Seiko Presage Sharp-Edged Limited-Edition Series: From Night To Dawn

 

It's a pattern that makes me think of akebono, the moment in Japan when night gives way to morning light. And this is what Seiko’s new Presage timepieces do. With its Sharp Edged Series, Seiko melds classic mechanical watchmaking with a sleekly contemporary Japanese aesthetic. It combines the much-touted finesse of Japanese design with rugged, angular housings. These two new limited-edition Sharp Edged Series models capture the feeling of the first glimmer of dawn light breaking through the darkness.

Amazing gradation can be seen on the dials, which go from brilliant in the middle to gradually darker at the edges. The akebono, the moment when night gives way to dawn's first light, served as inspiration for this. The pink gold of the hands and indexes is meant to evoke the dawn's first rays of light. Case and bracelet are both completely black and coated in a strong material, evoking the night sky and indicating an impending new day.

The latest Presage Sharp Edged limited editions have a design inspired by the Japanese word for dawn, evoking the feeling of a clean slate and the promise of a new day.

The dial's design is inspired by the classic Japanese asanoha, or "hemp leaf," pattern, and has a complex web of straight lines that give the dial an impressive three-dimensional aspect. The asanoha motif is commonly used for covering newborn babies and is a popular kimono pattern. Even while this design has appeared on earlier Sharp Edged Series timepieces, this is the first time it has been reimagined to reflect the dramatic nature of akebono.

The metal plate is only 0.4 mm thick, yet the pattern is created by subtle elevation changes. Because the pattern reflects light in all directions, the dial takes on a rich and radiant sheen. Other light-reflecting parts of the display supplement and amplify this depth. Inspiration for the second hand and indexes came from the sight of rays of sunlight breaking through the night sky. Unlike previous Sharp Edged models, this one features indexes and a second hand that are both reflective and trapezoidal in shape, respectively, to evoke the idea of a ray of sunshine. The dial's depth is enhanced with a painted gradient, and its rich, glossy polished finish is the result of a subsequent lapping process that smoothed the surface.

The cases and bracelets are easy to identify by their flat surfaces and eponymous sharp edges, which provide a sleek profile and a bold fashion statement when worn. A harsh, all-black coating underscores the notion of akebono in the design, evoking the darkness that precedes the first light of morning, while the contrast between mirror-polished and hairline surfaces gives each limited edition a three-dimensional impression.

Each timepiece has a serial number and the words "Limited Edition" engraved on the transparent case back. The wearer can also observe the self-winding mechanical mechanism. The SPB363 is powered by the calibre 6R35, which can display the current time and date. The SPB361 is equipped with the calibre 6R64, which displays the time, date, power reserve, and GMT time zone with a jumping hour hand in the local time zone.

These limited-edition pieces will be available from this month onwards.