Seiko love a birthday, and they have no shortage of limited edition “anniversary” collections to prove it. This year marks a very important occasion however, as Seiko’s first wristwatch, the Laurel, turns 110.
The Seiko Laurel was not only Seiko’s first wristwatch, but the first wristwatch for all of Japan. Launched in 1913, it set the standards for the future of Japanese horology and encouraged Japan to develop entirely new techniques and machinery for watchmaking. For the Laurel’s 110th birthday, Seiko have gone all out and launched a total of seven Seiko Laurel 110th Anniversary Limited Editions from their Presage, Prospex, Astron and 5 Sports collections. They beautifully pay homage to their predecessor with familiar features like white dials, blued hands and red markers at 12 o’clock. Let’s take a look at each of the models in more detail…
Seiko Presage Laurel 110th Anniversary SPB401J1 Watch
Starting off the Seiko Laurel 110th Anniversary collection is a Presage model under reference SPB401J1. Out of all seven references mentioned here, this one is by far the closest in design to the 1913 Laurel. It’s not a recreation by any means but it shares many of the same design features including a crisp white enamel dial, which has been handcrafted by master craftsman Mitsuru Yokosawa, with a large red 12 o’clock marker and blued hands.
Sadly, the dimensions of the new Seiko Presage Laurel 110th Anniversary SPB401J1 watch are larger than the 38mm original, measuring to 40.2mm wide and 12.8mm thick, and the dial is made more complicated by the addition of a date display at 6 o’clock and power reserve indicator at 9 o’clock. It’s still a beautiful, timeless-looking timepiece and houses Seiko’s Calibre 6R27 movement with a power reserve of 45 hours. This model retails at £1,200 and is limited to 1,500 pieces.
Seiko SPB401J1 - Credit Seiko
Technical Specifications:
- Brand: Seiko
- Model: Presage Laurel 110th Anniversary SPB401J1
- Price: £1,200
- Material: Stainless steel
- Movement: Calibre 6R27 automatic
- Complications: Hours, minutes, seconds, date, power reserve indicator
- Dial: White enamel
- Size: 40.2mm width, 12.8mm height
- When the reviewer would personally wear it: Those occasions when something dressier is called for
- A friend we’d recommend it to first: Someone who loves a classic, traditional watch or a fan of Seiko’s history
- Best characteristics of the watch: The enamelled dial and the stylings of the numerals
- The worst characteristics of the watch: I’d prefer the watch with time-only complication
Seiko Presage Sharp Edged Laurel 110th Anniversary SPB413J1 Watch
A distinctively different looking Presage watch, the Seiko Presage Sharp Edged Laurel 110th Anniversary watch nicely integrates the white dial, red marker and blue seconds hand within a modern, angular case. The stainless steel architecture is engineered with a super hard coating and measures to 40.2mm wide and 13mm thick. It presents sapphire crystal glass for protection of the asanoha or “hemp leaf” patterned dial and a chocolate brown leather strap. Displayed through the case back is the Calibre 6R55 automatic movement with a 72 hour power reserve. This novelty retails at £990 and is limited to 2,000 pieces.
Seiko SPB413J1 - Credit Seiko
Technical Specifications:
- Brand: Seiko
- Model: Presage Sharp Edged Laurel 110th Anniversary SPB413J1
- Price: £990
- Material: Stainless steel
- Movement: Calibre 6R55 automatic
- Complications: Hours, minutes, seconds, date
- Dial: White with Japanese hemp leaf pattern
- Size: 40.2mm width, 13mm height
- When the reviewer would personally wear it: This would make a great daily beater. It’s classic but not overly dressy
- A friend we’d recommend it to first: Any lover of Seiko
- Best characteristics of the watch: The hemp leaf pattern dial and the clever integration of a red marker at 12 o’clock
- The worst characteristics of the watch: The crown. The Sharp Edged crown has always looked a little oversized for its sleek profile
Seiko Presage Style 60’s GMT Laurel 110th Anniversary SSK015J1 Watch
Possibly my favourite limited edition in the entire collection, this Seiko Presage Style60’s GMT Laurel 110th Anniversary SSK015J1 watch combines the retro aesthetics of Seiko’s Presage 60’s line-up with a sporty 24 hour bezel and the classic tropes of the 1913 Laurel. It’s a unique blend of hallmarks for sure, but one I’m here for. In this instance, the stainless steel case measures to 40.8mm and 13mm tall with a steel 24-hour bezel, white dial with blued hands including a GMT hand and a black leather strap. The movement is the 41-hour Calibre 4R34 which can be seen through the case back. Reference SSK015J1 retails at £580 and is limited to 3,500 pieces.
