These watches adapt traditional Japanese Kabuki art to a modern world
Since 2020, the Seiko Presage Sharp Edged Series has impresses us all with it’s creative combination of Japanese culture and modern designs, and now Seiko is taking it up a notch with two new watches that are an ode to the longevity of Kabuki theatre, a form of theatre rooted in 17th century Edo Japan that is still popular today.
To ensure that these two watches encapsulate every detail of Kabuki right, Seiko has designed these watches in collaboration with Ebizo Ichikawa, one of the most influential Kabuki actors in japan. The dials of the watches also incorporate a Japanese hemp leaf pattern used in Kabuki fabric known as Asanoha.
Moreover, the reddish-brown persimmon colour of the dial is known as Kakiiro, a traditional Japanese colour that originated with the Ichikawa family who used it generations ago with their Kabuki costumes and remains a favourite in Kabuki theatre today.
On top of that, Seiko made the outer edge of the dial darker to make the gold hands more visible. The leather watch straps and back are also finished in Kakiiro which is a clever nod to the Edo period in Japan when it was forbidden to wear vivid colours in public, so the locals used them in the underside of their garments instead.
Both Seiko watches look very similar at first glance, they both have the same angular case design and Lumibrite coated watch hands to increase legibility even in the dark and both are roughly the same size but not the exact same size. They are both also 10 bar water resistant and have a see-through case back.
The main difference lies in the dial in which the SPB331 model has a more clean and sophisticated look with only a small box at the three o’clock position to tell the date while the SPB329 model has a lot more going on in there. There are three more dials within it that, depending on who you ask, may be called “cluttered” or “informative.”
The SPB329 model is also slightly bigger and thicker at 40.2mm in diameter and 12.2mm thick while the SPB331 model is slightly smaller at 39.3 mm in diameter and 11.1mm thick, so it is not a very noticable difference but it can be seen when you look hard enough. These are the subtle differences that Seiko are known for.
These two watches are now on sale in Seiko Boutiques and selected retail stores in Malaysia and Brunei and are limited to only 2,000 pieces each, the SPB329 model goes for around RM5,600 while the SPB331 model will set one back around RM4,900 so if this watch intrigues you, you should get it quickly.
