Seiko Presage

The watches in the Presage collection are among the most popular timepieces from Japanese watchmaker Seiko. The collection has only been available to a worldwide audience since 2016. For years, the manufacturer had reserved these watches exclusively for Japanese customers.

Presage timepieces are exclusively powered by mechanical in-house movements, one of the distinctive features of this collection. Furthermore, the watches boast elegant designs that are often inspired by classic pieces from the company's long history. Seiko devotes special attention to the design of its dials. Watches in the Presage Prestige line have dials made of enamel or Arita porcelain, or are coated with the particularly intense Japanese lacquer known as “urushi.” By contrast, the Presage Basic line features colorful sunburst dials and traditional Japanese ornamentation.

The Presage collection consists mainly of three-hand watches with a date display. However, you’ll also find watches with a power reserve indicator, GMT function, or chronograph. Many models are suitable for wrists of all sizes.

Reasons to Buy a Seiko Presage

• Automatic watches with reliable in-house movements
• Classic, elegant design
• Select models with intricate dials
• Top models with GMT and chronograph functions
• Large selection of models in a wide range of sizes

The most affordable path toward owning a Presage begins with the Basic line, which features a number of popular “Cocktail Time” models for around 280 USD. Watches in the Star Bar series are only slightly more expensive, ranging from 560 to 1,000 USD. The watches in the Presage Style60's series introduced in 2021 are in a similar price range. One exception here is the limited edition Presage Style60's Chronograph, which is popular with collectors and changes hands for roughly 3,100 USD.

Prices for timepieces in the Presage Prestige collection start around 910 USD. This price point applies to most three-hand watches in the Sharp Edged series. Prices jump to just over 1,300 USD for models with a GMT function. Prices for classic watch designs with enamel or porcelain dials range from 1,200 to 2,300 USD. If you’re looking for a model with a chronograph function, plan to invest up to 2,600 USD or more.

The Basic line offers the most accessible price point in the Presage collection. The Cocktail Time models in this series are particularly popular with their colorful dial designs. No less elaborate are the watches in the Star Bar series, which are closely related in design to the Cocktail Time pieces and have been part of the collection since 2019. Joining the collection in 2021 is the newest member of the Presage Basic line, the Style60's series.

It’s Cocktail Time

The first edition of the Seiko Cocktail Time was released in 2010 – but only as a limited edition available exclusively in Japan. The cocktail creations by Tokyo bar owner and mixologist Shinobu Ishigaki served as inspiration for the watch designs. This can be seen most clearly in the sunburst dials, which Seiko offers in the “flavors” cool (ice blue), dry (champagne), and sweet (chocolate brown). In addition to the sunburst finish, the dials also feature a radiant texture that creates a distinct sparkling effect. Even the narrow tapered hour markers evoke the stem of a cocktail glass. At the heart of these watches ticks the automatic caliber 6R15 with a power reserve of 50 hours. The first versions of the Cocktail Time series are especially popular collector's items among Seiko aficionados.

The Cocktail Time experienced a revival in 2016 as part of the Presage line. Since then, the watches have become an integral part of Seiko's lineup and are finally available to an international audience.

Like the first Cocktail Times, the newer 40.5-mm watches feature eye-catching sunburst dials. However, the selection has grown considerably. The shimmering, dark gray “Espresso Martini,” the indigo “Blue Moon,” and the dark green “Mockingbird” are only some of the offerings on the cocktail menu. The series also includes some “open heart” models, in which the balance wheel can be seen through a cut-out in the dial at 9 o'clock. Models with a power reserve indicator and pointer date are also available.

Watches in the current Cocktail Time collection are powered by automatic Seiko calibers from the 4R family. These movements beat at 21,600 vph and have a power reserve of approximately 41 hours.

Welcome to the Star Bar

Watches in the Star Bar line launched in 2019 are closely related to the Cocktail Time. Once again, cocktails inspired the design of the colorful dials. Specifically, Seiko found its muse in the high-proof creations of Hisashi Kishi, winner of the International Bar Association World Championship and operator of the namesake Star Bar in Tokyo’s Ginza district.

Star Bar watches have a diameter of 38.5 mm, making them slightly smaller than models in the Cocktail Time line. The dials also differ from those of their larger counterparts; many Star Bar watches combine a sunburst finish with an embossed structure that resembles a guilloché pattern. Furthermore, slim wedge indices alternate with the Arabic numerals. One exception is the 2019 Star Bar Honeycomb, which comes in a wide range of sizes and features an intricately designed honeycomb pattern and narrow indices on the dial. The Honeycomb is also an open heart model; you can see the balance wheel through a dial cutout at 9 o'clock.

Many Star Bar models are strictly limited editions. These include the Honeycomb, the Rooftop edition from mid-2020, and the Kyoto edition from late 2020. Depending on the model, Seiko produced between 3,000 and 7,000 of each watch.

Inspired by Zen Gardens

The Presage Basic collection offers a large selection of timepieces with a minimal, straightforward design. Particularly noteworthy are the watches with dials that evoke the Japanese tradition of “karesansui,” or Zen gardening. The ornate patterns carefully raked in the sand or pebbles of these gardens are re-imagined as finely structured patterns on the white or black dials of these timepieces. This, coupled with the applied Roman numerals and feuille hands, results in a clean, classic dress watch with a unique character.

You can choose from round three-hand watches with date display, such as the reference SRPC79J1, open-heart models like the SSA377J1, or tonneau-shaped timepieces. The latter include the ref. SRPD07J1, for example.