Seiko SSK015J1 - Credit Seiko
Technical Specifications:
- Brand: Seiko
- Model: Presage Style60’s GMT Laurel 110th Anniversary SSK015J1
- Price: £580
- Material: Stainless steel
- Movement: Calibre 4R34 automatic
- Complications: Hours, minutes, seconds, date, GMT
- Dial: White with brushed silvered central ring
- Size: 40.8mm width, 13mm height
- When the reviewer would personally wear it: While travelling abroad for a relaxing holiday
- A friend we’d recommend it to first: A regular globetrotter
- Best characteristics of the watch: The retro 24-hour bezel and brushed silvered ring on the white dial
- The worst characteristic of the watch is the date. Remove this and it would be close to perfect
Seiko Prospex Alpinist GMT Laurel 110th Anniversary SPB409J1 Watch
We’re moving away from the Seiko Presage now and onto one of the brand’s most popular Prospex watches, the Alpinist. In fact, this is one of their newest GMT editions and the first Alpinist GMT model powered by a mechanical movement. We covered this collection in more detail here if you’re interested. As for the Seiko Prospex Alpinist GMT Laurel 110th Anniversary watch, it combines all the features of the standard Alpinist GMT but with a silver-white dial, cream compass scale and blued cathedral-style hands. The case sits at 39.5mm wide and 13.6mm tall, engineered from stainless steel, and pairs it with a steel 24 hour bezel, three-row link metal bracelet and the automatic winding Calibre 6R54 with a 72 hour power reserve. This model retails at £1,290 and is limited to 3,000 pieces.
Seiko SPB409J1 - Credit Seiko
Technical Specifications:
- Brand: Seiko
- Model: Prospex Alpinist GMT Laurel 110th Anniversary SPB409J1
- Price: £1,290
- Material: Stainless steel
- Movement: Calibre 6R54 automatic
- Complications: Hours, minutes, seconds, date, GMT
- Dial: Silver-white with beige compass scale
- Size: 39.5mm width, 13.6mm height
- When the reviewer would personally wear it: While travelling abroad on a more adventurous trip
- A friend we’d recommend it to first: A traveller with a love of the field watch aesthetic
- Best characteristics of the watch: The cathedral hands and the unique combination of white and beige on the dial
- The worst characteristics of the watch: The bracelet. This would look much better on a distressed brown leather strap.
Seiko Prospex Speedtimer One Hundredth of a Second Solar Chronograph Laurel 110th Anniversary SFJ009P1 Watch
With a name that’s more than of a mouthful and a design that feels wholly un-Seiko to me, I wasn’t expecting to see something like the Seiko Prospex Speedtimer One Hundredth of a Second Solar Chronograph Laurel 110th Anniversary watch in this collection. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a very cool design, but it feels far from the 1930’s Laurel than any other here. It has a white dial and plenty of red accents on the stopwatch functions, but where are the blued hands on the off-centred hour and minutes dial? The steel case measures to 42mm wide and 12.9mm tall and houses the solar-powered quartz Calibre 8A50 movement. This launch retails at £950 and is limited to 3,500 pieces.
