seiko applies its Lumibrite luminescent coating on all variations, and on some models the Lumibrite has a slightly faded color to enhance the vintage feel.

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Grand Seiko Introduces Blue-Dialed, Manual-Wind Beauty

Grand Seiko expands its Elegance collection with the blue-dialed SBGW279, the latest example of this watchmaker’s impressive ability to represent natural beauty using artisanal dial-making techniques.

The new Grand Seiko Elegance Collection U.S. Special Edition SBGW279.

For this U.S. Special Edition, Grand Seiko says it was inspired by the work of illustrator ShiShi Yamazaki to create a deep blue sunray-pattern dial meant to recall the blue feathers found on the Oruri songbird.

The watch’s blue sunray pattern is inspired by the Japanese songbird known as Oruri.

“Like the Grand Seiko craftsmen behind the Oruri watch, I was inspired by the journey of the Oruri bird as it travels to the mountains of Japan each summer,” says Yamazaki. “The watercolor animation I’ve created represents the beautiful movement of the bird and its stunning deep blue coloring.”

Caliber 9S64 manual-wind movement, visible through the clear caseback, boasts an impressive 72-hour power reserve.

Influenced by the first Grand Seiko of 1960, Grand Seiko frames the Yamazaki-inspired blue dial within a classically sized 37.3mm steel case. Inside you’ll find a Caliber 9S64 manual-wind movement that boasts an impressive seventy-two-hour power reserve and accuracy of -3 to +5 seconds per day.

Grand Seiko has wisely opted for a clear sapphire caseback to allow a view of the beautifully finished finished movement. The watchmaker pairs the Elegance Collection U.S. Special Edition SBGW279 with a brown crocodile leather strap.

Price: $4,600.

 

Specifications: Grand Seiko Elegance Collection U.S. Special Edition

Movement: Manual winding 9S64, power reserve of 72 hours, accuracy of +5 to -3 seconds per day (when static).

Case: 37.3mm by 11.6mm steel case with box-shaped sapphire crystal and anti-reflective coating, see-through screw case back. Water resistance to 30 meters.

Dial: Deep blue sunray pattern.

Strap: Brown crocodile leather.

Price: $4,600

 

 

 

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Watches and Wonders 2022: Grand Seiko Adds Five Sporty Titanium Watches

At Watches & Wonders 2022 earlier this month, Grand Seiko introduced five sport models in its Evolution 9 collection. And echoing many of the other high-end watchmakers at the show, Grand Seiko also focused its debuts on titanium-cased designs.

(Grand Seiko also debuted its first mechanical complication watch, the Kodo Constant-force Tourbillon, which we’ll discuss in a future post).

But unlike all other watchmakers, Grand Seiko is able to offer a level of precision rare for any pure mechanical offering thanks to its proprietary Spring Drive movement, a mechanical-electronic hybrid built and finished to high watchmaking standards.

One of two new Spring Drive GMT models (SBGE285).

Within its relatively new Evolution 9 collection, Grand Seiko adds two GMT models (SBGE283 and SBGE285), two Chronograph GMT models (SBGC249, a blue-dialed 15th Anniversary Limited Edition, and SBGC251), and a 200-meter dive watch with caliber 9RA5 (SLGA015), a movement with an impressive five-day power reserve. All these titanium-cased watches offer screw-down crowns and a strong anti-magnetic resistance to 4,800 A/m.

For the debuts, Grand Seiko has refined its cases as well as various dial details. All the new models benefit from wider lugs and thicker bracelets. Also note the collection’s bolder hands that point to a new font along the bezel, notably on the GMT models. In addition, Grand Seiko now coats all its hands and indexes with more Lumibrite than we’ve seen previously. In addition, crown guards are somewhat smoother than on earlier sports models.

New Grand Seiko Spring Drive GMT (SBGE283).
Up close on the dial of Spring Drive GMT SBGE285.

Spring Drive GMT

These two 41mm debuts (above) feature highly textured pattern dials in either black (SBGE283) or light gray (SBGE285). Both offer a box-shaped sapphire crystal, a 72-hour power reserve and are powered by Spring Drive Caliber 9R66, which offers incredible precision of plus or minus one second per day. Price: $8,400, and available in August.