Style60's – An Affordable Retro Watch

In the summer of 2021, Seiko added a series of retro watches to the Presage Basic Line: the Presage Style60’s. The name of the series pays homage to the famous Crown Chronograph from 1964. This historical timepiece not only lends its name but also its design to the watches in the new series. While they forgo the stopwatch function, the Style60's watches adopt nearly 1:1 the characteristic features of the Crown Chronograph: the striking dial with applied bar indices, the luminescent dauphine hands, and the bezel insert with a 60-minute scale.

The collection includes a range of three-hand models with black, white, blue, or olive green dials. Seiko also offers the Presage Style60's in versions with a small seconds, a power reserve indicator, or GMT function. Open-heart models and the Presage Chronograph 55th Anniversary ref. SRQ031J1, limited to 1,000 pieces, are also available.

Over the past few years, Seiko has put together a number of high-quality timepieces to create the Presage Prestige collection. Watches in this collection are powered exclusively by calibers in the 5R and 6R families. These movements stand out thanks to their high precision and reliability as well as a power reserve up to 72 hours. The dials and cases of the timepieces in this collection are another testament to Seiko's superior craftsmanship.

Inspired by the Seiko Laurel

The Seiko Laurel is considered to be Japan's first wristwatch. Introduced in 1913, the watch featured a simple white enamel dial with Breguet numerals and slender pear-shaped hands. The red 12 on the dial is particularly striking.

Several of the models in the Presage Prestige collection echo the classic design of the Laurel. A good example is ref. SJE075J1. Like the original, this 39.5-mm stainless steel watch has a white enamel dial, Arabic Breguet numerals, the characteristic red 12 index. And, just like the original, the hands are blued. Unlike the Laurel, however, the Presage does not have a small seconds dial, but does feature a date display at 3 o'clock. Alternatively, Seiko offers the a dark blue enamel version under the reference number SJE077J1. However, the numerals and hands on this model are white, for better readability.

The 100th Anniversary Kintaro Hattori Limited Edition ref. SPB441, limited to 1,000 pieces, is particularly close to the original. The watch measures 35 mm in diameter and, just like the historical model, has a strap with a cuff.

The collection also includes watches with retrograde date and day-of-week displays, as well as sporty models with dials that look particularly tidy thanks to their narrow line indices.

Presage Prestige With a Porcelain Dial

The Prestige Line also includes Presage models with a porcelain dial, crafted specially for Seiko in Arita, Japan. Since the seventeenth century, this small town on the island of Kyushu has been the center of Japanese porcelain manufacturing.

The dials are hand-cast, glazed, and fired by master craftsmen. The result of this intricate process is a blank piece of pure white porcelain, also known as “hakuji.” The blank dial is then finished with Roman numerals in a deep lapis lazuli blue. Coupled with the blued hands, these elements combine to create a classic, elegant timepiece with a one-of-a-kind radiance.

The reference SPB267, released in early 2022 and limited to 2,000 pieces, is one example of a Presage featuring an Arita porcelain dial. This watch has a 40.6-mm stainless steel case, a pointer date at 6 o'clock, and a power reserve indicator at 9 o'clock. At its heart ticks the caliber 6R27, which offers a pointer date at 6 o’clock, a power reserve indicator at the 9, and a 45-hour power reserve.

Sharp Edged – Modern Elegance

Watches in the Sharp Edged series are the latest addition to the Presage Prestige collection. The design aesthetic of these watches is significantly more modern than that of other Prestige models. The strikingly angular cases feature many polished and brushed surfaces that refract light. The geometric dials inspired by the leaves of the Japanese Asanoha hemp plant also differ markedly from the other Presage watches.

The majority of the Sharp Edged series consists of 39.3-mm, three-hand watches like ref. SPB203, which is powered by the caliber 6R35 with a date display and 70-hour power reserve. If you're not a fan of stainless steel, you might be interested in the gold-colored SPB170 or the black coated SPB229J1.

The Sharp Edged collection also includes watches with a GMT function, some open heart models and versions with subdials for the date and day of the week.

Special Models for Seiko and Anime Fans

The Presage Prestige collection also includes some extra-special models. The Seiko Sharp Edged 140th Anniversary kabuki-inspired limited edition ref. SPB205J1, for example, was created to commemorate the company's 140th anniversary. While identical to the other three-hand models in terms of tech, the reference has a few special features. These include a black coated case and bracelet, a dial with a brown gradient, as well as gold hands and indices.

Seiko also released several interesting Presage models in collaboration with the anime studio Ghibli. The Presage Studio Ghibli Castle In The Sky (ref. SPB215J1) and Presage Studio Ghibli Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (ref. SPB437) are dedicated to and feature beautiful details from the two cult anime films. These models are limited to 1,200 and 1,500 pieces, respectively.

What makes Seiko's Presage line so unique?

The Seiko Presage collection is the home of elegant, high-quality wristwatches. The line is characterized by elaborately designed dials and the use of mechanical in-house calibers.

Where is the Seiko Presage manufactured?

Seiko has production facilities in Japan, Korea, Singapore, Malaysia, and China. The individual components – especially the movements – are usually made in Japan. Depending on the model, final assembly takes place in one of the above-mentioned workshops.

Is the Seiko Presage worth buying?

Watches in the Seiko Presage collection offer very high quality at surprisingly affordable prices. They also tend to hold their value quite well, but you shouldn’t expect much (if any) appreciation in terms of investment.