Seiko SFJ009P1 - Credit Seiko
Technical Specifications:
- Brand: Seiko
- Model: Prospex Speedtimer One Hundredth of a Second Solar Chronograph Laurel 110th Anniversary SFJ009P1
- Price: £950
- Material: Stainless steel
- Movement: Calibre 8A50 quartz solar
- Complications: Hours, minutes, seconds, chronograph up to 60 minutes in 1/100 second increments
- Dial: White with black counters
- Size: 42mm width, 12.9mm height
- When the reviewer would personally wear it: I’m not sure I would. It’s a little too “out there” for me
- A friend we’d recommend it to first: Someone with a love of unusual, retro-esque timepieces
- Best characteristics of the watch: The layout of the crown and pushers is cool
- The worst characteristics of the watch: One too many sub-dials
Seiko Astron Laurel 110th Anniversary SSJ019J1 Watch
Next up is the Seiko Astron Laurel 110th Anniversary watch, a version of the brand’s GPS solar-powered quartz watch with a white dial, red accents and a blue-decorated 8 o’clock subsidiary dial for displaying the receiving process of GPS satellites, charging status, leap second data receipt, and in-flight mode. Its case follows the design codes of the recently released Astron “Crystal Box” watches with a facetted octagonal titanium bezel and an integrated titanium bracelet. Dimensions lie at 41.2mm wide and 12mm tall and inside is the solar-powered Calibre 3X62 with a power save of approximately two years. The novelty retails at £1,720 and is limited to 800 pieces.
Seiko SSJ019J1 - Credit Seiko
Technical Specifications:
- Brand: Seiko
- Model: Astron Laurel 110th Anniversary SSJ019J1
- Price: £1,720
- Material: Titanium
- Movement: Calibre 3X62 quartz solar
- Complications: Hours, minutes, seconds, date, plus counter for charging status, leap second data receipt, and in-flight mode
- Dial: Silver
- Size: 41.2mm width, 12mm height
- When the reviewer would personally wear it: Again, not sure I would. Its angular profile is a little aggressive and the dial feels mismatched.
- A friend we’d recommend it to first: A globetrotter with a preference for integrated sports watches
- Best characteristics of the watch: The flat pushers and blue detailing on the dial
- The worst characteristics of the watch: Overly angular case, the beige markers blend in too well with the silver dial and the strap just seems very out of place.
Seiko 5 Sports Laurel 110th Anniversary SRPK41K1 Watch
Last but certainly not least is the Seiko 5 Sports Laurel 110th Anniversary. Incredibly affordable at £400 and arguably non-limited with a whopping 6,000 pieces available, this model features a cream dial with the familiar blued hands and red numerals for the 24 hour scale. Once again, the case is engineered from stainless steel, measuring to 39.4mm wide and 13.1mm tall, with a five-row link metal bracelet, sapphire crystal glass and a 100 metre water resistant rating. The Calibre 4R36 automatic winding movement provides classic hours, minutes and seconds hands and two large apertures at 3 o’clock for the day and date.
Seiko SRPK41K1 - Credit Seiko
Technical Specifications:
- Brand: Seiko
- Model: 5 Sports Laurel 110th Anniversary SRPK41K1
- Price: £400
- Material: Stainless steel
- Movement: Calibre 4R36 automatic
- Complications: Hours, minutes, seconds, day, date
- Dial: Beige
- Size: 39.4mm width, 13.1mm height
- When the reviewer would personally wear it: As a daily beater
- A friend we’d recommend it to first: Someone looking for an affordable, entry-level timepiece with some history to it
- Best characteristics of the watch: The overall case shape and size, the five-link bracelet and the price.
- The worst characteristics of the watch: The dial would feel more fitting to the rest of the collection if it was white.
This is a nice collection of timepieces for sure, and there’s certainly a watch for every taste.
Some I prefer more than others; the Presage Style60’s and the Alpinist GMT being my two personal favourites, while the Prospex Speedtimer and Astron feel a little out of place.
But what do you think?
Do you have a favourite model?
Let us know in the comments below.
The complete Seiko Laurel 110th Anniversary Limited Edition collection will be released in October 2023.
