Seiko Celebrates 110 Years Of The Laurel With Commemorative Timepieces
5 min read
When Kintaro Hattori established a store in Ginza to sell and fix watches, the company's history officially began in 1881. His business created the Laurel, the first wristwatch made in Japan, in 1913, and over the years has improved watchmaking through both technology and workmanship.
Seiko has now unveiled commemorative watches from the Presage, Prospex, Astron, and 5 Sports lines in honor of the 110th anniversary of the Laurel. Each timepiece pays homage to Japan's first wristwatch while showcasing the excellent caliber of contemporary Seiko watchmaking.
Presage
Three new timepieces in the Presage collection pay homage to Seiko's first wristwatch with designs that, in varied degrees, resemble those of the Laurel.
The first new design, which is a part of the Presage Craftsmanship Series, almost exactly replicates the Laurel's design. Mitsuru Yokosawa and his team of master artisans created the dial's flawless white enamel. Similar to the Laurel, this invention has a dial with a red "12" and traditional blue hands. It is driven by Seiko's high-performance Caliber 6R27. The beautiful white enamel dial, which was made to last the test of time, shows the date at 6 o'clock and the power reserve at 9. The case's recently modified design highlights the dial's exquisite craftsmanship and gives the watch a thinner appearance on the wrist.
A fresh design from Presage's Sharp Edged Series with an angular, contemporary case and a subdued red mark in honor of the Laurel at the inner ring's 12 o'clock position. The asanoha or "hemp leaf" pattern on the dial, the crisp angles of the case, and the faceted hour and minute hands all contribute to a sleek and contemporary appearance that screams precision and quality.
The final Presage design is a Style60's GMT that uses a Caliber 4R34 movement. Here, the blue hands—including the GMT hand—stand out against the dial and blend perfectly with the classically designed case and bezel to offer exceptional legibility and a distinctly mid-century aesthetic. Exact indication of the minutes and seconds is made possible by an inner ring with a tiny red mark at 12 o'clock. The time is always simple to read, day or night, thanks to the use of Lumibrite on the hour and minute hands.
Prospex
Prospex pays tribute to the Laurel with two brand-new designs, one intended for sports timing and the other for exploring uncharted territory.
The first is an analog chronograph called a Speedtimer solar chronograph that can measure elapsed time down to the hundredth of a second. In homage to the Laurel, the sub-dial hands at two, ten, and twelve o'clock are a striking shade of red. The dial is a dazzling white, similar to the early Seiko influence. This Speedtimer chronograph has a layout that improves legibility and pays a subtle homage to old Seiko chronographs thanks to the use of black subdials.
The second Prospex design is a Seiko Alpinist with the most recent GMT movement from the tried and true 6R family of movements, with a power reserve increased to 72 hours, or three full days. Blue hands contrast with a light-colored dial, just like the 1913 classic. The north cardinal direction is denoted by a red mark on the compass ring, which further strengthens the association with the Laurel.
Astron
The Astron name, like the Laurel, is connected with innovation because it was founded with the creation of the first quartz watch that was commercially available. The brand-new timepiece, which is driven by the most recent Astron GPS Solar movement, Caliber 3X62, sports a redesigned design with a faceted titanium bezel that debuted this year. The Laurel is commemorated by the straightforward white dial, which is accented by numerals every five minutes and features a single red "60" at the 12 o'clock position. A single sub-dial shows the watch's charging level, leap second data receipt, and in-flight mode in addition to the GPS signal reception process.
This watch connects automatically up to twice a day* to the GPS network to maintain its precision of one second every 100,000 years.
*When the dial detects sunlight, the watch connects to the GPS satellite network and adjusts automatically to the correct time. If the watch is hidden from light, it remembers the time of its last successful manual connection and attempts to receive the GPS signal again at that same time.
5 Sports
Finally, the dial of the 5 Sports watch has accents that were chosen to celebrate the Laurel. For instance, the hands are blue, whereas the 24-hour scale has red numbers. This self-winding design includes indications for the day, the date, in addition to the time. It is fashionable, useful, robust, and entertaining. It comes on a classy stainless steel five-link bracelet.
As the primary method of attachment or in addition to the bracelet shown, each creation includes a strap produced from leather from tanneries that have obtained certification from the Leather Working Group. Beginning in October 2023, all watches will be offered in limited quantities at Seiko Boutiques and other retail locations around the world.