The Grand Seiko Spring Drive Chronograph 15th anniversary edition (SBGC249).

Two chronographs

The first of the two new 45.3mm Evolution 9 chronographs features a blue dial and offers a higher rate of accuracy than the already phenomenal one-second per day. This Grand Seiko Spring Drive Chronograph 15th anniversary edition (SBGC249, above) is adjusted to achieve an enhanced accuracy rate of just half-a-second per day, (or plus or minus 10 seconds per month) and is offered as a limited edition of 700. In addition to the
 12-hour chronograph, the watch also features a rotating bezel and a GMT hand. Price: $12,400.

The black-dialed version (SBGC251, below) delivers the standard high accuracy of 1-second per day (±15 seconds per month) and otherwise offers the same design and specifications as the limited edition. Price: $11,400.

The SBGC251, one of two new new 45.3mm Evolution 9 chronographs.

Dark Dive Watch

Finally, Grand Seiko adds an impressive new 200m diver’s watch (SLGA015) to the Evolution 9 collection. As is often the case at Grand Seiko, the watch’s textured black dial arrives on your wrist already wrapped up with an inspiring origin story.

Grand Seiko’s impressive new 200m Black Stream diver’s watch (SLGA015).

Inspired by the Kuroshio Current, also known as the Black Stream, the dial echoes the darkness visible in the waters that flow northwards past Japan towards the North Pacific. The Black Stream’s darkness inspired Grand Seiko’s artisans to create the new watch’s particularly evocative dial.

Powered by Spring Drive Caliber 9RA5, the new 43.8mm by 13.8mm titanium Black Stream dive watch offers an accuracy rate of ±10 seconds per month and a five-day power reserve.

The diver’s hands are among the boldest we’ve seen on a Grand Seiko dial, and this bezel among the most robust. In fact, Grand Seiko has forged the bezel’s inside from ceramic to reduce the possibility of scratching. Price: $11,600 and available in August.

 

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Abingdon Expands Tactical and Dive Watches

As Abingdon celebrates fourteen years since it started offering adventure watches specifically targeted to women, the Las Vegas watch company this week adds three models to its Jane tactical watch collection and adds a new model to Nadia, its dive watch collection.

The new Jane Outlaw.

Both collections are the brand’s first watches fit with a bi-directional compass just inside the bezel and a ruler built into the back of the watch. The new models are 35mm steel-cased watches with 200 meters of water resistance, an impressive specification rarely seen watches this size.

Jane

The new Jane watch, built with an Ameriquartz quartz caliber by Arizona-based movement maker FTS, is the result of three years of testing, according to Abingdon, which explains that it wanted to create the “best tactical watch offered for women.”

Two models within the Jane tactical watch collection. Jane is powered by an Arizona-made FTS quartz caliber.

Jane combines a brushed 316L stainless steel case and screw-down crowns with a hardened sapphire crystal, with military time conversion, standard and metric rulers, a bi-directional compass, glow-in-the-dark dial markings, day and date display, a diver’s bezel, and its Ameriquartz Caliber 7122 quartz movement.

Abingdon builds a ruler into the back of the Jane and Nadia watches.

Look for new Jane models called Covert (black dial), Mission (red dial) and Outlaw (black dial with bronze-colored case).

Covert, one of the new Jane tactical watches.

Nadia

Abingdon originally launched its Nadia dive watch in 2019 and this year adds the Nadia Black Abyss, a black and pink version, which joins the original white and blue Whitewater model. Abingdon tests all its dive watches on the wrists of inductees of the Women Diver’s Hall of Fame.

The new Nadia Black Abyss.

The 35mm steel watch is powered by a Seiko TMI NH06 automatic movement, which delivers more than forty hours of power reserve. Two screw-down crowns, which control the time function and a bi-directional compass, ensure that the Black Abyss maintains its water resistance. Abingdon has added an elongated 16mm silicone strap built to fit over wet suits and certain thicker dry suits.

The original Nadia dive watch from Abingdon, attached with a white silicone strap. Inside is a Seiko automatic movement.

Prices: $629 (Jane) and $829 (Nadia).

All Abingdon Jane and Nadia watches are water resistant to 200 meters. All dive watches are tested by inductees of the Women Diver’s Hall of Fame.

 

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