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Seiko's 145th Anniversary Drops Six "Edo Purple" Watches—One Color, Six Interpretations

From a remake of the 1959 Alpinist to a GPS Solar dual-time and a cocktail-inspired dial, Seiko lets five product lines each tell their own version of Edo purple, with wildly different materials and craftsmanship across the board. All six pieces launch globally this October.

Yu-Ting Lin, Managing Editor
Seiko's 145th Anniversary Drops Six "Edo Purple" Watches—One Color, Six Interpretations

Edo purple is a notoriously tricky color to work with—too dark and it falls flat, too bright and it loses the regal quality the shade is known for. For its 145th anniversary collection, Seiko handed this challenge to five of its product lines, letting Prospex, Astron, Presage, Seiko 5 Sports, and Seiko Selection each come up with their own answer. The result: six limited-edition watches, six completely different approaches.

Closest to the brand's heritage is the Prospex Alpinist Mechanical (Ref. HBC006), which reimagines the original 1959 model. The wedge-shaped hour markers and Alpinist lettering remain intact, but the dial is dyed purple and the strap swapped for LWG-certified leather, limited to 7,000 pieces. Its sibling, the Prospex Speedtimer Solar Chronograph (Ref. HBJ005), takes a different route—powered by the Caliber V192 movement, purple appears only as an accent color on the dial, paired with a tachymeter bezel, limited to 8,000 pieces.

The most technically ambitious of the six is the Seiko Astron GPS Solar Dual-Time Chronograph (Ref. HAB011), powered by the Caliber 5X83 movement. It features a purple gradient dial with horizontal texturing, a titanium case, and a ceramic center bracelet link, limited to just 2,000 pieces—the rarest of the bunch.

The watch that truly turns Edo purple into a story is the Seiko Presage Cocktail Time (Ref. HCB006). Inspired by a cocktail of the same name, "Edo Purple," created by STAR BAR owner Hisashi Kishi, the semi-transparent purple dial is dotted with gold flakes and paired with a GMT hand, limited to 6,000 pieces—the only one of the six built around the idea of drinking rather than watchmaking.

The two more accessible options split between vintage sport and retro digital. The Seiko 5 Sports SKX (Ref. HDB003) carries on the classic diver silhouette, with a deep purple dial, gold accents, and a glossy Hardlex bezel, limited to 9,999 pieces—the largest run of the collection. The Seiko Selection "Rotocall" Digital (Ref. HFL001) revives the 1982 digital watch, with an all-black coated case where the only touch of purple appears on the rotating function switch, limited to 4,000 pieces.

All six models have "LIMITED EDITION" engraved on the caseback and will launch globally starting October 2026 at Seiko boutiques and select retailers. Pricing has not yet been announced.

Seiko's 145th Anniversary Drops Six

Tags#Seiko#Seiko Prospex#Seiko Astron#Seiko Presage#Seiko 5 Sports#江戶紫

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