There are an abundance of luxury watch brands dedicated to celebrating their home nation. You’ve got British watch manufacturer Bremont saluting the England Rugby team with the freshly launched RFU 150 watch, Swiss-American brand BALL celebrating their influence on the American railroad systems and even Bell & Ross very recently partnering with fellow French-based Patrouille de France with their latest limited edition. And yet, we’re not sure there’s a watch manufacturer as committed to their homeland as Seiko.
Japanese culture embodies almost every single Seiko watch out there. The Seiko Presage Sharp Edged Series honours the legendary Japanese Asanoha or hemp leaf pattern on their dials while the Seiko 5 Sports collection is currently home to an endless supply of limited edition watches devoted to Japanese anime’s include Naruto, Boruto and Street Fighter. In the past, Seiko have also teamed up with Studio Ghibli, a worldwide celebrated Japanese animation film studio, to create two Seiko Presage Porco Rosso Limited Edition watches inspired by the film of the same name. The watches featured stunning handmade enamel dials and clever references to the film becoming must-haves for luxury watch and manga memorabilia collectors everywhere. Once again, Seiko has captured the nostalgia of Studio Ghibli’s animation masterwork with the new Seiko Presage Castle in the Sky watch, another limited edition this time inspired by the fantasy-adventure animation Castle in the Sky.
The acclaimed feature film Castle in the Sky follows a young boy and girl in search of a legendary floating city named Laputa. Throughout their adventure, they are chased by air pirates and military agents seeking to capture the city’s treasures and powers and the heroine’s magical levitation crystal. To no surprise, Seiko has done a marvellous job at capturing the key elements of the animation within the design of the Seiko Presage Castle in the Sky Limited Edition watch. The see-through case back is beautifully inscribed with an image of Laputa just the way it was in the picture taken by the protagonist’s father when he caught sight of the city and around the engraving are the words of the chant, something that becomes central to the story. The dial is also home to the crest at 6 o’clock as seen on the mystical levitation crystal and the strap back of the Seiko Presage Castle in the Sky watch carries the inscription on the keystone found in the floating castle. To complete its charming appearance, the watch is presented in a wonderful special edition box also decorated with an image of Laputa.
Despite its wealth of Castle in the Sky references, the Seiko Presage Castle in the Sky Limited Edition is just as much a handsome dress watch as it is a collectible. At the centre, the crisp white dial is hand-engineered from enamel made by master craftsman Mitsuru Yokosawa and his colleagues. Around the edge, the dial delivers traditional Roman numerals, retro-shaped hours, minutes and seconds hands and a classic railway minutes track, all dressed in brown to complete the magical aesthetic. A matching brown hand-stitched leather strap secures the 40.5mm stainless steel case to the wrist with the help of a three-fold clasp with push button release.
The stainless steel case continues to embody Seiko’s impressive technical prowess with dual-curved scratch resistant sapphire crystal glass teamed with anti-reflective coating on the inner service, a 100 metre water resistant rating and an automatic winding movement. The Caliber 6R31 is in fact a new version of the classic 6R35 movement but with no date window. It continues to deliver a 70 hour power reserve, 24 jewels and a frequency of 21,600 vibrations per hour.
As a limited edition of only 1,200 pieces, the Seiko Presage Castle in the Sky watch isn’t expected to be around for long on its release in July. If you’d like to be one of the first to get your hands on one, head over to the Jura Watches website here or get in touch with our team calling 01335 453453.
Specifications: Seiko Presage Castle in the Sky Limited Edition (SPB215J1)
- Case Size: 40.5mm
- Case Material: Stainless steel
- Bezel: Fixed
- Glass: Dual-curved sapphire crystal with anti-reflective treatment
- Crown: Non-screw locked
- Case Back: See-through
- Water Resistance: 100 metres
- Movement: Calibre 6R31 automatic
- Functions: Hours, minutes, seconds
- Power Reserve: 70 hours
- Jewels: 24
- Frequency: 21,600vph
- Dial: White enamel
- Strap: Brown Cordovan leather
- Buckle: Three-fold
- RRP: £1,350
- Limited Edition: 1,200 pieces
- Release Date: July 2021
